Newspaper Article 1977 – Home at Eskdale Now Caters For Society’s Orphans

HOME AT ESKDALE NOW CATERS FOR SOCIETY’S ORPHANS

By staff reporter
MARY HOLLYWOOD

Providing for society’s orphans rather than parentless children is the new role of the former France House at Eskdale, which reopened recently as a Department of Social Welfare institution – Beck House.

The word institution is a “dirty word” in some quarters – considered the last alternative in corrective training.

The first principal of Beck House, Mr Rob Burt, formerly of Wellington, disagrees with this thinking.

When some children arrive at an institution they have been through short-term remand and assessment centres, foster and family homes – from pillar to post,” he said.

“By the time they reach this type of care many are unable to function at all in the community. They have been rejected and damaged; they have an almost total distrust of adults,” Mr Burt said.

The forward planning of Beck House has been consistent with Mr Burt’s argument. The boys will get far more attention than many of their peers get in the normal family situation.

Within the classroom the boys will certainly get far more personal attention than the everyday student.

“In the school, built in the grounds of the home, the pupil-teacher ratio with [will] be eight to one,” the principal said.

“The school block also contains a “withdrawal” room equipped with kitchen facilities where the boys can relax or work on a one-to-one basis with a staff member or, later perhaps, a volunteer.

Abilities

In the schoolroom and out of it the staff will work on the abilities of each boy, help develop their personal effectiveness and set personal goals.

Beck House will cater for about 24 boys between nine and 13 years of age. They will be recommended by the department, by schools or parents. Most will have a history of delinquency, offending and poor – if any – relationships with their natural families.

Most will have been “through the mill”, so there will be no set rules as to their length of stay.

“Some may stay for less than a year, but I see the majority staying much longer” Mr Burt said.