1894 to 1945

• Origins of Children's Aid Societies in Ontario
• Kingston's Children's Aid Movement
• The Early Work
• Hard Times
• The Great War to the Great Depression
• The Depression Years
• World War II (1939-1945)

Origins of Children's Aid Societies in Ontario

In Canada, the development of child welfare services had historic links to Humane Societies and their concerns for the treatment and neglect of animals. This was not a uniquely Canadian development though, in New York for example, the child welfare movement grew directly from the Humane Association activities of 1870s. It would not be surprising to learn, then, that Toronto's Children's Aid Society was founded only four years after the Toronto Humane Society, or that the city of Guelph initiated child welfare services as part of a larger project to protect animal rights as well.

However, the Children's Aid movement soon took on an identity of its own, and much of this was due to the activities of an Irish immigrant and reporter, John Joseph Kelso. In his capacity as a police reporter for the Toronto World, where Kelso covered police activities and courtroom proceedings, the young reporter noticed the large number of young children left unattended on city streets. The children, some as young as six or seven years of age, were expected to bring home money or food by selling newspapers, pencils, and the like. Other less fortunate individuals were expected simply to fend for themselves on the streets. Kelso was appalled at the conditions in which these young children were forced to live and the inadequate response of the courts and jails to which many of these youngsters were sent.

Kelso's observations led to his spearheading of several local programs for children, such as the Fresh Air Fund, which sent children on excursions outside the city. However, the work for which J.J. Kelso is best known is in the protection and defining of the rights of neglected children.

Kelso's diligent work led to the introduction of two important laws in Ontario. The first, known as the Act for the Protection and Reformation of Neglected Children (1888), defined in law the conditions which constituted abuse and neglect of children and stipulated the rights of children to live free of neglect and abuse. The second law, called the Children's Protection Act (1893), granted provision for municipalities to voluntarily organize and financially support Children's Aid Societies as a means of providing local services to abused and neglected children. In recognition of his important role in framing these laws, the provincial government appointed Kelso as Superintendent of Neglected and Dependent Children of Ontario. Under his able leadership, the province established nineteen Children's Aid Societies by the end of 1894.

Kingston's Children's Aid Movement

One of the most active advocates related to the problems of neglected children was the energetic Rev. J.R. Black, of Bethel Congregational Church in Kingston, Ontario. Though a recent citizen of Kingston (arriving sometime in 1892), Black wasted no time in exposing many of the unhappy social conditions in Kingston at the time. Like Kelso, Rev. Black's interests and abilities were nearly unbounded and his major objective was the establishment of a local Children's Aid Society. In newspaper articles and letters, Rev. Black pointed to the formation of such groups in Ottawa and London, and in 1894 he openly wondered in a letter to the Whig, "if Kingston would follow and share in the beneficial results?"

By May of 1894 there was enough community support to justify an organizational meeting, which was held on the fourth of that month in the County Council Chambers.

There seems to have been no lack of concern for child and family welfare in Kingston at that time. By the time the Society had begun to organize itself, a group of ladies had already established the Infants' Home in the city. This organization, known as The Infants Home Creche provided shelter for unwed mothers and their children and was located at 130 Union Street.

The five women who founded The Infants Home and Creche were present at the inaugural Children's Aid meeting that May and agreed to the proposed merger of the two groups. In part, this made sense because of their overlapping concerns with young children and families, and also because the Children's Aid Society was eligible for municipal grants of $1.00 a week for each child in its care. With this merger complete, the Society was established as the Kingston Children's Aid Society and Creche.

The Society was formally recognized by Order-in-Council by the provincial government on August 1, 1894. With its functions officially recognized, the Society held its first annual general meeting in October, and the following officers were elected:

• Honourary President: Professor Walter Dyde (Queen's University)
• President: Mrs. Walkem
• Vice Presidents: Mrs. Cameron and Mrs. Swift
• Corresponding Secretary: Rev. J.R. Black
• Treasurer: Mrs. McCammon
• Recording Secretary: Mrs. Neal

The female officers represented the leadership and influence of the Infants' Home, and the new Society as a whole was further supported by many local citizens, including Mayor Herald, the Very Rev. Buxton B. Smith, Dean and Rector of Saint George's Cathedral, and the Chief of Police, Edwin Horsey. Of all these officers, though, it was Rev. Black who was given the responsibility of acting as "agent", and who would be the person expected to "arrest or rescue children" as necessary.

