CRIPPLED CHILDREN

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 May 1943, Page 2

CRIPPLED CHILDREN

NEW ZEALAND SOCIETY WORK REVIEWED. PART PLAYED BY ROTARY. A comprehensive review of the work of the N.Z. Crippled Children Society was given at today’s Rotary Club luncheon by the secretary, Mr C. Meachen, of Wellington. Mr Meachen outlined the steps taken by the Rotary movement to bring about the formation of the New Zealand Crippled Children Society and its branches. The expenses connected with the formation of the society were borne by Rotary clubs and the society was thus enabled to start without one penny of expense of any kind. Viscount Nuffield later made a munificent gift of £50,000, which was supplemented shortly afterwards by a further amount of £lO,OOO for Crippled Children’s Homes. Today throughout New Zealand 2980 crippled boys and girls were receiving the assistance of the society and there were at least another 2,000 crippled children still to be discovered and registered. The income from the Nuffield Trust Fund’was only a small portion of the annual revenue of the seventeen branches in New Zealand, which now comprised the society. During the last seven years over £35,000 had been spent for the benefit of crippled children, and of this sum the branches had received nearly £14,000 in grants from the New Zealand Society. Apart from this, financial help was received from the Minister of internal Affairs by monies from art union funds. EARLY TREATMENT. One of the main objects of the society, said Mr Meachen, was the prevention of crippling conditions and a large number of the cases were preventable. They might develop in early childhood, but they were nearly all curable if treated at once. The society felt today that many crippled boys and girls should be given an opportunity to prove their worth in the various classes of industry. A number of firms employed cripples and from reports received from employers, it was found that the result was very satisfactory. One of the objects of the society was to assist all crippled children to find work best suited to their aptitude and capacity. Everyone could help in this work by taking a sympathetic and practical interest in the needs of their crippled children; by reporting cases which came under their notice; and by joining a branch of the society whose membership was open to all persons of goodwill. ' TRAVELLING CLINICS. Possibly the most important work that the society had fostered was what was known as travelling orthopaedic clinics and although the war had intervened, these clinics would prove the most practical form of assistance on behalf of crippled children, Mr Meachen said. Travelling clinics would assist to discover, register and treat all crippled children throughout New Zealand, and it was anticipated the time would arrive when such clinics would be conducted by full time orthopaedic specialists similar to the T.B. clinics for which the Department of Health was responsible. WELFARE OFFICERS’ WORK. Mr Meachen spoke in defence of the voluntary nature of the organisation and said the appointment of welfare officers was in itself giving crippled children a sevice that again could not be analysed in terms of money. These welfare officers discovered and registered new cases; they worked in close co-operation with hospitals and orthopaedic surgeons; they co-operated with the Education Department and followed up the child’s education if the child was bed-ridden; they arranged interviews with parents either at the home or at the welfare officer’s rooms; they kept in close touch, with existing social organisations; they had a general knowledge of the principle firms and factories in their respective districts with a view to finding employment for crippled children; they ensured that all cases were receiving professional treatment or advice; and above all, I they pursued an organised follow-up system of calling on the crippled childen at their homes to ensure that they obtained the full benefit of any treatment received. The society was commenced by Rotary, there was no obligation on Rotary to ensure that assistance to the society was not overshadowed by something less important.