SOCIAL WELFARE SERVICES

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27669, 27 May 1955, Page 14

SOCIAL WELFARE SERVICES

Suggested Merger Of Field Work PRESENT SYSTEM HELD UNECONOMIC (New Zealand Press Association) , WELLINGTON, May 26. Arguments for the co-ordination of social welfare field services under a Minister responsible for providing the field workers but without attempting to amalgamate the large administrative machinery of different Government departments were submitted by the head of the School of Social Science at Victoria University College (Professor W. G. Minn) in a paper presented yesterday to the ‘New Zealand Institute of Public Administration, which is holding a convention on welfare problems. In the past, needs were dealt with in special categories, with social welfare schemes and organisations provided to meet the problems of groups having particular problems, said Professor Minn. Fragmentation of social welfare was the result. “It is uneconomic to have representatives of different agencies touring a wide area dealing with the same types of problems and posibly. visiting the same families,’’ he said. “None of them, covering the same area, will have more than a diffuse view of the social structure and background against which the problems of their families must be seen, whereas if each were responsible for a smaller segment their knowledge would be more detailed and more effective. They would become known by the community and part of it.’’ A report presented to the institute by the Wellington group suggested the amalgamation of certain Government departments which required the services of a social case worker, said Professor Minn.

It would seem more logical to attempt co-ordination in the.field services rather than amalgamate the large administrative machinery of different Government departments,” he continued.

If the co-ordination of social welfare administration is to be brought about effectively, it would seem that there should be one Minister responsible for providing the field workers who should undertake the social case work for each of the present departments.

By social case work he meant that the method used was that of face-to-face approach. The amalgamation of all Government social services into one Social Services Department was suggested by Mr J. T Ferguson Wellington District Child Welfare Officer.

He said there had been instances where one family had been visited by representatives of several agencies in one day, each seeking much the same information and giving usually same warnings and advice. What parents think when, as does happen, different social workers give different advice, can be left to the imagination. ’ said Mr Ferguson.