J.J. Kelso was pleased at these developments and wrote that he was "greatly encouraged in this work to find so many good people anxious to secure for the neglected boys and girls of our country the protection which the laws afford them."

The newly formed Society did not have much time to bask in such compliments. There were a number of pressing issues facing the fledgling organization, like building space and money, both of which were painfully lacking. The Society had established temporary quarters, but they were described as "cramped" and "condemned," and entirely inadequate for the task.

Fortunately, a building on Union Street, used by Queen's University for its Women's Medical College, was made available for the generous (though sizeable) sum of $4000. In October of 1894, the Society deferred the purchase of this building, but it took scarcely one month for the $2000 down payment to be raised. This was certainly a testimony both to the organizational skill of the women in charge of the fund raising, as well as to the generous response of the local community. Again, Kelso offered his congratulations, complimenting his colleagues on a shelter, "not equaled outside of Toronto." By the end of 1894, the new Society had fully organized itself and had found an impressive building for its important work.

The Early Work

Despite the enthusiasm of those early years, the Society's work was difficult and sometimes discouraging. "Salvage work," as it was then known, meant hours of travel as complaints and living conditions of children were investigated. Until the 1930s, the Society did not have a professionally trained staff, and in fact for many years the "agent," sometimes also called the "inspector," acted solely on behalf of the organization. This position remained poorly paid during these early years as the local community mainly looked upon such duties as "charity work." The main responsibilities of this individual were to respond to complaints and requests from the community, carry out all investigations, attend police and courtroom proceedings where youths were involved, and see that children were placed in suitable homes.

In 1894, and indeed for much of the twentieth century; "social work" was regarded as a private, voluntary, and benevolent activity. Individual citizens, perhaps in groups, would often raise sums of money or food, or other forms of "relief," for distribution amongst those individuals considered to be deserving of such charity. This service was usually short-term in nature, always voluntary, and invariably unsystematic. If governments involved themselves at all, it was in ways that did not require them to spend much money, and in ways that kept their commitment to social "questions" at a bare minimum. It should be noted for example, that the child protection laws of 1888 and 1893 did not require the mandatory establishment of Children's Aid Societies. At the time, the province promised only legal powers to those communities willing to organize a Society, as well as some minimal financial support from local governments.

As for the Kingston Society, it shared a philosophy of child welfare that was also common to this time period. Like its counterparts throughout the province, the Society assumed that where a child was suffering from neglect or mistreatment, that child should be removed from its surroundings and placed in another "more suitable" home. Thus the Society and its officers would for years describe their labours as "salvage" and "rescue."

Dependent children taken under care by the Society, whether from the City or the County, would then be cared for temporarily by the Society itself, which had some limited shelter facilities of its own, or more likely, within several other of Kingston's child welfare facilities.

The first of these was the Infants' Home which provided shelter to children under three years of age. Older children "apprehended" by the Society were taken to the Orphans' Home and Widows' Friend Society, now better known as Sunnyside Children's Centre. This organization had existed in one form or another in Kingston since 1817, and attempted to have its children apprenticed to some sort of trade or domestic service. Both the Orphans' Home and the Infants' Home worked closely with the Society, finding places for the Society's children until more permanent homes could be found. This association, in fact, was as close physically as it was professionally, as by 1894 the Orphans' Home stood at the corner of University and Union Streets (now the site of the John Deutsch University Centre), the Infants' Home was just down the street at 130 Union, and the Society itself occupied 75 Union (now replaced by Queen's University buildings).

The long-term goal of the Society was not to leave its children in the care of the Infants' or Orphans' Homes. These placements were expected to be temporary in nature only, until more permanent and private homes could be found. This entailed the arrangement of adoptions for many children, though not of the legal sort we are accustomed to today. The first Ontario adoption laws were not declared until 1921 and until then the Society acted as ward, counselor, and probationary officer until the home was considered "permanent."

Hard Times

Societies multiplied at an impressive rate in Ontario, beginning in 1893 and continuing through to the end of World War 1. At the end of 1895 there were twenty-nine Societies recognized by the provincial government and by 1917 there were sixty-five across the province. Despite this growth, all was not prosperous for the young Societies. Although Kingston's Society was among the first organized (certainly one of the first ten), its founders soon discovered the problems of being wholly dependent upon the benevolence of local citizens. The Society nearly lost the building on 75 Union Street because of financial problems, and the same reason later contributed to the resignation of Rev. J.R. Black as inspector. The Society's work languished for years after Rev. Black's departure, and as late as 1901, the Society was described as "disorganized" and, in the words of J.J. Kelso, "on the resignation of Rev. Black, the Society practically went to pieces." However, "through adversity grows strength," and during these times the Society developed a core of workers and volunteers that allowed it to be more durable and less dependent on the work of one individual, however valuable. To the credit of little known Society workers and volunteers such as Emma Veale, Elizabeth Bell, Lillie Benn, Mary Nuttall, and Euphemia Germain, as well as Rev. Black's successors, like John Pollie and W.H. Wylie, the Society survived a period that others in the province did not.

