The main purpose of this study is to survey a sampling of brief service cases in a child guidance clinic in an effort to discover why these cases could be treated on a brief or short-term basis. Because of the need to help more people in a given length of time and the limited agency staff and high case loads, it is very desirable that treatment on a brief service basis be expanded if it can be done without sacrificing good casework practice. Making use of the transcribed notes made during the Clinic Diagnostic Conferences, the presenting problems, diagnoses, number of contacts and person to whom service was given were tabulated for each of 62 cases which were designated by the Clinic as brief service cases. It was found that there is no formalized definition of brief service at the Clinic and the giving of brief service does not appear to be a planned part of the general program. The data assembled from the diagnostic conference notes indicate that there has been no organized effort to delineate properly what a brief service case is. Because of the success of well organized brief service programs in other agencies, it is suggested that such a program should be planned for at the Clinic and some of the steps in organizing such a program are suggested. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

This is an exploratory study of the problem of clients' discontinuation in a child guidance clinic. The problem is considered first in terms of its therapeutic and administrative implications for clients and social workers. Reference is made to the professional literature which suggests the multi-causative factors which operate in a client's decision to withdraw from social work services. The problem is also related to social work prinicples and concepts. This is done to demonstrate that, by their continued efforts to understand the meaning of behaviour, to study the client in as much of his total life situation as possible, and to refine and enrich methods of family diagnosis, social workers can sharpen their diagnostic skills and their ability to select effective treatment goals. A brief discussion of the history of child guidance together with a more detailed account of the Provincial Child Guidance Clinic in North Burnaby gives a broad perspective to the problem of discontinuation. The problem is illustrated in five selected cases in which clients withdrew themselves and their children from Clinic services. The case records are examined, highlighting both dynamic patterns within the individual families and also their attitudes towards the child's problems and their Clinic experiences. These areas are thought to be significant factors relating to the parents' decisions to withdraw. Five follow-up interviews are conducted and recorded which indicate the clients' verbal reactions to the Clinic, including their conscious reasons for withdrawal. An assessment is made of the degree of Clinic help which the five families were able to employ. Common patterns are elucidated in the five cases and are designated as "withdrawal indicators". These indicators may, in the future, have prognostic value in determining which cases are likely to withdraw. The indicators are applied to six additional cases (tabulated in Appendix D). The results show that two-thirds of the indicators are present in each of the six cases. A further study is recommended in which the indicators would be applied to a larger number of discontinued cases, thus determining their reliability as predictive tools. The clients' reasons for withdrawal are discussed together with the recommendation that an additional study be done both to validate these reasons and to demonstrate new ones. In light of the findings various recommendations are made which the Clinic social work staff might implement in an attempt to decrease the rate of discontinuation. The withdrawal indicators should be recognized as forms of resistance and should be handled by the workers in early interviews. Increased skills in the areas of family diagnosis and a more discriminating system of recording will help to expedite the workers' recognition of the indicators. Also, greater skill by the workers in recognizing brief service cases, in handling reassignment, in their interpretation of the Clinic and its functions, and in their choice of words, will help to strengthen the clients' motivation to a continued Clinic contact. Recommendations are also made whereby the waiting-period, which emerges as the strongest reason for discontinuation, might be utilized as a therapeutic tool in treatment. Withdrawal must, in nearly all cases, reflect the clients' dissatisfactions with the services of the Clinic. To attain their goals for their clients, the agency, and themselves, the Clinic social workers must strive to understand and decrease the rate of discontinuation. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

