WARDS OF STATE

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 223, 17 June 1944, Page 5

WARDS OF STATE

Response To Placement In Good Home CARE BY DEPARTMENT A statement regarding the care taken by (lie Child Welfare .Brunch in the placement of wards of the Stall' was made recently by the superintendent of child welfare, Mr. J. It. M. McClane, at a coroner's inquest in Gisborne follow; ing a case of violence in which a Maori lad who was a ward was involved. Mr. MeClune said that the young Maori in question was in the. department's training institution for several months, and during that, time there was nothing whatever in bis general behaviour to indicate that he would resort to acts of extreme violence. Though he responded fairly well there he was considered less likely to benefit from extended training in an institution than by placement with a suitable .employer. The lad's employer, who had done very well with other boys, was regarded as an ideal one for this boy. Experience had proved that the great majority of children, including those who had concmitted offences, responded best to placement in a good home, and the department took every care in making such placements. At the same time in any scheme devised by man if. was almost inevitable that some failures were likely to occur. “During the last five years,” continued Mr. MeClune, “twelve State wards were found guilty of acts of violence. Five of these were sent to Borstal and the remainder returned to the department’s care. Three of these made excellent recoveries, and of the remainder four are progressing satisfactorily,. On the other hand, during the same period seven children not previously in our care were committed to ns by the Courts for having been guilty of acts of violence. Six of these children have respomled well to friendly guidance and supervision. “There are about 1100 wards in employment at present. During the past five years there have been about 2300 placements of these young people—including those iu farm situations, Nearly half of these have been discharged with good records and the balance with a very few exceptions are doing well. Only 4 per cent, of the total number have failed to make good in that period. “In addition to State wards there are some 1300 children under supervision of child welfare oflicers_by orders of Court, and a large number of these are in situations under the guidance of the welfare officers.

“Considering that there are over 4000 State wards regularly under our care (with accretions and discharges of about 600 cases respectively every year), it will be seen that the percentage of these who have been guilty of aets of violence is comparatively small. “In dealing with anti-social acts of children it is found in the final summing up that everything goes back to the home control and training. In many homes today there is unfortunately a lack of the desired moral training and discipline for children. “The whole object of child welfare legislation is reformative and not punitive, though this is not to say that punishment is eliminated by the department in dealing with its wards. This is often disciplinary in character, including loss of privileges, etc. The department’s experience is that the best results, with few exceptions, can be obtained by eliminating a bridge—namely, the institution—between the court and the foster home. Many a boy who started off with a bad record made good when given a decent chance. Some hundreds of these are awav defending our liberty today.”