PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
Annual Report of the
Department of Rehabilitation
and Social Improvement
for the
YEAR ENDED MARCH 31
1972
Printed by K. M. MacDonald, Printer to the Queen's Most Excellent Majesty
in right of the Province of British Columbia.
1973
Victoria, B.C., December 15, 1972.
To Colonel the Honourable John R. Nicholson, P.C., O.B.E., Q.C., LL.D.,
Lieutenant-Governor of the Province of British Columbia.
May it please Your Honour:
The Annual Report of the Department of Rehabilitation and Social Improvement for the year ended March 31, 1972, is herewith respectfully submitted.
NORMAN LEVI
Minister of Rehabilitation and
Social Improvement
Office of the Minister of Rehabilitation and
Social Improvement,
Parliament Buildings, Victoria, B.C.
Note—The Honourable Norman Levi was appointed Minister of Rehabilitation and Social Improvement on September 15,1972.
Department of Rehabilitation and Social Improvement
Victoria, B.C., December 13, 1972.
The Honourable Norman Levi,
Minister of Rehabilitation and Social Improvement,
Victoria, B.C.
Sir: I have the honour to submit the Annual Report of the Department of
Rehabilitation and Social Improvement for the year ended March 31, 1972.
E. R. RICKINSON
Deputy Minister of Rehabilitation
and Social Improvement
DEPARTMENT OF REHABILITATION AND
SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
April 1, 1971, to March 31, 1972
ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
E. R. Rickinson Deputy Minister of Rehabilitation and Social Improvement.
J. A. Sadler Assistant Deputy Minister and Director of Rehabilitation and Social Improvement.
R. J. Burnham Director of Operations.
T. D. Bingham Director of Programmes.
H. J. Price Departmental Comptroller.
Mrs. A. I. Allen Personnel Officer.
A. G. Gilmore Director, Office Administration and Public Information.
A. W. Rippon. Research Officer.
R. B. H. Ralfs Statistician.
DIVISIONAL AND INSTITUTIONAL ADMINISTRATION
J. V. Belknap Superintendent of Child Welfare.
J. Noble Director, Brannan Lake School for Boys.
Miss W. M. Urquhart Director, Willingdon School for Girls.
Dr. P. W. Laundy. Director of Health Care Division.
E. W. Berry Division on Aging.
G. P. Willie Superintendent, Provincial Home.
N. S. Brooke Director, Social Assistance and Rehabilitation Division.
Mrs. E. I. Esau Training Officer.
W. J. Parker Director, New Denver Youth Centre.
REGIONAL ADMINISTRATION
J. A. Mollberg Director, Region 1.
W. J. Camozzi Director, Region 2.
G. A. Reed Director, Region 3.
T. Prysiazniuk Director, Region 4.
R. K. Butler Director, Region 5.
A. E. Bingham Director, Region 6.
A. J. Wright Director, Region 7.
R. E. Phillips Director, Region 8.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Part I—General Administration:
Assistant Deputy Minister and Director of Rehabilitation and Social Improvement
Administration
Personnel
Training Division
Research
Part II—Divisional and Institutional Reports:
Director of Programmes
Social Assistance and Rehabilitation Division-
Child Welfare Division
Health Care Division
Division on Aging
Brannan Lake School for Boys
Willingdon School for Girls
Provincial Home, Kamloops
New Denver Youth Centre
Page
9
13
14
21
23
24
25
33
54
57
69
75
79
80
Part III—Regional Administration Reports:
Director of Operations
Region 1
Region 2
Region 3
Region 4
Region 5
Region 6
Region 7
Region 8
Part IV—Legislation
Part V-—Statistical Reports and Tables
Part VI—Provincial Alliance of Businessmen.
82
83
84
86
88
91
93
96
98
100
102
104
Report of the Department of Rehabilitation
and Social Improvement
PART I—GENERAL ADMINISTRATION
the assistant deputy minister reports . .
J. A. SADLER
The confrontation and the challenge of change that marked the dissenting 60's
are behind us and the first year of a new decade has just ended—a decade we hope
will be described as the constructive, positive 70's. It is beginning on a positive
note. A year ago, we expressed concern at the rate of increasing Social Allowance
case loads and costs and the actual increase over the previous year of 29.2 per cent.
This year, our social assistance cases are down some 14 per cent from a year ago,
and other income assistance programmes increased only proportionably with the
risk population. Our increase in the number of children-in-care was within acceptable limits, but changes in social patterns, attitudes, and birth-control technology
resulted in a very significant drop in the number of unmarried mothers requesting
help (26 per cent) and adoption work. The drop in welfare institution licensing
is the result of transferring duties to the Health Department.
In terms of regional socio-economic differences, over-all case loads declined
significantly in all regions except Region 4 (East and West Kootenays) and Region
7 (Prince Rupert/Terrace area), where case loads remained relatively constant.
There were no major personnel or organizational changes during the year, but
certain activities received greater staff effort and public interest, such as day care,
foster-parent associations, low-income and self-help groups, economic opportunity
and incentive programmes, on-the-job training, job-finding, referral and employment counselling. During the last quarter, determining eligibility for Job Opportunities Certificates became our responsibility. In this latter service, the Department authorized the issuing of Job Opportunity Certificates to any person who
applied and had been in receipt of Social Allowances for the previous three months.
Any employer who hired a certificate holder in a newly created job could claim
one-half the cost of the employee's salary and fringe benefits for up to six months.
The actual reimbursement of employers and the issuing of certificates were administered by the Department of Municipal Affairs.
I can look back and recognize that our staff, serving in every city, hamlet, and
rural area of our Province, were a conscientious, dedicated team, reacting with
energy and good will to the many and various social and personal problems our
fellow citizens bring to our doorstep for solution. I am proud of our team and
look forward with confidence to whatever challenge the "constructive" 70's may
present.
N 10
REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
Table 1—Comparison of Number of Cases by Category of Service
in the Province as at March 31, 1971 and 1972
Category
Cases at March 31—
Minus or
Plus Change
Minus or
Plus
1971
1972
Per Cent
Change
2,613
2,772
+ 159
+6.1
Social Allowance—
Single person
34,660
4,135
9,978
13,815
1,413
29,049
3,059
6,978
14,479
1,321
-5,611
— 1,076
— 3,000
+664
—92
— 16.2
26.0
— 30.1
+4.8
—6.5
64,001
54,886
—9,115
14.2
587
3,255
22,540
962
324
972
798
3,133
6,612
797
989
211
556
3,295
24,733
643
493
792
699
2,942
6,869
590
225
290
-31
+40
+2,193
—319
169
— 180
—99
— 191
+257
—207
—764
+79
—5.3
Disabled Persons' Allowance
Old Age Security Supplementary Social Allowance
+ 1.2
+9.7
—33 2
52.2
18 5
12.4
—6.1
+3.9
—26.0
—77 3
+37.4
Totals
107,794
99,785
—8,009
—7.4
Table 2—Number of Cases Receiving Service in the Province by
Category of Service During the Year 1971/72
Category
Cases Open
First of
Year
Cases
Opened
During
Year
Cases
Closed
During
Year
Cases Open
End of
Year
Cases
Served
During
Year
Family Service
Social Allowance—
Single person—
Couple..
Two-parent family.-
One-parent family—
Child with relative-
Totals, Social Allowance .
Blind Persons* Allowance
Disabled Persons Allowance
Old Age Security Supplementary Social Allowance .
Adoption home pending.
Adoption home approved-
Child in adoption home.
Foster home pending
Foster home approved
Child in care
Unmarried parent-
Welfare institution
Health and Institutional Service-
Totals..
2,613
34,660
4,135
9,978
13,815
1,413
64,001
587
3,255
22,540
962
324
972
798
3,133
6,612
797
989
211
107,794
1,273
3,114
86,364
7,907
18,473
20,215
1,776
91,975
8,983
21,473
19,551
1,868
134,735 | 143,850
212
1,211
9,578
1,428
1,041
1,742
963
1,860
6,407
1,198
360
353
164,361
243
1,171
7,385
1,747
872
1,922
1,062
2,051
6,150
1,405
1,124
274
172,370
2,772
29,049
3,059
6,978
14,479
1,321
54,886
556
3,295
24,733
643
493
792
699
2,942
6,869
590
225
290
99,785
5,8
121,024
12,042
28,451
34,030
3,189
198,736
799
4,466
32,118
2,390
1,365
2,714
1,761
4,993
13,019
1,995
1,349
564
272,155
Cases served during year is total open first of year plus cases opened during year.
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1971/72
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N 12 REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
Table A—Proportion of Total Gross Welfare Expenditure
1970/71
1971/72
Value
Per Cent
Value
Per Cent
Administration (includes Minister's Office and part of Ac-
$
1,056,026
1,583,874
4,725,763
175,368
18,918,764
6,915,999
102,429,438
8,784,052
2,918,684
0.7
1.1
3.2
0.1
12.8
4.7
69.4
6.0
2.0
$
1,205,109
1,768,434
5,481,303
289,439
19,741,383
7,150,589
103,169,623
10,122,773
0.8
1.2
3.7
0.2
Maintenance of dependent children (includes New Denver
Youth Centre) - ... _
13.2
Medical services, drugs, etc _
4.8
69.3
Allowances for aged and handicapped (Blind and Disabled Persons Allowance and Supplementary Social
Allowance). ..
Grants-in-aid of construction of homes and recreation
6.8
Totals
147,507,968
100.0
148,928,653
100.0
The following tables (3-1 to 3-8, inclusive) are available from the Department of Rehabilitation and Social Improvement, Parliament Buildings, Victoria, on
request:
Table 3-1—Number of Cases by Category of Service for Administrative
Offices in Region I as of March 31, 1971 and 1972.
Table 3-2—Number of Cases by Category of Service for Administrative
Offices in Region II as of March 31, 1971 and 1972.
Table 3-3—Number of Cases by Category of Service for Administrative
Offices in Region III as of March 31, 1971 and 1972.
Table 3-4—Number of Cases by Category of Service for Administrative
Offices in Region IV as of March 31, 1971 and 1972.
Table 3-5—Number of Cases by Category of Service for Administrative
Offices in Region V as of March 31, 1971 and 1972.
Table 3-6—Number of Cases by Category of Service for Administrative
Offices in Region VI as of March 31, 1971 and 1972.
Table 3-7—Number of Cases by Category of Service for Administrative
Offices in Region VII as of March 31, 1971 and 1972.
Table 3-8—Number of Cases by Category of Service for Administrative
Offices in Region VIII as of March 31, 1971 and 1972.
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1971/72 N 13
office administration and
public information reports...
A. G. GILMORE, Director
The essential work of the Division remained unchanged with the exception of
certain additional projects. An example was the Job Opportunities Certificate
Programme.
During the year the regular work included the design installation and associated
instruction for new accounting systems in 13 offices and open-shelf filing and indexing systems in three districts, together with equipping and opening of one new office
and the relocation of two others.
A noticeable trend of recent years has been the increasing public interest in
social services. This is particularly true among students. Five years ago, a whole
school-year would pass with no more than a score of requests for information from
children completing a school paper or graduates completing a thesis. Now, there
is seldom a day passes that the mails do not include requests for both general and
specific socio-economic data and programme information. Our Division attempts
to answer each of these requests individually, promptly, and specifically.
During the last quarter the Division co-ordinated the associated planning and
programming of a central registry of social assistance recipients, employing a central
data processing unit and remote-control access units. The system, planned to
begin operation in July 1972, will permit district offices to register individuals and
heads of families, together with basic data and retrieve data on persons registered,
using a teletype located in the inquiring or registering office. This will be the first
installation of its type in Canada.
The Division wishes to express its collective thanks to the various departments
of Government that makes our job so much easier—particularly the Queen's
Printer, Purchasing Commission, and the Department of Public Works.
N 14 REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
personnel reports...
MRS. ANNA I. ALLEN, Personnel Officer
HIGHLIGHTS
A few highlights of this stimulating year have included:
Classification of Staff
1. Revised job specifications for case aide and social work positions, completed
in Personnel, were forwarded to the Civil Service Commission in December of this
year; comparison was made between the responsibilities of staff in this Department
with Probation Officers of the Attorney-General's Department and Psychiatric
Social Workers in Mental Health Services and the salary disparity noted. In these
revisions, recognition was given to staff responsibilities for administration of multi-
laws plus the rehabilitation counselling implicit in all Departmental work; salary
parity for social workers and a second grade with promotional opportunities was
recommended for the current case aide classification along with a new name. The
specifications have been fully reviewed throughout the Department and have full
Departmental support.
2. During this year the Civil Service Commission has reviewed the responsibilities of rehabilitation officers in the Provincial Alliance of Businessmen offices
throughout the Province.
3. In July the Civil Service Commission approved reclassification of two senior
Clerk/Stenographers in district offices to the Clerk 4 level, on the basis that they
supervise six or more full-time subordinate staff and that the office has a total dis-
persement which exceeds an average of $200,000 a month. The two offices so
qualified to date are Prince George and Chilliwack.
4. Representation to the Civil Service Commission gave recognition to three
social workers in single-worker district offices and they received an acting Grade 3
appointment because of their over-all management and administrative responsibilities for total programmes. At this time the three single-worker offices are
Kitimat, Fort Nelson, and 100 Mile House.
Staff Selection
1. The Department's Selection Panel, composed of R. J. Burnham, Director of
Operations; A. G. Gilmore, Director of Office Administration and Public Information; and Mrs. A. I. Allen, Personnel Officer, continued with its challenging job of
interviewing and recommending appropriate applicants for field employment in the
Department. The beginning of the year saw the panel continuing to interview the
balance of over 700 applications received in the January 1971 competition for
social workers for various locations throughout the Province. An average of seven
people has been interviewed for each selected applicant.
2. Early in the spring the panel travelled to Prince George and Castlegar to
meet with applicants for social work employment. During each noon hour there
was a meaningful two-way informal discussion between panel members and local
staff in the district.
3. Group interviews have evolved as a new selection technique during this
year, primarily for group-leader competitions in child-care resources. The purpose
of the group interview is to utilize time more fully and to assess applicants' reactions
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1971/72 N 15
in a small group setting in which they would be expected to perform as a group
leader. This is done by means of an initial group interview of up to six applicants
to discuss with the panel the goals and policies of the resource, Departmental expectations, and to answer the applicants' general questions; this is followed by a group
tour of the resource with the social work supervisor and (or) a senior group leader
and is then followed by the panel's more intensive interview of the applicant. This
method is an invaluable technique and appears to have improved screening methods
by an apparent reduction in turnover.
4. During this last year, approval was given for the employment of some 30
people, classified at the case aide level, to assist certain district offices as selected
by the Regional Director in an ongoing case review and audit within the financial
assistance programme. Initially, the project was established for three months; in
some areas it was necessary to extend the project.
5. Toward the end of this year provisions were made for the appointment of
mechanics in this Department, the purpose being to work closely with staff and local
garages, plus the Departmental Comptroller, regarding vehicle utilization and to
make an ongoing review of auto replacement versus repairs.
6. This Department, in conjunction with Mental Health Services, hired nine
case aides to share in the supervision of patients discharged from Mental Health
Services facilities into approved community boarding-homes. The case aides, on
Mental Health staff, have been seconded to district offices with their prime responsibility to be liaison between the Mental Health Services, boarding-home operators,
patients, and district offices in the provision of financial assistance, comfort allowances, and follow-up counselling services. These staff members have proven most
helpful for all concerned and have freed district office staff for their more specialized
counselling service.
7. Three field staff members were seconded to work activity projects, two in
the Greater Vancouver area and one in the Fraser Valley. The projects' goal is to
give intensive services to selected clients and to help them regain independence by
the acquisition of special work skills connected with the Forestry, Parks, and related
departments within the Provincial Service. These social workers have been responsible for later effecting meaningful job placements, provision of ongoing counselling, follow-up services to the clients, the family group, work supervisors, and later
the employers.
8. To meet changing Departmental priorities in service delivery, the Department's Selection Panel has recommended the appointment of several nongraduates
as a result of competitions for district supervisory, mid-management positions; this
is because of the applicants' extensive experience on the job, specialized administrative training, and skills related to staff and case-load management.
9. Eighty-seven panels were held for promotional competitions for a variety
of positions during this year, with Civil Service Commission involvement.
General Activities
1. A kit was prepared with a one-page summary sheet related to Personnel/Pay
Forms, with details for utilization on appointment of staff, during employment, and
on separation from service. These kits, which include copies of the forms, were
forwarded to all regional, divisional, resource, institutional, and district offices and
as well to all supervisory personnel throughout the Department. Henceforth a kit
will be forwarded to supervisory staff of all classifications on appointment.
2. To continue improvement and to achieve consistency in supervisory evaluation of staff performance, copies of the Civil Service Commission publication The
N 16 REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
Supervisor's Guide for Appraising Employee Performance were forwarded throughout the Department to all staff with supervisory responsibilities.
3. An Assistant Personnel Officer commenced in October on a part-time basis
and for a temporary period. The responsibilities included staff selection and replacement for all positions in the child-care resources and institutions, clerical and
stenographic and administrative staff throughout the Province, plus certain classifications studies and related service.
4. Fourteen Orders in Council were passed to extend the services of retiring
staff for a minimum three-month period.
5. Some 691 replies were written in response to general inquiries directed to
this office about employment; these were in addition to applications on competition.
6. In February a single-page summary, approved by the Attorney-General's
Department, was forwarded to appropriate staff regarding their responsibilities as
Commissioners under the Evidence Act for taking affidavits. Since then a copy is
enclosed in the letters forwarded from Personnel to case aides and social workers
on appointment. This kit also includes Personnel's letter of appointment regarding
location, start date, plus the classification and salary recommended to the Civil
Service Commission, together with the letter of authority signed by J. A. Sadler, the
Assistant Deputy Minister.
7. A section entitled "Personnel Policies" is being prepared for the Department's Services Policy and Procedures Manual. This will be a condensed version
of the Civil Service Commission Manual on Personnel Administration retained by
Regional, Divisional, Resource, and Institutional Directors and will also give
specifics regarding special Departmental policies.
8. Consultation with and referrals to Occupational Health Services continues
to be a most constructive way to resolve problems encountered by some staff related
to their health and its effect on job performance or vice versa. This preventive service is proving most helpful to staff and is designed with the best interests of staff
in mind.
9. The first of January 1972 saw staff with 25 years of continuous service receive 25 days' vacation effective immediately. This is in addition to the previously
granted two weeks with pay given once after 25 years' continuous service.
Staff General
Departmental establishment as of March 31, 1972, is as follows:
Total Established (Permanent) Positions for Staff (Clerical, Technical, and
Professional) Employed, and Locations
Minister's Office 3
General Administration 12
Social Assistance and Rehabilitation Division 5
Field Service 484
Health Care Division 19
New Denver (Youth Centre and Pavilion) 18
Child Welfare Division 41
Provincial Alliance of Businessmen (casual)
Provincial Home 35
Brannan Lake School for Boys 70
Willingdon School for Girls 53
Division on Aging 48
Total 788
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1971/72
N 17
In addition, the following staff were employed, with special approval:
Casual/continuous 203
Temporary limited projects 54
Total
257
Total positions occupied 1,045
During this year, 1,220 people were employed in this Department.
Staff Movement
During this last year, staff movement has been associated with Department-wide
replacement, special projects, plus summer relief staff for the three child-care resources and two institutions.
Limited
Casual/Prob.
Perm.
Total
New appointments, including, by competition, 60;
seconded
130
11
2
2
76
200
116
81
23
154
330
127
83
25
Resignations, including retirement, 12; deceased, 2
seconded
230
Details are as follows:
Clerical, including stenographers and typists 114
Case aides 62
Social workers 71
Group leaders 37
Rehabilitation Officers
(PAB)
Orderlies
Teachers (summer relief)
Nurses
Building service workers
Cooks 3
Custodial attendants 5
Gardener 1
House matrons 4
Medical specialist 1
Kitchen maids 6
Mechanic 1
Nurses' aides 2
Personnel Officer 1
Total 330
RECLASSIFICATIONS
These may occur by one of two methods:
1. Completion of a job questionnaire by an individual and immediate supervisor to show that job content has changed from specifications; this also involves
a detailed factor-comparison study to be submitted from the Personnel Officer along
with the questionnaire to the Civil Service Commission for review by their classification section.
2. In accordance with the job specifications and in certain classifications, on
expiry of a specified time limit and with documented merit performance, the directors
may refer a documented report into Personnel with request to recommend the reclassification to the Civil Service Commission.
2
N 18
REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
The following reclassifications were made during this last year:
Clerical, including stenographers and typists 30
Social workers 42
Group leaders 51
Nurses 2
Custodial attendant 1
House matron 1
Total
127
TRANSFERS
In continuation of Department policy to encourage transfers to more challenging positions with greater responsibility and to help staff prepare for possible promotion, the following transfers occurred:
Clerical, including stenographers and typists
Case aides
Social workers
Group leaders _
Total
12
7
63
1
83
PROMOTION BY COMPETITION
The following promotions were won this year by Departmental staff who
applied on competition along with others within and without the Department and
Service. Those successful included the following:
Clerical, including stenographers and typists 11
Social workers 9
Group leaders 4
Administrative Officers 1
Total 25
RESIGNATIONS, RETIREMENTS, COMPLETION OF TEMPORARY
PROJECTS AND SUMMER RELIEF
The following staff members left the Service for the above reasons
Estab./Casual
Limited
Total
70
6
55
12
3
2
2
3
1
18
20
5
13
4
6
1
2
1
2
3
1
88
26
60
25
4
Teachers . .
Nurses
6
1
5
Cooks
2
3
5
4
Nurses' aides
1
Totals*
154
76
230
i Included in these were 12 retirements.
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1971/72
N 19
Concern continues to be felt about stenographic turnover which, while within
the norm for general Civil Service turnover, does create a disruption in the vital
stenographic and clerical function in busy district offices.
SHARED FEDERAL/PROVINCIAL PROJECTS
These projects continue to enrich Departmental programmes, with the focus
primarily in the child welfare programme. Use of project staff frees permanent
staff from specialized aspects in the child welfare work and enables them to devote
their attention to more rehabilitation counselling associated with the financial
assistance programme. Projects this year moved their prime emphasis from adoptions to working with children in care of the Superintendent of Child Welfare, in
changing their status to adoption placement, or working with families to have
children in care returned to an improved and constructively functioning family unit.
TRAINING AND ORIENTATION COURSES
In the last year the Personnel Officer participated with other headquarters
staff in meeting with Federal staff responsible for training at the professional level
across Canada. Several Departmental suggestions were accepted, including the
need to train social workers in administration and management in addition to the
intensive counselling techniques inherent in their roles.
During this last year the Personnel Officer attended the Civil Service Commissions three-session seminar on Grievance Prevention and Handling, along with
other Departmental and Commission Personnel Officers.
The following courses were arranged and (or) co-ordinated from the Personnel
Office either within the Department, with the Civil Service Commission, or outside
the Service:
For the first time in this Department, a training grant enabled a clerical staff
member to take the Technical Case Aide Training Course at the Vancouver City
College. Availability of these grants had been circulated throughout the Department and, while much interest was expressed, a variety of family responsibilities
curtailed current participation.
