E.—4.

unsuitable. As soon as any such case comes under the notice of the Department action is taken to remedy matters or to remove the child. All applicants to board children are required to give full particulars of their home and of their financial circumstances. . The home is then inspected by a Child Welfare Officer, who inquires fully into its suitability for the reception of a child or children. A list is kept of homes that have been inspected and found suitable in each District Child Welfare Office, and when a child is ready for placement the field officers consider carefully which of the applicants might be best able to guide and train it. After placement the home is visited and inspected by Child Welfare Officers at least once every three months—oftener should circumstances warrant this action. Independent confidential reports are obtained regularly from the teachers of the schools the children attend. In addition, the Honorary Child Welfare Officers and local persons interested in child welfare work frequently assist—especially in ensuring that the children take part in the ordinary social life of the community. The outstanding features of the boarding-out system are that the children attend public schools and take their place as members of the community, making friendships with other children that frequently last through life. The manner in which they visit their old foster-homes in after years in many cases is a pleasing feature of the system. Frequently, too, former foster-parents apply after the children have left their homes to have them back again during their holidays. Often these are the only parents the children have known, and it speaks volumes for the goodheartedness of such people when their foster-children, even after marriage, still, as many do, keep in touch with them, and to whom they proudly bring their own first offspring. The Department has ample evidence of the good results obtained from the system, while the number of cases reported of ill-treated or maladjusted children represents a very small percentage. It is hoped by means of adequate supervision and proper placement of each individual child to eliminate even these cases. PLACEMENT OF CHILDREN IN SITUATIONS AND ALLOCATION OF THEIR EARNINGS. Generally speaking, State wards, if normal children, are placed in employment on the same conditions as other young people so far as wages, &c., are concerned. The Hon. the Minister has special powers to facilitate the employment of those young people who are mentally, physically, or socially unable to compete on equal terms with their fellow-workers of the same age. The placing of certain handicapped children in the right environment is regarded as being of first-class importance. All license agreements or contracts, which are drawn up for periods ranging from three to twelve months are subject to constant review in the Head Office as well as in the District Offices. Particulars showing the occupations of young people in employment at the 31st March last are shown under the heading " Young Persons in Employment" later in this report. When a child first goes to service, he (or she) is allowed personally a portion of his wages for pocket-money ; the balance is banked by the Department and is drawn out as required for clothing, dentistry, &c. Later he is allowed an increasing portion personally, with the object of training him to appreciate the value of money, to spend it wisely, and to purchase his own clothing under supervision. As a prelude to final discharge he is placed for six months or so on the status of service agreement. This means that he receives all his wages personally and can choose his own situations, except that his supervising officer must approve of his place of employment. The money banked by the Department (section 37 of the Child Welfare Act, 1925) may be paid out at any time, and the Department, as trustee, endeavours to guide these young people in investing or utilizing their money to the best advantage. This is especially essential in those cases where the young people concerned may be mentally retarded and require in their own interests friendly supervision for a longer period than is necessary with the ordinary normal youth. Applications for assistance with board, clothing, medical attention, dentistry, &c., are always promptly attended to. The balance of money banked is generally paid over to the young person concerned after he attains the age of twenty-one years. During the year under review a total sum of £13,010 14s. 9d. was paid out to young people. PRIMARY EDUCATION. The following table, classifying the children according to average age (in years) in their respective classes as at the Ist July, 1937, enables a comparison to be made between State wards attending primary schools and children (including State wards) attending the same schools. The number of State wards attending primary schools was 1,719, while the proportion of State wards to all pupils at that date was approximately 1 to 116.

Table 1. —Average Ages of State Wards and Children attending Primary Schools.

4

Class P. S. I. S. II. S. III. S. IV. P. I (S. V). F. II (S. VI). Boys. Girls. Boys. Girls. Boys. Girls. Boys.! Girls. Boys. Girls. Boys. Girls. Boys. Girls. ~ , Primary schools 6-78 6-72 8-72 8-52 9-71 9-4810-77 10• 53 11 -6311 • 4lll2• 5112-7113-6913-87 State wards .. 7-04 7-05 8-88 9-14 9-9 9-86 1L-0811 -12 12-2112- 13jl3-04 13-0813-7313-47