The house of urchins

Alternative model of care in Portugal where abandoned boys run their own home

Childcare in Britain has been the subject of much concern over the past decade following evidence of abuse in care homes. Following such scare stories childcare has become the subject of much professional conjecture - how best to care for and counsel children.

In Portugal, however, there exists a completely alternative model to the one that exists in the UK: a boys' home run by the boys themselves. From carrying out domestic chores, to conducting tribunals for those who break the rules, the boys are given extraordinary responsibility for their own and each other's lives.

Their home is called the 'House of Urchins' for, as Bruno, one of the boys explains, "an urchin is a boy who's been abandoned and who's got no family. My mum abandoned me and went away, then the priest came and brought me here to the House of Urchins." The priest in question is Padre Joao, who represents virtually the only adult supervision for the 100 boys.

Many of these boys are deeply damaged by the past - either from broken or abusive homes and carrying physical and emotional scars. In Britain they would be candidates for special care and counselling. Yet, as Portugal has an acute shortage of children's homes many children are sent to this boys' home in Miranda do Corvo on the west coast of Portugal.

Padre Joao explains the teachings of Padre Americo to the boys

The house has been running for sixty years and guards its independence from the government jealously. While the State may send the children here it has little to do with the way they are brought up. The home is funded through the church and via charitable giving. And the ideals of the home are rooted in the work of one man, Padre Americo - a businessman turned priest with a philosophy that challenges the trend towards professional supervision and therapy.

The system employed at the home is based on familial lines of order and respect

Padre Joao explains the thoughts of Padre Americo to the young boys. "Each one of the big boys should try to act like an older brother, should try to help their younger brothers to become part of this family. That's why we must share all the tasks that need doing, just like a family where all the jobs must get done." The boys spend much of their spare time employed on the land; work is central to the philosophy.

The system employed at 'House of the Urchins' is based on familial lines of order and respect. It's an approach which combines exceptional liberalism with work house ethics. And by and large it seems to work. Law and order within the home is controlled by the boys themselves

Of Boys, For Boys, By Boys

Motto of the Boys home

through a hierarchy of what are known as chefs - chiefs or prefects.

Claudio is one of a triumvirate of chefs that run the house. He has been here since he was five and he is now twenty. The other boys chose Claudio as head chef. A hierarchy of power mini-chiefs are responsible for overseeing more minor duties. Sanctions and punishments are varied. Being sent to the well is one punishment. "This is the place we get sent by the chiefs if we swear or climb over the walls or if we don't respect the chiefs. We don't like being here in the well because we lose all our time in the playground and we're really scared", explains one of the boys.

The wishing well is where boys are sent as punishment

It is at the meetings every night that punishments are decided. This process is generally left to the boys, with the chief 'chef' deciding what kind of punishment to impose. It's a harsh system where corporal punishment, by boys on boys, is a key means of control "either with the hand or with a stick but it's always on the bottom and there's no breaking arms or injuring people" (Claudio, mini-chief).

This is 'tough love' according to Padre Joao, the priest: "sometimes slapping has to do with a certain kind of tenderness" and while he admits that the system is open to abuse he also believes that this is a "risk worth taking. There are exceptions of course, but overall the boys respect each other. They supervise and control each other even in situations to do with affection and sexuality."

However, there is increasing concern that this male dominated arena is unhealthy for a boy's development. Teachers from the state school adjoining the home believe that the young boys lack the company of mothers and girls which could distort the development of the boys. Additionally, they believe that the lack of any suitable teaching in the home means that older boys are not able to teach younger boys anything useful.

At the heart of the boys' home is the idea that the way to restore these children's innocence is to teach them responsibility of adults. "The education that we offer is to put trust in the boys", argues Padre Joao. "You can help yourself, you can get out of your rut and so comes responsibility and confidence." It is a hard lesson for these young boys, but with few alternatives it is a lesson they seem to learn.

Producer: Lucy Hetherington

Reporter: Edward Stourton