UNI TED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

FRANCES PERKINS, Secretary

CHI L DREN' S BUREAU
KATHARINE F. LENROOT, Chi ef
+
Child-Welfare
Services
[Jnder the Social Security Act
Title V, Part 3
Development of Program, 1936-38
Bureau Publication
No. 257
For sal e by the Superi ntendent of Documents, Washi ngton, D. C. - - - - pri ct
15 crnt6
Provided by the Maternal and Child Health Library, Georgetown University
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original document.
Provided by the Maternal and Child Health Library, Georgetown University
CONTENT S
Letter of transmi ttal --
General revi ew of accompl i shments_ _ - _
Conf er ence on St at e chi l d- wel f ar e ser vi ces____-
Cur r ent r epor t i ng and mont hl y r epor t s on chi l d- wel f ar e ser vi ces_- - _____
Trai ni ng of chi l d-wel fare workers- -,
St at e summar i es- - - - - ,
Appendi x l .-Text of the secti ons of the Soci al Securi ty Act rel ati ng to
grants to States for chi l d-wel fare servi ces, as amended by the Soci al
Secur i t y Act Amendment s of 1939- - - - ,
Appendi x 2.-Federal funds avai l abl e to States for fi scal year ended
June
30, 1939, and Federal payments to States for fi scal years ended
June
30,
1936, 1937, 1938, and 1939
Page
v
1
6
7
l 0
2 L
80
82
Child Health Library, Georgetown University
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original document.
--
Provided by the Maternal and Child Health Library, Georgetown University
Letter of Transmittal
IJNrrpl Sr:erns Dnpenrunl r or Leaon,
Crrrr,onnN' s Bunneu,
W'ashzngton, July 15, 1910.
Iv{.c,oeM: There is transmitted herewith a bulletin entitled
"Child-
\Telfare Services under tlie Social Security Act, Del'elopment of
Program, 1936-38." This bulletin inch-rdes a brief genelal review
and Stat'e summaries of the major developments during the initial
period of this pioneer program of X'ederal and State cooperation in
extending social services to children in rural areas. The report covers
ti i e peri od ended June 30, 1938.
In all States great progress has been made since that time.
Respectfully submitted.
KernlnrNp Il. LpNnoor, Chi,eJ,
Hon. tr' newcos Prnrtl vs,
Secretary oJ Labor.
v
Provided by the Maternal and Child Heatth Library, c.oigrtoilffity
Chi l d-Wel fare Servi ces, 1936-38
General Revi ew of Accompl i shments
The public-welfare agencies of the 47 States,r the District of Colum-
bia, Alaska, and Hawaii, which were cooperating on
June
30, 1938 with
the Children's Bureau of the United States Department of Labor in
administering child-welfare services under the provisions of title V,
part 3, of the Social Security Act, were requested to prepare brief
summaries of the significant developments in the program for child-
welfare services in their States. To give greater perspective to the
individual reports on State developments, it has seemed desirable to
sketch in a background, in broad outline, of the national picture.
When the Social Security Act was passed 11 States had made no
provision for general State-wide services for children. Tn 2 States
a child-welfare division was organized at about the time the Social
Security Act became effective. In 10 States there were limited child-
welfare services but no divisions within the State organizations giving
special emphasis and supervision to child-welfare programs. Alaska
and Hawaii were making limited provisions for public services for
children. The remaining States (25) and the District of Columbia
had child-welfare divisions within the State departments administer-
ing pubiic-welfare services. These divisions were-and are-re-
sponsible for programs which vary considerably from State to State.
Local services for children in rural areas were for the most part
limited to
juvenile-court procedures, relief, mothers' aid programs,
and foster care, either in family homes or in institutions. \
Title V, part 3, of the Social Security Act
2
made it possible for
Federal funds allotted by the Children's Bureau to the States to be
used to help States establish, extend, and strengthen child-welfare
programs and to assist local communities in providing services for
the care and protection of children and for the prevention of depend-
ency, neglect, and delinquency in selected areas predominantly
rural, where for the most part there has been a greater lack of resources
than in urban areas. Neither the language of the act nor the amount
of the appropriation anticipated complete coverage of all rural sub-
divisions on an equal basis of service.
1
The fi rst Wyomi ng pl anfor chi l d-wel fre servi ces was approved December 4, 1939.
2
See text of thc act, p. E0.
