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The Goderich Signal-Star, 1975-06-05, Page 11�H} R thildren's Aid Director ,ma'kes" report Suggests rale of CAS is chu The local director of the but• is now found elsewhet•e, federal agencies, between el 479Pg•,c,R?,'M+AH Sl r l`A .•STAa n Huron "The reports of this Society' mandates, and an awareness Children's Aid Society, Bruce camouflaged in the total various ministries and over the -past few years have thatcah4cla is neither asking fey rural and small town Heath, presented his annual number of public assistance departments at all levels. highlighted the confusion ex - her r ceiving its fair share of report to Huron County Council recipients, or, struggling to "Various levels of ,govern- perienced by Board and staff " the so-called welfare dollar, last Friday iinGoderich. maintain herself on marginalg alike{ in determining . The report was in the form of earnings hopefully with the ment finance about, eighty programme priorities and children, in this County, and a booklet containing statistical moral and charitable support of percent of all welfare services agents alike are beingshort g ppfunding when the family ser- P data for 1974 and outlining the relatives and friends. but owing to the patchwork vice mandate in the legislation changed, and each decade will "The s stem of rants, ro rams robably inherit another set of general services of the Society " statistics do not reflect Y g P g continues to be globally vague. P with comparisons to the the dilemma faced by the and 'purchase of service',Also no clear•sense of direction" problems that only alternative previous service year and to children caught , in the arrangements,. the severe on either service priorities pr costly specialized care will desertions and shortage of service to the child the, role of the Children's Aid assist, and no dent will have 1966, the first year of service separations, in his own home does not been made in preventing under the present Child divorces that, we are' now . Society vis-a-vis the provincial P g Welfare Act. seeing. Perhaps it hasn't hit,us clearly emerge as apolitical , welfare structure has come Problems before they go all out Mr, Heath made some yet that one in four Canadian issue. from the province since the of proportion. pointed comments about the Tarriages are "on the rocks",release of the Hanson Task "The fact that to -clay we are report in a written statement, and are heading to the divorce "Baanced 'with the division •Force Report and the beginning not coping with the needs of the He said:. . courts of responsibility for children'is restructuring of the Ministry of older child in care via the There are no statistics , the' intrusion ofoutsiders o an equally strong antipathy to Community and Social . Ser- traditional foster home can re �r we pouLort t L�,g ssb.wlloball tics, we the available on those children tsidr vices. highlights two problems - one of following general service caught in the households where governments into the family "This continuing vagueness looking to alternative trends: the couple has decided to `stick life of the citizen. In the whole on our legislated mandate, and elaicements via group care or' • (1) continued increase in the it out', usually in an armed welfare field these two factors, our confused ,relationship with residential placements, and" FAMILY SERVICE workload, truce until the children can go combined with the increasing the provincial Ministry renders secondly an embarrassing focused on the child in his own out on their own. Perhaps it cost of providing service, have little solace to the board of a awareness that we do not have home — a doubling of workload also hasn't hit us that of all the created a situation in which Children's Aid Society, or 'its the staff resources to do much since. 1966, and a. continual single parent families in services of proven value and local government authorities in about meaningful intervention Canada one in five is now effectiveness are being denied determiningwhat programs before these same children increase noted in past statistics ' to Children who need them. dating from the late 194s headed by the father. and what funding are clearly a must come into care. (2) services to the traditional "As we examine the financial . "The . 'strong tradition of .Children's . Aid Sodiety That we have accomplished UNMARRIED MOTHER reports of the Society for 1974, - voluntary initiative and per- ' responsibility and where joint what we have is in ' greatest continue to decrease, and In and for earlier years, it sonal achievement that funding of projects • and measure as a result of our staff reality such service must be becomes obvious that there is characterizes our history are programs among several :local and our local placement viewed in the total. perspective more adequate provisions for no longer sufficient reasons for .Ministries. in the health, resources.— our foster parents, . .,of single parent families. • interventions that separate the considering the gaps in basic education and welfare fields, or our boys group home, and most (3) the downward trend of child from his parents than for services available. to families. Societies may be sought as particularly our receiving admissions of total CHILDREN . measures giving support and One comes to the conclusion .realistic alternatives. home, he fact that limited IN CARE seen in the early » services to his own family and that children growing up in the among adjoining Children's Aid funding is now available for '1970's has now levelled off, „hut designed to prevent him from vulnerable family of the 1970's "Without these clear cut a girls' group home has not led the dimensions of the ,children becoming a ward. The bulk of are paying a high price for our being served are noticeably our funding still is earmarked continued indulgence in fantasy different •— the largest single ' for 'the child in care, and if we and nostalgia about . the, self - group• of• children corning into