Professional Training Courses were completed this year by the following staff
who had received a training grant plus educational leave of absence:
In the first year, graduate studies—Miss J. Cox and G. Wellwood.
In the second year, masters' level—D. W. Barclay, Mrs. M. L. Friesen,
Mrs. C. Whittaker, Mrs. H. V. E. Clarke, and Mrs. Lynne McKay.
The Department's Training Grant Committee, chaired by the Director of
Operations with the Director of Office Administration and Public Information plus
the Personnel Officer as members, continues to screen all applicants for training
grants. Panel members review and assess the applicants' performance as reported
by the appropriate director, career goals of the individual, potential for promotion,
and share Departmental expectations regarding those to whom training grants may
be given. This interpretation is proving constructive and clarifies mutual expectations.
Other orientation and training courses arranged and (or) co-ordinated include:
Orientation of Staff Returning From Educational Leave With Masters' Degrees—In May 1971, some nine staff received this special intensive one-week reorientation to changes in Departmental policies and procedures; they also shared
their ideas with senior staff. They visited Brannan Lake School and met with
divisional directors and headquarters personnel. These staff members included
N 20 REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
I. K. Bains, F. J. E. Hillary, W. G. Johnstone, E. Wong, Ms. C. R. Sinclair, D. N.
Hillard, D. Hyslop, P. Waddell, and J. R. Johndal.
The UBC Registration Programme in Social Work Techniques attracted 16
staff. In addition to the correspondence section of the course, there was the one-
month intensive workshop held at UBC in June.
The Executive Development Course operated by the Civil Service Commission saw three staff selected out of the 12 recommended to the Commission for the
some 30 positions on the course which is open to all departments. This prestigious
three-year correspondence course has intensive workshops at the University of
Victoria each year.
The Public Administration Course operated by the Civil Service Commission
for a one-year period and which includes correspondence material plus a one-week
intensive workshop, had three Departmental members chosen for the 40 positions
on the course, which is open to all departments.
The Supervisory Techniques Course operated from the Civil Service Commission saw some 14 recently appointed district supervisors fully involved in this
course. Following the completion of their five correspondence sections, they
participated in a two-and-one-half-day workshop in Victoria with the Civil Service
Commission and then with headquarters staff, in a two-day workshop regarding
programmes, policies, and Departmental expectations.
Some 14 line workers, recommended as having a possible promotional potential, commenced a similar course in February 1972.
There is a waiting-list of staff for this course.
A variety of miscellaneous courses was completed and included some 16 staff
involved in primarily administrative and supervisory courses in local communities,
plus two staff involved in an intensive one-week programme in training techniques.
Defensive Driving Courses were completed throughout the Province by 32 staff
members who have to drive on their jobs. Plans are under way for all staff who
are required to drive in their work to have this specialized training.
Efforts continue to revive the Departmental Administrative Course for senior
clerical and stenographic staff.
Total numbers of staff who participated in these above-mentioned special
training and orientation programmes amounted to 115.
The following tables (4a to 7, inclusive) are available from the Department of
Rehabilitation and Social Improvement, Parliament Buildings, Victoria, on request:
Table 4a—Total Number of Casual and Permanent Staff (Clerical), Professional, and Technical That Were Employed, and Their Location
in the Department, as of March 31, 1963, and March 31, 1972.
Table 5—Total Social Work Staff Employed for Fiscal Years Ended
March 31, 1962, 1963, 1970, 1971, and 1972.
Table 6—Total Social Work Staff, According to Degrees and Training,
as at March 31, 1972.
Table 7—Social Worker Separations Which Occurred During Fiscal Years
1962/63 and 1971/72, by Reason.
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1971/72 N 21
training reports...
MRS. E. I. ESAU, Training Officer
TRAINING COURSES
Participants
Case aides—
One five-day orientation course 12
One ten-day training course 9
Social workers—
Four two-week introductory courses 611
Three seven-day courses planned for participants of introductory courses 44 2
126
1 Indian Affairs Branch sponsored 28 of these.
2 Indian Affairs Branch sponsored 22 of these.
Inservice training on a contractual basis was provided for a number of Welfare
Administrators of the Indian Affairs Branch and Band Council Welfare Administrators sponsored by the Indian Affairs Branch of the Department of Indian Affairs
and Northern Development. These courses, which were shared with new staff members of the Department of Rehabilitation and Social Improvement, provided basic
instruction in the social assistance programme, interpretation of other programmes
for which this Department has responsibility, and an opportunity to learn about each
department's responsibilities with the objective of improved service delivery. Evaluations indicated that the shared training project was beneficial to all participants.
The three seven-day courses planned as follow-up for the participants in these
classes took place in Terrace, Abbotsford, and Prince George respectively, an experiment which had as its goal the relating of training to practise "where the action is."
The response to this experiment was generally positive.
STAFF-DEVELOPMENT PROJECT, REGION VI
Under the direction of the Regional Director, Region VI, the Training Supervisor continued the staff-development project, initiated in September 1970, for a
further 16 sessions to mid-summer 1971. Evaluation indicated it had achieved its
purpose to a moderate degree. It was necessary to discontinue it when the Training
Supervisor was required to carry out other training programmes for staff members
who were newly appointed to the Department.
LIBRARY SERVICES
Six Library Bulletins were distributed to all district offices during the 12-month
period April 1, 1971, to March 31, 1972. The Bulletin, which lists all accessions to
the Library and includes brief reviews of the more pertinent journal articles and new
books, is intended to be available to all staff members. The feedback, measured
in terms of ever-increasing requests for articles and books, particularly those which
have been reviewed, is most encouraging, and indicates that many workers are using
this resource to improve their knowledge and skill.
The Library's films continue to be a popular method of interpreting the needs
of children to community groups.
N 22
REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
A DIALOGUE WITH SUPERVISORS
In February 1971 the Training Supervisor had the opportunity to meet with 14
Supervisors who were attending a Departmental workshop. They were asked to
consider the responsibility, shared by Training Division and Supervisors, for the
training of new workers during their first year in the Department, and to set down
specific suggestions. This was a profitable exercise. Some suggestions were acted
upon immediately, while others are still being worked out.
LOOKING AHEAD
Training Division has continuously been engaged in determining more effective
methods of providing preparatory training, and other courses on request from Senior
Administration, for workers who make the Department's programme operational.
We appreciate the good spirit with which all members of staff have participated in
the changes already initiated in response to evaluations, and count upon their continuing co-operation as further changes occur.
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1971/72
N 23
ch..
resean
A. W. RIPPON, Research Officer
The services of the Research Section were directed toward studies related to
the Department's programmes, studies of programmes that could be utilized by the
Department or affect the Department's services and the co-ordination and liaison
with organizations undertaking research related to the Department's programmes.
The main area of activity in studies related to the Department's programme was
the project, Applicants—Social Allowance, May 1971. This was a Province-wide
study of the information supplied on the application form for social assistance and for
the first time provided the Social Assistance and Rehabilitation Division and Senior
Administration with a comprehensive picture of the general characteristics of persons applying for social assistance. It is expected a similar study will be repeated
in the coming year so that change in applicant's circumstances can be noted and,
where possible, trends can be established. Another project related to the Department's programme was a study of Social Allowance rates.
Activities of research concerning programmes that could be utilized by the
Department were mainly directed toward review of the literature on the concept of
the Guaranteed Annual Income. Studies of programmes that could affect the Department's services were directed to anticipated changes from Family Allowance to
Family Income Security Plan of the Federal Government.
The liaison and co-ordinating function of the Research Section with other research organizations received considerable attention during the year. In particular,
close liaison has been maintained with the Welfare Research Directorate, National
Health and Welfare Department.
N 24
REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
PART II—DIVISIONAL AND INSTITUTIONAL REPORTS
the director of programmes reports...
T. D. BINGHAM, Director of Programmes
Following are the reports of the
Director of Social Assistance and Rehabilitation Division;
Superintendent of Child Welfare;
Director of Health Care Division;
Director, Division on Aging;
Director, Brannan Lake School for Boys;
Director, Willingdon School for Girls;
Superintendent, Provincial Home;
Director, New Denver Youth Centre.
Each of the following divisional reports contain a brief glimpse of the varied
programmes offered the people of the Province through the district, municipal, and
divisional offices of the Department. Notable is the increase in the number rf imaginative services being supplied to assist resolve the broad range of human and social
problems.
The staff of these divisions and institutions are to be commended for their
thoughtful and industrious effort on behalf of the people of British Columbia.
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1971/72 N 25
■
social assistance and
rehabilitation division reports...
N. S. BROOKE, Director
This programme is administered through 52 Provincial and 13 municipal welfare offices. The Social Assistance and Rehabilitation Division is the central administration office for this programme.
PROGRAMME PROVISIONS AND SERVICES
Basic Social Allowance
Total expenditure for the 1971/72 fiscal year was $93,806,163.
A monthly average of 19,900 single men, 11,600 single women, and 25,100
heads of families were assisted by direct Social Allowance grants.
The total number of recipients, including children, as of March 31, 1972, was
118,405.
These costs included:
(1) Direct subsistance payments based on a Social Allowance schedule
which is comprised of allowances for food, for sundries, and for
shelter. At the end of the fiscal year these rates were increased to
amounts that ranged from $102 a month for a single person to $384
a month for a family of one adult and six children.
(2) Shelter shortfall: Because shelter costs are usually well above the
amounts provided for in the Social Allowance schedules, additional
allowances are paid for shelter in an amount of one-half the unmet
shelter costs.
During the fiscal year, actual shelter costs were higher in 70 per
cent of the situations for single persons and families than those provided for in basic Social Allowance rates.
(3) Special dietary allowances of $10 a month are paid on the recommendation of the family doctor to help out with costs of special diets.
These have been used especially to help with diets for diabetics,
tuberculosis patients, expectant mothers, and elderly persons who
were otherwise skimping on food.
(4) General overages: Many recipients, because of indebtedness, inability to budget, high shelter costs, or other reasons cannot make
their allowance cover all basic necessities such as food, utilities, and
heat. Frequent use, therefore, has had to be made of additional
assistance to prevent hardship, especially when children or elderly
persons are involved.
Emergency Health Aid
The expenditure for the fiscal year totalled $158,921.
Emergency health aid was originally intended to provide for sudden exigencies
such as those resulting from a fire or from a flood. It has gradually been used for
help with a great variety of special needs.
N 26 REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
During the year, help has been provided with home repairs, upgrading accommodation, and to permit the obtaining of basic furnishings, including stoves, washers,
refrigerators, beds, mattresses, and bedding materials.
Opportunities Allowances
During the fiscal year, 2,300 recipients participated in the Department's Opportunities Programme. This permits an additional payment of $50 a month for
recipients who contribute a minimum of 30 hours a month of volunteer service
through nonprofit community agencies. In practice many have volunteered much
longer hours without additional payment. Approximately one-quarter achieved
part or full-time employment immediately following this experience.
Many are not able to undertake regular employment because of pre-school-age
children, the number of children, or severe disabilities.
The Department's Opportunities Programme is unique to British Columbia.
It is designed especially to help individuals and families who have required continuing financial help because of special employment handicaps such as physical or
mental health problems or in the case of a mother, the need to care for children. The
programme has been popular with recipients and has enhanced community services.
It has demonstrated that the majority of recipients want an opportunity to contribute.
The Opportunities participants have served as school, health, library, recreation, and
welfare aides, day-care assistants, as community information officers, and have provided clerical and other support services for a variety of private and public nonprofit
agencies.
Education and Training
Some 1,300 social assistance recipients were assisted during the year in undertaking vocational training or academic upgrading. In addition to regular Social Allowances, help included fees, books, and a training allowance of $15 a month for
a single recipient and $30 a month for those with families.
Although education and training were previously not seen as a public welfare
function, the Department undertook to assist in this way because
(1) help could not be obtained through other sources;
(2) it was found many unemployed persons became locked in as social
assistance recipients because they lacked the basic educational levels
and skills required by British Columbia employers.
Over half were originally migrants from other provinces, especially from the
Prairie Provinces and the Maritime Provinces, and perhaps reflected some previous
lack of opportunity in schooling and training. This trend has now changed. The
recipient is more youthful and commonly has dropped out of school by his own
choice. Many are able to re-enter through adult education facilities and succeed in
completing high school within a year or so. They are then able to move on to
vocational training, to employment, or to post-secondary education.
Hostels
The Department maintains a number of hostels for the temporary accommodation and feeding of transient single persons in search of employment. The intention
is to permit them to stop over for two or three days so that they have an opportunity
to locate employment. During the fiscal year there were 16 such hostels with a
combined capacity of 932 beds. These hostels have been a successful medium
for employment placement because employers have used them as a quick and reliable source of labour supply.
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1971/72 N 27
During the summer months a large number of facilities were established by
private groups throughout the Province to provide overnight lodging and meals for
travelling youth. In general these arrangements were successful and few difficulties
were encountered. Many were accommodated in private homes. The Department,
when necessary, helped with the cost of shelter and food up to an amount of $3.50
a day for those who could not meet this cost. These special arrangements terminated
at the end of the summer.
Boarding-homes and Rest Homes
An average of 3,021 persons was assisted monthly with the cost of care in
boarding-homes and rest homes at a total cost for the fiscal year of $4,289,887.
For the most part these are persons who cannot care for themselves adequately in
their own homes because of mental or physical handicaps or because of the infirmities of age, but who do not require intensive nursing-type care. These facilities are
licensed by the Department of Health and must meet standards for fire safety, sanitation, and nutrition.
Nursing-homes and Private Hospitals
An average of 1,556 persons was assisted monthly with costs of nursing-home
or private hospital care at a total cost for the year of $3,016,165. These are usually
patients who require 24-hour care and supervision, often involving full bed care,
but not treatment as in an acute hospital. All must meet the licensing requirements
of the Department of Health Services and Hospital Insurance.
Halfway Houses
Seventeen residential facilities with a capacity of 505 beds were operated during
the year by nonprofit groups and agencies. These provide a combination of board,
lodging, and rehabilitation service based on mutual help in solving problems of
alcoholism and drug addiction. The Department assists on a basis of direct Social
Allowance grants to the residents to permit them to pay the costs of their board and
lodging.
Homemaker and Housekeeper Services
During the year, $1,187,491 was expended to assist with the cost of home-
maker and housekeeper services.
This help is provided
(1) to permit elderly infirm persons to remain in their own homes;
(2) to care for children in their own home during sickness or necessary
absence of the mother.
Special-care Homes
Nine facilities are operated by private agencies that provide residential care,
work experience, and teaching inputs to upgrade the capacities of mentally retarded
in functioning and self-care. They have a combined capacity of 375 beds. The
Department assisted with costs which ranged from $6.43 to $12.50 a day per resident.
Work Activity Projects
A special section of the Canada Assistance Plan provides for Federal Government sharing in individual projects approved by the Federal Government. These
N 28 REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
must not be of a make-work nature. They must provide a combination of work
activity and training and be designed to assist persons who are not easily placeable
in employment to become more employable. During the fiscal year there were six
projects administered by municipalities, two administered by the Department in conjunction with the Provincial Parks Branch and Forestry Department respectively,
and one operated by the Boys Club of Victoria. Total cost for the year, including
subsistence allowances, was $359,511.23. Sixty-two were enrolled, the majority of
them men with families.
Local Rehabilitation Committees
The Department co-ordinates with the Departments of Health and of Manpower
through local rehabilitation committees in combining the resources of the three departments to assist in rehabilitation of disabled persons.
SOCIAL SERVICES
In addition to administration of various forms of Provincial assistance, the social
workers of the Department and of municipal welfare agencies provide social assistance services to help in solving a great variety of complex social problems. These
include
rehabilitation services—
(1) help in job placement;
(2) vocational counselling;
( 3 ) referral to employment and training resources;
(4) liaison with community agencies,
preventive services—■
(1) marital counselling;
( 2) counselling in child care;
(3) counselling in relation to mental health problems;
(4) liaison with health and social agencies;
(5) referral to other resources.
The Department's staff in smaller communities, in particular, have had to cope
with a wide demand for services because of the absence of other services.
GENERAL COMMENTS
The high level of public concern about social assistance began to subside in the
latter part of the fiscal year, reflecting a drop in the numbers of recipients. This,
evidentally, was attributable to some improvement in employment opportunities, to
special projects to assist the unemployed, and most significantly to initiation of new
Federal unemployment insurance measures that broadened eligibility and improved
benefits.
Recipients continued to express frustration with the inadequacy of social assistance benefits, with difficulties encountered in obtaining these benefits, and with blocks
to achieving self-dependence. The primary blocks relate to various kinds of personal
handicaps combined with the selectivity of employers in choosing employees and
lack of flexibility and tolerance in the employment market place to meet the particular handicaps of many recipients. The bulk of recipients is either not employable
or have special handicaps that restrict their employability. Many have physical or
mental health handicaps and many are older and in poor health. The largest group,
with their children, accounting for one-half of all recipients, are mothers. They
have difficulty in undertaking or remaining in employment because of the needs of
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1971/72 N 29
their children and the inadequacy of the remuneration that they can obtain. Day
care is a necessary help for many mothers if they are to become independent, but is
costly in relation to the earning potential of many recipients. When a child becomes
sick the mother usually must stay home to provide care and frequently loses her
employment as a result. Emotional problems may develop, especially with small
children, because of her absence. Older children may lack adequate supervision.
There is a need to recognize and accept that many mothers should be encouraged
to remain at home with their children and be accorded dignity as mothers. Unfortunately, this is difficult to achieve because of the wide-spread public confusion that
associates negative feelings about unemployment with all recipients. On the other
hand, most recipients, even though they are unable to undertake full-time employment, want to make a contribution. The Department's Opportunities Programme
has provided some scope for this. Development of part-time ongoing sheltered
employment opportunities in community services could permit an enhancement of
meager budgets, as well as satisfaction of the need to be part of and contributing to
the community.
In contrast to the Department's experience in past years when few youths were
seen in public welfare offices, many young persons have had to be assisted. Most are
seeking employment and require only temporary help. A few have wished to receive continuing assistance while pursuing other personal interests. The wave of
social thinking that gave rise to this now seems to be receding. Most of these people
have subsequently become employed. There is a need to give special attention to
the continuing larger numbers of unemployed young persons and of the large numbers of young persons reaching employment age to ensure there is adequacy of opportunity.
BOARDS OF REVIEW
There were 68 Boards of Review held during the year; of these, 57 were decided
in favour of the applicant.
Table 8—Expenditures for Social Allowances, 1971/72
$
Basic Social Allowances 93,806,163
Repatriation, transportation within the Province, nursing- and boarding-home care, special allowances, and grants 7,685,491
Housekeeper and Homemaker Services 1,187,622
Emergency payments (such as where a family may lose its home by fire
or similar circumstances) 158,921
Hospitalization of social assistance cases (short stay, etc.) 35,070
Total Social Allowance costs 102,873,267
Municipal share of costs 18,083,578
Federal-Provincial cost sharing—
Canada Assistance Plan 50,536,217
Department of Indian Affairs 1,425,277
N 30
REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
Table 9—Total Persons Receiving Social Allowances and Costs
in Regions, by Provincial and Municipal Areas,
in March 1971 and 1972
Persons
Costs
March 1971
March 1972
March 1971
March 1972
Region 1
Provincial—
839
925
1,113
1,259
425
1,514
477
498
564
712
898
1,029
351
1,356
402
393
$
35,904
67,212
63,896
69,269
23,542
95,764
28,247
25,866
$
32,055
62,139
54,917
Nanaimo.
56,472
18,680
76,645
23,586
21,733
Totals
7,050
5,705
409,700
346,227
Municipal—
910
329
287
665
207
1,387
660
1,168
149
2,188
5,658
965
307
284
600
163
903
611
975
111
1,972
4,746
50,778
16,953
16,743
50,606
11,139
78,544
35,731
66,045
9,107
158,050
405,521
41,320
Courtenay
Duncan - —
18,888
18,326
47,575
Ladysmith...
Nanaimo
North Cowichan
10,575
52,882
35,428
58,676
7,765
147,071
349,421
Saanich
Victoria
13,608
11,637
899,217
787,927
Region totals
20,658
17,342
1,308,917
1,134,154
Region 2
Provincial-
87
919
198
35
738
169
6,169
49,238
13,143
1,386
43,460
12,685
Totals
1,204
942
68,550
57,531
Municipal—
Burnaby
Coquitlam
7,205
3,049
1,317
3,530
1,658
1,077
1,071
732
519
2,052
37,160
537
5,873
2,635
968
2,897
1,427
719
910
648
451
1,071
33,033
428
488,453
144,427
78,264
240,699
111,792
69,900
74,508
42,934
28,034
86,454
2,861,150
42,827
421,465
151,756
65,322
221,954
North Vancouver City
North Vancouver District
107,925
52,626
67,910
41,515
24,419
67,400
Vancouver (estimated)
2,659,854
34,662
59,907
51,060
4,269,442
3,916,808
Region totals
61,111
52,002
4,337,992
3,974,339
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1971/72
N 31
Table 9—Total Persons Receiving Social Allowances and Costs
in Regions, by Provincial and Municipal Areas,
in March 1971 and 1972—Continued
Persons
Costs
March 1971
March 1972
March 1971
March 1972
Region 3
Provincial—
427
1,199
2,052
219
266
634
478
549
751
1,463
241
796
2,294
232
147
642
373
441
513
1,231
$
18,251
54,902
109,377
11,422
12,804
34,219
23,644
17,744
36,733
71,245
$
11,111
Kamloops
42,044
129,120
11,941
Merritt—
Oliver
9,030
36,427
21,253
Revelstoke
14,150
27,505
60,940
8,038 6,910
390,341
363,521
Municipal—
Kamloops.
2,256
957
294
1,390
137
262
163
746
1,918
1,053
239
1,060
126
341
168
678
112,183
57,246
18,565
58,812
6,470
14,897
11,058
45,928
98,669
77,021
12,497
45,817
Revelstoke
5,745
21,312
11,569
Vernon - —.
46,282
Totals , ,.
6,205 | 5,583
325,159
318,912
14,243
12,493
715,500
682,433
Region 4
Provincial—
689
761
526
398
377
727
490
684
543
638
545
357
339
632
373
463
40,474
33,574
34,991
18,287
21,175
42,086
24,788
37,330
33,252
31,444
30.465
17,088
20,280
Nelson -
38,888
18,383
Trail
26,313
Totals
4,652 | 3,890
252,705
216,113
Municipal—
Cranbrook
479
177
206
271
267
485
366
599
193
145
222
208
430
331
30,659
9,744
10,395
17,245
14,628
31,216
24,589
41,417
10,670
7,985
13,732
13,565
30,340
Trail
21,129
Totals
2,251 | 2,128
138,476
138,838
6,903 | 6,018
391,181
354,951
Region 5
Provincial—
274
2,364
716
456
655
14,789
Prince George - ...
3,196
912
489
1,122
157,633
42,723
21,256
48,878
122,614
34,539
23,362
28,223
Totals
5,719
4,465
270,490
223,527
Municipal—
2,418
581
77
1,750
289
100
163,851
25,968
5,007
119,733
16,825
5,805
3,076 2,139
194,826
142,363
Region totals
8,795
6,604
465,316
365,890
N 32
REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
Table 9—Total Persons Receiving Social Allowances and Costs
in Regions, by Provincial and Municipal Areas,
in March 1971 and 1972—Continued
Persons
Costs
March 1971
March 1972
March 1971
March 1972
Region 6
Provincial—
158
1,054
143
448
108
365
68
250
498
$
9,782
49,935
7,230
$
7,550
Chilliwack-
Haney. -
20,106
4,099
14,139
23,998
26,831
Totals
1,803
1,289
90,945
72,725
Municipal—
Chilliwack City . - -.
