The Goderich Signal-Star, 1979-03-01, Page 361
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PAGE 14A—GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, THURSDAY, MARCH 1 , 1979
FACS 68th annual meeting reports busy year
BY JOANNE
BUCHANAN
Every year is the
International Year of the
Child at Huron County's
Family and Children's
Services. The reports
presented at the agency's
68th annual meeting last
Wednesday, showed this
clearly.,
John Penn, director of
the agency, reported an
"exceptionally busy
year" in 1978. He said it
was a year marked by
significant changes in
child welfare as well as
considerable media and
public concern about the
child welfare system in
Ontario.
DuAng the year, -•the
agency expanded its
counselling and
prevention services from
_children to families (thus
the name change •from
Children's Aid Society to
Family and Children's
Services). The agency
worked with more
families than at other
other time, Penn
reported.
An average of 209
families were involved in
•
counselling services each
Month, compared to a
monthly average of 150 in
1977, Penn's report
showed. But no
significant increase of
children in care occurred
(an average of 81
children in 1978 as
compared to 80 during
1977).
One of the major ob-
jectives set by the Board
of Directors was t6"'focus
resources on the
prevention of family
breakdown, said Penn
who further stated that
this objective had been
Joyce Pinkney, a lieutenant with the first Goderich Girl Guide Company,
presented a rose to Mrs. Stewart (Gillian) Asher on Friday at Alexandra
Marine and General Hospital. Mrs. Asher was being honored by the Girl
Guides because her baby, Nicholas Tyson, was born on Scout -Guide foun-
ders, Lord and Lady Baden -Powells' joint birthday, February 22. The
presentation was also tied in with the International Year of the Child.
Nicholas weighed,six pounds, 11 ounces. His grandparents are Bill and Jean
Asher of Goderich. (Photo by Joanne Buchanan)
achieved during the year.
MEDIA FOCUS
The child welfare
system in Ontario
received considerable
attention from the media
during 1978 and much of it
was critical of the
system, he continued.
The role of Children's Aid
Societies was severely
questioned in the light of
some tragic deaths (like
the Popen case in Sar-
nia).
"It is unfortunate that
the Children's Aid
Societies are not able to
build up any "credits"
with the public for the
benefits achieved by the
syktem," Penn said in the
agency's defence.
"The fact that 38,700
families are receiving
counselling services and
13,700 children are in
alternate care programs
(foster homes,etc.) does
not seem to receive any
recognition," . he con-
tinued.
Penn said he took
exception to the
generalization that
Children's Aid Societies
are .not effective- in
protecting children from
abuse or violent death.
This generalization,
made in the Report of the
Task Force on Child
Abuse (June 1978),
overlooks the solid work
carried out for years by
front line social workers
with high workloads and
limited resources, he
said.
"I am certain that the
child welfare system can
improve and many of the
recommendations of the
Task Force --if enacted --
will strengthen the
present system.
However, the benefits of
the child welfare system
throughout Ontario are
rarely recognized and the
few, rare, tragic errors
have been magnifiedto.
represent the norm of
every child welfare
agency," he stated in his.
report. ,
PUBLIC AWARE
•
Penn said that child
abuse was nota new issue
but that many people
were now considering it
seriously for the first
time. He said the public is
becoming more aware
that child abuse is a
community issue and that
we all have a respon-
sibility to our children.
Fewer people now argue,
he said, that parents have
the absolute right to
discipline ohildren • as
they please. No longer is
this felt to be simply a
private matter of the
home and that no one has
,.the right to intrude.
The rights of children
to be protected from
violence, are becoming
more important in our
society, said Penn. The
professional and lay
community is becoming
more willing to report
cases of child abuse to the
agency so that children
may be protected, he
said. In Huron County in
1978, he said that 70
reports of suspected child
abuse has been reported
to Family and Children's
Services as compared „to
52 in 1977,
ABUSE WORKER
Penn said that inter-
professional co-operation
is necessary to help
rehabilitate and provide
for the needs of the
abusing family.
