Dealings with children change

Press, 16 September 1976, Page 17

Dealings with children change

PA Wellington. The provisions of the Children and Young Persons Act have significantly altered the procedures under which the Department of Social Welfare carries out its functions in relation to juvenile offending and other problems concerning the welfare of children, according to the department’s annual report to Parliament. Before the act came into effect on April 1, 1975, persons of any age up to 18 could be brought before the court on a complaint under the Child Welfare Act, 1925, and persons aged between 10 and 17 could be brought before the Children’s Court and charged with an offence. Under the new act, both children (those aged under 14) and young persons (those aged between 14 and 17) can be the subject of a complaint that the child or young person is in need of care, protection, or control; but only young persons can be charged in the Children and Young Persons Court. Apart from exceptional cases, every offence by a young person must be the subject of consultation between the police and social workers before the matter can be brought be-

fore the court. The introduction of the

new system had also broadened the range of decisions available to magistrates, who could order counselling, payment of compensation, or forfeiture of property, the report said. However, there had been an important change with regard to the sentencing of some young persons. “If a magistrate in the Children and Young Persons Court considers that an offender over 15 should be released on probation or sentenced to periodic detention, detention and order that the young person be brought before a magistrate’s court for sentence or decision under the Criminal Justice Act, 1954,” the report added. There was a total of 8569 appearances before the Children and Young Persons Court between April 1 and DecemDer 31 1975.