Child Welfare Stays Under Education

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 776, 24 September 1929, Page 11

Child Welfare Stays Under Education

MINISTER’S REPLY NO SEPARATE DEPARTMENT, Although expressing apprecoation of the work being done by the officers of the Child Welfare Branch, prominent social workers in Auckland are of opinion that the work cannot be developed to its full extent as long as it continues to come under the control of the Education Department. Deputations to the Minister of Education asking for a separate department to be created have proved unsuccessful. Mr. C. J. Tunks, chairman of the Auckland Social Welfare Council, | when approached by a Sun represen- ; tative this morning, said that a depuj tation that waited on the Hon. IT. Atmore during one of his recent visits to Auckland, although given a very attentive hearing, received very lit lie encouragement to its request for a separate department. Associated with Mr. Tunks in the j deputation were Miss B. Carnachan, the Very Rev. H. F. Holbrook and Mr. : V. T. Drew, general secretary of the j Auckland Branch off the Y.M.C.A. In asking for the creation of a separate department to control this very j important social work, the deputation : pointed out to the Minister that, while ! it remained as a subsidiary branch of 1 the Education Department, the work! could not receive the individual attention so necessary to its success. The needs of education and the ever-in-creasing* volume of work, it was pointed out, must necessarily be that 1 ; department’s first consideration. What they urged was’ the creation of a separate department with its own separate head having direct access to ’ the Minister in charge. In reply, said Mr. Tunks, the Minister said that the deputation had not in- . treduced anything further than what J had been asked by similar deputations in the South. He was very emphatic when he said that he would not consider such a step. The tendency in creating separate departments was to create more civil servants, the cost of which to the country was already too i high. ; UNTRAINED OFFICERS The general opinion of social work- ■ ers is that a separate department is ] very necessary, remarked Mr. Tanks. Although he did not think that the point was brought before the Minister, he also thought that steps should be taken to introduce some scheme of training for child-welfare officers. When the work was commenced the j Department was in the unfortunate j position of taking whatever men it | could get. irrespective of whether they j had any particular training or quali- ; fication for the work. If these trained officers were avail- 1 i able they would also be of great asj sistance to the various denomiiuj institutions which, under the supervision of the Government, carried out a great deal of useful work. In the report made to the Education Department, following the visit to America by one of its officers, ! the training of social y orkers I was particularly stressed. The re- j port stated that “there should ; be facilities for the training [ ing of men and women of a fair de- ! gree of maturity and education who ; intend to follow up social service as j a life work, or for those who are en- j gaged in some form of social work, i but desire instruction in the scien- j tific side of their own particular work | or in social service generally. A course of such training would also i increase the efficiency of the volun- ; ! teer worker and those who serve on | committees or administrative boards ; | of social service agencies.” Mr. Tunks said that all they got from the Minister was an assurance that in future the Child Wel--1 fare Superintendent could have : direct access to him as Minister of Education. WORK NOT EDUCATIONAL A tribute to the work being done by the Child Welfare Branch was also paid by Mr. R. N. Brastead, national secretary of the Y.M.C.A., who is at present in Auckland. From his own experience in the establishment of the Big Brother movement, which worked in conjunction with the branch, he knew the work that was being done. However, much more could be done if there were a separate department. He agreed with other social workers that the work did not propeHy come under the heading of education, and that much better results would be obtained from a distinct department. Mr. Drew, the Auckland secretary, has charge of the Big Brother work in Auckland. When a boy comes before the court and is ordered to be placed under control,, he can either be placed under the care of the movement or else report to the child welfare officers. In man}- cases the parents preferred the more personal supervision which the Big Brother movement offered, and in which their co-operation-was sought. An effort was also made to select a Big Brother from a centre of the boy’s own interest. A list of monthly reports compiled | bv Big Brothers was shown the press--1 j man. In every instance they showed : that efforts were being made to direct ! and encourage the boys on sound lines. | Sports and hobbies were also encouraged by their Big Brothers, and in most instances the results were satis- ' factory. In Auckland there were 120 ! boys being so cared for. and over 300 j in the Dominion. Out of 400’ boys recently handled, it : was estimated that there was a loss ] I of only 3.4 per cent., a boy being j marked down as a loss when it was j found, necessary to send him to the ! Weraroa training institution. In addition to the Y.M.C.A. Big Bro- | | tlier movement. there was also a Catholic Big Brother movement under the Very Rev. H. F. Holbrook and the Rev. Father Bradley, which Mr. Drew j said was also doing very good work.