Getting started with the Children Act 1948
Getting started with the Children Act 1948
what do we learn?*
The focus here is upon the challenges that confronted the newly appointed children’s officers and their committees in establishing the children’s departments after 1948. Many young women were appointed to head these departments, becoming the first women chief officers in local government, with all the problems for them that that brought with it. But men were also appointed, especially in the urban authorities, many of whom were recruited from education departments. Whether men or women they faced problems of insufficient and untrained staff; poor legacies; rising numbers of children in care and the many other difficulties associated with administrative reform. Some were very able while others struggled. Political skill and acumen were at a premium: compassion and commitment were necessary but not sufficient. Much is to be learned about the repercussions of major reforms that are instituted on an appointed day, without adequate preparation, without sufficient resources and with the co-operation of those who considered themselves the losers in the process still being required.
Keywords: reform, 1948, challenges, women, politics, progress
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