CHILD WELFARE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19753, 28 September 1927, Page 7

CHILD WELFARE.

ADDRESS TO CIVIC LEAGUE. SEPARATE DEPARTMENT URGED. A meeting of the Civic League was held in the Priscilla Tearooms last evening, Mrs. McLean presiding. An interesting address on Chi'd Welfare was given by Mr. C. J. Tunks, who said he would confine his remarks chiefly to child welfare as dealt with by the Child Welfare branch of the Education Department. That branch dealt with indigent, neglected, delinquent and afflicted child- I ren. The first Act dealing with child welfare was passed in 1867, and was called the " Neglected and Criminal Children Act." This Act set up industrial and reformatory schools, and was one step forward in the woik of child welfare. The passing of the Industrial Schools Act, in 18*2, was a further advance in that work. At ihat time there were two industrial schools in Auckland, one in Howe Street and one at Kohimarama Later these two schools were amalgamated under the name of the Auckland Industrial School. The Child Welfare Act was really in practice before it actually became law, because there had been a gradual process of improvement all through the years. The Child Welfare Act which was passed in 1925 set up a special branch of the Education Department. The Minister's report to Parliament in 1926 giving a resume of the Act was then read by Mr. Tunks. Several duties of the Child Welfare Department were mentioned, one of them being the adoption of children, all of which cases had to be inquired into by the officers. Another important duty of the department was the inspection of infant homes. No child under the age of six could be boarded out unless the foster parents had a licence. Mr. Tunks paid a tribute to the splendid work of various associations in connection with child welfare, notably the Big Brother movement and the Auckland Play Association. At the conclusion of the address the following resolution was passed by the Civic League: " That in the opinion of the league it would be in the best interests of child welfare in New Zealand that the Child Welfare branch of the Education Department should be separated from the Education Department and become a separate and distinct department under an officer directly responsible to the Minister-in-charge."