Provi dedbytheMaternal andChi | dHeal thLi brary' ffi tv
C hi l d -Wel fare
Servi ces, 1936-38
In February 1936, therefore, the children's Bureau found itself
u'ith the legal responsibility for administering child.-welfare services
'"vithin
the terms of title v, part 3, of the social Security Act and with
$1,500,000 to be allotted annually to the various States upon the
basis of plans
developed jointly
by the cooperating state welfare
agency and the Bureau. And somewhere out on the prairies, in
isolated mountain districts, scattered over the desert, down along
the swamps, on the border, up hill and down dale, off beaten paths
were the children for whom a paragraph
of legal language provided.
a
mechanism whereby government
would attempt to provide
a greater
measure of opportunity.
The term
"child welfare" encompasses many activities. As ad_
ministration must be based upon a philosophy,
the Child-Welfare
Division of the children's Bureau, guided by the provisions
of the
Social security Act and the advice and counsel of the children's
Bureau Advisory committee on community child-welfare services.
attempted to define child-welfare services as a basis for interpreting
to the States the purposes for which Federal funds might be spent in
order to achieve the broad objectives outlined in the act. The concept
upon which the administration of child-welfare services is based is that
child welfare in its broadest sense is a composite of the social and
economic forces in community life which make it possible for a child's
orvn family to nurture him through the years of childhood; and of the
instrumentalities,
both public and private, which supplement the
capacities and resources of a child's natural family in such measure as
may be necessary to insure wholesome growth and development.
child-welfare services within the provisions
of the social security
Act, therefore, must be regarded as an integral part of a total child-
welfare program
within a State rather than as an isolated and un-
related service. In administering state and local services, the chil-
dren's workers in rural communities do not limit their activities to
treatment af ter a child's own home has failed him and provision
for
him must be made elsewhere. Instead they attempt to work with
children before tragedies occur, and to cooperate with other individuals
and groups in developing community resources which will tend to pre-
vent the dependency, neglect, and delinquency of all children.3
Experience has shown that any system of remote control is in-
effective insofar as preventive
and protective
services for children
are concerned. when disaster overtakes a child the state itself or the
social forces of the community may be roused to action, but often it is
then too late. Therefore, the backbone of the legal provisions for
g:ants-i n-ai d
to the States for chi l d-wel fare servi ces and of the ad-
ministration of the law is the development of resources for the care
{] ' i S l ": ' rn: : i on Brrl l . No. f . i ssued i n December 1935, set s f ort h i n concrct e t erms t he t ypes
: a F: : i : . : : : . : : ni gi : . be i n, l udcd i n St at e pl ans f or chi l d- wel f ar e ser vi ces.
Provided by the Maternal and Child H."ltf, Library, Georgetown Universif,
Gener al Revi ew oI Accompl i shr nenf s
and protection of children where they live, as a part of the local
public-welfare unit where one exists.
In view of the existing differences in State and local programs for
child care and
protection, it is obvious that State plans for child-
s'elfare services cannot be identical, even though they have to be
consistent with the provisions of the Federal act. Thus the reports
from the States show considerable variation.
On
January
1, 1939, 709 persons, paid in whole or in part from
Federal funds, were
providing professional social services for rural
children belonging to families representing a wide range in social and
economic status. Of this number 19 wcrkers in 8 States were Negroes.
As the money made available to States can be used only for service,
it is evident that the persons employed must be qualified by both
formal training and actual experience to undertake a child-welfare
program. Because of great emphasis in the majority of the States
upon residence and the limited number of well-qualified children's
workers available in many parts of the country, educational leave has
been granted by 35 States and Hawaii to a total of 257 persons since
February 1936 to enable them to attend professional schools of social
work. Case consultants and training supervisors on State staffs have
given professional stimulation to workers already on the
job through
supervision, case conferences, institutes, and so forth, in an effort to
improve the quality of treatment provided for children referred to the
public-welfare agencies.
(See Training of Child-Weifare Workers,
p 10. )
During
June
1938 more than 43,000 children in approximately
500 counties, from Aroostook county in Maine to Riverside county
in California and from Pembina County in North Dakota to St.
Charles Parish in Louisiana were given some form of service tly workers
whose salaries were paid in whole or in part from Federal funds allotted
to the States. Most of these children lived in rural areas in which local
services for children had been unknown until State welfare depart-
ments i' ugurated demonstrations of effective local work as a part of
their p- jrams of public welfare.
