Church Child Care Efforts Assessed

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31658, 19 April 1968, Page 11

Church Child Care Efforts Assessed

The Methodist Church had no cause to be ashamed of its efforts in child care, but in using and adapting available facilities with limited financial resources and in the training of staff it lacked considerably, said Sister R. Collins, of Christchurch, and Miss J. Boniface, of Auckland, in a report to the annual meeting of the New Zealand Methodist Social Services Association, in Christchurch this week.

Both women represented the New Zealand Methodist child care agencies at the first conference of the Australasian Council of Methodist Child Care Agencies in Australia recently. Sister Collins said that it was apparent, however, that both in New Zealand and Australia there was a lack of facilities for the care of emotionally disturbed, nondelinquent children. “We as a church must offer care to those who need care,” she said. “We should make a united effort with other churches and agencies to help these children who are tossed about because there are no agencies to take them.” There was also a need for skilled staff who would be required for any work undertaken on behalf of these children. Sister Collins and Miss Boniface said that in every state in Australia the group cottage family system of care had been developed. While the Australian agencies had claimed that this care was a forward move from the old congregate type care, they had queried if the group cottage system had fulfilled the idea of family life for deprived children. None of the agencies had developed foster care work on a large scale.

Every agency represented at the conference had felt that it had neglected a very important aspect of the preventive care work. The success of the church’s child care work should be gauged not only by the number in its care, but even more so by the number helped to remain outside the church’s buildings and foster homes. The association agreed to recommend to the Children’s Homes Boards in New Zealand that they apply for associate membership of the Australasian council.