Scattering the Children

Published date01 November 1938
Date01 November 1938
DOI10.1177/026455053800300302
Subject MatterArticles
35
SCATTERING
THE
CHILDREN
By
H.
E.
NORMAN,
O.B.E.
(Secretary
National
Association
of
Probation
Officers)
INCE
the
issue
of
the
last
number
of
&dquo;Proba-
S tion&dquo;
the
international
crisis
over
Germany
and
Czechoslovakia
has
come
to
a
head
and
passed
into
the
sphere
of
history;
not,
however,
without
leaving
its
mark
on
social
workers,
who
found
a
lot
to’
think
about
in
the
startling
experience.
Meanwhile
discussions
proceed
upon
whether
hastily
dug
trenches
should
be
made
permanent
with
concrete
or
sunk
another
so
feet
to
make
them
proof
against
high
explosive
attacks;
Town
Coun-
cils
are
debating
profiteering
in
sandbags;
Minis-
ters
are
urging
larger
and
quicker
outputs
in
arma-
ments ;
Sir
John
Anderson
has
been
appointed
to
organise
civilian
defence
by
voluntary
action
and
Herr
Hitler
is
telling
us
that &dquo;
Germany
will
not
stand
before
anyone’s
door
as
a
-b~eggar.&dquo;
Speaking
at
S~heffield
on
l3th
October
-Sir
John
Simon
said :
&dquo;
We
have
now
a
breathing
space.
The
Govern-
ment
has
entered
upon
a
vigorous, complete,
re-
morseless,
urgent
survey
of
the
whole
position...
There
is
a
widespread
realisation
that
the
organi-
sation
of
man
power
is
a
very
complicated
task.
We
must
not
wait
for
this
reorganization
until
the
crisis
recurs.
In
whatever
may
be
the
most
appro-
priate
form
we
must
do
it
now.&dquo;
In
the
House
of
Lords
the
Marquess
of
Zetland
has.
stated
the
Government’s
attitude
to
a
national
service
register:
&dquo; Not
at
present
is
it
intended
compulsorily
to
register
every
citizen
for
national
service.
First
there
would
be
put
into
operation
a
voluntary
scheme,
but
if
the
Government
found
that
on
a
voluntary
basis
they
were
unable
to
obtain
the
results
desired
they
would
certainly
be
prepared
¡to
take
another
view.&dquo;
Social
workers
of
every
type
are
awaiting
with
alert
attention
some
definite
lead
on
the
part
the
Government
will
desire
them
to
play
in
the
planning
for
national
service
against
another
emergency.
In
the
hours
of
anxiety,
it
was
purposed,
we
under-
stand,
to
evacuate
one-third
of
the
civilian
popula-
tion
and
establish
it
for
the
most
part
in
billets
in
households
in
areas of
greater
security.
This
would
have
meant
that
two-thirds
or
more,
of
the
house-
holds
of
this
country
would
have
been
submitted
to
complete
upheaval
or
serious
disorganisation
with
all
the
emotional
unsettlement
that
would
result.
In
normal
times
a
whole
network
of
social
ser-
vices
has
grown
up
to
preserve
the
stability
of
family
life
for
in
hearth
and
home
lives
the
heart
of
the
British
people.
In
a
time
of
alarm
and
emergency,
with
wholesale
transplanting
of
popula-
tion,
the
need
for
all
these
services
would
increase
enormously.
What
would
be
the
duty
of
the
trained
social
workers
in
such
a
state
of
emergency?
In
the
last
week
of
September
no one
knew ;
and
many
enquiries
were
received
from
probation
officers
seeking
information.
Were
the
services
of
normal
times
to
continue?
If
all
the
juvenile
population
were
evacuated
from
congested
industrial
areas
and
large
numbers
of
adults
required
for
military
ser-
vice
would
the
social
work
of
the
Courts
be
con-
tinued
or
should
able-bodied
probation
officers,
men
and
women,
volunteer
for
other
essential
services ?
These
and
similar
questions
were
in
every
mind.
Two
meetings
of
social
workers
have
since
been
held
in
London
where
similar
questions
were
de-
bated
and
experiences
exchanged.
One
of
these
meetings
organised
by
the
National
Council
of
Social
Service
covered
the
field
of
voluntary
social
work,
the
other,
organised
by
the
British
Federa-
tion
of
Social
Workers,
reflected
the
views
of
some
5,000
professional
workers
engaged
in
various
branches
of
social
work.
There
is
a
very
deep
concern
in
this
question
on
the
part
of
men
and
women
who
have
devoted
their
lives
to
vocational
social
work.
In
another
time
of
national
emergency
culminating
in
War
(which
God
forbid !)
military
defence
against
attack
from
air
and
sea
would
of
course
be
the
first
consideration,
but
the
life
blood
of
the
nation
runs
in
the
veins
of
the
children
whose
spiritual
health
must
be
pre-
served
at
all
costs.
No
doubt
this
was
in
the
minds
of
those
who
made
the
evacuation
plans.
But
transport,
housing
and
feeding
in
the
next
war
would
not
be
enough.
If
it
is
’hoped
to
preserve
the
moral
and
mental
balance
of
the
next
generation
all
the
essential
ser-
vices
that
have
been
built
up
for
child
welfare
would
have
to
be
evacuated
with
the
juvenile
population.
At
a
recent
meeting
of
evacuation
organisers
at
the
Home
Office
it
was
stated
that
25o,ooo
women
had
volunteered;
an
amazing
response
to
the
nation’s
call.
This
generous,
spontaneous
offer
of
voluntary
help
would
need
organising
and
training
before
it
could
be
used
in
children’s
care
commit-
tee
work,
psychiatric
social
work,
in
the
social
work
of
the
Courts
and
the
many
other
services
we
have
come
to
depend
upon.
There
is
a
vital
need
to
save
from
any
danger
of
disintegration
the
trained
staffs
that
have
been
col-
lected
together
at
so
great
cost
to
meet
the
needs
of
these
juvenile
welfare
services.
It
would
be
a
thousand
pities
if
trained
and
experienced
social
(Continued
at
f oot
of
next
page).

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