27.  The Child Welfare Act should be broadened to provide for the doing of preventive work.  At present it provides only for the correction of children who have committed offences or who are delinquents.  There are also grave weaknesses in this statute and in the whole procedure for dealing with offending and delinquent children.

XVIII.  Recommendations

=(1) Proposals for Legislation=

(a) The definition of “obscene” and “indecent” in the statute law relating to printed and published matter should be enlarged so as to cover all productions which are harmful in that they place undue emphasis on sex, crime, or horror.

(b) All distributors of books, magazines, and periodical (other than newspapers and educational or scientific publications) should be required to register their names and the names of their various publications.  If they offend against the proposed law regarding objectionable publications, their licences to produce or distribute should be cancelled.

(c) A new offence should be created whereunder boys and girls who are guilty of indecent conduct with one another should both be liable to be charged as delinquents in the Children’s Court and the practice of recording the names of boys in the Police Gazette as having been summarily dealt with should cease.

(d) In all cases where children are summoned to Court their parents (if available) should be required to attend with them.

(e) The Court should have the power to require the parent or guardian of an offending or delinquent child to pay the fine or costs and to give security for the future good behaviour of the child unless the Court is satisfied that the conduct of the parent or guardian has not conduced to the child’s wrong doing.

(f) The Court should also be given power to direct that the children’s benefit or family benefit payable to any parent or guardian by the Social Security Commission be suspended until he gives the security required by the Court or for such further or other period as the Court may order.  The material interests of the child should be preserved by enabling the Court to suspend the operation of the order, or to cancel it upon being satisfied that the parent or guardian has given the required security to exercise due care and control.

(g) Effect should be given to the recommendations regarding enrolment or expulsion of children as set out in Section XVI (5) (d) and (e) of this report.

(h) The Child Welfare Act should be completely recast in such a way as to remove the weaknesses indicated in this report and to suit modern needs.  “Child welfare” should be given an autonomous status under the Minister of Social Welfare.

=(2) Proposals for Administrative Action=

The following outlines of administrative action are not dependent upon the amending of any Acts of Parliament such as were recommended above: