In other words, the Act aimed at dealing with children _after they have become delinquents_. The new provisions for the welfare of children were grafted on to statutes which were designed for "neglected" and "criminal" children and for the establishment of "industrial schools". The Act did not purport to have regard for the welfare of children who _might_ become delinquent. It did not contain any provisions for the doing of preventive work. That being so, it is not surprising to find that it operates in different ways in different districts. The Committee was impressed by the preventive work done in some districts, although the officers doing this work were unable to point to any provisions in the Act which required them to do it. In these circumstances it is not possible to blame any Child Welfare Officer for failing to do preventive work which, under the statute, he is not obliged, and, indeed, has no authority to perform.
_(b) "Child Welfare" Merely a "Division"_
The Superintendent of Child Welfare is under the control of the Minister of Education and the Director of Education. But his duties do not appear to be integrated with those of the Education Department. The work of the Division appears to be more associated with the police and the Courts than the Education Department. In former times "industrial schools" conveniently came under the Education Department. But nowadays, when very many of the children committed to the care of the State are boarded out among foster-parents, the work of the Child Welfare Division is more closely associated with that of "Justice" than "Education".
The establishment, a few years ago, of a Ministry of Social Welfare, and the urgent need for more preventive work to be done, suggest the possibility of better administration if "Child Welfare" were given an independent status under the control of the Ministry for Social Welfare.
The Acts of 1925 and 1927 made provision for the gazetting of regulations. In particular, clause 45 of the 1925 Act contemplated regulations (_inter alia_) "regulating the appointment and prescribing the duties of Child Welfare Officers". After the lapse of twenty-nine years those duties have still not been defined and gazetted.