The Care Files Part 5

The reports and documents made on a child in care during the 1960s.

 

Page 40.

07.11.66 Report of Child Care Officer.

There is now a new Houseparent in the flat. Miss Rosemary Foale is looking after Philip since the original Sister in Charge has retired. She has told me that his mother continues to visit regularly and to have Philip home for odd weekends.

Philip, apparently is rather a strange child, and it has taken him a long time to settle into the family. This is because the other children have been there much longer than he has and partly because age-group-wise, he tends to be the odd man out.

He is still inclined to be aggressive towards other children and this may be because he is teased by them. He is inclined to bully younger children, but is slowly ceasing to do this.

There is now a bed wetting problem that has increased since his arrival, it is not know if there is something that is upsetting him, or if it is a growing up stage he is going through.

 

MY ANSWER. The whole flat had recently been through a major upheaval; this affected the others far more than it had me. The Sister in Charge had looked after some of the family for most of their lives had now reached retirement; she was now severing almost all links with the family group. Now the lady who we had known as a helper and relief was taking over from Sister. My knowledge of Sister had only been for a year and a half. Having lived surrounded by other adults all my life that had come and gone. That Sister was leaving meant a bit of an unknown change, but not really a major event to me. For the others, this event was decisive and very upsetting.

The Houseparent who now took over has had some experience of children, but compared to Sister’s many years of actual practice, we now experienced the newer textbook style of childcare. This we found out was a completely different way of life for us. Our flat now has two groups of four, giving either younger ones or older ones. I did not fit in; at the age of almost ten, I was neither an older one nor a younger one, but I had to be placed in one of the groups for most activities. For chores and the like, I was grouped with the older ones; for bedtimes and activities then it was the younger group as I was still at junior school. The Houseparent now told me that if I wet the bed, I would be given the slipper.

 

If I was a strange child as the new Houseparent thought, it was something I could live with. I simply did not want to give up and fall into the dull lives that most of those around me accepted.

I was aggressive to younger children but this was down to my short temper; I would prefer to be left alone, but as our paths had to cross, so often problems did occur. The older ones were not involved with the young group as much as myself.

When the older boys in the flat teased me, I always got angry; they just did not understand how upsetting it was. If I was different from the others in the flat, this was due to the long summer holidays I was away from the Home. During this summer break, the Sister took less control of the flat and allowed the new Houseparent to make more of the decisions ready for running the flat full time.

 

41. November 1966. Half-Yearly Report by Houseparent.

Age 9yrs 10months

General condition: Good

Height: 4ft 7in.

Weight 5st 0lbs.

Philip is inclined to be jealous and vocally aggressive, particularly with younger members of the group.

His relationship with all, including the staff, is very loose at present. There is a need to keep control of his behaviour.

He is slightly impertinent, yet, given the opportunity, he can be helpful and enjoys showing the younger children how to do things.

 

MY ANSWER. With almost two years at the Home, there were limits to the amount of teasing and other problems I could take before I started to cause trouble. To be treated as one of the younger ones now I was coming up to ten, made me start to act like one of the younger group, rather than that of the older ones, whereas in reality, if allowed to follow my own resources, I could easily have been placed in the older group.

Living with adults all my life, possibly gave me a slightly different attitude than for most. I could be polite and respectful when I wanted to, but if treated as a young child then I could rebel. If I was given respect then I was quite capable of acting in a far more grown-up manner.

The Houseparent had given me the slipper for matters other than wetting the bed. The second time she gave me it, I had twelve hits with the slipper on my rear; it was given as two sessions of six hits. I would not have received the second six hits had I not pushed the boy who said I had stolen his sweets. In the end, the Houseparent found out that I was innocent of stealing the sweets. It was too late then; I had already been punished. This was one of the reasons I was not settled in the flat.

 

42. 07.12.66 Letter to NCH Harpenden from Luton & Dunstable Hospital.

If you will please arrange for this lad to come along to the Accident Services here at 10am on Thursday 15th December, we will be pleased to remove the gun pellet from his left knee. As he will be given a general anaesthetic, it is important that he has nothing to eat or drink after midnight the previous day.

It would be helpful if you could complete and return the enclosed slip; I am enclosing the Consent Form for signature.

 

MY ANSWER. Finally the decision was made to take the pellet out of my leg. There was one benefit, outdoor games could be missed for the rest of the term.

 

43. 29.12.66 Report of Child Care Officer.

On 29.12.66 I learnt from his mother that Philip would be going home the following day for a week’s holiday. I was sorry to have missed him.

The mother is still nursing both her parents, who are almost entirely bedridden. She has a very trying time and constantly wonders if there is a way of leaving someone else to care for her parents.

However, at the moment there appears to be no alternative and, of course, she does not know how long their situation will continue. Her mother is twenty years younger than her father, who is ninety. The mother is pleased with Philip’s progress. She enjoys having him for weekends and is looking forward to having him for his holidays.

 

10 Years Old

On 02.01.67 I visited Harpenden Branch and spoke to the Houseparent, who told me that there had been a considerable improvement in Philip recently.

He is much less aggressive towards the younger children and is also more popular with his peer group, joining in their games and activities. Philip has become more interested in school and seems to enjoy it now. He is also more affectionate.

 

On 05.01.67 I visited Philip at his home. He chatted happily about all he has been doing and the many presents he has received for his birthday and at Christmas.

He still talks very fast and has a rather excitable manner. He seemed to be enjoying his holiday very much.

 

On 26.01.67 I called at Harpenden branch and saw Philip on his return from school.

When I spoke to Philip, he seemed happy and had plenty of news, which he related in a rather excited and disjointed way.

 

Earlier I had visited his school and managed to have a word with both the Headmaster and the class teacher. It appears that he is showing some improvement in his schoolwork. The Headmaster has not needed to deal with Philip since the start of the school year in September, over any matters of bad behaviour.

The class teacher reported to me that there have been several occasions where she has found it has been necessary to punish him, but once reprimanded he settles down to work. He appears to be slowly settling down to school life and that when firmly controlled can show improvement in the lesson period.

 

At the end of our meeting I spoke to the Governor of Highfield, who confirms that with the previous reports of Philip’s behaviour at school, keeping him firmly in line was suggested at the end of the last school year. Philip appears now to understand what is required of him during the school period and is settling into the routine more easily.

The uncooperative attitude Philip had to visiting the lavatory before going to bed has seen vast improvement. There are now only minor instances of bedwetting during the past few months. After agreement with the mother, the new Houseparent has brought in a strict regime, and Philip realises that, he will be punished for any bedwetting.

 

MY ANSWER. I seemed to have made improvement. That year at school things were better; the teacher in our class dealt with anything I did wrong; I was seldom sent to the Headmaster. Her punishments were about the same as the Headmaster, as she would give the cane on your legs or hands, but they were easier to get over with once given. Now that I was not punished in front of the rest of the class made me less worried over the events. As I am almost ten, a few older privileges are starting to come my way.

The Christmas and New Year periods over the last two years had been new to me. Until recently Christmas activities had never been anything very special. Living with my mother, with her work over Christmas, our festivities were never anything major. It was possibly around the age of six, through events of the time, that I had realised that in reality there was no Father Christmas.

In London, any Christmas activity had really been for the adults to enjoy as their holiday. I was meant to keep quiet. At the Home Christmas was new and enjoyable, but I would have preferred the quiet life with just my mother. Parties, trips to the pantomime and other group activities, possibly did get me a little excitable. With my Birthday coming so soon after Christmas treats and presents, everything seemed to roll into one event.

If I seemed to be more affectionate it was possible that I had not been involved in many scrapes or battles with the others in the household. The need to be good up to Christmas might also have helped my chances of longer visits to London over the holiday period.

 

The new Houseparent must have talked to my mother about me wetting the bed. I don't know if it was the Houseparent or my mother that suggested that I should receive the slipper if I wet the bed.

My mother possibly told the Houseparent that at the age of seven I was hit with the plimsoll if I wet the bed, and that once I became eight she thought the cane would be a more suitable punishment.

With the knowledge that I would be punished if I wet the bed on my vistits to London, and as I had not wet the bed on my visits. They might have thought that the threat of punishment in the Home would bring an end to my bedwetting.

The reason for not having any wet beds on my visits to London, was down to my ability to visit the lavatory at any time during the night. The Houseparent giving me the slipper in the morning, only makes me wet the bed more due to the fear of the punishment.

 

44. 30.03.67 Report of Child Care Officer.

Visit to Philip at his Home. Philip appeared to be enjoying his holidays, but his mother seemed rather concerned that, as usual, he never concentrates on anything for very long. Although he tackles things with great enthusiasm, he soon loses interest in them.

The mother looks very tired and is finding her parents a great strain. She had a day off on Good Friday and very much enjoyed taking Philip to Worthing for the day. As I had little opportunity to talk to his mother, I will call again soon.

I noticed that Philip has a great difficulty in writing and as he is now ten this is rather worrying. He appears bright and alert, but he cannot concentrate, he does not seem to progress.

I wonder whether there is anything worrying Philip and also how much information his mother has given him about his father. Once, when I tried to broach the subject, the mother was very defensive and I wonder whether her anxiety is transmitted to Philip.

In the original recommendation which we received from his Headmistress, it was suggested that Philip might benefit from some male influence. Unfortunately, his mother’s brother does not take any interest in Philip and I believe his other uncles visit him very rarely.

On visiting Harpenden Branch the Houseparent mentioned to me that Philip never plays games at school and she hopes to go there soon to discuss this.

 

MY ANSWER. If I always seemed to rush at things, it was simply down to the belief that there was never enough time to follow through every idea that I had in my mind. If other matters came to mind, then I could leave off and come back to it later.

For schoolwork, there was always the thought that there was not enough time to finish the work. For most lessons, failure to finish meant you might be asked to stay on for a few extra minutes to finish. With the requirement to be back at the Home on time, this often meant final lessons of the day would be rushed to avoid being kept in even for a few extra minutes to finish the work.

I could have proved my ability to write neatly if given the chance; in the art lessons a few were given the chance to do calligraphy. This was a lesson I could have begged for; the few chosen were those who had the neatest books.

If my written work was poor, it was down to the use of a ballpoint pen; given the occasional opportunity with pen and ink alone, I was able to work well. If the teachers had told me to take my time over my written work and that if I did not finish it did not matter, then I would have been able to attain a much higher standard of work. However, put me in a classroom environment and add the other factors of friends causing a nuisance around me and even an ink pen would prove fruitless.

Group games were never interesting to me and football was my main hate. It was not that I disliked physical activities.

One of the best lessons at school was P.E. but only if the climbing apparatus was brought fully into use.

With P.E. we generally did not have to change except for putting on a P.E. shirt, our school shorts were fine.

For games we needed to fully change, with Sister sending me to school with waterproof pants, there was the possibility of some teasing whilst changing, some of my friends knew what I had on, and did not make fun of me, but others might have. I was never the only one from the Home to wear waterproofs, most took it a something quite normal for boys from the Home to be seen in. For me avoiding games was an easy solution.

.

 

45. 27.04.67 Letter to Rev. Gordon. E. Barritt. NCH London from Governor of Harpenden NCH.

We should be grateful if you could arrange for Philip to be tested by the Tutor in Charge during the next few months. As mentioned in recent reports he has great difficulty in writing, and doesn’t seem to be making progress. It would be helpful to know how intelligent he is.

 

46. 01.05.67 Note from NCH.

Please see letter from Governor of Harpenden NCH with the suggestion, that the Tutor in Charge should test Philip. Could this be arranged please?

 

47. 09.05.67 Letter to the Tutor in Charge from Governor of Harpenden NCH.

Thank you for your letter of 5th May. It will be quite convenient for you to come and see Philip and the Houseparent on Monday 28th May. I will inform his school and ask for a report from there.

Note: Unable to keep appointment – unwell – another date being arranged.

 

48. 23.05.67 Letter to Rev. Gordon. E. Barritt. NCH London from Governor of Harpenden NCH.

We were glad to have the report on the visit to Philip’s mother. The Houseparent has visited Philip’s school and seen his teacher. She stated that Philip was aggressive, but was reasonably easy to control in class.

She told the Houseparent that his work could be better if he could concentrate more, and she had noticed that he responded well to praise, and always improved and worked better afterwards.

The Tutor in Charge was due to see Philip yesterday, but had to postpone her visit on account of illness. She will no doubt be arranging another date with us shortly.

 

49. May 1967. Half Yearly Branch Report by Houseparent.

Age 10 years 4 months

General condition: Good

Height: 4ft 8in.

Weight: 5st 5lbs.

Sight: Eye Clinic. To have eye exercises.

Air gun pellet removed from Left Knee.

 

Philip has been more aggressive and belligerent and I learn from Susan’s teacher that he has been bullying her at school. His own class teacher has dealt with him over this matter. He is apparently much worse when I am not around.

He seems to put up a barrier and does not believe he has done anything wrong, even if it can be proved. His relationship with some of the members of the family is improving.

When he is helpful or kind, and is praised for this, he glows and is a different lad for a while. He is desperate for more adult attention and will go to great lengths to get it.

Interests: Cubs, Electricity, Lego bricks and (boxes for hiding sweets only).

 

MY ANSWER. An eye test revealed that there might be a slight problem with my sight, which in some way might have been one of the reasons for my clumsiness. Until this moment, any eye test I took part in had revealed that I had good sight in both eyes. The ability on my part to read the small print on the eye chart with one eye at a time, proved that I did not need glasses to correct any short sight. What however was never checked was my ability to read the same small letters with both eyes open at the same time. When I was given this test, it showed that I could find things a bit of a blur. At all distances, I appeared to be affected. The diagnosis was that I suffered from slight double vision.

More time off lessons attending the local eye clinic, and free time spent reading very small print, with a device placed in front of my vision seemed slowly to correct this problem. Although to get out of the dull chore of reading small print when I could be out at play, I told the adults that things were getting better, when in reality there was only slight improvement.

My fast pace was the reason for being labelled a bully. Whilst at the Annexe of the school, two of us could set our own pace for the return journey. When the Annexe was closed down and we had to rejoin the main school, such pleasures vanished. There were no chances now of gaining any extra minutes of freedom; there were many taking the same route to the Home. As I was still at the juniors, I now had the task of escorting one of the younger girls to and from school. Although only a year younger than me, it was thought that she needed to be escorted both to and from school. Known as a daydreamer, attention to her safety now was the main issue.

Until this point, older children from the flat who attended the senior school had this privilege. Allowance of extra time due to the school hours not totally coinciding had been made. Now at the same school, I was given the task, although any extra time for my benefit was not provided. I have to admit my walking pace was fast; my mother seemed to encourage this from an early age, through being busy.

Dawdling and daydreaming were not things I had ever indulged in. My idea was to get to school at the first possible moment. Playing and other activities before the bell rang for the start of the school day was perhaps the best moment of the school day. If friends had new possessions or had swaps to make, miss this early opportunity, and you could be jealous for evermore.

The slow pace of the girl started the day badly for me. Although I never really dragged her along the road, when crossing the road, I was a little more vocal and slightly physical.

My class teacher punished me after Susan’s teacher made the complaint that I was bullying her. I was given the cane at going home time. As there was no time after I had been given the cane to get over the punishment, I was still in tears when I walked with Susan back to the Home. Three hits on each hand had really made me cry. From that point on I was not accused of bullying Susan anymore. I don’t think it was her intention to get me caned.

If I was desperate for adult attention, it was down to being fed up with most children’s games and wanted something more adult to do or learn about. If I did get praise, then I was happy.

My interests were on building and making things. Group board games were more or less unknown to me, although often receiving such items as presents there was seldom anyone to play with. Even in the Home, board games were not that much fun down to the wide age range. If you played with younger ones the rules were too complicated, if you played with older ones and appeared to be winning, they would change the rules to benefit themselves. Constructing objects and learning how things worked could be one of my pastimes. Never having acquired more than the most basic Meccano set, if I built things, Lego seemed to be the most desirable item through either presents or swaps. With electricity I was not allowed to try out experiments with the mains voltages – batteries in various stages of capacity had to meet my needs. One of my toys was a Morse code set. If there had been any interest from the older boys, I would have loved the chance to learn the system, but to all the others it was too much like a lesson and they showed no interest.

There had been one extra event that had set me at odds with the Houseparent, it was when she had shaken me over my behaviour, resulting in the back of my head going through a glass window due to her force. Then the Governor of the Home caned me. These were the main reasons why I was not very happy at the Home.

 

 

Done