This study is concerned with the problem of obtaining maintenance payments from putative fathers for the support of children born out of wedlock. The essential material is derived from a group of cases chosen to compare the methods of maintenance collections which have evolved in practice under the Children of Unmarried Parents Act, namely, affiliation orders, agreements, and lump-sum settlements. Analysis of a group of affiliation-order cases shows that the necessity of court action to prove paternity and make an affiliation order for maintenance is evidence of a maladjustment in the social situation. Agreements are a desirable method for the support of a child over a sixteen-year period, provided it is judged that the putative father is willing to share responsibility for the care of the child over a long-term period. On the other hand, the experience of lump-sum settlements suggests that they have several advantages. When these cases are properly handled, the unmarried father may be relieved of his obligation, particularly if he has legitimate family responsibilities; this solution assures the child a definite sum of money and breaks emotional ties of the kind which may be often upsetting to the girl and prejudicial to the putative father. The question arises as to how children born out of wedlock will be supported if orders, agreements, and settlements are not always satisfactory methods. An invariable situation is that putative fathers tend to have comparatively low incomes so that they provide only small regular payments; also settlements may not be sufficiently large enough to be acceptable to the unmarried mother. Relevant cases show that it is destructive to make an affiliation order or an agreement against a putative father when he is unable to pay because of unemployment or unwillingness; moreover, it is also destructive to make an order or an agreement for an amount beyond his financial and emotional ability to pay. The study suggests, in these cases: Social Allowance for the unmarried mother and the child, or a fund to supplement the mother's earnings and to bridge the periods when the man is unable to pay. Social work must play an important role in adequate treatment of unmarried parent cases. Putative fathers should be treated as individuals who require the skill of case workers in order to solve their conflicts involved in providing maintenance. The study points up the need for more professional personnel who are capable of handling unmarried parent cases,— also a need for a much broader perspective on the whole program. Hopefully this thesis may clarify the newer philosophy that forcing maintenance collections from putative fathers affords little protection to children born out of wedlock. It is through case work and understanding that a putative father will willingly share responsibility with the unmarried mother in the protection and care of the child. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

This study traces the development of the Protection of Children Acts in British Columbia from the first Act in 1901 to the present day. The original legislation was modelled on the Ontario Protection Act, but various amendments have been added since, which have been influenced by British Columbia conditions. The basic purpose of the Act was to give authority to Children's Aid Societies to commit children as wards of the government; the study traces the increased participation of the provincial government in financing these societies. In order to give a detailed description of the changes that have taken place, Statutes, annual reports of the Children's Aid Society of Vancouver, annual reports of the Catholic Children's Aid Society of Vancouver, annual reports of the Superintendent of Child Welfare and other documents and reports have been studied. Information was also secured from interviews with people connected with the administration of this Act. The development is conveniently divided into periods. The first, (1901-1920), covers the period from administration under the Children's Aid Societies to the appointment of the Superintendent of Neglected Children for the province. The second, (1921-1943), traces the reorganization of the Children's Aid Society of Vancouver and the expansion of services to children by the provincial government. In the present stage, (1943-1949), developments are reviewed in terms of greater expansion of services. Changes in views on child care are revealed by the study. At first, the prevalent doctrine was that orphans and other children in need of protection should be placed in a Home. Later, emphasis was placed on foster-homes instead of institutions. As examples in the thesis show, modern practice recognizes there is a place for institutional care as well as foster-home care for wards end non wards. The importance of understanding the needs of the child and the type of care that is best for a specific child is discussed in some detail. The role of the social worker is emphasized. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

This study involves an analysis of the principles and techniques which are necessary to the process whereby the child is placed in an organized camp, through the guidance of the case worker and the camp director working together. If the camp experience is to be of realistic and lasting benefit to the child, in the manner anticipated by the case worker, the referral process must begin with adequate knowledge and understanding on the part of the case worker and the camp director, and be followed by careful planning and continuous cooperation between the workers, prior to, during, and after the placement period. The purpose of the study is not to prove that referrals are valid. The focus of analysis is placed upon the principles and procedures, the extent to which these apply in the local setting, and methods whereby cooperative services could be improved. Although the word "child" is used throughout, the same principles apply for adult campers; but some modification of procedures is necessary. At the beginning of the thesis, it is emphasized that the contributions which organized camping may make towards the welfare of the individual and the general social good, depend upon the application of modern camping philosophy in camp, and the use case workers make of camping services, techniques, and knowledge to help meet the needs of clients. The experimental work of the Camp Referral Project of the Community Chest and Council is discussed, because it initiated in Vancouver a new period in the development of more systematic and useful practices. However, its influence has been limited by several factors; hence, the study continues. The principles and methods required in the referral process, are clearly defined, and illustrated by several cases, which were selected from local case work agencies. Information was secured from interviews with executive directors and workers in seven case work agencies, and with directors of eleven camps. Current practices were analysed by means of the study of one hundred and seventy-three cases; this involved reading the agency case records and, when possible, discussing the child and his camp placement with the case worker and the camp director. The case study revealed many gaps and problems in the application of essential philosophy and effective methods; agency and camp policies, and procedures used are inadequate, and haphazard, ineffectual camp placements are frequent. Most case workers and camp directors are aware of the needs in camping, and in referral practices, and they are ready to consider methods which may ultimately lead to progress. Recommendations are therefore made for the development of services and procedures which may facilitate cooperative services in camping. No one method will solve all the existing problems. Case workers and camp directors have definite and necessary responsibilities; duties which continue even if a "central camp referral bureau" is established to meet the needs for uniformity of methods, centralization and coordination of referrals, and broader educational services in camping. The importance of clearly defined and limited roles for a bureau, and the need for a specially skilled social worker to carry out extensive duties, are stressed. Suggestions for further studies in areas which are directly and indirectly related to camp referrals conclude the thesis. If this study results in greater understanding of the referral process by personnel who provide camping services, perhaps improvements will be made in referral practices; more children will gain greater benefits from better camping opportunities. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

