NCJ Number
92989
Date Published
1983
Length
30 pages
Annotation
This report identifies the characteristics of juveniles referred by social workers to the locally-based Child in Care programs of the Community Service Volunteers project in England, outlines the reasons for referral, describes the range of work placements, and highlights changes that have occurred across the projects.
Abstract
The Child in Care scheme continues in 1982 to work with highly disadvantaged and vulnerable juveniles. Over a third of the referred juveniles had been living in some form of institution before placement, and a high proportion were experiencing relational problems with their families. There have been some noticable changes in the clients, however, in 1982. The participants are older; fewer are under some form of legal order; more are living with their parents or relatives; and a higher proportion appear to have an intact, albeit uncaring, family. Although the general pattern of placement categories remained much the same in 1982, there was considerable and increasing variety. Work has been done with children's homes, the mentally and physically handicapped, nursery schools and play groups, and general community work. The comparison of juveniles placed in the Child in Care scheme with the general population of participants in the Community Service Volunteers project indicates that the projects as a whole place a very problematic group of juveniles who have homogeneous backgrounds and presenting difficulties. The most significant finding about the offender group is that they include a large number of girls. This is important, since services for delinquent girls are few and difficult to maintain. Tabular data are appended.