childcare-50years

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6 Education legislation and schooling for disabled children At the inception of the welfare state, the pressures of caring for a severely disabled child at home already had for many years been compounded by a lack of suitable education facilities. Children whose disability prevented them from attending mainstream schooling would have found it almost impossible to find a local school, unless they lived in the Belfast area. The 1947 Education Act (NI) required education authorities to have particular regard 'to the need for securing that provision is made for pupils who suffer from any disability of body or mind by providing, either in special schools or otherwise, special education treatment appropriate for persons suffering from that disability.' In December 1947, there were only 11 special schools in Northern Ireland of which 5 were under voluntary management and 2 were hospital based. The 597 pupils in these schools were categorised as: blind, deaf, physically handicapped, delicate and Educationally Sub Normal (ESN). Provision was concentrated in Belfast. Some of the better known residential schools for disabled children in Northern Ireland were established during the 1950s and 1960s but, as noted above, their roots go much further back. After many advances in the education of children with sensory difficulties, the Ulster Society for the Deaf Dumb and Blind purchased land at Jordanstown Co Antrim in 1953 to establish the Jordanstown School for children with sight and hearing impairments, which is still operating today. The Northern Ireland Council for Orthopaedic Development (NICOD, now the Cedar Foundation) founded Malcolm Sinclair House in 1953 as a clinic for 25 children, mainly with cerebral palsy. This later became a nursery school with treatment for the very young. By 1955 there were concerns about problems of 'educability and employability' of disabled children and NICOD opened Mitchell House School in 1961. By 1965 the school had 26 residents and 14 day pupils. The Belfast Education and Library Committee, heavily influenced by the work of NICOD had made a special class available in Mountcollyer School in 1956 for children with cerebral palsy and 50 YEARS OF CHILD CARE IN NORTHERN IRELAND 130
6 other conditions. This became the current Fleming Fulton School, which when it first opened enrolled children from 5 yrs to school leaving age and provided residential accommodation for pupils from outside Belfast. In 1971 NICOD handed over responsibility for its schools to the Department of Education. The Health Services (NI) Act 1948 had introduced a duty on the Ministry of Health with regard to the ascertainment and treatment of mental deficiency and the care, supervision, training and occupation of mental defectives. The Mental Health Act (NI) 1948 gave the Northern Ireland Hospitals Authority responsibility for all mental health services, including services for 'persons requiring special care' - a more acceptable term for children and adults whom legislation had formerly described as 'mental defectives', 'imbeciles' etc. Under the Mental Health Act (NI) 1961, medical practitioners or health authorities were required to refer to the education authorities any child between the age of 2 years and under the compulsory school leaving age who was felt to be in need of special care. The Education and Library Board in turn was to notify the health authority if the child was found to be 'uneducable'. Parents could be compelled to send children to training centres where it appeared this was necessary. A number of special care schools and training centres were established which, after the restructuring of health and welfare services in 1972 became the responsibility of the newly created Health and Social Services Boards. From the implementation of the 1947 Education (NI) Act to 1970 several amendments and miscellaneous provisions followed and the 1947 legislation was repealed in 1972 by the Education and Libraries (NI) Act which introduced significant administrative changes. The basis of educational development in Northern Ireland until the mid 1970s effectively was the 1947 Act. (Evason et al, 1976). A number of disabled children from Northern Ireland were sent to special schools in the South of Ireland and in England. In some cases, welfare authorities paid for young disabled school leavers to attend rehabilitation courses in England. 50 YEARS OF CHILD CARE IN NORTHERN IRELAND 131
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50 A Better Future 40 30 20 10 Depa
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PREFACE There is both an acceptance
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Finally, I am indebted to Mr Selwoo
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1 decisions, taken in the late 1940
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1 1946 which resulted in the Childr
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1 recognition of the effect of the
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Chapter FOSTER CARE 2 Background an
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2 adequacy of the supply of foster
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2 residential care to children wher
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Both these issues were addressed in
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2 "On balance and taking into accou
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2 Numbers of children fostered and
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2 Safeguarding children in foster c
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2 Prior to the adoption of the Nati
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2 • encourages partnership workin
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2 "The most important general issue
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2 The main achievements in foster c
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2 The Human Rights Act 1998, also b
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3 Adoption of Children Act (NI) 192
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The social context to 1947 3 Povert
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The management and structure of ado
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3 cent were under 2 years. Third pa
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3 baby boy: the child's mother did
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3 The management and structure of a
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3 Adoption (NI) Order 1987 however
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3 figures available show that in 19
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3 situations, Catholic lists remain
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3 The Adoption Allowances Regulatio
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3 population) had been freed or wer
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3 Table 4 - Number of children adop
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3 could be assured within the law t
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adoption. In the near future, few p
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3 The post placement and post adopt
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3 professional responsibility for s
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3 Church of Ireland Adoption Societ
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3 • the establishment of speciali
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4 During the 1950s the main concern
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4 • every attempt was to be made
Page 82 and 83: 4 failed, however, to anticipate th
Page 84 and 85: 4 "Boards should seek to reduce the
Page 86 and 87: 4 taken to ensure that these childr
Page 88 and 89: 4 Practice, however, soon establish
Page 90 and 91: 4 • the need for a complaints pro
Page 92 and 93: 4 Kincora, as early as 1967, there
Page 94 and 95: 4 • there were social, economic a
Page 96 and 97: 4 Table 7 - Number of children in c
Page 98 and 99: 4 The Child Welfare Council Report
Page 100 and 101: 4 within homes as a consequence of
Page 102 and 103: 4 The past 50 years have, therefore
Page 104 and 105: 4 The devolved administration, the
Page 107 and 108: Chapter 5 JUVENILE OFFENDING Develo
Page 109 and 110: 5 • the view that imprisonment wa
Page 111 and 112: 5 the order did not appear as a cri
Page 113 and 114: 5 Having commenced with a small gro
Page 115 and 116: 5 The decline in numbers of young p
Page 117 and 118: 5 considerably, juvenile liaison bu
Page 119 and 120: 5 years the percentage of cases giv
Page 121 and 122: 3. Working with young offenders req
Page 123 and 124: 5 remanded or placed in a secure un
Page 125 and 126: Chapter DISABLED CHILDREN Introduct
Page 127 and 128: 6 In the absence of a full and read
Page 129 and 130: 6 in Northern Ireland designed to p
Page 131: 6 are known are receiving either ca
Page 135 and 136: 6 cent of children who fell within
Page 137 and 138: 6 Sixteen percent of parents said t
Page 139 and 140: 6 The treatment of handicapping con
Page 141 and 142: 6 Nursing Team) and the Children's
Page 143 and 144: 6 The 1950 Children and Young Perso
Page 145 and 146: 6 them) her young siblings made a j
Page 147 and 148: 6 Legislation and the development o
Page 149 and 150: 6 based homes and hostels. Some chi
Page 151 and 152: 6 The Children Order was implemente
Page 153 and 154: 6 In an ever-changing social contex
Page 155 and 156: Chapter 7 CHILD PROTECTION Origins
Page 157 and 158: 7 the 1908 Act did not allow such a
Page 159 and 160: 7 under the supervision of a probat
Page 161 and 162: 7 Boards to set up registers on chi
Page 163 and 164: 7 supposed satanic abuse in the Ork
Page 165 and 166: 7 can be uncomfortable to the profe
Page 167 and 168: 7 Work like this is not given much
Page 169 and 170: 7 Alongside these educational progr
Page 171 and 172: 7 the responsibility of one agency
Page 173 and 174: Chapter SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION & TRA
Page 175 and 176: 8 basic qualification in social wor
Page 177 and 178: 8 proposed a two year generic socia
Page 179 and 180: 8 in Residential Care for Children
Page 181 and 182: 8 CCETSW's report "Care for Tomorro
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• high expectations are placed on
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8 people that are involved across a
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8 7. Since the 1990s there has been
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9 Because our society is in the pro
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9 specific commitment to improve co
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9 who wish to work in the care serv
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9 establish a contract with SCIE to
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BIBLIOGRAPHY • ‘Adoption of Chi
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• Department of Health, ‘Adopti
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• O’Halloran, K. ‘Adoption La
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• Tresiliotis, J. Shireman, J. an
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ISBN 0-946932-07-7 Published by: De
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