The Gazette 1973

(f) At present, the Adoption Board visits the child in the care of prospective adoptive parents after placement. Provision should be made for a visit to the prospective parents by a properly trained and erper- ienced caseworker before placement. (g) Legislation preventing the adoption of children of mixed religions should be replaced. The lecturer then referred to his work in Philadelphia and mentioned that the Children's Aid Society of Pennsylvania had published in 3 vols, a work en- titled "A follow up of Adoption—Post Placement Functioning of Adoptive Children". The lecturer also mentioned Father Good's article on "Legal Adoption in Ireland" which appeared in "Child Adoption". The lecturer pointed out that, although great strides had been made in health legislation, it was not possible under the Mental Treatment Acts, to make provision for compulsory treatment of those who are mentally ill, unless the application is made by the child's parent or guardian. Under various statutes, there is no unitary age at which a child legally passes into the status of adulthood; the ages of 14, 16 and 18 are mentioned in different laws, this should be remedied. About one-third of the population—900,000—are children under 16 years of age, and it is not surprising that many of these have emotional problems. Unfor- tunately the Government works through a number of departments which disorganizes the work. In 1970, the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, dealt with 1923 cases, comprising 6684 children, of whom more than half were "neglect" cases. Out of the 1343 cases adopted in 1968, only 40 were non-Catholic, 118 were adopted by relatives, and 1055 through Local Adoption Centres. In 1968-69, 463 children of both sexes were placed in Industrial Schools and a further 97 had been placed there by parents. The lecturer then referred to his article on "problem Children and their Families" in the Summer 1971 issue of "Studies", as well as the Reports of the Work- ing Party on Drug Abuse of 1971, and the Report of the Commission on Mental Illness of 1966. Delinquency: Any child who behaves anti-socially is potentially delinquent, and particulars can be obtained from the annual Garda Commissioner's Reports. It is essential that children should be properly assessed before being sent to an Industrial School. Following assessment, suitable counselling guidance and educational replace- ment can be arranged by a Child Psychiatric Team. The special squad of police, ailed "Juvenile Liaison Officers" perform valuable preventive social service, by counselling in stress and crisis situation, but they would require more training in modern methods of counsel- ling. More Probation Officers are required, and for- tunately this personnel is being increased. There are big changes happening in society, such as the entry into the Common Market, and the vast economic and financial restructuring of the country. But the only way social legislation can be changed is by Dail enactment, and it is up to the members of this Society to prepare the way by spelling out the urgency of some of these social problems; this legisla- tion should allow for radical alteration in our system in matters affecting personality development and mental health.

Dr. Paul E. McQuaid, M.R.C.P.I., delivered a lecture on Sunday afternoon, 5th November, on the subject of "Reform in the Law relating to Children from an outsider's point of view". He first quoted the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of the Child 1959 and then some of the objectives contained in Article 45 of the Constitution called "Directive Principles of Social Principles", which in principle are not cogniz- able by the Courts. On the principle that "The child- is the father of man", it was stressed that the problems surrounding childhood in each individual case will in- evitably influence the child when growing up. The lecturer than mentioned the grim McClure case, in which a Catholic Director of Marks and Spencer and his wife, had adopted three girls who were triplets in January 1969. In August 1971, a letter from the Eastern Health Board stated the mother wanted to see them, and alleged that the parents (the mother mean- while having married the putative father) were in a sound financial position. The children were brought to Dublin by the adoptive parents and the parents brought them back to England by a trick. Here the children were starved and neglected in a disgraceful way to the extent that one of them died from ill- treatment, within three weeks. The adoptive parents asked, for the return of the children who were in a pitiful condition, and they returned there on the 7th October 1971, after many formalities had been com- pleted. The character of the children had however completely changed in the meantime, they were deeply shocked, and required heavy sedation, but have gradually made progress under the care of the lecturer since then. The adoptive parents have been very calm and steadfast throughout. The real parents, named McClure, were tried at Winchester Crown Court in January 1972 for persistent neglect and cruel ill- treatment of the 3 children, and for manslaughter of the child who died. The real father was eventually jailed for 5 years, and the mother was placed on 3 years probation, provided that she submitted to 12 months treatment in a hospital. Adoption orders: As regards Adoption Orders by the Board, 1343 such orders were made in 1968, and, as there are 6 inspectors in the Republic, this gave them a load of 224 cases each. There are 24 not recognised homes in Ireland which contain 700 children. There are 36 schools officially approved by the Minister for Educa- tion where homeless children can be placed; 26 of these are registered as "Industrial Schools" run by religious orders. The lecturer suggests the following reforms in the Adoption Law : (a) The period in which a mother can give legal evidence of consent for adoption, should be reduced from six months to three months, (b) A procedure should be adopted by which the Board can act if the mother cannot be found. (c) Procedures should be provided for the adoption of legitimate but abandoned children. (d) Provision should be made for properly equipped and staffed Adoption centres. (e) It should be mandatory to undertake a case history and to provide requisite psychiatric facilities for the unmarried mother before the placement of the child.

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