729
2,036
328
340
1,470
2,051
1,992
1,386
380
7,597
827
524
1,326
206
408
1,118
1,537
1,617
1,431
316
5,990
576
44,716
98,322
13,765
21,021
94,584
145,194
93,574
71,217
24,466
462,757
55,825
35,146
73,592
12,286
24,390
82,369
Maple Ridge
126,990
79,765
Mission District —
66,704
23,098
392,730
White Rock
42,747
19,136
15,049
1,125,441
959,817
20,939
16,338
1,216,386
1,032,542
Region 7
Provincial-
284
506
1,302
705
132
314
301
866
506
80
13,810
22,792
70,080
35,762
7,155
15,616
15,546
56,823
29,318
4,414
Totals
2,929
2,067
149,599
121,717
Municipal—
1,503
712
1,253
654
97,980
41,450
81,075
Terrace .
40,270
Totals _
2,215
1,907
139,430
121,345
Region totals.
5,144
3,974
289,029
243,062
Region 8
Provincial—
1,201
276
617
1,012
265
567
60,573
14,645
35,185
51,344
Fort Nelson.
Fort St. John
14,655
29,163
Totals
2,094
1,844
110,403
95,162
Municipal—
Dawson Creek ..,
Fort St. John. .....
1,579
648
1,311
479
92,127
41,750
80,723
30,958
Totals
2,227
1,790
133,877
111,681
4,321
3,634
244,280
206,843
20,658
61,111
14,243
6,903
8,795
20,939
5,144
4,321
17,342
52,002
12,493
6,018
6,604
16,338
3,974
3,634
1,308,917
4,337,992
715,500
391,181
465,316
1,216,386
289,029
244,280
1,134,154
3,974,339
Region 3
682,433
354,951
Region 5 —
365,890
1,032,542
243,062
Region 8 .."„
206,843
Totals
142,114
118,209
8,968,601
7,906,509
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1971/72
child welfare reports...
J. V. BELKNAP, Superintendent
N 33
The children of British Columbia generally enjoyed the privileges and benefits
of our affluent state. They are richly endowed when compared to many millions
of children in other parts of our world. The society, which encompasses them,
provides a setting which generally respects their special place and is concerned and
aware of what is essential to their basic needs.
There are, however, many children among us who suffer extreme deprivation
and neglect. These children are not thriving and stand at risk. Unless efforts are
made that are directed toward assisting these children and their families, our society
stands to see another generation arise of problem people.
These children come from families of all classes of people—the poor and the
rich, the educated and the uneducated, from the cities and the country.
A general system of child welfare that reflects the need of all people in our
Province is what the Department attempts to provide.
Every child needs a family to provide the love and security necessary for the
child to become a healthy and mature adult. Every family needs a community to
which its members can belong and gain a deeper sense of self in interaction with
others.
In order that this may be it is necessary that our programme must be directed
toward building the necessary strengths within the families and their communities.
The central concern of our programme must be the family. Our policies must be
established in such an order that the child and his family are inseparable. Our
policies must be devised to be desirable for people. What is desirable and meaningful for people is to experience satisfying human relationships.
This can be accomplished by everyone within our Provincial community having
a regard for the lives and well-being of each other. Our efforts within the scope
of child welfare legislation and policy are a small but vital aspect of how all of us
comprehend and regard the whole Provincial family.
What follows in this report are the highlights of this endeavour.
CHILD PROTECTION SERVICES AND FAMILY SERVICES
"Statistics" reflect the numbers of children for whom "protection" has involved
the removal of the child from his own family. They do not reflect the creative,
innovative, and dedicated service offered by the field staff of the Department of
Rehabilitation and Social Improvement to provide that protection to children within
their own homes by ameliorating the conditions in the home leading to the neglect of
children, and by offering individual counselling to families. Such services continue
to be extended on an individual basis despite the lack of any over-all Provincial
programme to provide a family service that would protect children by providing
a service before the family was in a state of crisis. An effective preventive programme requires the commitment of the total community toward building programmes that will meet the problems of housing, recreation, mobility, unemployment,
and similar threats to family life.
Nowhere is the need for prevention more obvious than among our Indian
people. Statistics show that Indian children, once removed from their family and
cultural roots, remain in care for longer periods and are frequently lost to their tribe.
3
N 34 REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
The past year has been one in which there have been frequent meetings and discussions with the Indian people to plan with them toward the provision of a better child
welfare and family service on the reserve. The problem of Indian children already
separated from their families is also receiving close attention.
The past years have seen an increase in the complexity of cases brought to the
Provincial Court under the Protection of Children Act. In many more cases legal
services have been provided to the parents through Legal Aid, and there is an urgent need for such service to be more generally available in outlying areas of the
Province.
Protective services to children must focus on the rehabilitation of the family
and the eventual restoration of the child to his natural parents. The greater mobility
of people within recent years has resulted in an increase in interprovincial contacts
by all sections of Child Welfare. Where a child has been taken into care because of
his need for protection, this mobility may seriously handicap the service provided
him in terms of his return to his natural parents. The Family Relations Act which
came into effect on July 1, 1972, has provided for certain rights, as well as responsibilities, to parents who previously had no rights within the law. Under certain
conditions a common-law husband may be given custody of or access to a child born
of his common-law union. The extension of the "rights" of natural parents by this
Act has added to the Court responsibilities of the field staff who are required in many
cases to appear and provide information which will assist the Court in making a
decision. During the last year an agreement between the Public Trustee and the
Superintendent of Child Welfare has resulted in the Public Trustee assigning guardianship of all of the orphans for whom he was guardian by reason of his office, to
the Superintendent of Child Welfare. This has increased the numbers of children
for whom the Superintendent of Child Welfare is guardian by approximately (300)
and has extended to these children the broader service and supervision of the Provincial Department.
BATTERED CHILDREN
The number of cases of child abuse resulting in severe injury or death has been
of serious concern. An amendment to the Protection of Children Act in 1967 required that "any person having information of the . . . physical ill treatment, or
need for protection of a child" shall report such circumstances to the Superintendent
of Child Welfare. Despite the mandatory nature of this amendment, a review of
some of the serious cases of abuse reported shows that there were earlier incidents,
and if they had been referred for service the more fatal consequence of the later
incident might have been prevented. Child Welfare Division is presently working
closely with the Provincial Department of Health to co-ordinate the service of these
two departments in providing an earlier service to these children.
These two departments working with presently available information hope to
be able to produce a "profile" of the "abusing" adult that will assist those in responsible positions to more quickly identify a case of suspected battering. Research
into the causes of child abuse continues, but it is apparent from information presently
available that the abusing parent is frequently an earlier abused child. This cycle
of abuse can only be stopped by earlier recognition, referral, and service.
CHILD-IN-CARE SECTION
Child-in-care shifted focus and activity from review of internal and mechanical
delivery systems to consultative services with field and some segments of community.
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1971/72
N 35
1. Child-in-care consultant and social work staff spent a significant portion of
time in field offices
(a) to influence field staff to provide balance between the social assistance
and child welfare programmes;
(b) to open lines of communication between the central area and field
personnel;
(c) to assist field staff in development and maintenance of the residential
resources programme.
2. Child-in-care was much more actively involved with B.C. Federation of
Foster Parents than in past years. Because the federation has established its own
organization, Child-in-care Section no longer serves as a co-ordinator but as a consultant to that organization. The federation, having finally grown through its organizational stage, is now focusing on its original and primary objective—improved
services to children and their natural families. The organization is seeking education and training in order to better develop their parenting and other human skills.
With greater competence and confidence they feel they will be able to better care for
the increasingly complex child placed with them by the Superintendent of Child
Welfare. The federation has hired a part-time co-ordinator to develop this service
to foster parents, children-in-care, and natural parents.
3. Child-in-care Section made direct contact with three of the major native
Indian organizations in an effort to stimulate concern in the Indian community over
the fact that 40 per cent of the children-in-care of the Superintendent of Child Welfare are of Indian racial origin.
4. Our major effort, internally, was to stabilize the Child Welfare Accounting
information and information-handling system in both the foster home and residential
or subsidized-home area. We have managed only to stabilize the accounting aspects
and had no opportunity to make use of the social data available from the system.
ADOPTION PLACEMENT SECTION
In British Columbia, as elsewhere in North America, Great Britain, and Europe,
the adoption situation presents a challenge for prospective adopters and child welfare
workers. As the number of white newborns with no problems has steadily diminished, many couples have found themselves able to become more flexible. No longer
must the child of inter-racial heritage, the child with a severe medical problem, or the
family group wait patiently, sometimes for years, for parents; there are now many
couples eager and willing "to stretch," to open their hearts and their homes to the
children who need them. Placements of family groups of three, even four children,
attest to the sincerity and integrity of the adopting parents who say: "Try us"! This
past year 25 family groups were placed, two families of three children and one a
family of four, the eldest 11 years of age. (This latter group was placed on a permanent paid foster-home basis initially.)
The following summarizes the placement situation:
Total placements 839
Decrease from 1970/71 292
Hospital placements 290
Decrease 168
Children with health problems 151
Decrease 115
Children of inter-race or race other than white 237
Increase 48
N 36 REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
Adoption homes available during year 1,412
Decrease 59
Adoption homes awaiting placement at March 31, 1972__ 440
Increase 134
Despite the wealth of approved homes in British Columbia, we have continued
to use the resources of ARENA (Adoption Resource Exchange of North America)
for certain children for whom we did not have a suitable home, and 14 children were
placed in homes throughout the United States as a result. We have also co-operated
with other provinces in Canada to place seven children known to us. One placement was made with adopting parents from Norway who, before our adoption
situation changed so dramatically, had come to British Columbia and established
residence here in order to have their application studied and approved. One placement was made in England with the child's paternal relatives.
Referrals of children for homes in British Columbia came from four Canadian
provinces and Korea.
Seventeen children, one a family group of four, others with health problems,
were placed on a permanent paid foster-home basis.
CHILD WELFARE PROJECT, 1971
During the summer of 1971, three social workers were assigned to this project
to undertake a review of certain children in Region II. As a result, eight children
were placed in adoption homes and two placed on a permanent paid foster-home
basis. There are still some children before us whose problems are so complex that
it has not been easy to find a suitable home. One is a girl of 8 who is spastic; a
second, a child of 2 severely damaged by maternal deprivation; a third, a hyperactive
boy of 4.
This project quickly demonstrated the need for a more selective approach to
adopting applicants, and as a result two workers (one from the staff of Adoption
Placement Section, one a project worker) were assigned to study selected homes in
Campbell River and Fort St. John, with gratifying results. This aspect of the project
has continued with the assignment of two part-time workers from the staff of Adoption Placement Section to study "special homes for special children" in the Surrey
and Coquitlam offices.
RECRUITMENT OF SPECIAL HOMES FOR SPECIAL CHILDREN
As a means of interpreting to field staff the reality situation and keeping them
abreast of current changes, the Newsletter was reactivated, as well as a Bulletin of
children, which consists of brief information on certain children and coloured snapshots. Both have been helpful to staff in working with adopting applicants.
Meetings with prospective and approved adopting applicants were held in
Surrey, Chilliwack, Coquitlam, and Duncan, attended by the Consultant. In Delta
one worker from this office, with the co-operation of foster parents, spoke at a series
of coffee parties on the needs of our special children and she, also, enlisted the support of the Ministerial Association in this endeavour.
SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK, UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
Under the direction of Dr. Henry Maas, three students completed a research
project on families who adopted children of inter-racial heritage. Material for this
research was provided by the questionnaires completed for the Adoption Conference
held in 1967.
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1971/72 N 37
No students were placed here this year at our request. Staff changes and re-
focusing of programme did not allow time for student supervision.
LIAISON MEETINGS WITH CHILDREN'S AID SOCIETIES
This year, regular meetings with all three Children's Aid Societies and staff of
Child Welfare Division were inaugurated under the leadership of Mrs. Preddy,
Deputy Superintendent of Child Welfare. These meetings have been mutually helpful inasmuch as problems and solutions have been discussed and shared.
BRITISH COLUMBIA ASSOCIATION OF NONSTATUS INDIANS
Several meetings with representatives of this group were attended by Child-in-
care Consultant and Adoption Placement Consultant with the object of stimulating
interest of the Indian people in their children in our care. Folders of Indian children,
with brief descriptions of each, were prepared and sent out with the co-operation of
the Secretary to the locals of this association throughout the Province.
UNITED CHURCH HOME FOR GIRLS
We have continued to enjoy a most pleasant relationship with this resource for
unwed mothers and we believe our role as Consultant has been helpful to the administrative staff as well as the social worker. It should be noted that 46 of our
referrals came from this home and all were infants who, with one or two exceptions,
were placed directly from hospital.
OPEN DOOR SOCIETY
As a delegate of this society, the Adoption Placement Consultant attended the
First World Congress on Adoption and Foster Placement held in Milan, Italy, in
September 1971. Only four Canadians were present—two from the parent organization of the Open Door Society in Montreal the third and the fourth were programme speakers.
This was a stimulating experience, for there were delegates from all countries,
including Russia and her satellites. Also present were many adopting parents from
Scandinavia, England, the Netherlands and, of course, Italy, and many brought their
children.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We are indebted to Dr. A. A. Cashmore, Mental Health Services; Dr. R. B.
Lowry, Geneticist; and Dr. P. W. Laundy, Director, Medical Services, for their
counsel and guidance given so graciously and willingly throughout the year.
To the Health Centre for Children we are especially indebted for their help in
assessing children and in working with us to plan appropriate discharge plans.
ADOPTION COMPLETION SECTION
The total number of children for whose adoptions reports were submitted to
the Supreme Court decreased markedly, from 2,780 in the 1970/71 fiscal year to
2,264 in 1971/72, a drop of about 18 per cent. These totals differ slightly from
the totals of adoptions actually completed, as not all adoptions are completed in
the same year that the report is submitted. The drop in total number of adoptions
was largely due to the decrease in the number of infants available for placement.
The number of adoptions in which the legal aspects were processed by the Depart-
N 38
REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
ment was 1,416, being 62.54 per cent of the total. The other 37.46 per cent were
largely step-parent, other relative, and privately arranged adoptions, in which the
legal aspects are usually attended to by solicitors.
The adoption completion work load continued to be high despite the drop in
total completions. Emphasis was put on adoptions of older children by foster
parents who had in some cases been caring for them for many years. Because of
difficulty in many of these cases in locating natural parents for adoption consents,
completion of the adoptions of these older children is more complicated and time-
consuming, as application must be made to the Courts to waive consents, and these
applications must be well-documented. Also, the changes in the divorce laws in
1968 have resulted in an increase of divorces and remarriages, which has increased
the number and complexity of step-parent adoptions. Throughout the years, stepparent adoptions have remained consistently at about 25 per cent of the total. This
year, for the first time, they have increased to 33.1 per cent, with a corresponding
drop of 7 per cent in Department and private agency placements.
Table 10—Adoptions Completed by Type of Adoption and Percentages
of Total, Fiscal Years 1970/71 and 1971/72
Type of Adoption
Fiscal Year 1970/71
Fiscal Year 1971/72
Total Adoptions
Completed
Per Cent
of Total
Total Adoptions
Completed
Per Cent
of Total
Department and private agency placements
1,955
742
69
38
69.7
26.5
2.5
1.3
1,445
763
65
33
62.7
33.1
2.8
1.4
2,804
100.0
2,306
100.0
1 Child and adopting parents not blood relations, and placement was arranged through means other than
social agency or Department.
SPECIAL PLACEMENT SECTION
Trends
The attached tables show statistics for 1971/72 and the previous year so that
a comparison can be made about the hard facts in connection with the children
referred to us—facts about age, sex, and geographical location. It is not possible,
however, to describe changes in the kinds of children who have been referred,
because of an inadequate classification system. Our subjective opinion is that there
has been an increase in the severity of disturbance in children, as well as in the
number of severely disturbed children, although the latter may not indicate an
increase in the percentages of such children as compared to the total population.
Table I—Referrals Received by Month and Sex shows that in 1971/72 there
was a total increase of 4 per cent over similar figures in 1970/71. There was a decrease in the boys of 5 per cent and an interesting increase in the girls of 24 per cent.
Table II—Referrals Received by Age and Sex shows a change only among the
boys. The largest number of referrals of boys in 1971/72 occurred in the 13 and
14 age-level, whereas in 1970/71 this was in the 15 and 16 age-level.
Table III—Referrals by Region shows little significant change, except perhaps
in Region 7, which doubled the number of its referrals in 1971/72, and in Region
8, which halved its referrals, although the percentages of referrals compared with
the total Province are in both cases still small.
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1971/72
N 39
Table IV—Referrals Made to Resources and Children Placed in Resources
shows an increase of referrals made to resources of about 16 per cent, but no significant change in the number of children placed. In this table, the figures for
1970/71 were based on a seven-month period since statistics were not kept prior to
September 1, 1970. However, the numbers themselves were projected forward to
a 12-month period in order that a comparison could be made.
At any given time in the 1971/72 period there were about 303 children in 19
specialized child-care resources (14 in-province, 5 out-of-province). In 1970/71
this figure was 270. The increase of 12 per cent can be attributed to 27 additional
beds in the in-province resources, and a greater use of the William Roper Hull Home
in Calgary.
Specialized Child-care Resources
One new resource, Laurel House Society, which serves autistic pre-school
children, was developed during this period. The established resources have been
extending themselves into work with families and into after-care work with the
children returning home in order to help with the integration process. Although we
have now a fairly wide spectrum of services for children with special needs, gaps in
the programme still remain. We have inadequate services for the psychotic child,
for the child with physiological complications, and for the child who is potentially
dangerous to himself or others.
The concentration of the specialized child care resources in the Lower Mainland
area is not a satisfactory situation and some resources are now moving out into other
areas. The present aim is that there should be smaller units specifically designed to
meet the needs of local communities, and using community support services along
with professionally trained house-parents.
Projects
The Referral Guide is in its final testing stage. It is hoped it can be a useful
tool in exploring with families the problem, its development, and possible solutions
to it. It provides necessary information to Special Placement Section in making the
important decision as to which resource can best meet the needs of the child, and it
serves an equally important purpose for the resource in deciding how to work with
the child and family.
The need for a child to come into the care of the Superintendent of Child
Welfare in order to receive the services of a specialized child-care resource has been
distressful to parents and social workers. In order to alleviate this need, a three-
party agreement is being devised with the co-operation of the Attorney-General's
Department. This is a contract made with the parents, the resource, and the Superintendent of Child Welfare outlining the responsibility each will carry during the time
the child is receiving service.
In the spring of 1971 the Superintendent of Child Welfare appointed a committee whose function is to formulate a set of standards toward which all child-care
resources should reach. It was proposed that the standards should be viewed as a
guide in the initial period until enforcement machinery is devised.
The Association of Child Care Services to which staff from Special Placement
Section belong is presently engaging the community colleges in a review of child-
care training courses in an attempt to make these more pertinent to the work of the
child-care resources.
~\
N 40 REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
DAY-CARE SERVICES
The year was chiefly notable for activity in the licensing area, which indirectly
affected day-care development. The transfer of the responsibility for licensing to the
Department of Health on April 1, 1971, resulted in a period of at least six months
of difficulty for the general public and local staff, as confusion existed about what
responsibility each individual had, and how they were expected to carry it out. By
the end of 1971 this problem was beginning to clear for most parts of the Province
except, unfortunately, the urban area where day-care services are most needed,
Vancouver City, and, to some degree, the immediately adjacent municipalities.
Here the situation was complicated by the fact that the Provincial licensing staff
had also had responsibility for interpreting the payment programme to local day-care
centres, forwarding information from them to the Child Welfare Division when they
were eligible for financial help and processing their bills. Special mention deserves
to be made of Mrs. G. Maycock, who was left with only half her time available to
our Department after the change but still continued to maintain the essential financial services to the Greater Vancouver area centres and pass on essential information
on projected centres. This situation, unfortunately, was still unresolved by the end
of the year, and thanks should be given to her for continuing to extend her efforts
far beyond the hours of her official employment.
A second factor affecting new centres was the discovery in December 1971
that starting centres could obtain immediate funds from the Local Initiative Programme without having to meet Provincial requirements, and generally the funds
received were greater than what would have been available from Provincial sources.
These two situations resulted in a further drop in the number of new centres
applying for and receiving approval for payments from the Superintendent of Child
Welfare, and only 11 were authorized in the 1971/72 fiscal year, although the
number of new centres opening in the Province was probably relatively constant.
Families who qualify as needing help to pay for day-care services can have their
child paid for at any licensed centre or approved family day-care home (except
where the centre is already funded by the Local Initiative Programme, where such
arrangements would produce double payments). The steady increase in use of
these provisions by the families of the Province was proven by the financial records
which showed again an added $375,000 expended in 1971, this total arising from
payments made at the daily rates. This was quite comparable to the increase made
in the 1970 calendar year and meant that over $1,100,000 is now being spent by the
Province on this programme, compared to less than $100,000 in 1967.
Despite this increase, however, comments from the general public make it distressingly obvious that, even when only the children of steadily employed lone family
heads are considered, not all parents can yet find suitable service in a reasonably
accessible location for the cost they are able to pay, and available during their
working-hours.
New centres must continue to be opened at a speed consistent with satisfactory
service to the children they care for. Some centres need to be innovative in devising
ways to vary their service so it meets their local need. Above all, an innovative programme is required to give encouragement and recognition to family day-care homes
so their services can provide a flexible alternative form of care for the child below
3 years of age, the child who merely requires sporadic care, and the child whose
geographic location makes a group programme impractical.
It is to be hoped that developments will occur during the coming year in response to some of these needs.
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1971/72
N 41
UNMARRIED PARENTS
The number of children born out of wedlock shows a decrease of 1.8 per cent
from last year. Services to the unmarried mother have shown a corresponding decrease, but more unmarried mothers are attending Court for support from the putative father (110 this year as compared to 71 in the previous year). This would tend
to confirm that more women are electing to keep their children.
There has also been considerable activity in following up Court orders made in
previous years, particualrly among the mothers who are working and supporting
their children. It is apparent that these support payments on a regular basis are a
considerable help in their budget planning.
More emphasis will be placed on assisting the very young and immature mother
to make an adequate plan for her child. This will mean supportive services when
appropriate, including development of innovative programmes for these single
parents facing responsibilities with which they need help.
I am grateful for the many ordinary and extraordinary efforts of the social
workers, the foster parents, and the many everyday people of this Province who have
taken the best interests of children and their families as their special concern. Without these efforts, both big and small, there would be many children in our midst who
would not have the security and sense of belonging that is so necessary to become
members of our British Columbia family.
Table 11—Number of Family Service Cases (Not in Receipt of Financial
Assistance From Department of Rehabilitation and Social Improvement) Served by Department of Rehabilitation and Social Improvement During Fiscal Year 1971/72.
