View report page

CARAVAN HOMES
Nearly 500 families use caravans as homes in our district, the
bulk of which are stationed on sites which are provided with
essential amenities.
These caravans are, in the main, of modern construction. Nevertheless
criticism is commonly voiced about lack of proper sanitary
facilities, dampness from condensation, limited space and the risk
from fire. While there are some enthusiasts who find caravan life
attractive, the majority hope to move into houses as soon as possible
in order to escape from what they regard as dreary if not squalid
living conditions.
Social workers frequently encounter families living in considerable
squalor who resist all efforts to rehabilitate them. Such
problem families while living in the midst of a community are often
detached and isolated from their neighbours because of difficult
behaviour and low standards. Rejection inclines them to become
more withdrawn suspicious and quarrelsome and the various
members of such families are frequently in trouble with authorities
at school, place of work or with the Police because of provocative
behaviour and propensity for getting at cross-purposes with those
with whom they come into close contact.
The heads of these families who so often appear to hold their
responsibilities lightly, at any hint of disapproval of their mode of
living invariably lay blame for their plight elsewhere, and never
admit to any personal responsibility for their present situation. They
will reject out of hand any suggestion that their own attitude may
be at fault or that any adjustment in their way of thinking may be
necessary to effect permanent improvement. They have a talent
for involving as many persons and organisations as possible in
their problem yet resisting all individual or concentrated efforts to
bring about a solution. An important social consequence is that
children reared in such households are very prone to develop defects
of personality through lack of care during development and are
likely to grow into inadequate adults unable to cope with the demands
of a sophisticated society and without insight into the
causation of their failure. In turn they become unstable and
Page 12