While it is generally accepted that basic child welfare services are essential, insufficient attention has yet been granted to the problems of (a) the shortage of professionally qualified social workers in relation to the many types of need, (b) making the best use of professional personnel in relation to specific job content, (c) setting up criteria on priority indications for the different fields of social work, which, in a children's agency alone can be separated into many categories. As an approach to some of these patterns, a study was devised to review the main branches of the Vancouver Children's Aid Society caseload, using an administrative ''time study" made in 1955 as a base. Aiming at a group of cases representative of an average worker's share of responsibility, cases were selected proportionately from five main areas, (a) family cases, (including services to unmarried mothers), (b) foster homes, (c) adoptive applicants, (d) children in care, and (e) children on adoption probation. (1) Visits and interviews carried out in one month (June 1955) on behalf of these clients, are tabulated and compared with those undertaken by the "average worker" in the agency time study, (2) service rendered is qualitatively rated for each ease, and (3) case illustrations are employed as a further aid to evaluation. In a summary assessment, (4) the relation of availability of worker-time to the adequacy of service is examined. Using a threefold rating of service, it is estimated that in the 83 sample cases adequate or fair service was given in 66 cases. The quality of service in 45 cases was judged to be not affected by lack of worker-time, although it was an important cause of limitation of service in the remaining 38. The proportion of total time revealed as spent on visits and interviews, 23 - 28 percent, is similar to that of the few other agencies which have studied this matter, but must be regarded as low if direct service to clients is considered to be the chief responsibility of qualified social workers. Possible methods of increasing time spent on visits and interviews are suggested, and subjects requiring further research are indicated. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

No description available.

That deafness is more than an organic handicap requiring training and education in special schools has been increasingly recognized in recent years. Modern approaches to care for the young deaf child stress the importance of (a) early diagnosis and (b) of pre-school auditory and speech training. It is also recognized (c) that the most influential forces in the emotional and social development of the child are his experiences in his own home during the first five or six years of his life. For these reasons, in newly-developed audiology centres and speech and hearing clinics throughout Britain, the United States, and Canada, social workers take part in a multi-professional team approach to meet the differential needs of individual children and parents. The present study is developed from the operations of the Speech and Hearing Clinic of the Health Centre for Children at the Vancouver General Hospital. The case records selected for study relate to all hearing handicapped pre-school children known to the Clinic and born in 1954 or 1955. Two separate rating scales were developed to make an assessment of (a) the child's emotional and social adjustment and (b) of parental and family strengths. These are compared at the time of (1) initial evaluation, and (2) after a period of two years making it possible to examine the influences which may promote or inhibit the healthy development of the young deaf child and have a bearing on his response to treatment. This is a first exploratory study of the areas significant for the social work contributions to the treatment process. Nevertheless there are sharp evidences of correlation between social environment, especially parent-child relationships and the emotional, social, and intellectual adjustment of the hearing-handicapped child. Effectiveness of treatment seems to depend to a considerable degree on parental attitudes and feelings toward the handicapped child. Parent education and guidance, and, if necessary the modification of parental attitudes is therefore an essential component in the overall treatment process. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