Total at
Beginning
of Month
Opened
Closed
Total at
End of
Month
Total at
End of
Same Month
Previous
Year
April
2,613
2,560
2,577
2,548
2,524
2,511
2,558
2,597
2,632
2,614
2,667
2,681
277
316
231
260
248
322
284
283
223
271
246
312
330
299
260
284
261
275
245
248
241
218
232
221
2,560
2,577
2,548
2,524
2,511
2,558
2,597
2,632
2,614
2,667
2,681
2,772
2,707
2,670
June
July
August.
2,656
2,615
2,574
2,573
2,574
2,619
2,612
2,606
2,625
2,613
March
N 42
REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
Table 12—Cases1 Receiving Services From Department of Rehabilitation
and Social Improvement and Children's Aid Societies2 Related to Protection of Children by Type of Service for Fiscal Years 1971 and
1972.
Type of Service
Opened During
Year
Carried During
Year
Incomplete at
End of Year
1970/71
1971/72
1970/71
1971/72
1970/71
1971/72
Custody
Repatriation-
111
784
85
6
125
581
105
2
143
822
112
6
156
674
122
6
31
95
17
4
50
101
32
Totals
986
813
1,083
958
147
183
1 Cases are the number of family units receiving services on behalf of their children.
2 Children's Aid Societies are Vancouver Children's Aid Society, Catholic Family and Children's Service of
Vancouver, and Children's Aid Society of Victoria.
Table 13—Number of Unmarried Mothers Served by Department of
Rehabilitation and Social Improvement and Children's Aid Societies
for Fiscal Year 1971/72.
Number at
Beginning
of Fiscal
Year
Number
Opened
Number
Served
Number
Closed
During
Fiscal
Year
Number at
End of
Fiscal
Year
797
179
181
136
1,198
291
175
194
1,995
470
356
330
1,405
350
209
265
590
120
147
65
Totals
1,293
1,858
3,151
2,229
922
Table 14—Number of Children Born Out of Wedlock in British Columbia
by Age-group of Mother During Fiscal Years 1970/71 and 1971/72
Age-group of Mother
Fiscal Year
Under 15
Years
15-19
Years
20-24
Years
25-29
Years
30-39
Years
40 Years
and Over
Total
1970/71
36
45
1,975
1,656
1,597
1,302
655
586
295
354
34
38
4,592
3,981
1971/72 .
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1971/72
N 43
Table 15 — Number of Children in Care of Superintendent of Child
Welfare and Children's Aid Societies During and at End of Fiscal
Year 1971/72.
Superintendent of Child Welfare_.
Vancouver Children's Aid Society-
Catholic Family and Children's Service, Vancouver-
Victoria Family and Children's Service
During
At March 31,
1971/72
1972
10,385i
7,061
2,405
1,502
1,323
940
1,294
771
Totals.
15,407
10,274
1 These figures show considerable reduction from previous years because children in care seven days or less
are no longer counted. Six hundred and thirty-nine of these children were paid for through short-stay billings in
1971/72.
Table 16 — Number of Children in Care1 of Superintendent of Child
Welfare and of Children's Aid Societies by Legal Status, by Regions,
and by Societies, as at March 31, 1972.
Children in Care
P.C.A.
Wards
Before
Court
J.D.A.
Wards
Assigned
Guardian
ship
Other
Provinces'
Wards
Non-
wards
Other
Agency
Non-
wards,
Wards,
and
Before
Court
Total
Superintendent of Child Welfare—
704
803
909
317
446
705
295
172
195
61
66
48
27
38
52
28
12
1
127
209
131
39
88
151
53
50
10
11
32
3
3
6
9
6
17
24
28
30
8
5
25
12
5
174
182
193
45
74
176
61
28
4
30
18
24
17
18
35
5
1
15
1,131
1,331
Region 5
Region 6
Region 7
Region 8. -
Superintendent of Child Welfare and agency wards
supervised by another prov-
675
460
268
242
Totals, Superintendent
of Child Welfare
4,546
333
858
87
137
937
163
7,061
Vancouver Children's Aid So-
819
672
411
19
63
30
237
75
120
1
7
18
304
71
104
122
52
88
1,502
940
Catholic Family and Children's
Victoria Family and Children's
771
Total of Superintendent
of Child Welfare and
three Children's Aid
6,448
445
1,290
87
163
1,416
425
10^274
i "In care" is defined as the actual number of children being cared for by the agency, regardless of which
agency has legal responsibility for the child.
r
N 44
REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
Table 17—Number of Children Who Are the Legal Responsibility of the
Superintendent of Child Welfare and of Children's Aid Societies by
Legal Status, by Regions, and by Societies, as at March 31, 1972.
P.C.A.
Wards
Before
Court
J.D.A.
Wards
Assigned
Guardianship
Other
Provinces'
Wards
Non-
wards
Children in Care
Permanent
Other
Total
Superintendent of Child
Welfare—
221
255
280
110
138
485
86
45
22
61
483
548
629
207
308
220
209
127
70
134
61
66
48
27
38
52
28
12
3
1
127
209
131
39
88
151
53
50
30
10
11
32
3
3
6
9
6
21
17
24
28
30
8
5
25
12
5
27
174
182
193
45
74
176
61
28
52
4
1,101
Region 3 _
1,314
439
657
455
267
Children under other agency
225
Wards supervised by another
province Child Welfare Act
227
Total number of children who are the
legal responsibility
of Superintendent of
Child Welfare
1,703
2,935
336
888
108
164
989
7,123
Vancouver Children's Aid Society
Children in Superintendent of
Child Welfare or other
agency care
176
12
643
52
19
237
12
305
6
1,380
82
Total who are the legal
responsibility of
Vancouver Children's Aid Society
188
695
19
249
311
1,462
Catholic Family and Children's
166
9
506
61
63
75
4
71
881
Superintendent of Child Welfare or other agency care
74
Total who are the legal responsibility of
Catholic Family and
Children's Service of
Vancouver . ... ..
175
567
63
79
71
955
Victoria Children's Aid Society
Superintendent of Child Welfare or other agency care
153
8
258
17
30
120
3
104
2
665
30
Total who are the legal responsibility of
Victoria Children's
Aid Society
161
275
30
123
106
695
Total who are the legal responsibility of
Superintendent of
Child Welfare and
three Children's Aid
Societies
2,227
4,472
448
1,339
108
164
1,477
10,235
The Children's Aid Societies' children (15 in number) in another province are shown in Table 16, section
"Superintendent of Child Welfare and agency wards supervised by another province," "Other Agency Nonwards,
Wards, and Before Court."
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1971/72
N 45
Table 18—Children in Care of Superintendent of Child Welfare and
Childen's Aid Societies, by Age-group, at March 31, 1972
Age-group
Superintendent of
Child
Welfare
Vancouver
Children's
Aid Society
Catholic
Family and
Children's
Service,
Vancouver
Victoria
Children's
Aid Society
Total
645
757
1,991
2,086
1,232
350
95
124
425
377
391
90
117
107
260
227
187
42
54
84
202
207
175
49
911
3-5 years, inclusive
6-11 years, inclusive ...
1,072
2,878
12-15 years, inclusive
16-17 years, inclusive .. .
18 years
2,897
1,985
531
Totals
7,061
1,502
940
771
10,274
Table 19—Number of Children in Care of Superintendent of Child
Welfare and Children's Aid Societies by Type of Care, as at March
31, 1972.
Type of Care
Superintendent of
Child
Welfare
Vancouver
Children's
Aid Society
CathoUc
Family and
Children's
Service,
Vancouver
Victoria
Children's
Aid Society
Total
4,653
105
784
328
1,052
139
1,054
24
89
66
230
39
558
80
73
80
141
8
497
13
75
12
160
14
6,762
Boarding-home, child maintains self
Free home and free relatives' (or parents')
home
222
1,021
486
Resources1.
A.W.O.L ........
1,583
200
Totals
7,061
1,502
940
771
10,274
1 This is a new term covering the wide variety of placements ranging from subsidized receiving homes to
Government institutions formerly reported as "institutions."
Table 20—Number of Children Admitted to Care of Superintendent of
Child Welfare and of Children's Aid Societies by Legal Status
During Fiscal Year 1971/72.
Legal Status
Superintendent of
Child
Welfare
Vancouver
Children's
Aid Society
Catholic
Family and
Children's
Service,
Vancouver
Victoria
Children's
Aid Society
Total
Apprehended under Protection of Chil-
1,1881
465
98
1,459
57
97
47
546
138
18
128
156
44
208
1,579
Committed under Juvenile Delinquents
Act
574
Assigned guardianship
98
2,341
57
Total new admissions
3,2671
111
690
213
284
99
408
115
4,649
538
Total new admissions and transfers
3,3781
903
383
523
5,187
1 These figures show considerable reduction from previous years because children in care seven days or less
are no longer counted. Six hundred and thirty-nine of these children were paid for through short-stay billings
in 1971/72.
N 46
REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
Table 21—Reasons for New Admissions of Children to Care of Superintendent of Child Welfare and of Children's Aid Societies During
Fiscal Year 1971/72.
Superintendent of
Child
Welfare
Number of Children
Reason
Vancouver
Children's
Aid
Society
Catholic
Family and
Children's
Service,
Vancouver
Victoria
Children's
Aid
Society
Total
38
909
291
118
31
23
140
134
311
11
88
172
20
76
465
81
56
51
51
64
58
30
99
20
5
179
56
84
6
8
30
31
23
1
72
46
3
8
73
5
7
10
7
36
N/A
5
14
21
7
1
2
11
15
2
164
10
3
1
18
2
6
2
N/A
4
72
28
34
5
9
40
19
41
1
29
34
1
4
42
5
8
4
2
17
9
52
1,174
396
Emotional disturbances, needing treatment-
243
43
42
Parental illness, mental
Parental illness, physical
221
199
377
Removed from adoption placement-
Awaiting permanent plan
13
353
262
Physical handicap..
27
89
Delinquent behaviour (Juvenile Delin-
598
20
77
Parental failure to provide needed medi-
65
62
Inability of family to provide needed edu-
117
58
39
99
Lack of housing for family _
20
3,264
114
690
213
284
99
408
115
4,646
Transfer of supervision from other British
541
Total new admissions and transfers
3,378
903
383
523
5,187
1 These figures show considerable reduction from previous years because children in care seven days or less
are no longer counted. Six hundred and thirty-nine of these children were paid for through short-stay billings
in 1971/72.
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1971/72
N 47
Table 22—Number of Children Discharged From Care of Superintendent
of Child Welfare and of Children's Aid Societies by Legal Status
During Fiscal Year 1971/72.
Legal Status
Superintendent of
Child
Welfare
Vancouver
Children's
Aid Society
Catholic
Family and
Children's
Service,
Vancouver
Victoria
Children's
Aid Society
Total
Protection of Children Act wards—
271
532
431
4171
1
1,159
64
68
128
81
32
448
81
81
25
51
91
24
65
52
46
170
444
Other
806
Juvenile Delinquents Act wards
Before the Court
589
546
1
1,868
64
Other provinces' wards
Total direct discharges from care
Transfer of supervision
2,8751
88
757
212
329
74
357
87
4,318
461
Total direct discharges and transfers
2,963
969
403
444
4,779
1 These figures show considerable reduction from previous years because children in care seven days or less
are no longer counted. Six hundred and thirty-nine of these children were paid for through short-stay billings in
1971/72. In addition, during changeover to the new computer programme, detail of some discharges was not
counted.
L
N 48
REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
Table 23—Reasons for Discharge of Children in Care of Superintendent
of Child Welfare and Children's Aid Societies for Fiscal Year 1971/72
Reason for Discharge
Superintendent of
Child
Welfare
Vancouver
Children's
Aid Society
Catholic
Family and
Children's
Service,
Vancouver
Family and
Children's
Service
Victoria
Total
Wards
309
23
12
263
339
11
64
277
108
5
1
50
22
18
73
47
4
29
13
2
92
25
5
2
51
35
10
13
489
37
15
393
409
41
Returned to own province ..—
Adoption order granted
64
455
Subtotals ..
1.298 277 187
141 1,903
Before the Court
1921
138
2
10
751
22
2
2
6
45
1
5
27
6
13
286
147
2
Direct transfer to other agencies
Adoption order granted.
2
10
Apprehended but not presented .
99
Subtotals _ .
4171 32 51
46 546
Nonwards
18 years of age ... —
61
4
4
925
166
16
1
387
43
1
6
78
4
3
132
37
1
83
4
5
1,522
250
Other
5
Subtotals
1,1601 448 91
170 1,869
2,875 | 757
88 | 212
329
74
357
87
4,318
461
Total of direct discharges and
1
2.963 1 969
403
444
4,779
1 These figures show considerable reduction from previous years because children in care seven days or
less are no longer counted. Six hundred and thirty-nine of these children were paid for through short-stay billings in 1971/72. In addition, during changeover to the new computer programme, detail of some discharges
was not counted.
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1971/72
N 49
Table 24—Children Who Are Legal Responsibility of Superintendent of
Child Welfare and Children's Aid Societies Receiving Institutional
Care as at March 31, 1972.
Institutions Primarily Providing for—
Superintendent of
Child
Welfare
Vancouver
Children's
Aid
Society
Catholic
Family and
Children's
Service,
Vancouver
Victoria
Children's
Aid
Society
Total
Shelter
YWCA and YMCA hostels, etc
Other
Educational
4
1
21
4
4
24
4
7
11
9
21
9
29
9
73
30
20
118
14
4
7
13
198
6
7
5
15
25
28
7
24
25
4
30
16
74
92
3
22
39
1
7
2
3
1
3
2
3
1
7
24
4
3
5
70
1
1
8
13
10
4
5
4
5
5
5
11
2
7
7
13
2
1
3
3
........
3
12
3
8
34
1
4
4
6
5
3
7
3
5
5
2
2
1
1
2
1
2
23
1
47
6
1
3
2
1
1
11
5
1
7
4
2
6
1
11
18
25
7
Other
Physical Care
Maternity homes. ._
5
29
4
Special children's hospitals
10
19
Other
Mental Retardation
13
22
9
St. Christopher and Chrisholme _ _
Dr. Endicott's Home
Woodlands, Tranquille, etc
39
9
111
Other ...
Behavioural Difficulties
House of Concord
30
24
141
Diagnostic Centre
14
11
7
Other agency receiving or group home
26
349
14
Secret Harbour .—
Other special treatment outside Province
8
6
30
40
43
17
30
Children's Foundation
34
22
Pacific Centre for Human Development
43
28
Willingdon
83
115
9
The Maples..
31
57
2
Totals
1,057
230
125
133
1,545
N 50
REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
Table 25—Cost of Maintaining Children, 1971/72
The cost to Provincial Government of maintaining children for the fiscal year
was as follows:
$
Gross cost of maintenance of children in Child Welfare Division foster homes 8,920,670
Gross cost to Provincial Government of maintenance of children in care of Children's Aid Societies 10,286,507
Gross cost of transportation of children in care of Superintendent 116,583
Gross cost of hospitalization of newborn infants being permanently planned for by Superintendent 66,535
Gross expenditures 19,390,295
Less collections 7,158,361
Net cost to Provincial Government, as per Public
Accounts 12,231,934
Table 26—Number of Children Placed for Adoption by the Department
of Rehabilitation and Social Improvement and Children's Aid Societies for Fiscal Years 1970/71 and 1971/72.
1970/71 1971/72
Regions 1,131 839
Children's Aid Society, Vancouver _ 353 219
Catholic Family and Children's Service, Vancouver 127 100
Victoria Children's Aid Society 130 96
Subtotals 610 415
Grand totals 1,741 1,254
Table 27—Number of Children With Special Needs Placed for Adoption
by Department of Rehabilitation and Social Improvement and Children's Aid Societies During Fiscal Year 1971/72.
Department of
Social
Welfare
Vancouver
Children's
Aid
Society
Catholic
Family and
Children's
Service,
Vancouver
Victoria
Children's
Aid
Society
Total
Inter-racial origin and origin other than white
Health problems
226
151
68
43 | 38
4 | 4
50 1 6
13
5
320
159
129
Totals
445 1 97 1 48 1 18
608
1 Children over 1 year of age who are of inter-racial origin and origin other than white or have a health
problem have been shown in either one of the first categories and are not shown in the category "Over 1
year of age."
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1971/72
N 51
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N 52
REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
Table 29—Number of Adoption Placements Made by Department of
Rehabilitation and Social Improvement (by Regions) and Children's
Aid Societies by Type of Placement for Fiscal Year 1971/72.
Type of Placement
Direct Placement
Foster Home to Adoption
6
Months'
Probation
Long-
term
Probation!
Within
Same
Home
In Another Home
Total
6
Months'
Probation
Long-
term
Probation1
37
93
42
24
24
52
12
4
1
23
31
10
16
11
19
1
2
72
117
50
35
23
68
21
17
3
1
132
244
102
Region 4 _
75
59
139
Region 7
34
23
Outside Province .....
8 | 22 | _
31
Subtotals
Vancouver Children's Aid Society
Catholic Family and Children's Service, Van-
289
118
28
42
—
121 | 425 1 4
51 50 1
1 1
28 44
7 47
839
219
100
Victoria Children's Aid Society
96
Grand totals _.
477 |
207 | 566 1 4
1
1,254
1 These are placements of children with health or other problems requiring a longer period of probation.
Table 30—Number of Adoption Placements Made by Department of Rehabilitation and Social Improvement (by Regions) and Children's Aid
Societies by Religion of Adopting Parents for Fiscal Year 1971/72.
Religion
Protestant
Roman
Catholic
Hebrew
Other
Total
Region 1 —
101
220
79
58
46
123
26
19
23
30
23
23
16
11
16
8
4
8
1
1
1
2
132
244
Region 3
Region 4
102
75
59
139
34
23
31
Subtotals
Vancouver Children's Aid Society
Catholic Family and Children's Service, Van-
695
196
5
84
139
6
95
12
5
5
12
839
219
100
96
980
252
5
17
1,254
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1971/72
N 53
Table 31—Ages of Children Placed for Adoption by Department of Rehabilitation and Social Improvement and Children's Aid Societies
During Fiscal Year 1971/72.
Ages
Number of Children
Superintendent of
Child Welfare
Regions I
to VIII
Outside
Province
Vancouver
Children's
Aid
Society
Catholic
Family and
Children's
Service,
Vancouver
Victoria
Children's
Aid
Society
Birth up to but not including 15 days
15 days up to but not including 1 month
I month up to but not including 3 months...
3 months up to but not including 6 months _
6 months up to but not including 1 year.
1 year _ _
2 years
3 years—
4 years
5 years
6 years _
7 years
8 years
9 years
10 years.- _
II years- _
12 years.—
13 years
14 years _
15 years
16 years
17 years
18 years _ _ _
19 years-
20 years.
Totals..
262
120
105
59
58
57
28
36
19
24
10
11
5
4
31
103
13
14
9
7
8
10
8
10
12
4
4
6
5
219
28
11
16
3
11
11
8
3
3
1
100
35
20
25
2
3
3
4
1
2
96
Table 32—Number of Legally Completed Adoptions by Type of Placement, by Regions, and Children's Aid Societies During Fiscal Year
1971/72.
Region and Society
Type of Placement
Agency
Relative
Stepparent
Other
Private
Total
Region 1
Region 2
Region 3 _
Region 4
Region 5
Region 6
Region 7
Region 8 _
Subtotals
Vancouver Children's Aid Society
Catholic Family and Children's Service, Vancouver
Victoria Children's Aid Society
Subtotals
Grand totals :
174
286
139
66
73
144
42
22
499
1,445
109
168
85
31
46
114
28
30
9
11
1
6
15
6
1
152
763
65
33
291
467
238
101
131
278
83
55
946
611
57 |
30
1,644
299
106
94
73
20
59
1 1
2 ]
3 |
2
1
377
128
157
662
2,306
N 54 REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
health care division reports...
DR. P. W. LAUNDY, Director
Senior Division staff continue to study and plan in the field of care for the
chronically handicapped as a result of the inevitable process of aging or the disturbed
equilibrium of youth.
Although not directly under our purview, we have taken an interest in the increasing number of emotionally handicapped children who at some point spend time
in a residential centre. The cost is tremendous; the results sometimes disappointing.
The fact that but one in ten of these in the community gets some treatment in or
out of an institution is alarming. But what is to be done? No one yet appears to
have the answers. It seems obvious, however, that a reshuffling of existing services and further development of new techniques must be undertaken. Therefore,
it is important that persons in the medical and paramedical areas should be aware
and actively involved in the search for the answers to the problems of our future
adult citizens.
Remedies as far as possible should be simple, reasonable in cost, and more
effective than at present. Perhaps society will be required to explore treatment and
organizational methods somewhat removed from those that have not served us as
well as we would like to think.
Money is not the answer unless it is used effectively.
The Department has moved a step forward this year by introducing the Handicapped Persons' Allowance for adult persons accepted as having a permanent medical handicap to the extent of excluding them from productive employment.
It seems necessary in times of high unemployment to use moneys in a way that
will help to train and motivate persons into new employment. In those cases where
this is not possible, attention should be directed toward effective functioning, which
usually requires stimulus and activity. Thus, in any rehabilitation programme,
great attention to health and assessment is required.
We would like to see a pilot clinic where intensive individual medical assessment would be carried out soon after a person has become unemployed. The
examination itself, apart from any treatment, could provide reassurance and thus
act to encourage the person to seek employment actively.
The Division staff continue to administer the numerous ancillary health benefits to eligible persons.
As expected, in these inflationary times, costs continue to rise proportionately
greater than the increase in persons entitled to benefits.
The Drug Benefit List new major revision came into effect this year. We still
believe that this method functions effectively to provide a broad range of drug products within a fair price ceiling.
It becomes more apparent each year how tremendously important are voluntary
groups and organizations in our complex society. Problems today are increasing
with such rapidity that no one can say with a clear conscience "let the Government
doit."
Many in the community, thank goodness, are already actively engaged in planning and working to help sort out and solve the community's own problems. It is
up to more of us to get in and help.
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1971/72
N 55
To all those in agencies, professions, institutions, businesses, and Government
departments with whom we work we extend our thanks for assistance and co-operation.
And again to my own staff thanks for doing a good job.
Table 33—Gross Costs of Medical Services for Fiscal Years
1965/66 to 1971/72
Year
Medical
Drugs!
Dental
Optical ttgg* Other
Total
1965/66-
1966/67-
1967/68..
1968/69-
1969/70-
1970/71.
1971/72-
1,985,970
2,422,702
2,344,676
1,403,378
465,738
591,206
614,365
$
2,148,641
2,095,733
2,157,182
2,423,798
2,444,968
3,102,874
3,334,160
$
590,074
670,580
773,979
792,475
1,611,115
2,491,589
2,403,257
113,337
118,003
145,588
140,591
219,858
282,272
290,116
$
144,757
183,285
187,357
212,550
252,999
326,166
342,712
$
40,510
48,723
50,524
53,571
72,862
121,892
165,979
$
5,023,289
5,539,026
5,659,306
5,026,363
5,067,540
6,915,999
7,150,589
i Not included in these figures is the cost of drugs purchased by the dispensary for welfare institutions.
