childcare-50years

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3 figures available show that in 1974 the 211 adoptions of children by 'strangers' accounted for 64 per cent of 332 adoptions. By 1987 there were 104 'stranger' adoptions accounting for only 36 per cent of 285 adoptions. The remaining adoptions involved stepparents or other relatives. O'Halloran (1994) shows that both the annual rates of adoption and marriage reached their peak during this period, despite little or no change in the rate of illegitimate births. From the early 1970s to the late 1980s, he claims, several statistical trends are apparent which had a direct bearing on shaping the modern use of adoption: • marriage became less popular with a marked decrease in the marriage rate after the introduction of the Matrimonial Causes (NI) Order 1978 and the Domestic Proceedings (NI) Order 1980; • childbirth became less dependent on marriage (perhaps as a consequence of the above) and the number of illegitimate births increased from 3.8 per 1000 to 12.7 per 1000 in 1986, accompanied by preferential welfare benefits for single parents; • advances in law and medicine increased the extent to which maternity became a chosen option. Pregnancy could be avoided through the use of improved contraceptives or terminated by abortion. Persons undergoing abortion in England but giving an address in Northern Ireland increased from 199 in 1970 to 1,724 in 1986; and • more children were being cared for by the State. Numbers increased from 1,717 in 1970 to 2,448 in 1984 with the proportion of those committed under a compulsory care order rising from 37.6 per cent in 1964 to 74.8 per cent in 1984. The stigma associated with illegitimacy had diminished by the early 1980s - "the status of unmarried motherhood came to be absorbed into the rapidly growing number of 'lone mothers' which followed the relaxation of the grounds for divorce ... the issues of illegitimacy ... were subsumed into the new concern about lone parenthood, a concern partly aroused by the poverty with which it was often 50 YEARS OF CHILD CARE IN NORTHERN IRELAND 54
3 accompanied ... moreover, the sheer numbers of unmarried mothers meant that pregnancy outside of marriage could no longer be seen as a special problem of the deviant few", (DoH, 1999). The whole character of non-kinship adoption had changed dramatically by the end of this period from being dominated by the placement of illegitimate babies to securing alternative arrangement for children who had been removed from 'defaulting parents' (O'Halloran, 1994). Structure of services 1968 - 1988 In a major reorganisation of the Health and Personal Social Services in 1973, the functions of welfare authorities were transferred initially to the Ministry of Home Affairs. The Ministry delegated these to the 4 HSS Boards. Primary responsibility for the 1967 Adoption Act (as for all other statutory functions) was subsequently transferred to the DHSS. The 4 Boards were thus entitled to act as adoption agencies, although there was no statutory duty to provide an adoption service until the 1987 Adoption Order came into force. In 1973 each Board established administrative Districts, (District Social Services Office) each of which had a Senior Social Worker responsible for adoption services, accountable to a Fieldwork Services Manager at Principal Social Work level. The model for service delivery varied across Boards. In some Districts, all home study assessments of adoptive applicants were undertaken by specifically designated 'adoption' social workers. In others, particularly in the Eastern Board, social workers continued to operate as generic workers and in addition to general welfare responsibilities fulfilled the full range of adoption services including: support for mothers contemplating adoption and those placing children for adoption; home study assessments of adoptive applicants; reporting officer and guardian ad litem duties on behalf of other District teams who were the placing agencies. By the 1970s Boards had begun to 'close' adoption waiting lists - normally divided into Protestant and Catholic lists - for periods due to the growing numbers of adoptive applicants and the decreasing numbers of infants available for adoption. In some 50 YEARS OF CHILD CARE IN NORTHERN IRELAND 55
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 52 and 53: 3 The management and structure of a
Page 54 and 55: 3 Adoption (NI) Order 1987 however
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
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5 the order did not appear as a cri
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5 Having commenced with a small gro
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5 The decline in numbers of young p
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5 considerably, juvenile liaison bu
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5 years the percentage of cases giv
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3. Working with young offenders req
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5 remanded or placed in a secure un
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Chapter DISABLED CHILDREN Introduct
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6 In the absence of a full and read
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6 in Northern Ireland designed to p
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6 are known are receiving either ca
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6 other conditions. This became the
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6 cent of children who fell within
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6 Sixteen percent of parents said t
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6 The treatment of handicapping con
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6 Nursing Team) and the Children's
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6 The 1950 Children and Young Perso
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6 them) her young siblings made a j
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6 Legislation and the development o
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6 based homes and hostels. Some chi
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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
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7 the 1908 Act did not allow such a
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7 under the supervision of a probat
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7 Boards to set up registers on chi
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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
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7 Alongside these educational progr
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7 the responsibility of one agency
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Chapter SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION & TRA
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8 basic qualification in social wor
Page 177 and 178:
8 proposed a two year generic socia
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8 in Residential Care for Children
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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
Page 196 and 197:
9 establish a contract with SCIE to
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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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