At the Henry Street Settlement in New York City, a delin quency prevention project has emphasized the importance of counteracting the contagion of gang activity by detecting and working with groups of eight- to thirteen-year-olds while there is still a good chance of influencing them. Another most im portant step in the corrective process lies in reaching the parents of these children and helping them reassert their own influence and authority. Even the flimsiest of parent-child relationships is a potential source of control, if help is given in time. By bring ing together the parents of budding antisocial groups and by cultivating close, informal supportive relationships with individ ual parents, we have found a means of establishing this control. The children recognize and accept the partnership between home and Settlement which, in most instances, is contributing toward revitalizing parent-child relationships. The approach seems to be having a positive effect on the behavior of the chil dren in these young groups.
The Problem Child at Home. A Study in Parent-Child Relationships.