Table 34—Payments to British Columbia Doctors (Gross Costs)
Fiscal Year
Medical
Agreement
Other
Total
1965/66
$
1,979,597
2,414,967
2,335,238
1,392,952
454,705
576,329
589,748
$
6,373
7,735
9,438
10,426
11,033
14,877
24,617
$
1,985,970
196fi/67
2,422,702
1967/68
2,344,676
1,403,378
465,738
1968/69 . . . -
1969/70
1970/71
591,206
614,365
1971/72
Table 35—Total Number of Persons Eligible for Health Care at
December 31 for the Years 1965 to 1970, Inclusive1
December 31, 1965
December 31, 1966
December 31, 1967
December 31, 1968
December 31, 1969 98,902
December 31, 1970 115,512
December 31, 1971 115,813
Fiscal Year
Total
75,857
76,474
79,085
85,430
i Since Medicare came into effect, we no longer have the categorical breakdown of medical coverage with
number of persons eligible.
N 56
REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
Table 36—Drug Costs
Fiscal Year
Number of Prescriptions
Provincial
Pharmacy!
Drug
Stores
Total
Cost of Medicines
Provincial
Pharmacy2
Drug
Stores
Total
1965/66..
1966/67..
1967/68..
1968/69-
1969/70-
1970/71-
1971/72 .
18,972
18,318
17,258
17,752
49,178
39,153
44,801
619,845
629,085
820,262
722,450
671,877
831,655
926,456
638,817
647,403
837,520
740,202
721,055
870,808
971,257
274,239
267,836
225,247
265,314
306,843
300,758
334,376
1,874,402
1,827,897
1,931,935
2,158,484
2,138,125
2,802,116
2,999,784
$
2,148,641
2,095,733
2,157,182
2,423,798
2,444,968
3,102,874
3,334,160
1 The number of prescriptions shown for the Provincial Pharmacy covers only the number supplied to
(1) individual patients outside nursing-homes;
(2) nursing-home patients receiving prescriptions which are required by law to be numbered.
The bulk of the volume goes to nursing-homes and, as most of these prescriptions are not required by law to be
numbered, they are not counted in the number of prescriptions.
2 The cost of drugs for the Provincial Pharmacy includes all costs with the exception of the cost of those
supplied to certain Provincial Government institutions.
Table 37—Dental Expenses
Fiscal Year
Examinations,
Prophylaxis,
Miscellaneous
Surgery
Restorations
Dentures
and
Repairs
Total
1965/66-
1966/67-
1967/68.
1968/69..
1969/70-
1970/71-
1971/72.
$
64,209
80,893
101,391
107,777
301,279
510,776
528,717
49,652
73,568
89,782
96,682
212,667
323,906
288,391
$
237,004
312,686
378,476
334,424
621,890
976,703
1,033,400
239,209
203,433
204,330
253,592
475,279
680,204
552,749
590,074
670,580
773,979
792,475
1,611,115
2,491,589
2,403,257
Table 38—Optical Costs
Fiscal Year
Optometric
Examinations
Glasses
Total
1965/66
$
24,384
27,005
36,506
10,4821
282
$
88,953
90,998
109,002
130,109
219,886
282,272
290,116
$
113,337
1966/67
118,003
1967/68
145,588
1968/69
140,591
1969/70
219,858
1970/71—
282,272
1971/72
290,116
i Paid through Medicare, effective July 1,
2 Credit.
1968.
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1971/72
N 57
division on aging reports...
E. W. BERRY, Director
For over 45 years the Division on Aging (formerly the Old Age Assistance
Board, prior to that the Old Age Pension Board and originally the Old Age Pension
Department of the Workmen's Compensation Board), has had the role of determining eligibility for pensions and allowances. This was the primary purpose of
the administration over the years.
With the introduction of the universal pension (old age security) on January
1, 1952, and a Federal supplement to this (guaranteed income supplement) on
January 1, 1967, the functions of the Division have been gradually directed toward
those day-to-day needs other than financial. The Division continued to process all
applications for Blind Persons' and Disabled Persons' Allowances and approximately
40 per cent of applications received for Provincial Supplementary Social Allowance
from persons age 65 and over who were in need. The staff became increasingly
involved with service-oriented programmes. This was a reflection of the current
public emphasis upon the physical, social, and psychological needs of older persons.
Some of the programmes which now concern the Division are:
1. Senior Citizen Counsellor Programme—Over 65 senior citizens located in
key population areas throughout British Columbia assist their contemporaries to
solve their problems whatever they may be. These Counsellors are volunteers
who are assisted financially with individual expenses up to $40 a month. The programme, administered by the Division, has been in operation for four years and is
extremely well received by all concerned. Each year more counsellors are appointed.
2. Bus passes—Over 16,000 B.C. Hydro bus passes, valid in the Greater Victoria and Greater Vancouver area, are issued by the Division every six months to
persons who are in receipt of any portion of the Federal guaranteed income supplement or the Provincial Supplementary Social Allowance. The fee is $5 and this
entitles the person to ride without fare during nonrush hours and all day Sundays
and holidays. (Soon after the closing of the fiscal year under review the ruling
was changed so that a person can now ride at any time.)
3. Activity centres for the handicapped—During the fiscal year, financial assistance became available for staffing of centres providing activities to 10 or more
adult handicapped persons, regardless of the person's handicapping condition. An
Advisory Committee of concerned citizens under the auspices of the Social Planning
and Review Council (SPARC) of British Columbia was set up to assess applications
for support and recommend financial assistance where necessary. (At the present
time this function is being handled by the Division.) Over 25 centres were assisted
and continue to be assisted in varying amounts from $300 to $1,700 per month.
Many meetings, conferences, and institutes were attended throughout the year.
The Division maintains almost daily contact with the Volunteer Bureau of Greater
Vancouver; the Canadian National Institute for the Blind; the Volunteers for Seniors
Programme, both in Vancouver and on the North Shore; the Centre for Continuing
Education at UBC; the Committee on Aging of Social Planning and Review Council;
as well as various branches of the Old Age Pensioners Organization, Senior Citizens
Association, and Federated Legislative Council of Elderly Citizens of British
Columbia.
N 58
REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
In concluding this report, the Director wishes to express his sincere appreciation
on behalf of the Division for the loyal and efficient work of the office and field staffs
throughout the year and for the continued co-operation of other departments of
Government and many outside agencies.
Table 39—Showing Effective Dates and Amounts Paid in Old Age Pensions, Federal Guaranteed Income Supplements, and Provincial Supplementary Social Allowances From September 1, 1927, to End of
Fiscal Year (and Includes Rates as From April 1, 1972).
Single
Married
a
u
e
o
u
c
33
E
tt
s
&s
o
fc§
d
u
Ch
CO
T3 D.
V 3
tt>CO
ti 33
cfl O
2*
CO
F
"3.2
"n
_o
a
33
PM
O
TO O.
O 3
flj CO
a 2
H 5
c5 O
3*
oa
e<
fl>—.
"3. 2
"3
CO
o£
3 O
COCO
o
H
CO
Si
3 o
COCO
o
H
F
F
F/P
F
F
F/P
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
Sept. 1,1927
20.00
20.00
40.00
40.00
Apr. 1, 1942
20.00
5.00 P
25.00
40.00
10.00 P
50.00
Sept. 1, 1943
25.00
5.00 P
30.00
50.00
10.00 P
60.00
Jan. 1,1947 .
25.00
10.00 P
35.00
50.00
20.00 P
70.00
May 1, 1947-
30.00
10.00 P
40.00
60.00
20.00 P
80.00
May 1, 1949 _.
40.00
10.00 P
50.00
80.00
20.00 P
100.00
Apr. 1, 1954
40.00
15.00 P
55.00
80.00
30.00 P
110.00
Apr. 1, 1956 - _
40.00
20.00 P
60.00
80.00
40.00 P
120.00
July 1,1957— _
46.00
20.00 P
66.00
92.00
40.00 P
132.00
Nov. 1, 1957.—
55.00
20.00 P
75.00
110.00
40.00 P
150.00
Apr. 1, 1960 .._ _
55.00
-.. '
24.00 P
79.00
110.00
48.00 P
158.00
Feb. 1, 1962
65.00
24.00 F/P
89.00
130.00
48.00 F/P
178.00
Oct. 1, 1963
75.00
24.00 F/P
99.00
150.00
48.00 F/P
198.00
Jan. 1, 1965
75.00
25.00 F/P
150.00
50.00 F/P
200.00
Feb. 1, 1965
75.00
30.00 F/P
105.00
150.00
60.00 F/P
210.00
Jan. 1, 1967 _
75.00
30.00
30.00 F/P
135.00
150.00
60.00
30.00 F/P
240.00
Jan. 1,1968
76.50
30.60
30.00 F/P
137.10
153.00
61.20
30.00 F/P
244.20
Jan. 1,1969
78.00
31.20
30.00 F/P
139.20
156.00
62.40
30.00 F/P
248.40
Jan. 1, 1970. _.
79.58
31.83
30.00 F/P
141.41
159.16
63.66
30.00 F/P
252.82
April. 1, 1970 .._
79.58
31.83
38.59 F/P
150.00
159.16
63.66
47.18 F/P
270.00
Jan. 1, 1971
80.00
33.60
38.60 F/P
152.20
160.00
67.20
47.20 F/P
274.40
Apr. 1, 1971
80.00
55.00
38.60 F/P
173.60
160.00
95.00
47.20 F/P
302.20
Jan. 1,1972^
82.88
67.12
38.60 F/P
188 60
165.76
119.24
47.20 F/P
332 20
Apr. 1, 1972
82.88
67.12
41.10 F/P
191.10
165.76
119.24
52.20 F/P
337.20
F=Federal.
P=Provincial.
BLIND PERSONS' ALLOWANCE
Table 40 (B.P.A.)—Disposition of Applications
New applications received
Reapplications
60
5
Applications granted 42
Applications refused, withdrawn, etc. 21
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1971/72
N 59
Table 41 (B.P.A.)—Reasons Why Applications Not Granted
Number Per Cent
Not blind within the meaning of the Act 7 33.34
Income in excess 2 9.52
Applications withdrawn 2 9.52
Died before grant 1 4.76
Transfer of property __.._
War Veterans' Allowance ._
Information refused 6 28.58
Whereabouts unknown 2 9.52
Other 1 4.76
Totals 21 100.00
Table 42 (B.P.A.)—Sex of New Recipients
Male
Female
'
Number
24
20
Per Cent
54.55
e
45.45
44
Totals
100.00
Table 43 (B.P.A.)—Marital Status of New Recipients
Married
Number
8
Per Cent
18.18
Single .. ^
30
68.18
Widowed .. _ _
2
4.55
Separated
4
9.09
Divorced __ _
44
Totals
100.00
Table 44 (B.P.A.)—Ages at Granting of Allowance
Ages
18 to 19
Men
n
Women
n
l
3
1
1
3
20
Number
22
5
2
3
2
1
1
8
44
Per Cent
50.00
20 to 24
4
11.36
25 to 29
2
4.55
30 to 34
35 to 39 . -
40 to 44 ____
6.82
45 to 49 . ... -
2
4.55
50 to 54
2.27
55 to 59
2.27
60 to 64
5
18.18
24
Totals
100.00
N 60 REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
Table 45 (B.P.A.)—Forms by Which Age Proven
Men Women Number
Birth certificates 19 20 39
Baptismal records 5 5
Census records alone
Tribunal
Other records
Totals 24 20 44
Per Cent
88.64
11.36
100.00
Table 46 (B.P.A.)—Birthplace of New Recipients
Men Women Number
British Columbia 15 10 25
Other parts of Canada 6 8 14
United States of America
British Isles 112
Other parts of British Commonwealth
Other foreign countries 2 13
Totals 24 20 44 100.00
Per Cent
56.82
31.81
4.55
6.82
Table 47 (B.P.A.)—Where New Recipients Are Living
Men Women Number Per Cent
In own home 3 7 10 22.73
In children's home
In parents'home 11 10 21 47.72
In home of other relative 2 2 4.55
In rented house 2 2 4.55
In rented suite 3 2 5 11.36
In housekeeping room 1 1 2.27
In single room (eating out) 1 _ 1 2.27
Boarding 1 1 2 4.55
In public institutions
In private institutions
Totals 24 20 44 100.00
!
•
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1971/72
N 61
Table 48 (B.P.A.)—With Whom New Recipients Live
■
Men Women Number Per Cent
Living alone 5 2 7 15.90
Living with spouse 3 3 6.82
Living with spouse and children 2 2 4.55
Living with children 3 3 6.82
Living with parents 11 11 22 50.00
Living with other relatives 2 2 4.55
Living with others 4 1 5 11.36
Totals 24 20 44 100.00
(a)
Table 49 (B.P.A.)—Economic Status of New Recipients
Holding personal property of value—
Men Women Number Per Cent
$0 15 15 30 68.19
$1 to $250 4 4 8 18.18
$251 to $500 3 1 4 9.09
$501 to $750 1 __-_ 1 2.27
$751 to $1,000 1 _ 1 2.27
$1,001 to $1,500 +. _
$1,501 to $2,000 _ --
$2,000 and up iiL JL
Totals 24 20 44 100.00
(b) Holding real property of value—
$0
$1 to $250
$251 to $500
$501 to $750
$751 to $1,000 __
$1,001 to $1,500
$1,501 to $2,000
$2,001 and up __._
Totals
20
1
2
24
14
1
1
1
3
20
34
1
1
1
2
5
44
77.28
2.27
2.27
2.27
4.55
11.36
100.00
Table 50 (B.P.A.)—Number of Recipients Living in Other Provinces as at
March 31, 1972, Whose Allowances Are Paid by This Province
Alberta _
Ontario _
Total
N 62 REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
Table 51 (B.P.A.)—Distribution of British Columbia Recipients According
to the Amount of Allowance Received (Basic Allowance, $75)
Amount of Allowance Per Cent
$75 95.46
$50 to $74.99 2.27
$49.99 and less 2.27
Totals 100.00
Table 52 (B.P.A.)—Ages of Recipients at Death
Ages Number Per Cent
18 to 29 1 12.50
30 to 39 2 25.00
40 to 49
50 to 59 2 25.00
60 to 69 3 37.50
Totals 8 100.00
Table 53 (B.P.A.)—Miscellaneous
(a) British Columbia recipients—
Suspended 35
Reinstated 3
Transferred to other provinces 4
Returned to British Columbia 3
Transferred to Old Age Security 18
Deaths 7
(b) Other-province recipients—
New transfers to British Columbia
Retransferred to British Columbia 3
Reinstated 3
Transferred out of British Columbia or suspended 2
Deaths 2
Transfers to Old Age Security
Suspended 4
(c) Total on payroll at end of fiscal year-
British Columbia 392
Other provinces 37
Total 429
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1971/72 N 63
DISABLED PERSONS' ALLOWANCES
Table 54 (D.P.A.)—Disposition of Applicants
New applications received 470
Reapplications 68
Applications granted 277
Applications refused, withdrawn, etc 211
Table 55 (D.P.A.)—Reasons Why Applications Not Granted
Transfer of property.
Not 18 years of age _.
Too much income
Refused information.
Number
1
2
28
7
5
Whereabouts unknown
Unable to meet medical test 134
Mental hospital 6
Hospital 4
Nursing-home
Application withdrawn 11
Died before grant
Not sufficient residence
War Veterans' Allowance
Allowance under Blind Persons' Allowances Act
Receiving Old Age Security
Referred for rehabilitation
Institutions
Unable to prove residence 1
Per Cent
0.47
0.95
13.27
3.32
2.37
63.51
2.85
1.90
1
5.21
5
2.37
1
0.47
1
0.47
■
1
0.47
4
1.90
0.47
Totals
211
100.00
Table 56 (D.P.A.)—Sex of New Recipients
Male
Female
Number
Per Cent
144
48.00
156
52.00
Totals
300
100.00
Table 57 (D.P.A.)—Marital Status of New Recipients
Married __.
Single
Widowed
Separated
Divorced .
Number
Per Cent
23
7.61
243
81.00
13
4.33
13
4.33
5
1.67
Totals
300
100.00
N 64
REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
Table 58 (D.P.A.)—Ages at Granting of Allowance
Ages
18 to 19
Men
62
Women
53
33
9
7
7
4
7
11
11
14
Number
115
58
18
12
17
10
10
12
20
28
300
Percent
38.34
20 to 24
25
19.33
25 to 29
9
6.00
30 to 34
5
4.00
35 to 39
10
5.67
40 to 44
6
3.33
45 to 49
3
3.33
50 to 54
1
4.00
55 to 59
9
6.66
60 to 64
14
9.34
Totals
100.00
Table 59 (D.P.A.)—Forms by Which Age Proven
Birth certificates
Baptismal records
Census records alone
Tribunal
Other records
Men
Women
Number
Per Cent
130
128
258
86.00
4
10
14
4.67
2
8
10
3.33
2
1
3
1.00
6
9
15
5.00
Totals
300
100.00
Table 60 (D.P.A.)—Birthplace of New Recipients
British Columbia .
Men
86
47
1
1
9
Women
81
61
4
10
Number
167
108
1
5
19
300
Per Cent
55.67
Other parts of Canada
36.00
United States of America
0.33
British Isles .. — __
1.67
Other parts of British Commonwealth -
Other foreign countries
6.33
Totals
100.00
'
'
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1971/72
N 65
Table 61 (D.P.A.)—Where New Recipients Are Living
Men Women Number Per Cent
In own house 16 7 23 7.67
In children's home 1 3 4 1.33
In parents'home 94 79 173 57.66
In home of other relatives 4 10 14 4.67
In rented house 7 7 14 4.67
In rented suite 4 13 17 5.67
In housekeeping room 3 1 4 1.33
In single room (eating out) 2 2 0.67
In boarding-home 11 32 43 14.33
In public institutions 2 3 5 1.67
In private institutions 1 1 0.33
Totals
300
100.00
Table 62 (D.P.A.)—With Whom Recipients Live
Men Women Number Per Cent
12
5
Living alone
Living with spouse
Living with spouse and children 10
Living with children
Living with parents 99
Living with other relatives 5
Living with others 13
Totals
1
4
86
11
39
19
13
11
4
185
16
52
300
6.33
4.33
3.67
1.33
61.67
5.33
17.34
100.00
Table 63 (D.P.A.)—Economic Status of New Recipients
(«) Holding personal property of value—
Men
100
30
5
3
$0
$1 to $250
$251 to $500
$501 to $750
$751 to $1,000
$1,001 to $1,500 4
$1,501 to $2,000
$2,001 and up 2
Women
123
21
2
3
3
2
2
Number
223
51
7
6
7
2
4
Per Cent
74.34
17.00
2.33
2.00
2.33
0.67
1.33
Totals 300
100.00
N 66 REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
Table 63 (D.P.A.)—Economic Status of New Recipients—Continued
(b) Holding real property of value—
$0
$1 to $250
$251 to $500
$501 to $750
$751 to $1,000
$1,001 to $1,500
$1,501 to $2,000
$2,000 and up
Totals
Men
Women
Number
Per Cent
130
150
280
93.34
1
1
0.33
2
2
0.67
1
1
0.33
1
1
1
0.33
1
0.33
9
5
14
300
4.67
100.00
Table 64 (D.P.A.)—Number of Recipients Living in Other Provinces as at
March 31,1972, Whose Allowances Are Paid by This Province
Alberta 9
Manitoba 7
Ontario 3
Quebec 1
Saskatchewan 2
Yukon Territory 1
Total 23
Table 65 (D.P.A.)—Distribution of British Columbia Recipients According
to the Amount of Allowance Received (Basic Allowance, $75)
Per Cent
$75 93.67
$50 to $74.99 2.33
$49.99 and less 4.00
Total 100.00
Table 66 (D.P.A.)—Ages of Recipients at Death
Ages
18 to 19
Number
2
Per Cent
4.26
20 to 24
5
10.63
25 to 29
2
4.26
30 to 34
35 to 39
5
10.63
40 to 44
4
8.51
45 to 49
5
10.63
50 to 54
7
14.90
55 to 59
8
17.02
60 to 64
9
19.16
47
Totals
100.00
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1971/72 N 67
Table 67 (D.P.A.)—Miscellaneous
(a) British Columbia recipients—
Suspended 188
Reinstated 83
Transferred to other provinces 7
Transferred to Old Age Security 39
Deaths 44
(b) Other-province recipients—
Suspended 19
New transfers to British Columbia 4
Transferred out of British Columbia or suspended 11
Reinstated 6
Deaths 4
Transferred to Old Age Security 4
(c) Total on payroll at end of fiscal year—
British Columbia 2,396
Other provinces 222
2,618
Table 68 (D.P.A.)—Primary Causes of Disability on Accepted Cases
Number Per Cent
Infective and parasitic diseases 8 2.66
Neoplasms 5 1.67
Allergic, endocrine system, metabolic, and nutritional diseases 6 2.00
Diseases of blood and blood-forming organs
Mental, psychoneurotic, and personality disorders .. 157 52.34
Diseases of the nervous system and sense organs 67 22.33
Diseases of the circulatory system 5 1.67
Diseases of the respiratory system 1 0.33
Diseases of the digestive system 1 0.33
Diseases of the genito-urinary system 3 1.00
Diseases of the skin and cellular tissues
Diseases of the bones and organs of movement 23 7.67
Congenital malformations 9 3.00
Symptoms, senility, and ill-defined conditions
Accidents, poisoning, and violence (nature of injury) 15 5.00
Totals 300 100.00
N 68 REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
Table 69 (D.P.A.)—Information Regarding Supplementary Social
Allowance to Old Age Security Category
Disposition of Applications
New applications received 3,124
Reapplications received 87
Applications granted 2,940
Applications not granted (refused, withdrawn, dead, etc.) 391
Table 70 (D.P.A.)—Total Number in Receipt of Supplementary
Social Allowances as at March 31, 1972
British Columbia cases 16,990
Other-province cases
■
■
■
Total 16,990
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1971/72 N 69
brannan lake school for boys reports...
J. NOBLE, Director
As understanding of our programme spreads, we can see a gradual improvement in the use being made of our service by the referring agencies. Effective use
of the resource demands an informed preparation of the child before, and adequate
supportive service after the period of intensive residential care. Our follow-up
reports continue to show 60 to 65 per cent satisfactory progress or better. With
improved after-care service, a considerable number could be transferred from the
border line to the satisfactory category.
We have seen an increasing use of our programme for boys with histories of
previous resource placement and for chronic runaways. These two categories often
coincide and it is still wrongly assumed that we provide a containment facility.
However, we do persevere with the runaway, relying on staff supervision, individual,
and group treatment methods and the co-operation of the community agencies in
arranging for the early return of those who succeed in reaching home. The runaway is caught in an emotional, vicious circle of anxiety and poor impulse control
and there is no immediate cure. Only patient, repeated efforts over several months
can achieve success in most cases.