The eed for care and protection of children who were neglected or
mistr,. ted or who were born out of wedlock
predominated among the
probie.-ns coming to the attention of the child-welfare workers. Next
in number were children who were in danger of beconring delinquent
because of their environment or whose conduct was a source of trouble
in school or community. More than 1'200 children accepted for
service during the month were in need of special cafe of treatment
because of physical handicaps-children who were crippled, blind or
with defective vision, deaf or hard of hearing-or were suffering
from various types of illness. Almost 600 of the children received for
care wefe mentally defective or were in need ol diagnosis to determine
--
Provided by the Maternal and Child Health Library, Georgetown University
C hi l d -Wel fare
Servi ces, 1 936-3g
their mental condition and to obtain for them the protection
and
training needed.
In two or three States the urgency of problems
relating to children
who had been provided
for by county officials away frol their own
homes made it necessary for the workers to devote the greater part of
their time to improving the quarity
of care given,
to the exclusion of
preventive
service. where this pressure
did not exist, and particularly
where the program
was deveroped from the ground up, provision
for
care of children away from their own homes comprised a relatively
small part of the services reported. This was true in a rarge majority
of the counties for which reports were received.
The services given
by child-welfare workers to the 3g,g03 children
included
in the active cases reported on
June
30, 1g3g, were distributed
as follows:
To chi l dren i n thei r own homes__-
Petcent of chi l dten
By chi l d- wel f ar e wor ker al one- - - - - - - -
82
By chi l d-wel fare worker i n cooperati on wi tJ
61
Di vi si on of ai d to dependent chi l dren_ g
Publ i c- r el i ef agency or di vi si on_- _
_- ___. , _______
T
Heal t h agency_
z
Cr i ppl ed chi l dr en, s ser vi ces_
4
To c h i l d r e n i n f o s t e r c a r e _ _ -
_ _ _ _ l g
Provi ded by county-
In county i nsti tuti on,
1
I n boar di ng home __-
g
In free home-
4
I n t r i al adopt i on home- , _____
I
I n wor k or wage home_ _
I
Provi ded by other agency or i nsti tuti on,
but
.yuri sdi cti on retai ned
by count y_- _
3
on the basis of these figures it appears that in the counties where
cooperative Federal, state, and local programs
are in operation,
emphasis is being put upon the job
of keeping children in their own
homes.
Nothing positive
happens to a child through the mere process
of
being counted. Thus it seemed wise to delay formal statistical
reporting by the states to the children's Bureau on the number of
children reached through locar programs
of child-werfare
services
financed in whole or in part
by Federal funds until after certain other
steps toward relating reporting to content of treatment had been
taken.a
In each of the 11 states which had made no provision
for services
to children up to 1936 a beginning has been made and state and local
funds have been made available for part
of the totar cost. There is
{
Expcrimentation
in this 6etd has been carried on for the past lg months, and a summary on
philosophy
and method of feporting, prepared
by the Assistat Director of the child welfare Division,
will be foud on p. 7.
Provided by the Maternal and child Hearth Library, Georgetown-
!
Uni versi t v
Genet aI Revi ew of Accotnpl i shttte nts
increasing acceptance of the fact that services to children are an inte-
gral part of a public-welfare program, and that an investment in
service may make expenditure of public funds for assistance and
foster care unnecessary in many cases.
There is also new awareness of the right of every child to be under-
stood and of the fact that the economic independence of a family does
not necessarily carry with it the skill required to cope with the stress
and strain of growing up. Thus the children's workers are often
asked to give service to children shorving symptoms of social maladjust-
ment whose families are not dependent.
The story of development of services for children in rural areas,
since February 1936, is a kaleidoscopic record of rural America. The
excerpts from the reports prepared by the States which form the body
of this report give some of the details of this record.
The local workers, like the children with whom they are working,
often face environmental conditions and handicaps which make the
phrase
"predominantly rural" something more than mere legal
phraseology. Most of the workers are young and eager to meet the
challenge of pioneering in a new phase of public service for children.
The question may be raised as to what purpose is served by having
a children's worker go into a community where child neglect, depend-
ency, and delinquency for the most part spring from basic economic
problems about which the worker can do nothing. The answer, it
would seem, is that through the efforts of the worker the children
living under such conditions can be made "visible," as Miss Lathrop
once said in referring to
juvenile
courts and their objectives. And
only as our children are made visible do we have the evidence which is
needed, if, as a Nation, we are to attack the basic causes which produce
child dependency and neglect.
