9. Dyson, D.M. The Foster Home and the boarded out child London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd, 1947
A small, green, hardback book with the full title, author and publisher printed in white on the spine only. The fly leaf has the main title only, and the title page has the full title, author, note of the preface by S.Clement Brown, and publisher; the year of publication and copyright are on the reverse.The author studied social science at Leeds and mental health in London and then had extensive experience in social work before becoming the Chief Executive Officer, Boarding Out, of Dr.Barnardo's Homes in the 1940's, including the period of The Curtis Committee, set up in 1945 to assess the care of homeless children
The dust cover has a picture of a triumphant child pushing a just compliant tabby cat in a pram, and the book has 114 pages divided into 12 chapters, all with apt titles, an ample bibliography, and index.
The Preface puts the fostering of children in private homes in its historical and international perspective, and introduces the author as one of wide experience in this form of care for destitute children.
The author writes comprehensively, making the early point that the fostering of homeless children has a long history whereas the care of children in institutions has become a more recent necessity. She then describes four foster children in detail to illustrate the many factors in the success or failure of their care, and thereafter systematically considers the choice of a foster home, the choice of child, and the wide range of circumstances that render a child homeless such that a foster home is sought, making the subtle distinctions that, for some, institutional care may be the better alternative, and that the successfully fostered child is no longer homeless. The reasons for temporary foster care, and for the inherent difficulties of such care are described in detail, and the practical manner in which Barnardo's supervise foster care to ensure standards, while permitting development of relationships that in many cases became those of a permanent family life, are well described.
From the inclusion of the need to maintain a child's natural family ties, and illegitimate children's connection with their natural mother, it is clear that by the mid-nineteen forties Barnardo's no longer saw a need to defend children under their care from reclaim by their own families when they reached the age at which they could earn money for parents. A corollary to this was the cessation of the routine return of boarded-out children to the Homes at the age of fourteen years to undergo training for domestic service at Barkingside, for the navy at one of the Sea Schools, or for a trade at Goldings.
Comment:Accounts of Barnardo's care of children frequently contain assertions and evidence of the high success obtained from foster care, and this book makes it clear that individual skills are required to maintain this.
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