Between 1869 and 1939 over 100,000 children were migrated from the United Kingdom to Canada by British philanthropic organisations. Although they were described — in the parlance of the Victorian era — as ‘orphans, waifs and strays’, in fact around two-thirds had at least one surviving parent and most were from families experiencing extreme poverty. Once they arrived in Canada, the younger children were adopted, the older children committed as indentured labourers. The Scottish philanthropist William Quarrier (1829-1903) through his Orphan Homes of Scotland was involved in the migration of 7,000 of these ‘Home Children’. This is their story.

This case has been designed as a focus for learning about the legal, ethical and practice issues emerging from a child protection case scenario. As the case moves from allegations of abuse to planning for permanent care, learners can be asked to interpret and assess an unfolding scenario of complex need and to consider a variety of responses designed both to promote the welfare of the three children and ensure parents’ rights are actively considered. The case study consists of five short video clips representing the case at different points in time and offering the different perspectives of key players in the case: an anonymous caller; social workers involved in the initial investigation; a neighbour; a foster carer; and Jasmine Donnelly the thirteen year old daughter of Sharon Donnelly.