View report page

88
The main help that was given to children in their own homes under
the Children and Young Persons Act, 1963, Section 1, was by way of
payment of fares for them to go to relatives who were in a position to
look after the children during family crises. Otherwise, the chief problem
still continues to be the inability of parents to control their children,
largely due to unhappy marriages or co-habitation, and general lack of
principles and self-discipline.
Children placed with foster parents by their own parents and supervised
under the Children Act, 1958, numbered 65.
During the year foster parents have continued to give great assistance
and support and to give loving and efficient care to the children. The older
children, of course, continue to be the most difficult for foster parents to
manage and guide, as they all appear to mature physically at a much
younger age—which adds to the difficulties of control and supervision.
There were a number of meetings between the Children's Officers of
the London Boroughs, which proved to be very helpful and provided an
opportunity for comparing experience and airing points of view. The
main points of discussion were the plans and opinions of the changes
which will be necessary in order to carry out efficiently the provisions of
the 1969 Children Act which is a major landmark in the development of
the Children's Department—this could well alter Court procedure and
increase the responsibility of the Children's Department considerably and
entail expansion of the staff establishment.
At Christmas it was possible for the Children's Home at 7a Gaylor
Road to be closed and the Home at 229 The Heights to remain open in
case of emergency, but all the children went away for the actual Christmas
period.
The building of the Reception Unit for Children was started, and it
will be in use in 1970.
The relationship with the Probation Department and the Juvenile
Police Bureau continues to be a very happy and helpful one, and the
Bureau seems to have had a very good effect on the number of children
appearing as offenders before the Court.
Inter-departmental relationships remain excellent and the Children's
Section continues to receive co-operation and helpful advice from all the
departments of the service which it has to call upon in various circumstances.