Select Committee on Health First Report


APPENDIX 19

Memorandum by Mr Alex Crocket

British Child Migrants (CM 228)
My full name is Alexander McIntyre Crocket of Havelock North, New Zealand. Between 1950-54 I was stationed in Palmerston North where I was a Child Welfare Officer in the Child Welfare Division of the Department of Education. That division was subsequently amalgamated into the new Department of Social Welfare.Part of my work was with NZ Wards of the State, Children's Court Cases and delinquency issues. When the then Government put a new clause in the Child Welfare Act of 1925 recognising the Department's role with British Child Migrants and stating that such children upon arrival in New Zealand were deemed to be under the guardianship of the Superintendent of Child Welfare (in Wellington), it fell to me, in our office in Palmerston North to be part of a very small district team who sought over a reasonably large area to:

  Receive social work reports from the areas in the UK where parents and (children?) were seeking to have their children placed in this country.

  Find prospective foster homes in our community for migrant children of school age.

  Find prospective work for older migrant children of working age in line with their stated preferences.

  Prepare full social work reports on those offering homes who had heard details of specific children/young people. Through our head office these reports were then sent to UK parents via the UK agencies who were in touch with the parents.

  If the arrangements were approved in the UK, met the children when they arrived in our area, took and introduced them to where they would be living. Subsequently as with wards of the state, social workers kept in close touch both with the children and the fosterparents or employers.In my case for those working boys who were clearly unhappy, assist with their banking and in liaison with their parents, in the UK send them back by boat.As my parents were both migrants from Scotland who yearned for their homeland and their families, I had a special interest and affinity with the whole programme. I enjoyed this work as most of the youngsters were a delight, albeit from an entirely different culture. In the course of this work I encouraged children to write to their parents—and likewise tried to have the parents respond. Few did, I sought to help those who were homesick or moved the children where obviously the fosterhome was not working out. All the time our social work notes were kept up to monitor how the children was progressing. Mostly around 17 years of age they were "discharged" from the care of the Superintendent of Child Welfare and were expected to make their own way.The difference of perception of the child, and those who cared for them, was often vast despite the patient work we had done with those who had applied to take a child—mostly as result of newspaper advertisements and national media publicity.Many parents in war-shattered UK, thought New Zealand was the golden land—no rationing, plenty of good food, a land of the future. The boys on farms had expected to be riding the range as cowboys, not the grind of milking of cows twice daily, often distant from the urban lights. All wages were the standard award wage of the day for their age with wages being sent by employers for banking in individual trust funds. Pocket money was negotiated for each worker. When discharged from the department's care the money was paid over in a lump sum to the migrant.School children found their accents often foreign to the New Zealand ear and often adjusted poorly to schools. With the multiplicity of cultures now in this country this would not now apply.At the time, and since, I have regarded the parsimony of both governments in not making money available to support these young people in this new country was heartless and short sighted in terms of human happiness.Once the children were in New Zealand, unless they were earning their own money, they could not afford to return to the UK. Many sorely wanted to do this after a year or so. Neither Government would apparently entertain such expenditure.I am sure the quality of care of Child Migrants was variable over the whole of the country, despite social work inspectors visiting each district regularly. Further, as willing fosterparents took young migrants, the burden of not receiving any state funding for board and clothing, except the then Family Benefit of 10/- a week, took the gloss off their altruism. For this reason often changes of fosterhomes became the only solution.

Conclusions

  With the benefit of hindsight child migration from their UK homeland was wrong, albeit its original intentions were altruistic. The long tradition in the UK to send some of its young children overseas, particularly from orphanages, made this scheme seem logical.

  The perceptions of people like myself, who worked enthusiastically with the young people themselves is now miles apart from our previous clients. Even when examining their extant files now, the perceptions migrants had of what was their early history here is seldom modified. Maybe, often for good reasons.

  As in many fostering situations wrong things, took place unknown to those working with them as social workers. Many placements were very successful and the young people flourished—but these do not advertise themselves, sadly lest there is the stigma of Child Migrant associated with them.

  I think both governments owe something to these, now adult people.

  Recommendation: My own strong view is that a fund should be set to allow those, who are not in a financial position to travel to the UK to see their home place and re-establish family relationships, financial help should be given for a return trip. Protocols could be set up.In New Zealand we have a Maori beloved term. It is: "turangawaewae." Translated it means "A place where my feet can stand. (My own home turf)". Where do the feet of these migrants emotionally now stand? Some are surely still be in the UK. They are owed something.Please do not hesitate to be in touch with me if I can be of further help.

19 June 1998


 
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