In clause (5) on pages 60 to 63, both inclusive, of the report the Mazengarb Committee recommended that certain specific changes be made as soon as possible in the legislation relating to proceedings in the Children's Court. It was our duty to examine and report upon each of these suggestions. Our comments are as follow:
Paragraph (a), page 61 (creation of a new offence) and paragraph (b), page 61 (the compulsory attendance of parents at a Children's Court)
Both of these recommendations have been given effect to, and they are provided for in the legislation enacted late in the session of 1954.
Paragraph (c). page 61 (power of Court to make orders against the parents of offending or delinquent children)
We agree with this recommendation, and we understand that the necessary provision has already been written into a new Child Welfare Bill which is in course of preparation.
Paragraph (d), page 62 (notification of fact of expulsion of a child from school)
This proposal has already been given effect to by administrative direction. We feel that legislation on this point will not be necessary.
Paragraph (e), page 63 (notification to be given to principal of a school where child found to be delinquent)
In normal practice the Child Welfare Officer does take a head teacher into his confidence when placing a child in his school district and actively seeks his co-operation. There are odd cases, however, where it may be thought that an individual head teacher should not be given, in the words of the report, all "the circumstances which led to the delinquency". This would be a very rare occurrence, but the statutory obligation to tell everything he knew on every occasion might prevent the Child Welfare Officer's taking steps he believed to be in the best interests of all concerned. The best results, we feel, will come from wise administrative action and from a general improvement in the mutual understanding between teachers and Child Welfare Officers.
The Committee felt that when information of this nature was passed on to a Headmaster it should be treated as confidential. We feel strongly that any child should always have a full opportunity of repentance and of re-establishing his character, and where a child showed that definite improvement had been made by him his chances of rehabilitation should not be prejudiced by the fact of his earlier breach.