On the positive side it can be reported that the files of State and
local public-welfare offices contain the stories of children and families
that have been helped to help themselves because a worker was near
at hand "to do something" when their own social and economic
resources were not enough to carry them through the stress of aparticu-
lar situation. Such case material obviously cannot be included in
this report. Furthermore, the processes by which positive results
in reconstructing human behavior are achieved cannot be outlined
with mathematical precision. What the worker herself contributes
is only one eleneent in the treatment process. Certain things happen
because of her; and other things happen in spite of her.
Reference has been made to the number of Negro workers in local
units. Delinqugncy among Negro children has been of more concern
to communities than dependency and neglect, but through efforts to
prevent
delinquency the realization is growing that a preventive
approach to this problem involves dealing with Negro children in their
Provided by the Maternal and Child Health Library, Georgetowtiuni*.rity
I
Chi l d
^Wel fare
Seryi ces, 1 936-3A
own homes and communities. Both white and Negro child-welfare
workers attached to county departments of public welfare are reaching
dependent and neglected children who are in danger of becoming
delinquent. It is significant that local communities have visualized
this phase of the work as an area of need among Negro children and
are giving full cooperation in the program. rn addition to local services
for Negro children, special services have been made available to a
number of institutions, particularly
correctional institutions, through
provision in state plans for employing Negro workers to be assigned
to institutions on a demonstration basis; and through the policy
of
the children's Bureau whereby the special consurtant on Negro child
welfare on the staff of the child welfare Division may be assigned to
States for temporary service.
The states in which special services for Negro children have been
provided through Federal funds are Alabama, Delaware, Kentucky,
New jersey,
Oklahoma, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.
The summaries on activities within the states do not ieveal the full
extent to which state and local advisory committees have been de-
veloped as a means of promoting
community interest in the welfare of
all children. This has been, however, one of the important aspects of
the expansion in public services for children which the social Security
Act has stimulated. As more citizens have become familiar with the
strengths and weaknesses of community forces affecting children,
they have assumed greater leadership in communal efforts to provide
a more satisfactory and wholesome "design for living', for every child.
Brief glimpses
of how States and local units are attempting to put
the old wine of long accepted child-welfare principles into new bottles
of public administration are given in the following pages of this reporr.
To those who believe that people should have freedom to make their
own choice and that "the duty of leadership is to see that that choice
is available"
s
there is meaning in a public-welfare program
designed to
foster the development of personal stamina and inherent capacities in
children in spite of social and economic disaster and to help them to
live in a democracy which still safeguards the right of choice.
Conference on State Child-Welfare Services
On April 4-6, 1938, 115 children,s workers and executives frorn 44
states and the District of columbia attended a conference
6
on state
chiid-welfare services, called by the chief of the united states chil-
dren's Bureau. The members of the children's Bureau Advisory
committee on community child-welfare services also attended the
5
A Southerner Di scovers the South, by
Jonathan Dani el s, p.71. Macmi i l an Co., New
york,
193g.
6
See Proceedings of the Conference on State Child-Wetfare Services. U. S. Children,s Bureau
Publ i cati on No. 255 (Maternal and Chi l d-Wel fare Bul l . No. 3). Washi ngton, 1938.
Provided by the Maternal and Child Health
I
L
Library, Georgetown Universit1
t
Provided b
Curtent Reporti ng and Monthl y Reporfs
conference. The committee had one meeting on Aprii 5 exclusive of
the conference sessions. This conference, devoted largely to the
content of child-welfare programs in rural areas, was the second
called by the Children's Bureau since the social-security legislation
became effective. The first was in
June
1936, when programs for
child-welfare services were being administered in only 33 States and
the District of Columbia. The increased number of persons attend-
ing the 1938 conference and the larger number of States represented
reflected the increasing spread of chil<iren's services through the
rural sections of the country. The program material presented by
State and local workers reflected a concept of child welfare that has
extended social horizons and is not bounded by foster care.
At the request of the 1938 conference a committee on case record-
ing was appointed for the purpose of redefining what shouid be the
content of a social record in a public agency providing service as well
as assistance for children. The committee and the assistant director
of the Child Welfare Division have worked on this project during the
months since the conference and material is being prepared for the
use of State supervisors of child-welfare services.