This study is a comparative analysis of apprehensions and committals made by the Children's Aid Society of Vancouver, British Columbia, in the years 1938 and 1952. Only cases both apprehended and committed within the year period were analyzed, and committals of children from unmarried mothers were excluded. The purpose of the study was to determine the causes or reasons for apprehension and committal, with reference to the legislation employed, and such changes as may have occurred in the kinds of neglect or dependency, their frequency of occurrence, and in the parental status of committed children. A distinction was drawn between conditions of neglect and conditions of dependency, in congruence with formulated definitions of the neglected and the dependent child. A classification of ten conditions of neglect and dependency was devised, based on an analysis of the sixty-eight committal cases studied. The kinds of neglect included: (1) Rejection, (2) Physical Neglect, (3) Moral Neglect, (4) Desertion, (5) Desertion and Moral Neglect, and (6) Desertion and Rejection. Dependency included conditions arising from: (1) Death of the Only Legal Parent or of Both Parents, (2) Physical Illness of Parent or Parents, (3) Mental Illness of Parent or Parents, and (4) Inadequacy of Parent or Parents. Of the twenty-three cases (involving fifty-two children) studied from the year 1938, sixteen committals or 69.59% of the total were for reasons of neglect. Seven committals or 30.41% of the total, were for reasons of dependency. In 1952, of the forty-five cases (comprising seventy-seven children) studied, thirty-two cases, or 71.11% of the total committals were for reasons of neglect. Thirteen committals or 28.88% of the total were for reasons of dependency. The study revealed that the proportion of committals for neglect and for dependency in 1938 and 1952 were approximately the same. The frequency of specific kinds of neglect, however, was found to differ proportionally, as did the frequency of specific kinds of dependency. With reference to status of parents of committed children, it was found that committals from married couples and from families with illegitimacy were greater in 1952, while committals from broken homes or incomplete families were fewer. The changes are revealed and are discussed in reference to the disruptive effects of the war period, and in relation to the development of better social services and resources within the community since 1938. These factors are found to have significantly affected the pattern or character of committals. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

This study is concerned with protective services for children as they have been developed in the U. S. and Canada over the past eighty years. An effort has been made to discover general trends amidst variety. Canadian developments are compared with those in the U. S., and one agency, the Children's Aid Society of Vancouver, B. C, is reviewed as an example that lends concreteness and meaning to the broader picture. Questions are raised in regard to future operations of the Vancouver society, but are not answered. The history of protective services in the U. S. and the analysis of trends has been developed from an examination of the literature on protection and related topics. Canadian children's aid societies are an integral part of the developing protection movement, and writings of early leaders in the Canadian CAS movement have been consulted. The account of the Vancouver agency has been developed from an examination of various records of the Society, and has relied heavily on a history written by Anne Margaret Angus. Interviews with former executives and board members were another source of information. The writer was employed for three years as a staff member, and this, too, contributed to an understanding of the Society. The New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, the first social machinery created for purposes of child protection, was organized in 1875. The idea spread rapidly. In the 1890s and early 1900s, Canadian communities began organizing children's aid societies to act as protection agencies. Although trends are similar to those in the U. S., there are some special characteristics. Canadian children's aid societies made extensive use of placement in free family homes while protection agencies in the U. S. were depending almost exclusively on institutional placements. In Canada, from the beginning, there was an integration of protection services with other services in behalf of children that was longer delayed in the U. S. Canadian protection agencies have been given continuing guardianship responsibility when the courts have deprived parents of their children; other patterns have been followed in the U. S. The Children's Aid Society of Vancouver, B. C. is a representative example of Canadian protection agencies. When it was organized in 1901, the protection of children was the primary motivation. Later, as the burden of caring for children increased, the original purposes of child protection were somewhat forgotten. During World War 1 and the early 1920s, as problems multiplied and the quality of care deteriorated, a ferment of new ideas in child welfare was at work. Eventually, difficulties of the Society and disagreements as to its future course contributed to a decision that the community should take a look at itself and its child-caring practices. Thus the B. C. Child Welfare Survey of 1926-27 was brought about. Extensive changes in the functioning of the Vancouver CAS were recommended. During the years from 1927 to 1931, recommendations were carried out and the agency was effectively reorganized. In the succeeding years there has been no radical change in direction or focus - only growth in size and a refinement of practices. Recently questions have been raised regarding the future functions of the Society and future provisions for the protection of children in the Vancouver community. Various changes have been advocated, and a careful consideration of alternative possibilities and of future directions will be needed. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate