CHILD WELFARE WORK.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15776, 18 December 1916, Page 9

CHILD WELFARE WORK.

LONDON'S GREAT PROBLEM (FROM X SPECIAL COBRKSPONDKNT.) LONDON", November 3.

The need of intelligent direction of the vast stream of voluntary war effort in England is vividly illustrated l>y the plight in which the London Education Authority finds itself in connexion with its child welfare work, which is now more necessary than ever, and which is being neglected because of the more attractive calls on the Toluntary workers for service more directly eonnected with the war. A great campaign has born begun by the education authority to bring in new workers and to convince those, who have left that there can be no more important work than that ot safeguarding the health and morals 01 the soldiers and the mothers of the coining generation. How serious the situation has become is proved by the fact that instead of the normal number of OUtiO members of tho "care" committees in London there are now less than 1000, and many of these are unable for one reason or another to devote as much time as is desirable to the work. The whole system of child welfare committees has now been in existence for seventeen years. It was established by the old London School Board, and when tho County Council became the education authority it took over tho system and developed it. Briefly described, the scheme is ns follows: In connexion with every one of the 1000 schools cf London there is a Children s Care Committee consisting of niue voluntary workers, with whom .sro associated the school medical officer, the school attendance officer, and representatives of the teaching staff. 'J he duty of these workers is to follow up tho work of the school medical officer, to see to the feeding of necessitous children, to look after the health and general homo conditions of the children, and to form u link between the poor homo and the agencies for medical and other relief. England realised some years ago that mere book education was very little use to children who were -underfed or suffering from disease. The first step taken was the appointment of school medical officers, whose duty it is to examine every child at least three times during the period of his attendance at school. This is done on entering, about tho middle of tho school life,,and on leaving, but in addition to this the medical officer is sunposed to keep an eye on all the children and detect the beginnings of disease or malformation, and draw attention to them. There, howover, his duties end. 2S'o provision is made in tho law for treatment or for following up. The report of the doctor is transmitted to the parents of the child, and the responsibility has rested with them for securing proper _ treatment. This is one of the directions m which tho work of the Child Care Committces been most valuable. It is tho duty of these committees to followup all such" cases, visit the child's home end advise the parents if they need advice. In somo cases it is necessary to insist and in a few to tho machinorv of the law in motion to compcl careless and negligent parents to do their dutv. Of course, this is work requiring •» maximum of tact and a minimum of tho interfering spirit which is far too common in thevillagcs and rural towns of England. Tho London County Council has found, however, that m London this objection does not obtain to anvthing like the same extent as m the country. The committee man or woman has no time to pry into the private sflairs of the children & parents m the same way that tho vicar s wife or the ladv of the manor interferes in the private" life of tho cottagers, and tbe great majority of the town parents welcome the advice and help of the visitors. Where they arc especially useful is in putting poor parents m touch with various medical and surgical relief organisations, of which thev otherwise would not have known, and in making smooth their path in obtaining the neccssary aid. Another problem with which they have to deal is that of children under bad surroundings, and this problem has been strangely intensified by the war. The London magistrates, and indeed the magistrates all over the country, havo been commenting recently on £ha.t thev call a "wave of juvenile crime." Sov, many magistrates are oompous old persons with a liking lor &<r words and very little knowledge of real life. it is lived on 28s or 30s a week "What has happened is really this- Nearly all the fathers of the younger boys* and girls arc off to the Var Those that are not are most likely working long hours in munitions factories-and often living away from home in order to do so. There is a consequent absence of parental discipline. In the old days, perhaps father Hid not interfere much, but he was always in the background and mother hold him in reserve as a terrible threat to enforce her commands. Aow the children know that father and his leather belt are at the front and that -the front" is a long way from home. Then there are all sorts of interesting things to be seen in the streets and m tho picture palaces, and the result is that the children stay out late and get into trouble. They fall into the hands

of the police. and tho solemu old istrates talk gravely about "juvenile crime'' when the children of tho poor are cliarged with committing acts m the street which, if committed by tne magistrates'' own boys in the playing field, would bo laughed at as examples of fine high spirits. Tho Juvenile Care Committees are needed to organise amusements which will keep the children out of mischief, to instilinto them a sense of discipline, and if they do get into trouble to in a Rood word for them with the magistrates and see that the punishment is not entirely out of proportion to the crime. Another brunch of the work which has been increased by the war ,s strangely enough the provision of employment for children leaving school. There never has been a time when there was such a demand for boy and girl labour. No one need bo out of work for five minutes, and it is just hero that the danger lies, for much of the work that is offered is "blind alley occupations—occupations which lead to nothing and in which the boy will find himself in a few yours superseded by a younger and cheaper boy. while he himself wiil have learned nothing and will Do of even less e< onomiv value than when he started. One of the most useful activities of t.he care committees is in steering the children clear of such occupations, and when they do rail into them of urging them to attend night classes and technical schools, so that while they are earning their immediate living in tho blind alley they are iitting themselves to get out of it into something better, l.'nder present conditions a boy leaving school, if lie is smart, can get a job in a munitions factory which will pay him something like £1 or 2os & week. This is more than double the price of ordinary boy labour in peace time, and. of course, is very attractive. But when the war is over and the munitions factories close down the boy will be out of work, a year or two older, and he will have learned very little that will he of uso to him, if he has not employed his spare time profitably in the meantime.-

Tho magnitude, of tho work which is done in London alono may bo gathered from the figures. Thero .arc about 700,000 children in the London County Council schools. In times of normal poverty about 50,000 of these are supplied with free meals and must bo followed up at their homes. Medical treatment is wanted for about 100,000 of the children passing through, tho school medical officers' hands every year. .All these cases must be followed up at least once, and many of them many times. It is estimated that -o per cent, of those requiring treatment do not receive it until pressure in some form is_brought to bear on the parents. About 70,000 children leave school every year, and while, of course, a large number of them secure employment through, their parents or relatives, there are a largo number left who must be looked after and helped. Indeed this work, if properly carrier! out, is the heaviest of all, for it means keeping in touch, with these young persons for some years after they have left school, advising them about change of employment, and in all sorts of other matters, and in general acting as a sort of foster parent or guardian.