Current Reporting and Monthly Reports
on Child-Welfare Services
Cooperatiue Study ol Practicable Method,s oJ Reporting.
During 1937-38 the Child Welfare Division of the United States
Children's Bureau participated with State welfare departments in
expelimental study of the mechanism whereby
information
with social
significance might be obtained in regard to chiid-welfare work in
county units and other local areas. The approach to the study has
been made from the point of view of record keeping as a tool to be
used in social treatment and in interpretation of chiid-welfare problems
rather than for purely statistical purposes.
The study, therefore, began with a form for recording applications
of "intake" which was used to obtain a cross section of cases coming
to the attention of child-welfare workers in demonstration areas for
the month of
January
1937. The experiment was tried out mainly
for the purpose of pointing to the need for and suggesting a primary
method of obtaining intake data as the first step in deveioping current
reports on activities and as a basis for studying the problems dealt
wi th.
This was followed by the preparation, after consultation with cer-
tain State welfare departments, of a preliminary form for monthly
reports by local child-welfare workers. Through personal consulta-
y the Maternal and Child Health Library, Georgetown University
C hi l d
-Wel fane
Seryi ces, I 9 36-38
tion and correspondence there has been an exchange of ideas with
more than 30 States actively working on the problem
of formulating
a practicable system.
on the basis of tentative forms suggested by the various States,
another monthly report form was prepared eariy in 193g, which was
a composite of what appeared to be the best features found in the
State forms as developed up to that time. This was sent to all
States with the suggestion that its practicability
be tried out by
obtaining on this basis reports for the month of
June
193g in all
counties or other local areas in which Federal funds were used for child-
welfare services. The results indicated that uniformity could be
attained with respect to certain fundamental items, even though in
many states the present
development of child-welfare work necessi-
tates a great deal of ground work in the fierd of child-welfare-service
processes
before such reports can have much social or statistical value.
rn most States the development of local child-welfare work is still
in a pioneering
stage and state-wide development on a uniform basis
will be slow in growth.
State welfare departments are thinking in
terms of programs
that will promote
the welfare of all the children
in the State who are in need of care or protection,
and are consider-
ing their demonstrations of child-welfare services in rural counties or
other areas as a means of working out effective procedures
that will
be applicable to all counties or other local units throughout the state.
Therefore, the
joint
experimentation by the states and the child
welfare Division of the children's Bureau, although necessarily
limited to a large extent to areas in which child-welfare work has
been aided by Federal social-security funds, has been carried on with
the objective of developing a practicable
method of obtaining com-
parable
data for all counties in a State as soon as the character of
the local work makes this possible.
Differing methods of work and organization of child-welfare services
in the various states, and sometimes in locar areas within a State,
make it necessary to adapt reporting systems to actual situations, so
that absolute uniformity for all states is neither practicable
nor desir-
able. r{owever, there are certain problems
and procedures
which are
common to child-welfare work in all localities having any organized
child-welfare service. It has been the purpose
of the
joint
study to
discover what they are and how they can be defined so there may be
a nucleus of significant social data in each State which may be ex-
panded
when conditions make it desirable and practicable
to do so.
Purpose oJ Local Reports on Child-We$are Seruices.
child-welfare cdse records serve as a basis for intelligent case treat-
ment. Monthly reports on child-welfare problems
and methods of
dealing with them likewise provide
a picture
of community responsi-
Provided
by the Maternal and Child Health Library, Georgetown University
Cutrent Repotti n{ and Monthl y Reporfs
bility and the adequacy or inadequacy of available social resources.
The primary purpose of monthly or other periodic reports on public
child-welfare services is to afford a means of analyzing child-rveifare
problems coming to the attention of the local public-welfare
depart-
ment and the methods used in dealing with them.
As with individual case records, the importance of periodic reports
on problems and activities lies not primarily in the factual data
obtained but in the interpretation of the data in terms of their social
meaning as the basis for "treatment" by means of community action.
In suggesting items to be included in monthly reports on child-welfare
services in local areas, it is necessary, therefore, to have in mind that
such reports should furnish information pertinent to:
1. What the worker needs to know in order to understand her
j ob.