Many boys come to us branded as "unmotivated" and "unresponsive." We
find these to be temporary states and they should not be used as permanent labels
which can become self-fulfilling. Surely motivating children to learn and eliciting
response are adult responsibilities. If the child is expected to do the whole job of
rehabilitation by himself, then what need is there for trained professionals? At
Brannan Lake School the name of the game is learning to take responsibility for
one's self, but it is the function of the staff to teach the necessary skills. We also
foster individuality and do not attempt to "cure" personality characteristics. We are
all delinquent to some extent—the difference is one of degree. The boys who come
to us have the same basic goals as the majority of adults, namely, security, prosperity,
recognition, and all the things that are generally held desirable. However, they have
used inadequate means to achieve these goals and have been unsuccessful even in
that. J. A. Mack, of the University of Glasgow, studied successful adult criminals
who had avoided conviction and of 102, more than one-third had no juvenile record.
The average juvenile delinquent can be compared in many ways to the child who is
unsuccessful in school, and it comes as no surprise to find that the two are often
combined in the same person.
We are presently in a crisis in this field because public confidence in innovative
and more effective methods has not yet grown to the point where the more immediately satisfying harsh punishments and primitive stigmatization can be abandoned.
Effective methods have to be demonstrated in the face of much ill-informed opposition, and the cause is not helped by those who preach permissiveness with no rationale other than the emotional satisfaction such an approach provides for some adults.
Permissive and punitive tend to be very similar in that they meet the needs of inadequate adults rather than those of troubled children.
Our return rate over the year was 11 Vi per cent, so that I am free to attack
the concept of recidivism without appearing biased. Recidivism is no more than a
punitive label. If our return rate were 100 per cent, this would be much more
indicative of the need for service than any reflection on the success or failure of our
N 70 REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
programme. The only test is a return to the community, and many boys require
repeated supportive service during adolescence. Some will need help all their lives.
Boys often benefit more the second time around because they have had the opportunity to develop a more realistic view of their difficulties.
The hundreds of visitors to the school over the year have made their contribution to reducing the many misconceptions about our programme. There are still
two Brannan Lake Schools, the real one and the one that is used to frighten kids
into good behaviour. We see the second diminishing in importance as information
spreads and effective methods of rehabilitation gradually replace punitive scape-
goating, which is known to contribute to the problem rather than to the solution.
We continue to enjoy the full co-operation of the local School Board in the
provision of our academic programme, and there has been an increase in contact
for the boys in such things as soccer games and chess tournaments. Boys have
enjoyed success in the Vancouver Island Exhibition of arts and crafts and in poster
competitions. We have continued to benefit from the help of local congregations
whose church services the boys attend on Sunday mornings.
I regard residential child care as an art form involving all the treasured human
values and I wish to acknowledge the very high level of ever-increasing skill and
effective concern constantly demonstrated by the workers at the school. I consider
them to be creative artists in a very demanding field.
Table 71—Number of Committals to Brannan Lake School From Various
Administrative Areas, 1971/72
Supervising Agencies
Region 1
Department of Rehabilitation and Social Improvement—
Campbell River
Courtenay
Duncan
Nanaimo
Parksville
Port Alberni
Powell River
Victoria
lissions
Readmissions
Total
6
6
2
2
4
4
6
2
8
1
1
1
1
3
3
3
3
1
2
13
Family and Children's Service—Victoria 11
37 4 41
Region 2
Department of Rehabilitation and Social Improvement—
Delta
New Westminster
Port Coquitlam
Vancouver
Catholic Family and Children's Service .
Children's Aid Society
2
2
3
3
5
5
4
1
5
9
1
10
15
2
17
Children's Aid Society and Social Welfare Department, North Vancouver
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1971/72
N 71
Table 71—Number of Committals to
Various Administrative Areas,
Brannan Lake School From
1971 /72—Continued
Region 2—Continued
Social Service Department—
Burnaby __
Admissions
4
Readmissions
2
2
2
10
Total
6
2
6
9
4
70
West Vancouver
2
Coquitlam
4
North Vancouver
7
Richmond
4
60
Region 3
Department of Rehabilitation and Social Improvement—
Cache Creek __ ■ 1
1
1
1
1
2
3
1
1
4
1
4
2
6
Kamloops
Kelowna _ _
_ 2
2
Lillooet
Merritt _ _ _
. 1
1
Penticton
4
Revelstoke _ __ __ __
1
Salmon Arm . -a
4
Vernon
Social Service Department—Kamloops
_ 1
_ 5
22
3
25
Region 4
Department of Rehabilitation and Social Improvement—
Cranbrook __ 5
Creston _ _ __ 1
—
5
1
1
2
9
Fernie
1
Trail
2
9
Region 5
Department of Rehabilitation and Social Improvement—
Prince George _... ____ _ _ .. 6
1
7
6
1
Quesnel _
6
Vanderhoof
1
13
1
14
N 72
REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
Table 71—Number of Committals to Brannan Lake School From
Various Administrative Areas, 1971/72—Continued
Region 6
Department of Rehabilitation and Social Improvement—
Abbotsford _
Chilliwack _
Maple Ridge
Mission
Murrayville __
White Rock _
Social Service Department—Surrey
Admissions Readmissions
1
4
2
2
1
2
20
1
2
Total
2
6
2
2
1
2
8
23
Region 7
Department of Rehabilitation and Social Improvement-
Burns Lake 2
Kitimat 2
Prince Rupert 4
Smithers 4
Terrace 2
2
2
6
4
2
14
16
Region 8
Department of Rehabilitation and Social Improvement-
Dawson Creek 2
Fort St. John 7
2
8
10
r
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1971/72
N 73
Table 72—Age-distribution of Boys Committed to Brannan Lake School,
1971/72
Age upon admission—
12 years 1
13 years
14 years 61
Average age—14.8 years
Religions—
Roman Catholic
Protestant
Others
Not listed
Admissions Readmissions
15 years j
16 years 46
17 years
184
With Indian status—16.3 per cent of admissions
24
Total
1
1
15
15
61
5
66
60
10
70
46
9
55
1
—
1
184
24
208
14.7
15.2
(years)
(years)
70
13
83
110
11
121
3
3
1
1
34
208
34
Last living with—
Mother and father
Mother
Father
Mother and stepfather 7
Father and stepmother 4
Relatives
Foster home
Brother
Unknown
The Maples
Browndale
House of Concord
Boarding-home
Sister
Grandparents
Detention home __
Alma House
Group home
Aunt and uncle __
On his own
Grandmother
Diagnostic Centre
Friend
Duncan Farm Commune
58
8
66
29
6
35
7
1
8
7
1
8
4
1
5
2
2
31
3
34
4
4
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
2
2
4
4
3
____
3
2
2
2
1
3
1
1
12
1
13
1
1
7
7
2
2
1
1
2
1
1
1
1
184
24
208
n 74 rehabilitation and social improvement
Table 73—Number of Admissions to Brannan Lake School, 1971/72
1 admission 184
2 admissions 22
3 admissions 2
208
Rate of recidivism 11.5 per cent
Table 14—Movement of School Population, Including A.W.O.L.s and
Information Regarding Boys of Brannan Lake School, 1971/72
Number in school, April 1 134
Number A.W.O.L., April 1 11
Number on visit, April 1 1
Number of new admissions 184
Number of readmissions 24
Percentage of recidivism 11.5
Number of discharges 238
Number in school, March 31 53
Number A.W.O.L., March 31 5
Number on overstayed visit, March 31 4
Number on visit, March 31 54
Average daily population 108
Total days care 39,504
Average length of stay in months 7
Total A.W.O.L.s during fiscal year 2701
l Involving 123 boys or 34.7 per cent of boys worked with.
A.W.O.L.s
Number of boys worked with who did not run away 231
Number of boys who had one A.W.O.L. 55
Number of boys who had two A.W.O.L.s 26
Number of boys who had three A.W.O.L.s 21
Number of boys who had four A.W.O.L.s 13
Number of boys who had five A.W.O.L.s 3
Number of boys who had six A.W.O.L.s 3
Number of boys who had seven A.W.O.L.s 1
Number of boys who had eight A.W.O.L.s 1
354
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1971/72
N 75
willingdon school for girls reports...
MISS W. M. URQUHART, Director
Willingdon School continues to receive the girls who refuse to stay in their own
homes or participate in other programmes. One must assume that they are a minority group in our total society and they frequently arrive at Willingdon somewhat resistant to treatment, hostile or withdrawn, and very mixed up in their feelings about
themselves and their relationship to others. They are in need of a protective, supporting safe place where they are accepted and in their own way and in their own
time may be helped to sort out their innermost feelings, develop their own controls,
discover their own abilities, and so prepare to return to a happier life in their own
community. Much imagination, patience, and team work is required among staff.
Our social workers carry a heavy load with their "clients" always present and constantly making demands. They provide individual and group counselling, arrange
family conferences whenever possible, and keep in touch with the social workers
"back home" so that their girls are always reassured that plans are in the making
for their return. They must also exchange information with all other child care and
teaching staff. This year, Miss Dolly Johnstone, Casework Supervisor, took over
responsibility for processing all referrals for admissions and contacting the referring
agency social workers.
At Willingdon everyone believes in the girl's ability to succeed, expectations are
high, but never higher than each girl can reach. Classroom instruction is carried
on in a relaxed, comfortable, controlled atmosphere. Individual remedial instruction helps most girls who considered themselves "stupid" in their former schools over
the hump. Music and art and play acting are useful tools. One of our teachers,
Mrs. Vera Turnbull, has prepared a song book of 60 songs which the girls love to
sing, so with autoharps and guitars there is always music spilling over from the classrooms into the whole institution and out into the community.
Our energetic Physical Education and Recreation Director arranged for volleyball and basketball teams from Willingdon to enter the Burnaby School District
league. This was a real experience both for our girls and the community teams, too.
Our girls found warm acceptance and the others found that we were just as keen
good sports as they and that Willingdon gym was a really good place for a game.
During the summer we accepted the services of the Children's Spontaneous Music
Group, one of the Opportunity for Youth groups. Their style of free music produced by any number of participants on a wide variety of instruments was exciting
at first, but very few girls maintained their enthusiasm, perhaps because the group
itself seemed unable to give acceptance and attention to more than a very few at a
time, and much of their efforts were bent toward producing touring programmes in
an effort to get extended grants.
The following figures provide some interesting facts:
April 1971
to
March 1972
April 1970
to
March 1971
April 1969
to
March 1970
April 1968
to
March 1969
April 1967
to
March 1968
April 1966
to
March 1967
Admissions _
Days care
129
21,072
126
20,952
153
24,608
139
28,390
143
30,690
129
31,926
This chart shows no significant change in the annual number of admissions.
There has been a gradual drop in the average length of stay from 9.5 months in 1967
N 76 REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
to 7.8 months this year. This in part explains the high drop in inmate days with a
resulting rise in per diem costs. I am sorry to report an increase in the numbers constantly absent without leave. The lure of the big city and the easy access to drugs
and sniffing in "skid road" area, plus a variety of places giving temporary care to
runaway children makes it very difficult to settle and hold on to some of our girls.
A few are out for lengthy periods and then turn up back home or at Willingdon ready
to accept help and make a fresh start. Others are constantly in and out of the school.
This can be very upsetting to the girls who are trying hard to sort out their problems
and relationships, it is also disrupting to any programme. One cannot help but
speculate if "outreach" facilities were provided in local communities these children
would run to them from their own homes and get the help they are so in need of from
professionals who appear to the children only to be "good guys" without any sign of
authority. Such places could be set up and operated at a minimum cost since they
cannot have any sign of sophistication, authority, or organization about them. At
the same time the regular social work counsellor, instead of spending time on the
child, would spend much time supporting and counselling the families. From my
observations this type of care could very well meet the needs of about one-third of
children who at present are running away from the more expensive and established
forms of care provided in group homes and at Willingdon. This would give our
established resources a much greater opportunity to rehabilitate the children who
are most in need of structure and a chance to form sound relationships with their
peer group and adults. The degree of emotional disturbance seems to be an increasing factor, particularly in the very young teen-age group and made more difficult to cope with by the drug scene. There is a definite need for some increase in
staff if Willingdon is to operate effectively at capacity.
We welcomed students from the Department of Special Education, Faculty of
Education, and from the School of Social Work, University of British Columbia, and
from Douglas College Child Care Course for their practical experience. These enthusiastic students help to enrich our programme, and the girls thrive on the individual attention they receive.
Our volunteer friends have continued their enthusiastic work with us. This
year one lady has come regularly one evening a week, bringing all her own equipment, to teach and do liquid embroidery with paints with the girls. This is a great
attraction. Several bands, made up of young men, have offered their services for
lively evening programmes. We are most grateful to all these friends.
We have continued to give service to the increasing number of professional
groups who wish to tour our facility.
Douglas College arranged to hold one of their Child Care Courses "Human
Development" (Emotional Growth) at Willingdon School two mornings a week for
14 weeks to make it possible for 10 of our staff to attend, along with staff from other
agencies. Those on duty were freed for these periods. Several other staff attended
evening classes at Douglas College. This is a real step forward in our staff-training
programme.
In November I was appointed a member of the Douglas College Advisory Committee in Residential Child Care Programme. I have also been appointed the representative of the B.C. Corrections Association for Child Care on the Provincial
CELDEC (Commission on Emotional and Learning Disorders in Children) Committee. I found both these assignments stimulating.
It is really impossible to produce accurate figures by which one can measure
success in the rehabilitation of disturbed teen-agers. This can best be gauged by
the hundreds of girls who keep in touch with members of staff over the years or turn
up unexpectedly for a visit years after they have left the school. One has her own
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1971/72 N 77
beauty parlour establishment, another employed in the records of a local hospital,
another in a responsible position at B.C. Automobile Association, another a swimming-pool instructor, and many are happy wives and mothers. Most of them
unhesitatingly state: "No way would I be where I am today if I hadn't come to
Willingdon." The following is an excerpt from one letter received this year from a
graduate of 12 years ago:
The years have flown by but I have not forgotten the school or the people who tried so
hard to help me. At the time I was a handful and ungrateful. Today I must admit it has
helped my way of life. I am very happily married with two wonderful boys. I could have
been a very unhappy woman with lots of children, no husband and a near alcoholic. I
was headed in that direction. I sometimes sit back and think of my life at the school. I
had many advantages. I received my modeling diploma, completed my swimming, did
some hairdressing and even learnt to knit and crochet. If a girl takes advantage of all the
school offers she will become a much happier and more knowledgeable person. For all
this I am very grateful to you and the staff. You all had the patience of Saints.
I take pleasure in submitting this report on my 17th year as Director.
Table 75—Number of Committals to Willingdon School From Various
Family and Children's Courts, by Regions, 1971/72
Region 1
Victoria
9
Nanaimo
3
Duncan
3
Port Alberni
1
Campbell River
2
Burnaby
Region 2
14
New Westminster
2
Vancouver
20
North Vancouver .. _
2
West Vancouver
3
Powell River
3
Richmond
3
Port Coquitlam .. ..
2
Coquitlam
2
Salmon Arm
Region 3
1
Penticton
2
Lillooet
3
Kamloops ... • _
__ 2
Revelstoke .
1
Kelowna
1
Cache Creek ...
1
Vernon
1
Cranbrook
Region 4
1
Creston
2
Fernie
1
N 78
REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
Table 75—Number of Committals to Willingdon School From Various
Family and Children's Courts, by Regions, 1971/72—Continued
Region 5
Williams Lake
Region 6
Maple Ridge
Chilliwack
Surrey . . ~ ~ ~
Ahhotsford _ ______
Region 7
Kitimat
Prince Ruoert
Burns Lake
Terrace
Smithers
Region 8
Fort St. John
Fort Nelson _
Dawson Creek
2
4
5
2
6
7
1
4
1
4
1
1
Table 76—Record of Population Movement at Willingdon School
for Fiscal Year 1971/72
Number in school, April 1, 1971 73
Number A.W.O.L., April 1, 1971 11
Number elsewhere (other institutions), April 1, 1971 Nil
Number of new admissions 108
Number of repeaters from previous years 21
Total number of admissions during year 129
Number transferred out 129
Number of A.W.O.L.s, March 31, 1972 22
Number elsewhere (other institutions), March 31, 1972 Nil
Number in school, March 31, 1972 62
Average daily population 54.99
Total days care 21,072
Average length of stay (months) 7.8
Table 77—Range of Age Upon Admission to Willingdon School
for Fiscal Year 1971/72
Ago Number
(Years) of Girls
12 2
13 13
14 45
15 43
16 25
17 1
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1971/72
N 79
provincial home reports...
G. P. WILLIE, Superintendent
During this fiscal year the Provincial Home in Kamloops was again used to
capacity caring for the aged and infirm who requested the care it provides. A goodly
number of runaway youths was also cared for pending other arrangements.
The year commenced with 145 residents and ended with 149 in the Home.
During the year, 133 men were admitted, 89 took leave of absence, of which many
again returned, and 40 residents passed away. The majority of the deceased have
been buried in the Provincial Home Cemetery.
The per diem rate has taken a rise, going from $5.56 the previous year to $6.52
for this year, or $0.96 per day. The main expenses for the increase were salaries,
medical supplies, laundry services, and burials, and could be related to the more
feeble and sickly applicant who was accepted and cared for. There was no significant change in the staff, with a low turnover during the year.
The Public Works expenditure at the Provincial Home more than doubled from
the previous year, mostly for steam heat. The west wing was touched up outside
with paint and the fire escapes were repaired. A new relay to the city fire hall was
installed. Two ramps in the main hallway had extra rails attached. Wards 1, 2,
and 11 and the walk-in cooler were completely redecorated.
The Provincial Home purchased a new Ford custom ranch wagon to be used
for transporting laundry to and from Tranquille, and also residents when required.
A large colour television set was bought and surely brought much pleasure to the
residents. Other major purchases consisted of an electric sewing-machine, a hand-
model aneroid for taking blood pressure, and 24 spring-filled mattresses.
The residents' leisure time was mostly spent watching television, going for walks
in the city, small games, pool and billiards, bingo, and visiting among themselves.
The various religious denominations again took care of all the men's needs. At
Christmas, the community excelled itself with gifts, entertainment, and personal visits
with best wishes.
As many of our residents feel aged, but never old, their interests are continually
observed. Some arrive from homes of offspring who did not want them, others
through bereavement, and many who just cannot go it alone any longer. When the
heavy heart is lifted by tender, loving care, consisting of a well-balanced diet, nursing
with compassion, and a feeling they are still wanted, a vast improvement is soon
noticed in their daily living. It is always hoped that the old-time graciousness of
courtesy and chivalry is not absent among the staff while caring for our guests.
I sincerely wish to thank senior officials, Home staff, and all others who assisted
during the past year.
N 80 REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
new denver youth centre reports...
W. J. PARKER, Director
It is my belief that the past fiscal year was a successful one for the Youth
Centre. The year involved much experimenting with new ideas and in consolidating
and reinforcing our successes. Until the beginning of this year the four cottages were
so structured that new boys were placed in an "admissions" cottage, progressed to
an intermediate cottage, and later moved to a senior cottage. Under that system it
made for simpler programming, yet it was contradictory to the family concept which
is the cornerstone of our programme. After a year of study and testing, we now
have boys being admitted to all four cottages, where they remain until their discharge.
This has given the cottages a wide range of ages; the bigger older boys who have
responded to treatment are now being modelled on by younger lads. The total child-
care staff now enjoy a greater sense of job satisfaction when they can see, on the
discharge of their boys, the fruits of their labours.
Nine of our 32 boys attended the local junior-senior secondary school; they
were in Grades VII, VIII, and LX. The school within the Youth Centre continued
to develop and sharpen the skills of the teachers. Twice during the year an educational psychologist was brought in to conduct a two- and three-day training session
for our teachers and others involved in the academic programme. Reality therapy
was introduced into our school, which is now set up along the lines of Dr. Glasser's
"Schools Without Failure."
During the year we ran pilot projects of "Behaviour Modification" for all our
boys; there was some variation in the programme in each cottage. At the end of the
project it was agreed that not all boys needed to be on such a programme. It was
further agreed that some boys could most benefit from a programme of shaping
their general over-all behaviour, while another smaller group required a programme
that concentrated on a particular behaviour problem, shaping small facets of that
behaviour at a time. This is the approach we have now adopted.
Valuable assistance was given to us by Peter Kosof, a psychologist with Selkirk
Mental Health Unit, during our initial projects with "Behaviour Modification."
Throughout the year every attempt was made to strengthen our public relations.
Classes of adults have made use of the craft rooms in the evenings after the boys'
recreation programme was over. Adult education classes also made use of the gym
for recreation, and another group took woodwork in the Industrial Arts Shop. I
have made a rule not to field a team of our boys to compete against boys from the
village in any sport; rather, we are to consider ourselves as part of New Denver, and,
as a result, our boys are playing baseball, hockey, soccer, and lacrosse as members
of a community team.
In the fall of 1971 we introduced the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme on
a voluntary basis, and in order to stimulate as much interest as possible we invited
Commander G. J. Manson, the National Director of the Duke of Edinburgh Award
in Canada, to visit the Youth Centre. One evening after having supper with us he
talked to an assembly of all the boys, and later he visited the cottages and recreational activities going on. Before a boy can participate in this scheme he has to be
14 years old or very close to it; that stipulation precludes half of the boys in residence. We plan to have a scaled-down programme for the younger boys along the
same lines in preparation for them to enter the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1971/72
N 81
when they are old enough. On the 1st of April 1971 there were two vacancies at
the Youth Centre. During this 12-month period there was a 50-per-cent turnover,
with 16 discharges and 18 new admissions. The average length of stay for the 16
boys discharged was two years and four months. The length of stay ranged from
seven months to 59 months. In this 12-month period there were five cases of boys
absconding; one boy accounted for two of them. One of the five cases was while
the boy was visiting his home. In the year 1973/74 it is hoped to conduct a
research project to try to establish how all the boys who have passed through the
New Denver programme have functioned since discharge and how they are functioning to date.
N 82 REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
PART III—REGIONAL ADMINISTRATION
the director of operations reports...
R. J. BURNHAM
The reader of the eight Regional Directors' reports which follow will recognize
that they all have much in common, yet each, because of geography and its attendant
socio-economic structure, presents unique situations. Social priorities and activities
vary with the region, population density, the local economy, and public conscience.
The development of local services based on local priorities and participation,
designed to augment the basic Province-wide social insurance and public assistance
services, are an important and integral part of the over-all social services delivery
system. Their development and co-ordination is one that is making increasing
demands on staff if our personnel are to fully participate in social agency planning
and co-ordination in the local area. I think the reader will be impressed with the
degree of participation and energy expended by our staff in this area.
Staffing local offices, while not a problem, requires continuing effort, particularly
to find qualified personnel prepared to serve in the more remote areas. A recent
development has been the employment of case aides to administer our financial
assistance programmes and in this they have proven effective and efficient. There
were some changes in supervisory personnel with promotion from within the
Department, but no personnel changes among the eight Regional Directors.
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1971/72
N 83
region 1 reports...
J. A. MOLLBERG, Regional Director
The past year was one of business as usual. A new receiving-home was opened
by the Nanaimo Youth Service Society. This has been a real asset in our resources
for children. Indian Affairs have rapidly increased the number of Band case aides,
who have obtained orientation through our Department and are working closely
with our social workers in an effort to improve service to our native people.
There has been a continued increase in economic development, particularly in
the Port Hardy area, and a continued increase in migration from the other provinces.
This migration brings the needed manpower to British Columbia and the region, but
also brings many accompanying problems which have increased our work load.
