By! Social Worker
1 21 74

I started with VCC in 1955. My first assignment was
social worker at St. Joseph's. Over the years, i have
seen many changes in the program and services at SJCC.

From a populace of some 250 children, we have slipped

to 52. From an admission policy which more or less
admitted children without too much discrimination, to

a policy of careful screening. From an institution

where the Sisters handle the children on their own, to

an institution with many other people supplying services 
medical, dental, casework, special education,
etc. It is almost ironic that at the very moment in

time that services to children are at their best (in my

19 years of experience) the institution is dying. A
number of services have been lost along thehay i.e.
discontinued having high school girls, Second Nursery
discontinued, Infant Nursery closed, and the whole
third nursery, which tried to survive through a Day Care
program, finally collapsed. These services, as they
became unfeasible in the context of SJCC had to be picked'
up by VCC through a foster home program. The need
continued to exist but often not with the same intensity -

same numbers).

The institution has eroded away because it has lost
services and has not been able to replace them with new

ones.

Changes in society outside of the institution have taken
their toll on SJCC. A'new generation which is anti-
establishment to begin with (particularly social workers
now in the state system of social welfare. See Mr.
--letter), a declining populace which means th
shrinkage in certain age groups; fifiilabifitl'! Sta"?
services, even a change in morals traditional relation-

and their children) and a rupture in
Ships (1-9 many referrals to SJCC used to come through

the Parish Priest -- the}! 
In addition, the Sisters, "traditional kzepei: sing":
Present a paralysis from within. The 01' :1 not geeking
(average age 54 and we are told it {sters are less
or getting new recruits. Each year the because
able to meet the demandsof the/children: between the
of health or numbers. For 909d f"netiancnga Superior
two halves of the program, theirs and V0 

Reflections on,St. Joseph's Child Center, Cont'd

i
of special qualities is re uired
are persons the Order has gad 
on leadership of the institution. We have noticed9
that under these conditions communications break down
and we are sometimes Spending as much time on trying
to "work together" as we are spending in service to
the children. As the number of lay staff providing
services (medical dental, educational, 
etc.? has increased requiring more and .
more team effort, communication and cooperation seems
to have become more difficult for them. This is not
the fault of any one person, as such. but the result
of Vatican II and the demise of an Order.

I would conclude that it is only asquestion of time
when the Sisters will not be able tb staff the
institution even if the child p0pulace increases and
finances improve.

Buffeted from without and paralyzed from within, the
institution will have to die. There may be some chance
of survival if it is re-staffed (possibly keeping some
nuns as employees), it's program altered, and it's image
changed from a "Catholic" institution to a "Christian"
institution.