2. What the local welfare board or officials and the community
need to know about child-welfare problems and how they are
dealt with, the adequacy of provisions made for meeting child-
welfare needs, and community action required to supply unmet
needs.
3. What the State welfare department needs to know about
work in local units in order to promote the establishment of
adequate child-welfare services.
Before requiring such periodic reports, it is essential that the State
welfare department encourage and assist the local welfare departments
to build up a system of recording and interpreting social data for the
primary purpose of guiding the local work. Reports by local depart-
ments to the State department will then be the result of, and not in
lieu of, development of case records and compilation of socially sig-
nificant data in the community itself.
The experimental use of the tentative form in
June
1938 showed
that State welfare departments need to give more attention to defining
procedures in child-welfare work and relationships to other public-
welfare activities before it will be profitable to undertake any extensive
collection of information. In many localities present necessities
require such undifferentiated service that a worker could not report
on child-welfare services without the expenditure of an undue amount
of time and effort to distinguish such services in her general case load.
Usually this means that very little attention is being given to child-
welfare needs because of the pressure of other work. In any case it
would obviousiy be undesirable in such situations to attempt to obtain
definite information on activities which are at best indefinite in prac-
tice. The efforts of the State welfare department may be applied
more profitably
toward developing adequate child-welfare service in
such counties; reporting should wait until the character of the work
done warrants expenditure of time for special child-welfare reports.
Provided by the Maternal and child Health Library, c"o.g.toror,Trri*rritv
10
Chi l d-Wel fare Seryr' ces, 1936-38
Training of Child-Welfare Workers
Reponr To ADVISoRY ConaMITTEE oru TnaINING AND
PensoruNEL, JRTuRRY 29, I939
The Children' s Bureau report on developments in the program
of
training for children' s workers through the use of Federal funds made
available to the States for child-welfare services under the provisions
of
title V, part 3, of the social security Act has been prepared
in two
sections.
Section I will pertain chiefly to administrative policies
and to
certain questions growing out of the experience of the past 3 years.
Section II will be devoted to:
(a) A presentation
of what has been done by the states to
improve the quality of service to children through strengthening
supervision of workers responsible for treatment and through
developing greater understanding of the functions of a child-
welfare program on the part of other members of staffs having
contacts with local public-welfare
units;
7
and
(b) A summary of expressions of opinion by students receiving
educational leave through Federal funds as to the strengths and
weaknesses of their school experience.
SECTION I
As has been previously reported to the Advisory committee
on
Training and Personnel, the residence restrictions adopted by many
States, together with a lack of professionally qualified
children' s
workers who by experience and temperament
were suited to the
peculiar demands of a rural program,
made it necessary to include
development of personnel
as part of the administrative policy
of the
Chi l dren' s Bureau.
The States, therefore, were encouraged to include in their plans
for
child-welfare services one or more of the following procedures:
1. Granting educational leave to qualified persons for attend-
ance at recognized schools of social work.
2. Improving quality
of service through providing
more ade-
quate supervision of workers.
3. Using specially staffed local units for orientation of new
workers; for periods of intensive supervision of workers brought
into the unit from other counties; and in some instances, for a
limited number of students of schools of social work, usually those
regarded as potential
child-welfare workers in the particular
State.
z
In this connection, see The Meaning of State Supervision in the Social
protection
of Children.
U. S. Children' s Bureau Publication No. 252. Washington, 1940,
Provided by the Maternal and Child Health'Library, Georgetown University
Trainin! of Child-Welfare Workers
4. Granting occasional leave of absence to persons to enable
them to go to a selected specialized agency for several months as a
means of improving their case-work practice.
The selection of personnel for leaves of absence has been largeir.
limited to those persons who have had fuil professional training
but have been out of school for a considerable period or who have
not had recent experience in a children's agency. In 3 years a
total of nine persons have been given leave of absence for the
purpose of working in children's agencies.
5. Arranging conferences, institutes, or discussion groups for the
entire child-welfare staff for a limited period and providing
a
leader from outside the staff for whose services payment is made.
In no case has this been regarded as anything other than a
means of getting perspective on the
job
and of "refueling', the
workers professionally.
Educational Leaye.
Since February 1, 1936, plans for child-welfare services have included
provisions for educational leave for 256 persons from 35 States and
Hawaii. Plans for 35 States and for Hawaii for the fiscal year ending
June
30, 1939 include provision for educational leave. The number
of students from any one State has varied from 1 to 12. The amount
of money set up for educational leave in the 35 States and Hawaii
for the fi scal year i s
$92,735-out
of a total of
$1,701,786.22 i ncl uded
in the budgets for child-welfare services for these States and Hawaii.
