The study of social welfare and personnel management is justified by the possibility of providing in the work situation the early detection and treatment of persons with social needs. The advantages of developing an increased sensitivity in personnel managers to the pathogenic conditions present in economic organizations is a further reason for studying the subject of this thesis. Encouraging results have been achieved by other professions, such as industrial medicine, which have placed themselves in the most strategic location to workers. This thesis attempts to discover what social welfare elements are present in the field of personnel management, and to map a course of action for the social work profession to follow in its relationship to personnel management groups. Data was gathered by reviewing literature that described industrial social work and/or the social welfare practices of personnel managers. Theoretical descriptions of the personnel manager's job and of his training were studied to determine the social welfare content of his general duties. An operational definition and interview structure were developed. These were used in personal interviews to provide data on the practices of seven reasonably representative personnel managers in the Greater Vancouver area. Several significant conclusions for Social Welfare were discovered in the data of this thesis. Personnel managers are directly involved in several major social welfare activities. They are concerned about the provision of income protection and health care for their employees, and are often involved in the treatment of crippling personal problems experienced by employees. Personnel managers consider their social welfare activities of vital importance to their organizations because of the effect of these activities on employee morale. Within the limits set by their organizational settings, personnel managers have a unique contribution to make to Social Welfare. The transfer of employees to new jobs and the retraining of employees are two actions that personnel managers can, and do take, to prevent individual cases of unemployment. Large organizations should experiment with the establishment of industrial social work positions. The results of this thesis indicate a need for further studies of the subject of social welfare and personnel management. The area of union relations and collective bargaining is important to the social welfare actions of economic organizations and also requires special study. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

No abstract with thesis / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

PUBLIC AND PRIVATE RESPONSIBILITIES IN CHILD WELFARE: A Review of the Distribution of Functions in Child Welfare Between Public and Private Agencies in Four Canadian Provinces. Prepared by Barbara Gene Errington, Ruth Freeman, and Gail Greenwell under the direction of Mr. J. V. Fornataro. April, 1964. This study is concerned with the development of protective and adoptive services for children under public and voluntary auspices in four provinces; namely, Nova Scotia, Ontario, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan. An attempt is made to delineate areas of responsibility in the administration of the relevant child welfare statutes. This study is part of a larger project which is concerned with an examination of the changing relationships between public and voluntary social welfare and of issues raised by these relationships. The major public and private child welfare agencies in the four provinces were canvassed for information. An examination was made of pertinent statistical reports and of relevant statutes. The writers reviewed the literature which articulated the position and the rationale of both voluntary and public intervention, particularly as this applies to child welfare. The study revealed that the legal principle and statutory provisions in all four provinces were fundamentally similar, although differences were observed. The pattern of allocating responsibility for services was found to be different in each province. In Nova Scotia, both private and government agencies administer the Child Welfare Act, with no discernible criterion for the establishment of one or the other, in any particular geographic area. The private agencies receive from 50 to 75 per cent of their revenue from the governments. In Ontario, all direct service under the Act is provided by private agencies, which, on the average, receive 90 per cent of their funds from the governments. In Saskatchewan, all services under the Child Welfare Act are provided by the governmental department. In British Columbia, the provisions of Child Welfare Statutes are administered by the government except in the urban areas of Vancouver and Victoria where Children's Aid Societies implement the statutes. In all provinces, the broad outline of services appears to be similar. Finally, issues arising out of this study are identified for possible subsequent examination. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

This study is concerned with the government of private social welfare agencies, and in particular, with the measure of agreement that the conduct of their government shows with the principles of political representation. Diverse and, as yet, imperfectly reconciled theories exist as to the nature of representativeness in government, but for the purposes of this investigation the concept has been specified in terms of a number of selected propositions that would probably be taken as axiomatic in the political traditions of western countries. These include the notions that all enfranchised members of a political society should enjoy the effective right to participation in the choice of their government; that the representative himself is charged to act with a view to the good of the whole group and not with partiality towards some particular and subordinate interest within it; and that the membership has a right to require an accounting from the representative for the manner of his performance in office. The examination of these questions has been annexed in the present study to the special case of the representation on the boards of directors of the private welfare agencies of the segment of the organized, labour movement falling into the relevant jurisdiction. Among the methods used in making the investigation were: (1) a review of the criteria of membership recognized by the private agencies both in their formal constitutions and in their procedural traditions; (2) an assessment of the conduct of the agencies' general meetings when viewed as a mechanism of accountability; 3) an analysis of the composition of the agency boards by certain occupational categories; and (4) a number of interviews with selected union officials, themselves differentiated, on the basis of whether they were members of agency boards or not. The findings of the study are that there is a pervasive ambiguity about the status of the agencies in relation to the formal categories of "private" and "public", that the agencies are unable to render a consistent or plausible account of the theory of political organization to which they hold themselves bound, and that their internal political processes fail to satisfy even those criteria, of legitimacy that they themselves volunteer. The question of the representation of labour groups was held in abeyance for want of agreement in any quarter as to what would constitute evidence for an answer to it. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

This study was undertaken (a) to examine some areas where the traditional role of the chaplain has undergone significant changes, (b) to determine the present role of the chaplain in a general hospital and (c) to study the Clinical Pastoral Training Movement, and its significance to the traditional chaplaincy and to social work. After a discussion of the historical background of the chaplaincy in the Christian Church and in some selected social institutions, there is an examination of the role of the chaplain in the general hospital and a discussion of some religious needs of patients. To gain information from chaplains at Vancouver General Hospital each was interviewed and a questionnaire was completed. The chaplains also kept statistics of some aspects of their work for a two-week period. There is an examination of the chaplain's backgrounds, their counselling practices and referral patterns. The latter are compared to referral patterns made by theological students and social work students in three brief case illustrations. The Clinical Pastoral Training Movement and its literature are examined in some detail. Standards and curriculum are outlined and references made to the rapid expansion of the movement. Implications are drawn for the Churches, the Vancouver General Hospital and social work. Some specific suggestions are made for these three areas arising from these findings. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

Both the development and the effective operation of health and welfare services, public and voluntary alike, depend heavily upon public understanding and approval. Yet welfare services have changed so radically in recent decades that much misunderstanding and "cultural lag" exists. "Public opinion" comprises the expressions of interest and viewpoint of many different groups: there are many "publics" rather than one homogeneous citizenry. Trade unions are an important segment, not only as representing the increasing industrial sections of the working-force, but because of growing numbers and influence in public affairs. Accordingly, the present study is directed particularly to the attitudes, views, and information about health and welfare services among members in a large and representative trade union (International Woodworkers of America, Local 1-217). An original questionnaire was formulated and revised after some preliminary testing. After striking a random sample from membership lists, forty rank-and-file unionists and a group of officials were then interviewed in their homes or offices. Some of the most best-substantiated findings are as follows. (1) There is a high degree of unanimity concerning the assignment of welfare responsibilities to government, and in particular, the federal government, though there is doubt as to the best division between provincial and local. (2) The rank-and-file reveal favourable feelings towards the Community Chest, whereas officials' views question the need for its existence. (3) The Community Chest is identified almost wholly, by both rank-and-file and officials as a fund-raising organization. (4) There is singularly little recognition of the need for citizen participation in welfare planning. (5) Trade union members in general looked upon social workers with some respect, but ascribed low status to their professional role. Both the kinds of tabulations in this rather neglected area of opinion measurement, and the views brought to light in this pilot study, suggest there could be considerable value in continued research. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

"Social Welfare" is of great, and growing, importance in the modern world, and it constantly demands definition. Statistical resources are needed (a) as aids in the definition of welfare problems, (b) to determine the nature and distribution of welfare needs, and (c) for evaluating the appropriateness and effectiveness of existing welfare services and planning the development of new services. As a background, the main types and sources of welfare measurements are reviewed in the light of the increasing volume of studies In Great Britain, the United States and Canada during the present century. To focus on the problem of adequate provincial statistics, an exploratory examination is made of two major groups of data: (a) demographic data from the Census and related sources; (b) the current standard measurements of the recipients of provincial public welfare services, abstracted from the annual reports of the Department of Social Welfare of the Province of British Columbia. The first group includes population trends, age-composition and family formation. The second group gives particular attention to the "categorical assistance programmes", the aged, social allowances, and provincial family services. There is now available a larger body of socio-economic data than ever before, but it is not being fully utilized for welfare interpretation or social service planning. A serious barrier to intensive analysis on a provincial basis is the lack of standardization of a set of regions covering the total geographical area, (as between Departmental Regions, administrative units and census districts). Variations In reporting procedure and insufficient development of socio-economic data and of components or causal factors in dependency are the greatest weaknesses in existing materials. Other areas of welfare in which new measurements as well as the co-ordination or modification of existing data are needed, are only briefly indicated in the present study. "Welfare", today, is more important than ever, and so is welfare research that provides the base for the improvement of existing services and creation of new ones, through broad, statistical measurements as well as special counts and studies. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