All offices did an intensive review of eligibility and a number of case aides were
hired to facilitate this review. The review uncovered a certain amount of fraud but
also uncovered many situations where more help was necessary. At the same time
a renewed emphasis was placed on permanent planning for our children in care, in
order to obtain the best permanent plan possible, for not only every child presently
in care but for new children coming into care.
The above activity has resulted in increased pressure on our social work staff
who were hard pressed in the first place. In order to continue a sound, positive programme it will be necessary to add additional staff in the coming year.
I would like to thank the clients for their patience, members of the community
for their co-operation, and staff for their untiring effort during the past year. We
will look forward to greater and better things in the future.
N 84
REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
region 2 reports...
WALTER J. CAMOZZI, Regional Director
Every appropriate agency, plus 200 householders, were responsible in Vancouver for looking after over 20,000 transient young people who came here between
May and October. Great credit is deserved here for the smooth operation, which
contrasted so sharply with the debacle of the year before.
This element of sophistication extended, too, to a great variety of "make work"
projects throughout the region. The Cypress Bowl project, which was a clearing
job done in collaboration with Federal Government money and Provincial Parks
Department, occupied about 196 people on social assistance, 40 per cent of whom
went to employment. The processing and control was an immense job, and the
results to the people problematical, but a lot of work was done—as was done by local
improvement projects and SHARE (a local Coquitlam self-help project), which
offered a Crisis Centre Community Information newspaper and incentive programme. Here Mrs. Sheila Kincaid, widow of the previous Welfare Administrator
for the District of Coquitlam, officially cut the ribbon in the dedication ceremony of
the "John Kincaid Receiving Home," which houses eight teen-agers.
Although there is a boom in Squamish, and the work load warrants the two
workers now occupied there, the load right in the town is still under 50, and our per
capita arrangement can continue for a while at least. Planning for a senior citizens'
home started here, too.
In the same district, the Sechelt Indian Band (very active and generous beyond
Band activities) hired a social worker who will be greatly appreciated. The addition
of an extended-care unit to St. Mary's Hospital is the final outcome of the donation
of land by the Sechelt Band.
The Fraser Indian Band has had a welfare aide on the Mount Currie Reserve,
too. The news from Ocean Falls and Bella Coola is not so good, for the area sorely
needs bolstering from appropriate agencies. The closing of the Ocean Falls paper-
mill was a blow to all local people.
The volunteer agencies of the North Shore of the greater Vancouver Region,
apart from serving over 8,000 meals on wheels, now has a day-care centre for older
people at St. Andrew's Church in North Vancouver, and at St. Stephen's, baby-sitting
for babies, as well as other information provided by community help and Information
Centre, FISH (a church lay organization), and personal service. Lions Gate Hospital, too, has daytime activities for the elderly. The Mothers Incorporated newsletter supplies like information given here, and it is typical of many such papers
printed throughout the region.
Richmond service clubs continue their interest in low-rental housing. The
Kiwanis Club extended its basic 124 low-rental units to 150, and the Royal Canadian
Legion opened a low-rental project for 44 singles and four married couples. Richmond General Hospital now has a 75-bed extended-care wing.
New Westminster opened two apartment complexes for older people—one,
"Ross Towers," named after the late Ted Ross, was sponsored by the city and is a
fine memorial to a very fine man, who was the city's senior servant and a great community worker. The Rotary Club, too, opened "Rotary Towers," which offers
similar low-cost accommodation to elderly, self-sufficient people.
I have sampled the more substantial things that have gone on in the region, and
have not included everything in this line, since a report should be more than a cata-
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1971/72
N 85
logue. Catalogues tend to give the impression of a "busy-busy-all-is-right-with-the-
world" flavor. Well, all is not right with the world. The patch-work quilt of services continues to proliferate and peripheral agencies breed and flutter like moths
about the ambient glow of public money; public money which must be diverted to
basic care for the distressed which we are pledged to serve. Vast sums have been
spent on hobby-horse ventures, yet basic Social Allowances do not meet the basic
needs of the poor and the disabled, who are growing in numbers in the long run, and
plans should be made for them now for the long run. Until this is done, anything else
is redundant and dishonest.
We cannot indict agencies or people for dishonesty in the short run because
energy is being expanded in a great variety of services, and there is some social benefit, but there is crossing over of services and self-indulgence and lack of committal
to an over-all wish to get back to fundamentals which may be less glamorous, but
must be faced or else we can never face ourselves.
N 86 REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
region 3 reports...
G. A. REED, Regional Director
This year can be described as one of review and consolidation of services and
resources which continued to be stretched by rapid development. This development
involved economic and industrial activity as well as population growth. According
to Statistics Canada, the Central Okanagan part of the region had a population
growth rate of 47.9 per cent from 1966 to 1971, one of the highest in Canada.
Similar growth took place in the greater Kamloops area. In these areas, and to a
lesser extent throughout the region, population growth was accompanied by the
development of secondary industries. Also, rapid expansion took place in the
development of the natural resources of forestry, mining, and hydro. Such development, which was noted in previous reports, has strained the availability of suitable
housing. More and more those on low incomes have had to seek the less adequate
and habitable housing at increasing rents which strained their limited budget. This
has been a significant factor in the costs of our financial assistance programme. It
may also have had some influence on whatever increase that existed in fradulent
applications for financial assistance. However, of greatest concern is the affect of
this cost increase in housing and food essentials for those receiving financial assistance, with no opportunity to augment this by their own efforts through part-time
earnings.
Despite this increased population growth, the total case load dropped from
11,256 in March 1971 to 11,066 in March 1972, and this was representative of
other months in the year. However, there was a significant increase in the number
of cases active and in new inquiries and referrals. This means an increase, particularly in counselling services to those seeking help from the Department. In the
previous year, staff exerted a concerted effort to review all cases of financial assistance
to ensure proper eligibility and that appropriate services were being given. In this
fiscal year, five temporary staff were made available for a period of approximately
four months to further ensure proper receipt of financial assistance. This proved
most helpful as it meant new cases could be home-visited immediately as part of the
application follow-up. It also freed staff to focus on employment and rehabilitation
opportunities where possible for those on assistance. Close contact was maintained
with Canada Manpower and Provincial Alliance of Businessmen offices to ensure
employment opportunities or vocational retraining opportunities being available to
those receiving assistance. We greatly appreciate the concern, help, and co-operation
of these agencies, and as a result of joint activity and plairning, a significant number
obtained employment.
Full use was made of the Canada Manpower training on-the-job and their other
programmes, the Provincial training on-the-job programme and the Job Opportunities Programme. As a result of all of these efforts, coupled with an improved
economic situation, there has been a noticeable downward trend of grants to unemployed employable persons. I'm sure this has been a happy result for those no longer
on assistance as the feed back from staff is that those who can, want to work. The
region's social assistance costs, despite increased population and increased individual
grants, were $33,000 less in March 1972 over March 1971.
While there was strong emphasis on rehabilitation services to employable persons, concern was also strong for those on assistance over a longer term. The Exten-
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1971/72
N 87
sion of Opportunities Programme was continued at a high level. Many had an
opportunity to experience a protected work situation where they could make their
contribution and receive credit for their efforts, where they could brush up old skills
and learn new ones and thereby gain a current assessment of their capabilities, and
where they could have new and meaningful contacts with others and get new motivation and positive feeling of accomplishment. The Idea Exchange Programme was
continued in Penticton. In Kelowna, much staff time was given to assisting Action
Self Help, a group of those on Social Allowance engaged in helping to improve their
circumstances. In Vernon a Single Parents' Association was formed with the purpose of providing opportunities to develop homemaking and leadership skills and
family life techniques, and we acted as consultants to this. Concern has continued
in regard to the responsibility of the separated father to support his family, and a
number of offices report increased payments under the Wives' and Children's Maintenance Act.
Child welfare services were maintained, and in co-operation with community
organizations, new resources were developed. In Golden, after several years of
planning and hard work by the Kinsmen Club, the Group Receiving and Remand
Home was opened in October 1971.
A similar resource was opened in Salmon Arm providing emergency facilities
there also. The community-sponsored group-living home for teen-agers in need of
treatment services, continued to operate successfully in Kelowna. In Penticton we
continued our very close co-operation and considerable staff input with the Human
Resource Society in the operation of their reception and assessment centre and
Kaleden Group Home. This resource was established by the drive and leadership of
its first Executive Director, Andrew Mikita, who has moved to Prince Edward Island.
Staff in both municipal and Provincial offices spent many uncounted hours
working with many community organizations who were concerned with the plight
of others and the development of family and related services. The roll call would
be lengthy, but in part would include the Advisory Committee to the Cariboo College
Case Aide Programme and the practical training of students, advisers, or member
of committees for Adult and Youth Hostels, Big Brother and Big Sister Associations,
social planning councils, Homemaker Associations, Day Care Associations, low-cost
housing surveys, Intermediate Care Demonstration Projects, and many more.
In Kelowna, as a result of two grants from the Royal Bank of Canada, and with
our Minister's approval, an in-depth survey was commenced on the unmet needs,
outlooks, and conditions of the social assistance recipient in the Kelowna District.
In Penticton, under a Federal grant, the Human Resources Society sponsored
"Imagine Penticton," an innovative programme for the study and prevention of the
nonmedical use of drugs and the improvement of the quality of community life. In
Vernon, the Vernon Housing Association was formed as a result of the interest and
activity of the Vernon Social Planning Council in the need for low-cost housing.
Staff have participated and assisted in these and other developments.
While this only highlights some of the community interest and development, it
is heartening in the technological space age to see increasing concern developing
for all members of the community. I know staff have found their associations with
such groups very rewarding, and, on their behalf, a note of appreciation goes to this
army of concerned community citizens. Words of thanks and appreciation are most
merited when the daily job expectations are exceeded and excelled. Therefore, to
all staff, Provincial and municipal, my appreciation for your co-operation, concern,
and your unstinting extra time in practically demonstrating your belief in helping
others help each other.
N 88 REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
region 4 reports...
T. PRYSIAZNIUK, Regional Director
In marked contrast with the preceding year, this fiscal year was characterized
by improvement in the economy of the region with a subsequent decline in the
number of social assistance applications. Our staff were no longer faced with an
overwhelming number of people requiring services and consequently experienced
some breathing space in which needs and priorities could be reassessed and new
directions could be initiated. With the decline in case loads, our services have
become more selective, intensive and, consequently, more effective.
ECONOMIC, DEMOGRAPHIC, AND SOCIAL CHANGES
The economy of the West Kootenay areas has shown a gradual expansionary
trend. With an upsurge of construction activities, plus industrial expansion, and with
a multitude of Federally funded O.F.Y. and L.I.P. programmes, opportunities for
employment did increase appreciably. In addition, amendments to the Unemployment Insurance Act, which lowered eligibility requirements and increased benefits,
have made it possible for many more people to survive periods of unemployment
without recourse to social assistance. However, delays in the processing and adjudication of Unemployment Insurance claims had imposed hardships on a number of
people who were forced by economic necessity to apply for temporary assistance
pending receipt of Unemployment Insurance benefits.
Cranbrook continues as the fastest-growing community in the Kootenays and
is now the largest city in the region. The Kaiser developments in the Fernie area
have resulted in rapid population growth. The Sparwood and Elkford areas have
experienced a constant turnover in population due to the transient nature of the
work force in that area, and this, in itself, has contributed to a number of family
breakdowns. Additionally, population increases are markedly evident in the unorganized areas adjoining Cranbrook and Fernie, with the result that demands for
services are also increasing in these areas.
DEVELOPMENT OF RESOURCES
A theme common to practically all communities in this region is the conviction
of the general public and allied professionals that effective social services to people
require the active involvement and participation of local communities in the study
and establishment of resources to meet rapidly changing social needs of each
community. A large number of societies, organizations, and agencies have been
established in this fiscal year which are providing vitally important services in their
respective communities. It is hoped that this interest and dedication will continue
in order to meet other demonstrated needs which are not presently being met.
Characteristic of new resources which have been established is the development
of a Child-care Society in the East Kootenays which has the objective of establishing
and operating comprehensive treatment centres for children in the Cranbrook-
Kimberley area. To date this society has established a residential home to provide
care for six disturbed children. Positive results from this endeavour are already
evident. At the present time the same society is involved in the development of a
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1971/72 N 89
similar resource for adolescents in the Kimberley area. The tremendous support
and participation of many people in these communities toward these objectives is
greatly appreciated.
The Nelson Day-care Centre, under the auspices of the Nelson District Child-
care Society, has expanded its services to provide a comprehensive child-care programme in a newly acquired two-storey building. The capacity of this service has
doubled, and a programme has been developed to include treatment of special needs
children as well as a broad range of day-care services. This centre has also proved
to be a viable therapeutic milieu for selected teen-agers and adults through the use
of the Opportunities Incentive Programme. Similarly, the Kootenay-Columbia
Child-care Society was formed in Castlegar with the objective of providing day-care
services in that community. A suitable building was acquired and it is anticipated
that this day-care centre will be operational early in the new fiscal year.
A co-operative venture with the Mental Health Branch for the development of
boarding-homes for dischargees from Mental Health institutions was initiated and,
although progress is slow, some indications of success are evident. In the Cranbrook area, approximately 35 patients from Tranquille have been placed in boarding-
homes where they received good-quality physical care and are involved in a variety
of social and vocational activities.
During the year a number of Crisis Centres became operational in the larger
communities under the sponsorship of Federal funding agencies such as O.Y.P. and
L.I.P., as well as through the financial participation of local communities. Youth
hostels established during the summer months provided a very necessary service to
travelling youth.
The Extension of Opportunities Programme has been well utilized throughout
the region during the past year. This programme continues to prove itself to be a
very positive vehicle for reactivation and rehabilitation of the marginal employable
individual.
Despite the number of new resources for children which has been established or
expanded during the past year, we continue to experience insufficient resources for
disturbed children and in particular for those children in the adolescent age-group.
In most instances, foster homes are either not available or suitable for adolescents
with emotional problems A variety of group-care facilities need to be developed
at the local or regional level in order that preventive or ameliorative services to
children can be expanded. We have, however, been fortunate in being able to keep
the number of children in care at a fairly constant level and this is a reflection of
the preventive services presently being given to families and children by our social
workers and allied professionals.
Reflecting an increasing interdisciplinary approach to social services is the area
of rehabilitative services to the handicapped. A full-time Rehabilitation Consultant
under the auspices of the Division for Aid to the Handicapped, Department of
Health, was appointed in this region in November 1971 and has worked very actively
with our staff and other agencies in providing rehabilitation services to those individuals who had physical, mental, or social disabilities. As of March 3, 1972, comprehensive assessment and (or) training programmes involved a total case load of 72
persons. It is anticipated that this number will rise substantially in the next year.
NEW DENVER PAVILION
This small nursing-home, operated by the Department, continues to provide a
valuable service to elderly male and female patients in the New Denver area. A
maximum occupancy of 16 patients has been maintained for half of this fiscal year,
"I
N 90
REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
with an average of 15.2 patient occupancy for the entire year. Mrs. H. H. Horswill
was appointed matron in April 1971, and is to be commended for her efficient management of the pavilion. The staff has remained stable during this year and are
eager to take part in staff meetings, reading and study sessions, and educational
courses connected with the care of the elderly. The patients are encouraged to be
as mobile as possible and the staff and community volunteers assist greatly by taking
patients for drives, outings, shopping, etc., as well as visiting them in the nursing-
home. Many gifts are received by the patients from citizens of the area and service
clubs, churches, etc., particularly at the Christmas season. Crafts and hobbies have
been made available for those patients who wish to take advantage of them. The
quality of care remains high and we are pleased to note that there have been substantial improvements in furnishings and equipment which has greatly assisted the
staff to continue to provide devoted care to the patients in the pavilion.
GENERAL COMMENTS
Throughout the region, but most evident in the population-growth areas of
the East Kootenay, is the shortage of suitable housing for people on low, fixed
incomes. Rents continue to escalate far in excess of any increases in social
assistance or pension rates and, as a result, many poor people are forced to reside
in unsuitable housing or are paying a disproportionate amount of their income to
acquire decent shelter. The inevitable consequence is an acceleration in the incidence of social and health problems.
I would like to thank sincerely all our staff for their co-operation and dedication
toward the goals of human betterment. Their enthusiasm and eagerness to provide
meaningful and viable services warrants special recognition. The enlightened interest and participation of other agencies and individuals in the development of resources and social services is most appreciated. We are looking forward toward
another year of productive and co-operative endeavours in meeting the rapidly
changing needs of our communities.
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1971/72
N 91
' '.
region 5 reports...
R. K. BUTLER, Regional Director
It was a good year. We gave a better service, we responded more appropriately
to need, we reached out more into the community, and we achieved some of our
specific goals and objectives. It was the skill, commitment, and dedication of our
staff that made the year as successful as it was.
Over all, the case load for the region decreased by 1,459 cases or 23 per cent.
All the major categories of service showed a decrease. The largest decrease was in
the Social Allowance load, a decrease of 1,327 cases or 33 per cent, and the decrease showed in each of the district offices in the region. This reduction in the
Social Allowance load should have represented a decrease in work pressures for
our staff, but it did not. Because economic conditions were good and jobs were
available, people from all parts of the Province and country came to live in the
north central Interior and in many instances brought their problems with them. It
takes a great deal of a social worker's time and skill to help a "first" applicant.
The number of cases opened and closed each month is a major reason for the high
level of activity in the region's district offices.
Only one of the reasons for the reduction in the total number of Social Allowance cases were the good economic conditions. Each district office developed new
approaches and techniques in administering the programme and delivering its services. A specialized case load for employables was set up in Prince George with
emphasis on placing employables in jobs in close co-operation with the Provincial
Alliance of Businessmen office. This co-operation provided the social workers
with information about the people they were working with, information they had
no previous knowledge about and which now made the person's behaviour and
situation understandable. For example, the social workers found out about a marital
problem, a child problem, or a drinking problem previously unknown to them. In
Williams Lake they routinely made home visits before a Social Allowance grant
was issued. Almost one-half of the applicants withdrew their application when they
learned that a home visit was to be made before a grant was issued. The applicant
felt better because he was prevented from making a questionable application, the
social workers felt better because they had the benefit of factual information, and
the community felt better because they had faith in our programme. We were fortunate this year in being able to hire, on a temporary basis, four extra case aides in
the region for the purpose of home-visiting and following up on situations of suspected fraud. Their services were invaluable and proved to us that there is no
substitute for visiting people in their homes to determine need and eligibility. The
service becomes much more personal, meaningful, and credible. We feel our experience in Region 5 justifies any recommendation for the hiring of additional
case aides for the Department.
Our staff's community contacts this year soared in numbers and relevancy.
We demonstrated the importance of regular and personal contact with staff of all
the various related Government departments, private individuals, groups, agencies,
and societies. Our major thrust was the goal of becoming more involved with the
school system to begin to understand their problems, to develop means of identifying problem children early, and to co-ordinate efforts in bringing together all the
services for children in a meaningful and beneficial way. There are many very
N 92 REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
skilled and capable people in all our communities, but they have one thing in common, they lack confidence in their own capacities to deal with people in trouble.
Ways to gain this confidence are to have frequent and close contact with one another
about individual case situations and also to have regular joint in-service training
sessions. This has begun in the region and must continue even on a much larger
scale to cope with the feeling of "being alone with the problem."
Services to children and families were more intensive and skilled. The number of children in care decreased in the region, most noticeably in the Prince George
district office, which showed a decrease of 29 children. This office set up three
specialized child-in-care case loads where the emphasis was on service to children
already in foster homes toward some kind of a permanent plan being made for them.
Prince George also set up specialized Court and protection workers to serve the
families, the Courts, and to collaborate with the probation staff in serving juveniles
and their families. Significant improvements and gains resulted from these specializations. Staff, more than ever before, are asking for training opportunities to develop their skills in serving troubled children and families. Our training opportunities for staff were minimal this year, which has to be to the detriment of the people
asking for help. Moreover, there is still a significantly high number of children in
our care who are not being adequately planned for.
All the communities in the region continue to be very active in developing
resources and services. The Prince George Receiving Home Society continues to
be a strength, and this year we were pleased to see the development of a new child-
care resource by the Cariboo Action Training Society. This new resource is named
"Camp Trapping." It is an "outward bound" type of programme and is directed
by Bruce Hawkenson, a former probation officer. It is definitely meeting the needs
of many of the children entrusted to our care.
Many positive things were achieved this year and I hope the above examples
reflect this. One that should be mentioned was the establishment of a new district
office in 100 Mile House. We were pleased to have Jim Eredics, social worker from
Prince Rupert, open that office for us. As the north continues to grow, we can
foresee the need to open district offices in communities like Fort St. James, Mackenzie, and McBride.
This has been about this year and what we may expect for next year. We
have set some objectives for the region. We want to work toward the reduction
of our case loads to a manageable size, we want to provide various types of training
opportunities for our staff, we want to plan more effectively for our children in care,
we want to increase our services to children in their own homes, we want to involve
natural parents where this has not been done, and we want to respond to the stated
concerns of the family and individuals immediately.
Staff and the communities have so ably demonstrated their dedication and
commitment that I have no doubt that these next-year objectives will be achieved.
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1971/72 N 93
region 6 reports...
A. E. BINGHAM, Regional Director
What was the quality and the tone of our service in the region during the year?
There is no quick way to summarize the services that we provided the individuals,
families, children, and senior citizens served by our staff. The summary is really
written in the lives and experiences of people of the Fraser Valley who asked us to
share with them during some stress or crisis in their lives.
The reports by Senior Administration and divisions preceeding in this Annual
Report give comprehensive coverage of our broad programmes. Thus I will mention a few trends and developments in the region.
TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS
Employment
As sometimes occurs, one theme emerges from a review of a year's happenings.
One expectation placed on staff during the year was to move as many people as
possible off public assistance and into employment. A striking anomaly is the fact
that there can be a number of job vacancies at the same time as many people are
out of work. Here are some of the mechanisms used in the region to ensure greater
penetration into the job markets by the disadvantaged.
Work Preparation Project—The project commenced in the Fraser Valley in
July 1971. By the end of the year it involved four crews of 10 men each. Men
were drawn from Maple Ridge, Mission, Chilliwack, and Abbotsford. Each crew
spent three weeks on work arranged and supervised by the B.C. Forest Service, and
one week in a classroom setting. The emphasis in the classroom setting is on life
skills.
The project was a positive tool to assist married men, conditioned by failures,
disappointments, and frustrations, to obtain feelings of accomplishment and pride.
All the men on the programme for any length of time changed in some way as a
result of their exposure to the programme. Changes in family living patterns,
friendships formed, skills acquired, all help to a difference in awareness of one's
self worth. In addition to this, approximately 50 per cent of the men were assisted
to gainful employment.
Job Opportunity Programme — Under this programme, which started on November 1, the Provincial Government paid 50 per cent of the wages of workers who
received social assistance for three months and who were resident in British Columbia
for one year. They had to be hired for at least eight weeks and the jobs offered
must be new ones. Each office co-operated in this plan and the result was that a
number of people were able to enter the work stream. Surrey, in particular, found
this to be an excellent way to assist a large number of recipients locate employment.
