WAYWARD CHILDREN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20725, 19 November 1930, Page 13

WAYWARD CHILDREN.

CASES IN AUCKLAND. METHOD OF SUPERVISION. ENCOURAGING RESULTS. Remarkable success lias met the efforts of (lie Big Brother movements in encouraging delinquent children to occupy; their time usefully, according to testimony; given in a report prepared by Mr. J. S. Cupif, district supervisor of the child welfare branch of the Education Department, for submission to Mr. E. C. Cutten, S.M., special magistrate for children. The report covers the six months' period ended September .'SO, and similar half-yearly reports will henceforward be presented. During the half-year 193 cases, of which 30 were girls, were dealt with. The causes which led to the appearand of t he children before the Court were as follows:—Theft, 72; breach oi by-law, 49; not under proper control, 18; living in environment, detrimental to physical and moral well-being, 18; indigent, 16; mischief, 14; obscene language, 4; indecent assault, 2. In addition, 22 other informations were discharged as trivial. Of those who appeared before the Court 55 were committed to the care of the superintendent, 46 were placed -under the supervision of the child welfare officer, and 92 were admonished and discharged. Of the 193, 11, representing 5.6 per cent., appeared a second time. "The total number o;i children who have been placed under the supervision of the child welfare officer :is 118," says Mr. Cupit. ".As tho supervision order does not entail the removal of a child from its home, an endeavour is made to effect a close co-operation with the parents concerned. Without parental co-operation, the effect of supervision is greatly minimised. A great deal of delinquency ampng young children is caused through a lack of judicious parental oversight. Many of the children have nothing to do in their spare time, and tho tendency is to drift to' the street and congregate in small gangs, and mischief in varying forms is a result.

"To counteract' this, the department called to its aid the Big Brother movement eight years ago. The work was first taken up by the F.M.C.A., and was closely followed by an organisation under the control of the Roman Catholic Church authorities. Both of these movements are working in close co-operation with the department. The Y.M.C.A. (movement generally cares for children who are nonCatholics. and the Roman Catholic Church looks after children belonging to that faith.

"When a child has bean placed under supervision these bodies detail a young man of known character, who has volunteered his service, to make contact with the bov, his home and his parents. His business is to encourage the boy, as the caso seems to demand, to attend night classes, to take up some hobby, to connect with some healthy sports body, and generally to spend his time usefully. Remarkable results have attended the efforts of the Big Brother movements concerned, but perhaps one of the most telling features is that only 5.6 per cent., of the children made a second Jippearance in the Court."