A study of ninety wards in child caring institutions in Halifax : an analysis of the personal characteristics, family background and placement experiences of wards of child welfare agencies who were in child caring institutions during the year 1958

Abstract

This thesis is based on a study of ninety wards of the Halifax District Office of the Department of Public Welfare and the Children’s Aid Society of Halifax who were in child caring institutions during the year 1958. This research project was carried out by the second year students of the Maritime School of Social Work. On this study are based nine individual theses. Primary data were obtained, with the use of schedules, from the case records of the ninety wards. Secondary data were obtained from community resources, social agencies, and personal interviews. This thesis is a statistical analysis of the children as a group; case analysis is used for illustrative purposes. The writer considered certain characteristics of these children, the reasons for their apprehension, and their placements before and during 1958. The findings indicate that ten per cent of these wards were institutionalized because of a lack of more appropriate resources for their care.