Job-search techniques—Most offices had special workers to assist employable
clients. These workers used a spectrum of services to connect clients with employment. One service added this year was instruction in job-search techniques to
benefit inexperienced young people. This review gives them a greater feeling of
security to go and seek jobs and helps them to be aware of what employers expect.
N 94 REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
Incentive Opportunities Programme—This programme provides for people on
assistance to accept work in a nonprofit setting and receive an additional $50 for 30
hours' work per month. Many who take part are mothers with children. The
majority indicate that the personal benefits are most important. These include an
opportunity to become involved in community activities, gain self-confidence, mix
with other people, and have a break from household chores.
For a number of individuals who have been out of the work force for several
years, the practical experience is a benefit since they can gradually become reoriented and brush up on job skills.
FRAUD
Another expectation placed on staff during the year was an increasing vigilance
to assure that only those who were clearly eligible received help from public funds.
Most people receive Social Allowance through necessity. There is a small minority which tries to cheat. Because this small minority casts an unfavourable reflection
on others on Social Allowance, it was necessary during the year to add investigators
on a temporary basis to review all case loads carefully. Surrey found it necessary
to add an investigator on an ongoing basis.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
Frequently the delivery of human services results in gaps. Also new needs
are continually being presented. It is with special interest, therefore, in all parts
of the region that we view the development of voluntary community associations,
which close the gaps and meet new needs by implementing programmes and facilities in the health and welfare field. Developments during the year have covered a
wide variety of activities such as clothing depots, meals on wheels, Family Life,
Community Service Associations, activity workshops, Homemaker Service, Head
Start, Home Aides, day-care, etc.
Each of these developments is the result of hard work by interested, imaginative
citizens. Also, staff gave time making needs known for community resources and
thus stimulating community action.
Participating with other agencies and local groups is an integral part of our
service and, accordingly, many staff members spent time in attending community
meetings centring on programmes or services which affect public welfare programmes.
STAFF DEVELOPMENT
During the fall the region hosted an eight day in-service training programme
at Abbotsford. The course was unique as it included Indian Affairs Branch representatives, Band Council representatives, and newly appointed members of the
Department from Regions 1, 2, and 6. We also made use of Douglas College to
provide some of the lecturers.
MENTAL HEALTH
In June, three case aides were assigned to the region by the Mental Health
Branch, to work under our administration. Their role is to provide the financial
services needed by approximately 500 improved mental health patients placed in
boarding-home care within the Fraser Valley.
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1971/72 N 95
STAFFING
As social workers terminated during the year, they were mainly replaced by
Social Service Counsellors (case aides). This change in the mix of our staff results
from a study of the functional requirements of our service. The study showed that
social workers were doing routine chores, when their primary role is counselling.
Social Service Counsellors are now responsible to insure that needy persons
are provided with the funds that they require and services to help them toward
self-help. In keeping with this change in personnel practice, the social worker will
be able to spend more time in counselling, with emphasis on help to families.
INNOVATIONS
During the year a number of innovative techniques was explored. For example, one very disturbed child was kept in his own home and in his own community by the appointment of a child-care worker to work with him on a one-to-one
basis. The child was too impulsive to attend school, and the alternative was admission to a treatment centre. The social and financial benefits indicate that we
should use this technique more frequently.
Services were expanded at Menno Home, Abbotsford. This facility is unique
because it now provides at one location, all inclusive service to the elderly, i.e.,
boarding-home, limited personal care, and extended hospital care.
In Chilliwack, group counselling was established for parents who had children
in foster-home care. Two social workers took part in the role of group counsellors.
They were active not only in discussions, but also in teaching techniques of dealing
with specific family problems and the principles and attitudes which make for successful parenthood. One separated mother started with a disturbed relationship with
six children. The tone of family life was hostile, tense, chaotic, and bitter. The
group sessions, over a considerable period of time, helped with a new growth of
co-operation, affection, self worth, and support. We have been able to return one
child to the home.
During the past two summers the Chilliwack office found that our teen-agers in
foster- and group-home care require planned activity. Through joint co-operation
with the Parks Branch a plan was developed for the youths to work half-time at a
Provincial park. The work activity ran to August 12 and was followed by a camping trip. It was necessary for a social worker to share in the supervision, both on
the job and on the camping trip. These planned activities are essential and are both
preventive and rehabilitative.
APPRECIATION
I wish to thank all the individuals, foster parents, group-home parents, client
groups, voluntary associations, and public agencies throughout the region who joined
forces with us in our attempt to prevent, alleviate, and resolve social problems.
Appreciation is also due to a conscientious and dedicated staff for their activity
and creative energy.
N 96 REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
region 7 reports...
A. J. WRIGHT, Regional Director
A considerable number of changes has occurred over the past year. One
change of significance was the extension of the northern boundary of Region 7. The
Terrace district office now takes in Telegraph Creek and Eddontenajon. The reason
for this move was the improved transportation and communication that occurred
between Terrace and points north. As well as this, it is now possible to drive from
Terrace through to Telegraph Creek and as far as Cassiar. For the same reason
Stewart was moved, from the jurisdiction of the Prince Rupert district office to the
Terrace district office. This was brought about by the opening of the road link
between Terrace and Stewart. It is hoped that with this road now being open
we will be able to provide better and more consistent service to the Stewart area.
Prior to this, the only method of transportation to the Stewart area was either by
sea or air from Prince Rupert. Because of weather conditions experienced on the
north coast, this method was never truly satisfactory. By placing these areas in the
Terrace office it also comes in line with the other agencies servicing these northern
communities, which increases our efficiency and betters our service to them.
Also of significance were changes in staff which were noted throughout the
whole region, particularly in Prince Rupert. The District Supervisor, Mr. Fagan,.
left during the middle of the year and was replaced shortly thereafter by Mr. Drake.
Unfortunately, Mr. Drake did not remain long in the Prince Rupert office and that
office experienced the misfortune of having no one to supervise. In spite of this,
the service to our clients and the community continued at a fairly high standard of
performance.
With the continued growth and expansion of the communities in this region,
increases in staff and possible office accommodation are always under constant study.
Consideration was given to the possibility of opening an office in the Houston area.
However, this was shelved when it was learned that the pulp-mill had been sold and
no expansion to the point that we had anticipated was going to take place. Houston,
therefore, continues to be serviced from the Smithers office, although there is the
distinct possibility that, in the near future, consideration will have to be given to the
establishment of an office in that area.
Stewart is another town of considerable expansion. It is a mining town that
has grown rapidly over the past few years and has given no indication that this
growth is slowing down. Office accommodation has been obtained in the Government Building and we are hopeful that a part-time person can be hired to provide
service to Stewart.
Case loads during the past year showed only a slight increase. This was noted
in almost all categories. There was, however, a significant drop in the number of
transients passing through the region. It is believed that the reason for this was the
rather stable economic situation that occurred in this area, accompanied by a normal
growth in the total population. As no major projects started in this area, the
transiency was seen to drop off. This was in sharp contrast to the situation that
we experienced the year before. Prince Rupert, however, experienced its usual
fluctuation in case loads which is the result of seasonal employment. Terrace on
the one hand showed a decrease in the total number of cases, whereas Smithers
showed an increase. This accounts for the small increase in regional totals.
The operation of our existing resources continued at near full capacity over
the past year, with the exception of the Hagwilget Receiving-home. It has been
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1971/72
N 97
decided, because of the condition of the building and also its lack of use, that this
resource will be closed down. The two remaining receiving-homes in Prince Rupert
and Terrace continue to be used to a great extent and provide great service to children who come into our care for a short period of time. After a slow start, the Prince
Rupert Permanent Foster Home was occupied by a family group and now is filled
to near capacity. The Kitimat Permanent Foster Home is operating at capacity.
The two group homes in Prince Rupert, which serve our teen-age children, are also
at full capacity. It was unfortunate that our Prince Rupert Permanent Foster Home
parents left us during the year and the Girl's Group Home parents moved into their
place. This necessitated recruiting a new set of parents for our Girl's Home. Unfortunately, this always causes some disruption to the children in the home. This
year saw the completion of the new Hazelton Children's Home on the hospital
grounds. This is a larger, more convenient type of building as it is specifically
designed for the use of the children and staff, whereas the older building was simply
a former doctor's residence. Along with more floor space and brighter atmosphere, larger play areas have been provided. The children in this home who need
to be near a medical service continue to get a high level of care.
Terrace saw the opening of the Alice Olsen Home during the year. This is a
joint effort between the Mental Health Branch and our District Office as well as
interested members of the community in the area of the retarded child. A suitable
building was found near the Retarded Children's School, and foster parents to
operate it were also obtained. It is now operating to capacity and providing not
only a homelike atmosphere but also a home near a resource that provides the
special education and training that these children require.
Another area in which we look to improve our service to children is in the formation of a committee in Prince Rupert to study the possibility of amalgamating our
children's resources. It is hoped that this will result in a uniform level of service
to the children. It is also hoped that once this is under way the committee can
undertake the study to refine and expand these services.
Services to adults and families were also improved in the region in the past year.
In the Kispiox Valley, outside of Hazelton, the Salvation Army opened a treatment
centre for alcoholics. It is planned to operate it on the same basis as the Miracle
Valley in the Fraser Valley. The cottages and clearing of the land was done by men
moved up by the Salvation Army from Miracle Valley. It is hoped that when it
is fully completed it will be handling between 15 and 20 men.
In Prince Rupert, two resources came into effect for families. The largest
development was the low-cost rental housing unit that was completed during the past
year. This has been of great value to the people of Prince Rupert in that it is providing adequate and satisfactory housing for a large number of families who are
either in the low-income bracket or in receipt of Social Allowance. Also, as a result of concern expressed about families and single women coming to Prince Rupert,
arrangements were made with the Salvation Army to provide accommodation in
the Kanata Residence for these people. The Kanata Residence was formerly a
home for young girls who the Indian Affairs Branch had brought into town for
higher education. Due to change in policy, it was no longer used for this and as it
was suitable for our needs, we undertook this new programme.
Staff during the past year have had heavy demands placed upon them, but have
continued to serve the people of this area to the best of their abilities. Co-operation
with allied agencies such as Indian Affairs, Mental Health, Probation, and the Courts,
has remained at its usual high standard and their work with us has been of great
value.
N 98
REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
region # reports...
R. E. PHILLIPS, Regional Director
The most striking trend in Region 8 in the 1971/72 fiscal year was the over-all
reduction in Social Allowance cases and expenditures. While the regional case load
in all categories reduced 9 per cent over the year, there was a 17 per cent reduction
in Social Allowance categories.
Implementation of the new Federal Government Unemployment Insurance
programme was certainly the major reason for the reduction of Social Allowance
cases. This is demonstrated in the 10-per-cent reduction in regional expenditures
to unemployed employables, combined with a remarkable 80-per-cent reduction
in expenditure on supplementation of Unemployment Insurance.
Perhaps these figures on expenditures to employables can be said to mirror
varying rates of economic development in different parts of the region. The trend
toward economic stability in the South Peace was evidenced by a 25-per-cent reduction in expenditures to employables, as well as by significantly reduced activity
in the Dawson Creek men's hostel. But north of the Peace River, Fort St. John
experienced only an 8-per-cent reduction in Social Allowances to employables. On
the other hand, Fort Nelson's continuing rapid growth is shown by an increase of
more than 300 per cent in expenditures to employables over the year. The latter
community's growth was bolstered by completion of the PGE northern extension
from Fort St. John in September 1971.
There were two other important reasons for the reduction in Social Allowance
cases. One was revision and improvement of methods of eligibility determination
and ongoing service delivery, with ultimate improvement of Social Allowance caseload management. A second reason was the excellent integrated intake-job placement programme with the local office of the Provincial Alliance of Businessmen.
This concept of integration of the two programmes should be seriously considered
for use in other regions of the Province.
A disquieting fact was a 26-per-cent increase in total children in care by the
end of the fiscal year. Most of this net gain consisted of adolescents committed to
care under the Juvenile Delinquents Act. The quest for appropriate resources to
meet the needs of this group continued, but with limited success.
Staff turnover was high during the year, especially in the spring and summer
of 1971. Many social workers with us for several years transferred to other employment or to other regions. As part of an over-all staff-utilization plan, many social
worker vacancies were filled by case aides. With this new mixture of staff, a "team
approach" to service delivery has developed. While this case aide/social worker
team approach to service delivery has inherent problems, the general result has been
most successful.
In other Departmental activity, C. N. Sacuta was appointed District Supervisor
in Fort St. John on June 1, 1971. Two case aides were hired on a special project
basis to complete an audit of regional Social Allowance case loads. This audit provided us with valuable information about our financial assistance programmes, and
it is hoped that this project may be repeated in the future, perhaps in an effort to
review other services. One of the project case aides was taken on full-time staff
on the conclusion of the project. In that same month, an excellent conference of
group home houseparents and support staff was held in Prince George. Our regional adoption programme was given a shot in the arm through two visits by Mrs.
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1971/72
N 99
McKay, of Adoption Placements. Staff knowledge of specialized resources for the
emotionally disturbed child was enhanced by a visit from Ian Bain, of Special Placement Section, in November 1971.
Communities were quite active during the year, with some projects being
brought to completion, while others progressed busily. In Dawson Creek a new
receiving-home for teen-agers opened in February in the home of Mr. and Mrs.
George Richter. Day-care services in the city took a leap forward in June with the
opening of the Dawson Creek Day-care Centre, under the sponsorship of the
Lutheran Church.
The local Rotary Club is proceeding at a steady pace with renovation of a vast
office building into a boarding-home for senior citizens.
Further north, the Fort St. John Friendship Society continued an active programme of fund-raising projects and social activities. One of this organization's
major goals is to eventually open a full time drop-in centre in the present building
for various social activities. One important role of the society at present is to assist
native Indian people in finding out about and using community resources.
The Damlahagit youth project received two substantial Federal Government
grants this year. One was an Innovative Project Grant to do with the nonmedical
use of drugs. Canada Manpower's Local Incentive Programme provided the society
with over $25,000 for creation of a centre for development of interest in arts and
crafts among youth.
The Chetwynd Metis housing project was all but completed in the fiscal year.
Some 16 houses will have been built in an attractive subdivision with full involvement of the owner-builders. Families that once lived in crowded shacks on the edge
of the community now live in modern homes with all village services. The success
of this has led to talk of expanding the project. Existing Metis housing underwent
some improvement under the "Winter Warmth" programme sponsored by the B.C.
Association of Non-Status Indians and funded by the Federal Government. Funds
for the programme were somewhat limited this year, but such items as heating systems and insulation were repaired or replaced in a substantial number of homes in
the region.
Efforts in the previous year to establish a mental health centre in the region
were at least partially successful. A psychiatric nurse was appointed in September
1971, with a psychologist joining the team in November. These two people were
to provide the range of assessment and counselling services to the whole Peace-Liard
region from Fort St. John. But demands for mental health services in this large
region are heavy. The size of the region to be served, coupled with the shortage of
staff in the centre itself, indicates the need for serious consideration to be given to
opening a separate mental health centre in Dawson Creek as well.
During the past year priority has been given to improving service delivery in
our financial assistance programmes. New staff-utilization plans and social audit
systems were initiated to this end. We developed fraud prevention and detection
procedures which have confirmed that there is abuse of Social Allowance, but the
incidence of abuse has proved to be slight in this region. With the over-all improvements in management of our income maintenance programmes, we see our regional
priorities shifting. A much greater input into our family and child welfare services
is urgently needed if we are to cope with problems of family breakdown and increasing admission of children to our care.
Shifting priorities place great demands on all staff. Again I feel that all the
staff of Region 8 should be commended for their ability to respond to new demands
with flexibility and purpose.
N 100
REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
PART IV—LEGISLATION
ACTS ADMINISTERED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF
REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
DEPARTMENT OF REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
ACT (R.S.B.C. 1960, Chap. Ill)
This Act establishes the Department of Rehabilitation and Social Improvement
as having jurisdiction of all matters relating to social and public welfare and social
assistance.
SOCIAL ASSISTANCE ACT
(R.S.B.C. 1960, Chap. 360, as Amended)
The purpose of this Act and its regulations is to provide financial assistance
and other services that are essential for a reasonably normal and healthy existence
to individuals and families who are unable to maintain themselves by their own
efforts.
PROTECTION OF CHILDREN ACT
(R.S.B.C. 1960, Chap. 303, as Amended)
The purpose of this Act is to provide protection and care for children who
are neglected, abused, abandoned, or without proper supervision or guardianship.
CHILDREN OF UNMARRIED PARENTS ACT
(R.S.B.C. 1960, Chap. 52, as Amended)
This Act is to ensure that the interests of the mother and her child born out of
wedlock are protected.
ADOPTION ACT
(R.S.B.C. 1960, Chap. 4, as Amended)
The purpose of this Act is to provide the same rights and privileges for adopted
children as those of children born to both parents in a family.
OLD-AGE ASSISTANCE ACT*
(R.S.B.C. 1960, Chap. 270)
The purpose of this Act is to provide financial assistance to persons between
65 and 68 years of age who have limited assets or income.
DISABLED PERSONS' ALLOWANCES ACT
(R.S.B.C. 1960, Chap. 113, as Amended)
This Act provides financial assistance to persons over 18 years of age who are
totally and permanently disabled and who have limited assets or income.
* Replaced by Federal Old-age Security and Guaranteed Income Supplement Programmes, effective January 1, 1970; certain cases still active, however.
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1971/72
N 101
BLIND PERSONS' ALLOWANCES ACT
(R.S.B.C. 1960, Chap. 29, as Amended)
This Act provides financial assistance to blind persons over 18 years of age and
who have limited assets or income.
PROVINCIAL HOME ACT
(1969, Chap. 29)
The purpose of this Act is to provide care for persons who are unable to
maintain themselves by their own efforts.
N 102
REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
PART V—STATISTICAL REPORTS AND TABLES
Note—With the exception of Tables 78 to 81 listed below, the Statistical Report of the Department of Rehabilitation and Social Improvement activities for the
fiscal year 1971/72, to compare with activities in previous Annual Reports and
published as a supplement, have been incorporated in the text of the Report. The
table index numbering coincides with the numbering titles, and content of previous
years.
Table 78—Average Monthly Number Receiving Social Allowances
During 1970/71 and 1971/72
Heads of families.
Single persons
Average Case
Load and
Recipients per
Month, 1970/71
Average Case
Load and
Recipients per
Month, 1971/721
26,890
25,102
35,750
34,432
Total case load (average)
Dependents
Totals
62,640
73,898
136,538
59,534
66,759
126,293
i Includes an estimate for Vancouver City.
Table 79'—Children in Care, 1971/72
Monthly Average
Number of
Children,
1971/72
1,323
812
591
5,117
7,843
Vancouver Children's Aid Society ...
Catholic Children's Aid Society
Victoria Children's Aid Society
Child Welfare Division foster homes
Monthly Average
Number of
Days' Care,
1971/72
37,639
22,963
17,037
147,613
Totals
225,252
Table 80—Proportion of Total Gross Welfare Expenditure
1970/71
1971/72
Value
Per Cent
Value
Per Cent
$
1,056,026
1,583,874
4,725,763
175,368
0.7
1.1
3.2
0.1
$
1,205,110
1,769,238
5,481,303
289,439
0.8
1.2
3.7
0.2
18,918,764
6,915,999
102,429,438
12.8
4.7
69.4
19,678,227
7,150,589
103,232,778
13.2
4.8
69.3
8,784,052
6.0
10,122,773
6.8
2,918,684
2.0
l
147,507,968
100.0
148,929,457
100.0
Administration (includes Minister's Office and part
of Accounting Division
Institutions
Field service
Provincial Alliance of Businessmen.-
Maintenance of dependent children (includes New
Denver Youth Centre)
Medical services, drugs, etc._
Social Allowances and burial of indigents..
Allowances for aged and handicapped (Blind and
Disabled Persons' Allowance and Supplementary Social Allowance) .
Grants-in-aid of construction of homes and recreation centres for elderly citizens
Totals
1 This expenditure transferred to the Department of Provincial Secretary in 1971/72.
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, 1971/72
N 103
Salaries -
Expenses—
Office expense
Travelling expense
Medical services
Table 81—Expenditure for Provincial Home, Kamloops, Fiscal Year
Ended March 31, 1972
$
226,031.00
570.00
341.00
4,408.00
187.00
47,505.00
9,274.00
5,527.00
8,153.00
1,370.00
1,265.00
849.00
4,450.00
5,946.00
315,876.00
Clothing and uniforms
Provisions and catering
Laundry and dry goods
Equipment and machinery
Medical supplies
Maintenance of buildings and grounds
Maintenance and operation of equipment.
Transportation
Motor-vehicles and accessories
Burials
Incidental expenses
Less—Board
Rent
$
780.00
300.00
Summary
Provincial Home expenditure
Public Works expenditure 36,444.00
1,080.00
314,796.00
314,796.00
Cost per diem (351,240-^53,888)
Pensions paid to Government Agent, Kamloops
Comfort Money paid to pensioners 18,288.97
351,240.00
6.52
203,985.86
Inmate Days
Inmates in the Home, April 1, 1971
Inmates admitted during the year
Inmates discharged
Inmates deceased
145
133
89
40
Total number of inmates, March 31, 1972
Number of inmate-days for the year
278
129
149
53,888
N 104
REHABILITATION AND SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT
PART VI—PROVINCIAL ALLIANCE OF BUSINESSMEN
The Provincial Alliance of Businessmen opened two additional offices in the
Vancouver area during the year to bring the total in the Province to 10. Service to
all areas of the Province was provided by centrally located offices in Vancouver,
Victoria, Nanaimo, Castlegar, Kelowna, Kamloops, Prince George, and Dawson
Creek.
During the year a total of 10 staff were hired in various capacities and five
resigned for a variety of reasons, with total staff at the end of the year at 26.
Table 82 summarizes the activity and operation of the 10 PAB Offices up to
and including February 29, 1972.
Table 82—A Summary of Activity, All Offices of Provincial Alliance
of Businessmen, up to and Including February 29, 1972.
Current
Month
Month
to Date
Totals
1972
1971 1969/70
Accumulative Totals
Subtotal
Total
Gross
Applicants registered—
Social assistance
Not social assistance
Files retired—
Social assistance
Not social assistance
Placements—■
Social assistance, permanent
Social assistance, temporary.
Not social assistance, permanent.. —
Not social assistance, temporary-
Management interviews .-
Off social assistancel
2,349
773
1,148
603
1,055
48
405
57
1,769
1,322
788
683
4,621
2,012
337
53
195
33
805
590
3,137
1,456
5,769
2,615
1,392
101
600
90
2,574
1,912
7,786
6,599
1,478
614
3,425
640
2,491
613
4,668
7,057
5,883
8,231
N/A
N/A
1,868
131
1,775
256
3,581
2,112
16,806 )
16,286 \
7,247 }
3,229 \
6,685 ]
872,
4,8661
\
929 J
10,823
11,153
33,0921
10,476
7,557'
5,825
J
10,823
11,153
22,616
13,382
1 As from October 23, 1970.
Printed by K. M. MacDonald, Printer to the Queen's Most Excellent Majesty
in right of the Province of British Columbia.
1973
2030-1272-9940
BC Sessional Papers
Annual Report of the Department of Rehabilitation and Social Improvement for the YEAR ENDED MARCH 31… British Columbia. Legislative Assembly 1973
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