This study was undertaken (a) to examine some areas where the activities of the social work profession and the ministry overlap, (b) to throw light on the attitudes of one profession toward the other and (c) to exemplify instances of collaboration. Because the subject is very large and extensive, limits were set by confining it to the relationships between social work agencies and ministers of Protestant denominations. After a brief discussion of the historical background of the subject, areas of common concern and areas of difference between the two disciplines are outlined. Examples are given of the role of the clergyman as an institutional chaplain, as a pastoral counsellor in a social agency and as a counsellor in his own parish. Other areas in which the roles of the clergyman and social worker show similarities are found in the institutional church, the church-sponsored social agency and the independent, religiously-oriented agency. The lay volunteer movement in both church and social work is given some attention. Research projects which relate to both fields, and special activities where there is active collaboration between social work and the ministry, are discussed. This section, which draws its material from Canada and the United States generally, concludes with some mention of the education of each profession in terms of what it teaches about the other. To gain information from social workers and ministers actually concerned with welfare matters in the Vancouver area, a questionnaire was sent out to both groups. The one to the clergy was organized by the Vancouver Council of Churches for a somewhat different purpose but its results were made available to the writer. As its focus was specifically on mental health, further opinions directly related to social work were secured by interviewing a small group of ministers. In the final chapter, the findings from the questions and from the literature are summarized. General implications are easier to draw than specific directions for particular problems or kinds of collaboration. The interest on the part of each profession in the work of the other is clear; there is also awareness of the contribution the other can make in meeting individual needs, and a desire for further understanding. The ministry is found to be making more use of the resources offered by social work agencies than vice versa. Some suggestions are made arising from these findings and a number of areas for further investigation outlined. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

There are many reasons for child neglect, and many variables in the family circumstances from which the need for child protection or removal arises; but in recent years bad housing has not been given the prominence it demands. Improvements in institutions, new treatment centres, modern school facilities, point up the contrast, when bad housing and demoralizing neighbourhoods place heavy burdens on marginal families, and handicap social services which attempt to be restorative. To gain some perspective on family conditions associated with protection cases, active or potential, a small group of examples were chosen for detailed study; four from the Children's Aid Society and four from the City Social Service Department, Vancouver. All live in a semi-industrialized slum area, where there is general deterioration, and the housing is inadequate. Each family has an average of five children, ranging in age from one to sixteen years. Three of the families live in rented suites, and five in rented houses. Both parents are in the home, in all but two of the families. The information for the study was obtained from personal interviews with the families, from agency case records, discussions with the social workers to whom the families are presently known. The resulting "word pictures" portray the home life and social environment, having special reference to child neglect and substandard family life. The various aspects of family life are described with special emphasis on the families' present housing conditions, their previous accommodation, economic status, the neighbourhood, the general health of the family, and their attitude in regard to present housing conditions. This is followed by an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the families, their interests and activities, the children's progress at school, and the use made of social services in the community. A major implication of the study is that more adequate low-rent housing is urgently needed, particularly for families with a large number of children. If the parents, and especially the children, are to benefit fully from the educational, health and welfare services of the community, a good home which is a basic need, must be provided or made available. It is hoped that this study will serve as an introduction for further research into family living conditions, of more thorough examination of the influences which bear on children in neglected homes and neighbourhoods, as part of the process of creating a sound base from which social services can operate. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

The purpose of this study has been to review the development of public assistance in British Columbia; and to compare the present policies of (a) eligibility and determination of need, (b) assistance levels, and (c) service programs, in war Veterans’ Allowance, old Age Assistance, Blind Persons’ Allowance, Mothers’ Allowance and Social Allowance. Reference is made to American programs where a comparison of policies is helpful in clarifying Issues. On policy concerning such questions as residence, relatives’ responsibility, citizenship, assessment of resources, levels of assistance, and service programs, the policy Manual and the Acts and Regulations of the B.C. Social Welfare Branch are used as the basis for comparative analysis, interviews were held with authorities administering the programs and these were pursued in order to clarify apparent variation in policy between programs and administrative agencies. Information on the American programs was obtained through literature, correspondence; and a visit to one local office of the State Department of public Assistance, Washington. For the purpose of measuring levels of assistance, use is made of a standard budget developed in a previous Master of Social Work thesis. From this a monthly cost schedule is developed to suggest an up to date budgetary standard and to point up the evaluation of the adequacy of current public assistance allowances. Discrepancies between programs on such matters as exemptions and additional income are also examined. Service programs including the social and medical aspects are studied comparatively, and it is established that British Columbia is a leader in this respect. The more effective use of trained and untrained personnel in the social services appears to demand further research. The study leads to seven major suggestions; (a) abolition of local residence qualifications with appropriate financial arrangements; (b) standardization and liberalization of policies respecting assessment of resources and income; (c) use of the standard budget in establishing and meeting need; (d) use of a simplified budget - deficit method for determining grants; (e) more effective use of personnel in social services; (f) extended use of research in public assistance; (g) development of advisory - committee groups in public assistance. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate