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3 The management and structure of adoption services 1948-1967 Adoption services came under the auspices of the newly created welfare authorities in 1947. Caul and Herron (1992) note that by the time the professionalisation of social work in the late 1950s and early 1960s was underway, local authority services had continued to expand with a wider range of services becoming available to meet specific needs. In the 1960s, whilst there was a tendency to move towards general 'social welfare officers', the most senior posts became specialist in nature. Children's Officers were established in each welfare authority, reporting through a Deputy Chief Welfare Officer to the Chief Welfare Officer. Their responsibilities included adoption services, although the management of services fell to Assistant Children's Officers. Each Divisional Welfare Office appointed Senior Social Workers who, in addition to other child care responsibilities, supervised adoption practice. Amongst a host of general welfare, family and child care duties, social workers undertook home approvals of prospective adopters and provided support to mothers who were contemplating placing a child for adoption. They also carried out guardian ad litem duties. By the early 1960s adoptive applicants had become subject to more intensive home study investigations, heavily influenced by psychoanalytical perspectives that were promoted in professional social work training courses. There were specific requirements to be met on the part of adopters in relation to age, length of marriage, income and housing conditions. The welfare authority's list of approved adopters was maintained by the Assistant Children's Officer who in discussion with Senior Social Workers, linked children with adoptive families. Welfare committees, made up of local councillors, approved all adoption placements of children. The Northern Ireland Child Welfare Council Report (1963) referred to above established the framework for a modern adoption service. The Report noted that for the 1955-60 period, 26 per cent of placements were by a registered adoption society - by this time only 4 adoption societies were active and only one employed a full time fieldworker. Third party and direct placements accounted for 39 per cent of the children placed. Twenty one per cent of applicants were blood 50 YEARS OF CHILD CARE IN NORTHERN IRELAND 50
elatives. The Report also found that voluntary children's homes had a poorer track record than statutory homes of boarding children out. As it was not unusual in the 1950s and 1960s for older children in the public care to be adopted by their foster carers, there was therefore less potential for children in voluntary homes to be adopted. Church affiliated voluntary sector agencies continued to approve couples and place children for adoption in increasing numbers. In 1961-62, approximately 35 per cent of adoption placements were made by registered adoption societies. During the same period 30 per cent of children were placed by the statutory authorities and 9.7 per cent by 'other persons'. Several residential homes/hostels were established, mainly by the voluntary sector, to enable mothers to await the birth of their child and, where they had decided against adoption, to care for their child until they found a suitable home. Adoption legislation, the social context and structure of services 1968-1988 Legislation 1968-1988 3 The Children and Young Persons Review Group under the chairmanship of Sir Harold Black ('The Black Committee') was appointed by Ministers in 1976 to review the legislation and services relating to the care and treatment of young persons under the Children and Young Person's Act (NI) 1968, the Adoption (NI) Act 1968 and the Probation Act (NI) 1950 and to make recommendations as to changes in legislation and organisation in services The consultative paper 'Adoption of Children in Northern Ireland' (HMSO, 1980) was produced as a stand-alone report in recognition of the fact that 'adoption was an important and complex subject which required consideration separate from the main part of the Review'. Several recommendations emerged in the final report of the Committee: 'Adoption of Children in Northern Ireland : Report of the Children and Young Persons Review Group' (HMSO 1982). Some of these were disregarded by the legislation that was to follow. The 50 YEARS OF CHILD CARE IN NORTHERN IRELAND 51
Page 1: 50 A Better Future 40 30 20 10 Depa
Page 5 and 6: PREFACE There is both an acceptance
Page 7: Finally, I am indebted to Mr Selwoo
Page 10 and 11: 1 decisions, taken in the late 1940
Page 12 and 13: 1 1946 which resulted in the Childr
Page 14 and 15: 1 recognition of the effect of the
Page 17 and 18: Chapter FOSTER CARE 2 Background an
Page 19 and 20: 2 adequacy of the supply of foster
Page 21 and 22: 2 residential care to children wher
Page 23 and 24: Both these issues were addressed in
Page 25 and 26: 2 "On balance and taking into accou
Page 27 and 28: 2 Numbers of children fostered and
Page 29 and 30: 2 Safeguarding children in foster c
Page 31 and 32: 2 Prior to the adoption of the Nati
Page 33 and 34: 2 • encourages partnership workin
Page 35 and 36: 2 "The most important general issue
Page 37 and 38: 2 The main achievements in foster c
Page 39: 2 The Human Rights Act 1998, also b
Page 42 and 43: 3 Adoption of Children Act (NI) 192
Page 44 and 45: The social context to 1947 3 Povert
Page 46 and 47: The management and structure of ado
Page 48 and 49: 3 cent were under 2 years. Third pa
Page 50 and 51: 3 baby boy: the child's mother did
Page 54 and 55: 3 Adoption (NI) Order 1987 however
Page 56 and 57: 3 figures available show that in 19
Page 58 and 59: 3 situations, Catholic lists remain
Page 60 and 61: 3 The Adoption Allowances Regulatio
Page 62 and 63: 3 population) had been freed or wer
Page 64 and 65: 3 Table 4 - Number of children adop
Page 66 and 67: 3 could be assured within the law t
Page 68 and 69: adoption. In the near future, few p
Page 70 and 71: 3 The post placement and post adopt
Page 72 and 73: 3 professional responsibility for s
Page 74 and 75: 3 Church of Ireland Adoption Societ
Page 76 and 77: 3 • the establishment of speciali
Page 78 and 79: 4 During the 1950s the main concern
Page 80 and 81: 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
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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
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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 and 132:
6 are known are receiving either ca
Page 133 and 134:
6 other conditions. This became the
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
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6 based homes and hostels. Some chi
Page 151 and 152:
6 The Children Order was implemente
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6 In an ever-changing social contex
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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
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7 can be uncomfortable to the profe
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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
Page 185 and 186:
8 people that are involved across a
Page 187:
8 7. Since the 1990s there has been
Page 190 and 191:
9 Because our society is in the pro
Page 192 and 193:
9 specific commitment to improve co
Page 194 and 195:
9 who wish to work in the care serv
Page 196 and 197:
9 establish a contract with SCIE to
Page 199 and 200:
BIBLIOGRAPHY • ‘Adoption of Chi
Page 201 and 202:
• Department of Health, ‘Adopti
Page 203 and 204:
• O’Halloran, K. ‘Adoption La
Page 205 and 206:
• Tresiliotis, J. Shireman, J. an
Page 208:
ISBN 0-946932-07-7 Published by: De
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