were not dependant on foster sufficient® extended family care is the teenager, and has homes as our largest single groups that settled.our land. grown to fifty-six percent of the placement 'resource then our "The Canada Assistance total children in care by the end child care costs would rise all plan which provides for federal of 1974, and secondly a, con- the more when more expensive sharing in the cost of programs tinuing,•,,,_ trend for most- , placement resources are such as d'aly care, family N placements in care to be under utilized. u .counselling and homemaker six months`duration. "I do not wish to demean services, to name but a few, has •- (4) ADOPTION services are those efforts of our Board and so far been largely unexplored now focused on the older child, staff that indicate a trend to or ignored in most of Canada, a trend which is underscored by More provision ofservices to and particularly rural 'Canada. the fact that the majority of the child in his own home. The relative neglect of '` this children on adoption probation "The assignment of public funding resource by s the '"at the year's end were aged responsibility for the provision provinces is an illustration of three and over; the statistics, and regulation of schools and our unwillingness to give high however, do little justice to the most health services is ' generallyembodied' clearlyin priority to services designed to demands ' on time and skill support children in their own necessary to accomplish the federal and provincial homes. placements that were ,made in legislation and each citizen has co-operation .with other• a direct stake in the efficiency ' • Children's. Aid Societies in and accessibility of such ser - Ontario and other provinces. ' vices because it is expected he (5) Our FOSTER HOME or his children will use them. resources '"`l remain , high'' This iS not so for the broad statistically " but we have not 'spectrum of "welfare" ser- ° matched • our real foster care vices, including our own. needs with resources for the "The issue of - public demand population, — that of responsibility for the provision the older child. of an adequate range of social • ' "The preceeding remarks welfare services continues to are so global that the ?eality of be obscured at present by the• Vat is happening tends to be division' of responsibility, obscured b the numbers ,between government,, and various local,. provincial, and l• ' THE tf Tt• 1< A Y voluntary' agencies, Chronic Bronchitis Air Pollution CRIPPLERS contained in the statistics, and 1 between Emphysema 'Asthma Tuberculosis in the financial reports. "What bothers me• as an . administratorlies in those. factors the statistical data does not convey. The fact that our services to families have now doubled does not mean that provision has been made.for an adequate level of qualitative service 'to .these same families and children. "Concern is expressed that the dwindling unmarried parent population has reduced the supply of children available for adoption, as if thef un- married mother's only re..'on for being was that she previously rendered a public ro service by keeping the adoption worker busy placing children in childless homes: Well• the un - Married mother is stip with us, .LARG,EST STOCK IN THE COUNTY WORK BOOTS —Industrial — Farm — Factory Plain or safety toe PUNCTURE PROOF SOLES R055 SHOE SHOP 142 The Square Goderich, Ont. Ztandavd GLASS LIMITED e .- o vi titv-4 •,.v, "THE GLASSMEN OF ONTARIO' For vinyl tops a convertible tops • car upholstery • windshields O, body protective mouldings 365 BAYFIELD RD. GODERICH CALL 524-2136 • AUTHORIZED' SALES • & SERVICE Vacuum Cleaners + Washer -Spin Dryers '1.± " Portable ,Dry.ers available on easy terms HUTCHINSON APPLIANCES TRADE INS ACCEPTED 308 HURON RD. 524-7831 ,to its establishment, and we shall have to re-examine both the funding and staffing estimates for this much needed resource, "The'1975 estimates now in the process of approval will reflect a request ,for an ad- ditional staff member, with particular reference - to our services in liaison with the family court, and directly 'related a reallocation or re- alignment of our staff services to youth, both in and out : of care. "Late 1974 and early 1975 has seen the introduction of discussions between our local health, education, .psychiatric hospital services.and ourselves On a wide variety of issues and service gaps, and it our hope these will lead to joint tackling of • children coming 'to our. mutual attention and within our overlapping jurisdiction.' d MAN AND TREES MEAN SO MUCH TO EACH OTHER THINK- ABOUT IT Now Available Pn 1ST AND 2Nd MORTGAGEI Anywhere innfar.l+p, RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL:, and FARM PROPERTIES' Interim Financing -For New Construction & •Land ,,,Development , For Representatives In Your Area Phone SAFEWAY INVESTMENTS AND CONSULTANTS LIMITED (519)' 744-6535 Collect Heard Office - 56 Weber St, E. 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The purpose is to encourage proper, management of such land, and to ensure its fullest productivity. • Qualifying forest land owners will receive .grants equal to 5O% of the 1973-74-75 municipal and school taxes levied on their forest property This program will be of interest to gnyone owning forest land that is not assessed as part of, a farm It is for th.e relief of landowners who manage •, their forests for the production of wood and wood products, and for the provision of wildlife habitat. water conservation, and prevention d of erosion For further information and an appli- cation phone 1416) 965-35'00 or write' Subsides Branch Ministry of Treasury, EconorniLs and.Intergovernmental Affairs _56 Wellesley Street West Toronto: Ontario 4,1 OPEN FRIDAY NIGHT TILL 9 P.M. ` SHOPPE GODERICH :µ.,it w ....;�",� r'�...°,� ��.•IF c'��:':" Ontario Ministry of Treasury Economics and intergovernmental Affairs - Honourable Leo Bernier "'" Minister of Natural Resources Honourable W. Darcy McKeough Treasurer of Ontario - °Mme Wr Mi..