The Great War to the Great Depression

On the strength of these workers the Society rebuilt itself, proving its value to the community during the Great War. After the War, Kelso commended the Society for its "work of inestimable value to the Province."

This effective labour continued throughout the 1920s, and on the basis of its organizational strength, the Kingston and Frontenac County Society was better able to meet its new responsibilities. Some of these came in 1921, when the government of Ontario passed the Adoption Act and the Children of Unmarried Parents Act. In both cases, the previous work of the Society was made formal acting as "investigator for adoptions and ward for orphans, if left uncared for by family."

The Kingston Society seemed to be equal to the task, and in 1925; for example, it found permanent homes for twenty children. In fact, the increased work load and large distances which the agent was required to travel (the agent was still the primary officer of the Society), led to discussions of an automobile purchase. The matter had been debated since 1926, but it was not until 1929 that Kelso, congratulating inspector Rev. William Black, expressed his pleasure at the "good news" and expected that "this would enable you to cover a great deal more ground and consequently benefit many more children."

The Depression Years

No sooner had the Society acquired its first automobile than the Great Depression descended on Canada. Children's Aid Societies across the province found this period very difficult, further reducing their number to fifty-three by 1945. Many of those that remained suffered from inadequate funding and poor organization, making it difficult for Societies to serve properly their communities or respond to changing family conditions.

This led to the introduction of a system of a grading system for all Societies by the province in 1935. The province was by now providing annual grants to Children's Aid Societies, a practice begun in the 1920s, and by using "grades" it intended to regulate their grants. The Kingston Society initially rated an embarrassing "D", which qualified it for a grant of $100 to $500. However, by steady effort, the agency improved itself to a respectable "B", and accordingly received $1,500 from the provincial government in 1939. For the duration of the grading system, the Society never fell below that level of funding.

A portion of this success must be attributed to the Society's supporters. The Infants' Home, for example, wrote that "we will endeavour to cheerfully cooperate with your society in every detail for the benefit of the children." The Kiwanis Club contributed both moral and material support to the Society "for the very excellent work this society is doing." So too did the Women's Association of Chalmers United Church, which regularly donated clothing and delivered Christmas hampers to families and children served by the Society.

As a result of this cooperation and the labours of its own workers, the Society was commended by the Secretary of Ontario's Child Welfare Department, who wrote, "Please accept for yourself and convey to your colleagues my hearty congratulations on the progress indicated."

World War II (1939-1945)

Relief from the Depression came in the form of yet another World War. For the Society, this period brought an unprecedented expansion in its services and responsibilities. The number of children born out of wedlock greatly increased during this time as young men, heading overseas, took fond leave of their sweethearts. This left the mothers to deal not only with the stigma of social disapproval, but also children, with little means of financial support. Not surprisingly, the number of children in care of the Society grew dramatically.

The Society has been through a few name changes too. Over the years it has been known as:

• Children's Aid Society and Creche (1894)
• Children's Aid Society and Infants' Home (1898)
• Friendless Women and Children's Society (1899)
• Home for Friendless Women and Infants (1900)
• Children's Aid Society of the City of Kingston and County of Frontenac (c. 1943)

Also, during this period the federal and provincial governments provided funding for the establishment of local day care homes and day nurseries in order to allow mothers to work in the war industries.

Finally, there was the "British Child Guests Program", which provided homes to English children evacuated from Britain for their own safety. At least 625 of these children were placed in Canada by local Societies and of this number twelve were placed by the Kingston Children's Aid Society. The Society's duties also included planning for the return of the children to their English homes, save those who, having reached early adulthood while in Canada for six years, elected to remain and make their new homes here.

By the end of the war in 1945, hundreds of British "guests" were still in Canada, at least one thousand children were being maintained in day nurseries across Ontario, and thousands more were provided for in local day care centres. No wonder this period was described by a harried worker in the following words, "Measured in terms of stress and strain on the individual workers, it has been a most difficult year. Measured in terms of service to the community, it has probably been second to none."

Next: 1945 to the present