Probation Work and Girls' Clubs
| Author | Doris Dyer |
| DOI | 10.1177/026455053400101809 |
| Published date | 01 January 1934 |
| Date | 01 January 1934 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
283
Probation
Work
and
Girls’
Clubs
By
DORIS
DYER
(Secretary,
Stepney
Association
of
Girls’
Clubs).
jrj, EPORTS
from
the
Commissioners
of
Prisons
show
JLFV
that
it is
rare
for
boys
and
girls
belonging
to
a
good
Club,
Scout
Troup,
or
Guide
Company
to
be
received
into
prison
and
similarly
it is
rare
for
-boys
and
girls
in
this
catagory
to
come
before
the
magistrate
at
a
Children’s
Court.
It
would
seem
from
this
that
the
first
way
in
which
the
Club
movement
can
help,
in
the
prevention
of
delinquency,
is
to
increase
its
number
of
Clubs
and
Guilds
and
so
provide
for
the
leisure
time
of
a
greater
number
of
young
people.
Environment
counts
for
much
in
juvenile
life
and
if
the
home
cannot
provide
an
outlet
for
the
boys
and
girls
in
their
leisure
hours
then
that
outlet
will
be
found
with
the
gang
in
the
street,
unless
there
is
some
organ-
isation
ready
to
provide
a
better
alternative.
Even
now
with
a
greatly
increased
number
of
Clubs
for
boys
and
girls
over
the
age
of
14
years
there
is
a
serious
gap.
Clubs
formed
primarily
for
the
14-17
age
group
often
open
their
doors
to
juniors
under
that
age
from
5-7
p.m.,
but
this
does
not
satisfy
a
number
of
the
wilder
element,
who,
allowed
out
in
the
streets
until
10
p.m.
spend
their
time
kicking
at
the
doors
of
existing
Clubs,
and
making
themselves
such
a
nuisance
that
the
harrassed
Club
leader
feels
she
would
like
to
take
advantage
of
the
new
Children’s
Act
and
bring
them
before
the
magis-
trate
herself.
Meanwhile
what
can
the
existing
Clubs
do
for
the
girls
who
are
brought
before
the
magistrate
and
placed
on
probation ?
Most
Club
leaders
are
anxious
and
willing
to
help
in
any
way
they
can,
and
with
the
many
activities
in
their
Clubs,
can
provide
helpful
occupation
for
leisure
hours,
and
what
is
often
just
as
important
a
fresh
circle
of
possible
friends
for
the
young
delinquent.
It
is
very
important
in
this
respect
that
the
probation
officer
should
be
in
close
touch
with
all
the
Clubs
in
her
district
and
should
know
the
various
activities
provided
by
each
in
order
that
she
may
link
the
girls
on
to
the
Club
that
definitely
offers
something
that
she
herself
is
wanting.
The
strength
of
the
Club’s
hold
on
its
members
is
that
they
come
voluntarily,
because
the
Club
offers
something
that
they
want,
and
it
is
essential
that
this
desire
should
be
present
in
the
member
who
comes
through
the
probation
officer.
Where
there
is
a
local
Federation
it
is
easy
for
the
probation
officer
to
get
this
information
about
the
Clubs
in
her
particular
district.
Most
Clubs
offer
some
form
of
athletics,
physical
training
classes,
net-ball,
hockey
or
tennis,
etc.,
and
this
can
be
pointed
out
to
the
girl
who
specially
needs
an
outlet
for
her
abundant
physical
energy.
The
desire
to
possess
pretty
things
is
catered
for
in
dressmaking
and
embroidery
classes
and
many
a
restless
spirit
who
cannot
be
bothered
with
either
of
these
will
fall
under
the
spell
of
a
handicraft
class
where
some
fascinating
object
grows
under
the
manipulation
of
her
own
clever
hands.
In
addition
to
the
activities
provided
by
the
Club
it
is
very
necessary
that
its
religious
background
should
be
known,
whether
it
is
an
open
Club
or
definitely
attached
to
Church
or
Chapel.
One
difficulty
must
not
be
overlooked.
No
matter
how
much
the
Club
leader
and
her
Committee
members
may
want
to
help,
it is
extraordinarily
true
that
one
difficult
girl
can
have
a
devastating
effect
on
a
group
of
rather
negative
girls.
Whilst
the
tradition
of
a
Club
will
be
the
determining
influence,
and
will
win
the
day
in
a
well
grounded
and
well
established
Club,
it
must
be
recognised
that
a
small
and
struggling
Club
should
not
be
used
for
the
purpose
of
reforming
a
really
difficult
delinquent.
The
probation
officer
can
help
the
Club
leader
by
giving
her
all
the
facts
of
the
case.
It
is
a
mistaken
policy
to
think
that
the
girl
has
a
fairer
start
in
a
Club
if
none
of
the
facts
concerning
her
are
known.
The
Club
leader
can
tackle
her
much
more
sympathetically
if
she
knows
the
true
cause
of
the
girl’s
delinquency
and
if
all
the
factors
gleaned
by
the
probation
officer
are
at
her
disposal.
Similarly
the
probation
officer,
with
her
specialised
training,
can
be
of
great
assistance
to
the
Club
leader
in
advising
her
how
to
deal
with
specially &dquo; difficult &dquo;
girls
in
her
Club.
The
ideal
situation
would
be
that
a
probation
officer
was
recognised
as
a
friend
in
every
Club,
but,
with
some
60
probationers
under
her
care
and
anything
from
one
to
30
or
more
Clubs
and
Guide
Companies
in
her
district
this
is
hardly
possible.
The
next
best
thing
is
a
recog-
nition
of
the
possibilities
of
co-operation
and
friendship
between
the
probation
officers
and
the
Club
workers
and
a
frank
acknowledgment
of
the
difficulties
and
a
facing
of
them
together.
MISSION
PROBATION
WORK
IN
MIDDLESBROUGH.
The
Report
of
Middlesbrough
Police
Court
for
the
year
ending
September,
1933,
shows
that
Mrs.
E.
Ralphs,
who
is
a
full-time
officer
of
the
Probation
Committee,
dealt
with
a
total
number
of
408
matrimonial
cases,
81
cases
of
boys
and
girls
who
needed
advice
and
assis-
tance
to
prevent
their
drifting
into
delinquency,
and
carried
over
at
the
end
of
the
year
42
probationers
actually
under
supervision.
In
addition,
601
letters
were
written,
and
food,
rent
and
other
assistance
was
given
to
102
applicants.
Mrs.
Ralphs
feels
there
is
a
special
need
for
training
to
fit
young
girls
for
domestic
service
and
so
give
them
a
start
in
life.
She
attributes
as
one
reason
for
the
very
heavy
number
of
matrimonial
cases
brought
to
the
Court,
unemployment,
which
brings
in
its
train,
anxiety
and
nervousness,then
irritability
and
discord
in
the
home.
Gambling
in
Middlesbrough
appears
to
be
more
pre-
valent
than
ever,
and
consequent
upon
it
there
has
been
a
good
deal
of
pawning.
Drunkenness
also
is
a
problem,
although
lack
of
money
appears
to
have
lessened
this
evil.
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