The Ministry of
Community and Social
Services has responded to
the public concern about
the child abuse issue by
supporting some of the
efforts of agendies to
protect children, Penn
stated. In Huron County,
the agency was suc-
cessful in securing a
grant for a community
child abuse worker (Mrs.
Kathy Pry_de of Exeter)
who"se primary task is to
educate the community
on the issue of child
abuse. She has already
spoken to over 1,000
people on this subject and
on the responsibility of
citizens in reporting
cases to the agency, Penn
told those at the meeting.
FUNDING
The financial restraints
under which child
welfare agencies have
lived since 1975 have
inevitably eroded their
ability to fulfill the
mandate of the Child
'Welfare Act, Penh said.
An increase in budgets of
five per cent for 1979 Will
involve further reduction
of services, he main-.
tained.
• During 1978 expansion
of services was made
possible by the successful
application for grant -
funded programs not
included in the general
operating budget and
often supported by local
donations, Penn repor-
ted.
A Canada Works Grant
was secured for the
Huron Park -Stephen
Township area to
establish a day nursery
and a variety of com-
munity programs. It is
now operated by a
community group° and
employs three full time
staff.
In their Canada Works
Grant application, the
Town and Country
Homemakers included a
request for two parent
therapists and a
secreatary for this
agency, Penn said. This
grant has given the social
work staff an additional
resource to offer
families, he said.
The agency spent
$549,161 in 1978, about
$2,791 aver budget. The.
province pays 80 per cent
of the agency's budget
whilemunicipalities in
Huron .County pay the
remaining 20 per cent.
The deficit is expected to
be paid under the same
ratio system.
Penn said the agency is
requesting a total budget
of $593,000 for 1979.
Although it is an increase
over last year by about
eight per cent, he expects,
it to be approved at
provincial and county
levels. He says it is a tight
budget but thinks the
agency should be able to
"get along okay".
This year will be a year
of considerable change
for child welfare agencies
in Ontario, Penn told
those at the meeting. But
with continued support
from those who work at
the agency as well as
foster parents and
volunteers, he said the
agency could meet the
demands of the coming
year as successfully as in
1978.
STATS AND
OBJECTIVES
A list of objectives for
1979 in the annual report
include development of
an inter -professional
community Child abuse
team,' child abuse
education, a parent
therapist program, in-
ternal reorgnization, a
demonstration program,
community work (ac-
tively supporting the
objectives of the
Vanastra and Stephen
Township Community
Resource Centres),
summer ' program
(continuing to offer an
expanded summer camp
program funded by local
donations), and a
Christmas project
(Christmas Bureau to
provide for needy
families at Christmas).
In a comparison of the
agency's statistics for
1977 and 1978, it was
shown that 470 families
were served in some way
by the agency in 1978 as
compared to 344 in 1977.
Eleven unmarried
parents were asisted in
1978 as compared to 16 in
1977 and 12 adoptions
were finalized in 1978 as
compared to 15 in 1977.
There were 57 foster
homes active at the end of
1978.
BOARD ELECTED
Penn's report and the
auditors' report were
both approved and
adopted and the election
of members to the 1979
Board of Directors took
place.
Board members are
Mrs. Ross Proctor of
Brussels, Mrs. Russell
Snider of Zurich, Mrs.
Roy Westcott of Exeter,
William Alcock of
Goderich, John Cochrane
of Clinton, Charles
Thomas of Brussels and
the Reverend John
Oestreicher of Clinton.
Municipal represen-
tatives are Mrs. L.
Armstrong, Warden J,
Tinsley, Harold Wild and
Harold Elliott.
Honorary life members
were also approved. They
are Arthur Curry, John
Winter, Mrs. Frank
Fingland, R.B. Cousins,
Mrs. Howard Klumpp,
Mrs. Kenneth Johns and
James Doig.
FILM
Community Child
Abuse Worker, Kathy
Pr'yde, was then in-
troduced to those at the
meeting. She showed a
film on child abuse en-
titled, "A Chain to be
Broaken" and spore of a
positive parenting focuss
and new ways of com-
municating with and
disciplining children.
People don't think child
abuse can happen in
Huron County or on their
block but it can and often
does, she said.
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