P.M. replies on social welfare

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32663, 20 July 1971, Page 11

P.M. replies on social welfare

The Government was not prepared to accept the report as a basis for action, said the Prime Minister (Sir Keith Holyoake), in a letter to Major N. C. Manson, president of the Association of Social Workers, after he had studied the association’s report, “Social Welfare at the Crossroads.”

The Prime Minister said he believed the title of the report to be “quite misleading, as it implies a state of crisis which simply does not exist.” But he complimented the society on its studies and said that some of the proposals would influence thinking on social welfare for years to come. “Most New Zealanders are proud, and justly proud, of our present welfare activities, administered by both statutory and voluntary agencies. I believe, and any sensible New Zealander would agree, that they can be and ought to be improved as knowledge and resources permit,” the Prime Minister continues.

“But in the opinion of the Government these changes should be evolutionary, not revolutionary. It is common ground that a department of social welfare is now necessary to give point and direction to this evolutionary process. Where we differ is the form this department should take.

“Before developing that point, however, I want to refer to your recommendation of a ‘full public inquiry or a Royal Commission’ into the social services. The Government believes that because of the very nature of social welfare services, such an inquiry would be protracted in its studies, and inconclusive in its findings, especially if such subjects as community participation and social development were included in the order of reference.

“What is urgently needed, in the Government’s opinion, is a department of State responsible for advising the Government on all aspects of social welfare policy, and for promoting co-ordination among other welfare agencies both voluntary and statutory. No such agency exists at present.

“The Government intends as part of its election policy, to introduce this session of Parliament a Department of Social Welfare Bill creating a new department by incorporating the staffs and functions of the Social Security Department and the Child Welfare Division of the Department of Education, and providing for the addition of new functions as circumstances make desirable. “The new department will be the principal adviser to the Government on the development of social welfare policies for New Zealand, will undertake research into all aspects of social welfare, and maintain close liaison with and promote co-ordina-tion among other welfare agencies, both statutory and voluntary. “Prominent in the Government’s reasoning are these factors:

“(1) It regards the activities of the Social Security Department as an integral part of welfare .policy and administration, not, as your association suggests, primarily as an ‘income maintenance agency.’ Few social welfare problems do not have monetary problems somewhere in their makeup. The proposed divorce of social security from Welfare activities is in the Government’s opinion quite untenable. “2. The Child Welfare Division of the Education Department has the largest number of social workers of any of the statutory agencies and in the nature of things has, as has the Department of Social Security, become increasingly concerned with and knowledgeable about family and community social welfare problems. The new department will be given legislative

power and research resources to evolve more comprehensive policies of family care, preventive work and community participation. "3. The training of social Workers from both the statutory and the voluntary agencies will be developed by the transfer to the new department of the social work training centre at present administered by the State Services Commission. “4. The Government sees no point in establishing a ministry of social development —the principal functions of such a ministry will be administered by the Government’s new Department of Social Welfare.

“5. The possibility of bringing all statutory social welfare workers in a Department of Social Welfare has been given careful consideration over recent years. The Government is firmly convinced that action would be both undesirable and impracticable at this time. When the new Department of Social Welfare as envisaged by the Government has been firmly established, studies will be

undertaken by that department to see whether other functions ought in the public interest be transferred to it. If the Government is convinced of the need to transfer you have my assurance that no agency resistance would be tolerated.

“6. The proposal for creating a national council of social services will be seriously considered once the new department has been established. Currently, the Government sees no need for separate national councils for social development and for social research. These proposed institutions could well be sub-committees of a national council of social services.

“The Government believes that its proposals are for ward-looking and practicable, and by no means in conflict with the broad objectives of your own association. I appeal to your association to support them as an important step forward in the rationalisation and development of this country’s social welfare programmes,” said the Prime Minister.

The executive of the Canterbury branch of the Association of Social Workers held a special meeting to discuss the Prime Minister’s letter and passed a resolution condemning it as "superficial and unfounded.”

Other resolutions were that the annual report-of the Child Welfare division of the Department of Education pointed out a serious, long-standing crisis in the operation of that agency and that this iwas in direct conflict with the Government’s views as expressed in the Prime Minister’s letter. It was moved that the Child Welfare division and the had minimal work in common Social Security Department assessed to be 15 per cent, and that Children’s Court figures showed that cases of; indigency (lack of financial! support) were minimal also. 1 The final resolution was that the proposed combined department seemed illequipped to understand and advise the Government on needs of non-statutory services.