15

8.—4

Table 12—continued--81 children, accused or guilty of offences, representing 71 families. Characters of parents described as —

Table 13.—Admissions classified according to Religious Belief.

Table 14. —Inmates who ceased to be under Control during Year ended 31st March, 1928.

Institutions for the Mentally Backward. The two institutions (boys and girls separate) for mentally backward children and young people are an essential part of the Child Welfare system, for they provide a suitable environment for those mentally backward children who, on account of indifferent home conditions, careless parents, anti-social habits, or specific offences against the law, are not fitted to remain in the community and therefore require social readjustment. For the instruction and training of the mentally backward child whose conduct is good and whose home environment is suitable special classes attached to the public school have been established, but for those cases residing in remote country districts the residential institutions referred to above have been utilized to a certain extent. As there is frequently a considerable amount of doubt in the minds of parents, public-school teachers, School Medical Officers, and the authorities of private social-service organizations as to the type of child likely to benefit by admission to a residential institution and the existing provision for training in these places, the following statement will be of some value : — Type of Child suitable for Admission. Subnormal children capable of benefiting from training (whether mental, manual, or handwork) are, as a rule, children whose intelligence quotients (Stanford revision of Binet test) range from 50 to 75. It has been found, however, that some children of intelligence quotients slightly below 50, although incapable of benefiting from mental training, can receive benefit from handwork or manual training. This type of child gives a much better response to a mechanical or performance test than to the more intellectual Binet test. On the other hand, some children with intelligence quotients of 50 and over, while perhaps able to learn parrot-fashion, receive no material benefit from scholastic work, and have little aptitude for handwork and manual work. These children gain very little from the training given in these' institutions. Again, some children, owing to anti-social tendencies or

Dead, Deserter, or Unknown. Good. Bad, Questionable, Drunkards, Feebleminded, and Physically Unfit. Father Mother Both parents 14 9 2 41 49 33 16 13 4

(Magistrates after hearing the evidence direct in what religious denomination children committed are to be brought up.) G . . F| Q *2 I sJ ! . Id © § s • -e oj "8 *3 S 1 - I i |l I 3 Hi ! It IS I f! if 4 J ! 3 if I" I l | 1 r i i I" r I ■ P I' I 3 II 111 1 Number .. ,344 j 110 106 29 36 2 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 8 644 Percentage 53-42 17 08 16-46 4-5 5-6 0-31 I 0-154 0-31 0-154 0-154 0-31 0-154 0-154 1-24 100-0 ! i 1 J I I i 1 Note. —The children for whom no religion is shown were temporary admissions.

Boys. Girls. Totals. Discharged (Child Welfare Act, section 23) Attained age of twenty-one years .. Adopted Written off books Married By death lommittal order cancelled 237 14 14 34 103 22 24 29 11 4 1 340 36 38 63 11 17 1 13 Totals .. 312 194 506