The amounts paid by the States to persons on educational leave
have varied from State to State. The Children's Bureau has stated
that the maximum amount for educational leave paid an individual
should not exceed
$110
per month, but that the States themselves
should make the financial arrangements with workers to be given
educational leave exactly as is done in employing staff. Generally,
workers selected for educational leave are those who have not had an
opportunity to complete their professional education and who will
return to local
jobs.
The experience gained in selecting students according to the
general policies adopted in
July
1937 indicates that, although some
mistakes have been made, the States have been conscientious in their
efforts to choose the most promising workers and have taken the
responsibility of selection very seriously. The staff of the Child
Welfare Division of the Children's Bureau has advised the States,
particularly in those instances when special problems were involved,
but the final decision has rested with the State agency as to selection
and, of course, with the school as to acceptance.
This policy is in line with the philosophy upon which the cooperative
relationship between the States and the Children's Bureau has been
2726290-40-2
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C hi l d-Wel fare Servi ces, I 936-38
developed, namely, that the State agency is the administrative unit
and therefore must assume responsibility for details of administration
incident to carrying out the plan for child-welfare services, which is
only a part of its total public-welfare
structure.
rn all of the plans for educational leave for the fiscal year
1939
provision
is made for at least 2 quarters'
work. In the original
statement of the children's Bureau policy
on educational leave it
was indicated that in most instances a worker should not be given
more than 2 quarters'
leave at any one time. Emphasis was placed
also on selecting only those workers who had already had I quarter
or 1 semester at a professional
schoor. specific questions
on
policies pertaining
to educational leave will be raised for consideration
later in this report.
Trcining Superuisors,
Fourteen states use funds for child-welfare services in whole or in
part to employ a supervisor or director of training as a means of
improving the quality
of service for children in local communities.
In states in which plans for child-welfare services do not include
special provision for a training supervisor as such, the child-welfare
supervisors and case consultants are attempting to provide
training
for workers through supervision of case-work practice
and through
regional or staff meetings. The quality
of this service varies from
State to state and is undoubtedly
"spotty,' within the same state
due to variations in quality
of personnel
and to the pattern
of organiza-
tion into which the services for children must be fitted.
Training Units.
Nine states have made provision
for training units in their prans
for child-welfare services for the fiscar year 1939. Depending
upon
the legal structure for administration of public-welfare
servic.r, th...
units are either part
of the regurar local public-werfare
units or are
local child-welfare units. In every instance these units are first of
all providing
services for children in the community. In ad.dition, a
higher quality of supervision has been provided
in order that the unit
may be used for the purpose
of orientation of child-welfare
workers
who are to be assigned to rurar areas. The number of workers
assigned for the orientation period is small, never more than four at
any one time, and the period
of time in units varies from 2 to 6 months.
Six of these units are so located that they have been made available
for field-work training for students attending schools of social work.
Three of the training units have no connection with a schoor of
social work, but are used entirely as a means of increasing the com-
petence
of local staffs through a period
of intensive supervision in a
somewhat protected
situation as to case load and job pressures.
t 2
Provided by the Maternal and Child Health Library, Georgetown University
Trainin! of Child-Welfare Wotkets
As indicated earlier, an adequate number of qualified children's
workers was not available in the States at the time the program for
child-welfare services was inaugurated. Therefore it seemed impor-
tant to utilize all available resources for the training of personnel and
at the same time to keep sight of the necessity for avoiding certain
practices in the training field which were unsound both theoreticallv
and administratively.
As the formulation of all plans for child-welfare services has been
based upon existing conditions in the respective States, there is some
variation in the arrangements between the State agencies and the
schools of social work in the six States in which the training units are
used for field training. Ilowever, in no instance has Federal money
been used to subsidize a school of social work. In a few instances
where the supervisor paid from Federal funds has given service to
students other than those to be absorbed in the State or local program,
there has been a quid pro quoin terms of tuition or educational leave
for children's workers from funds other than Federal child-welfare
funds.
Two major points emerge from the experience of the past 3 years
with relation to training units:
1. Local units providing services for children through the use
of funds for child-welfare services that are developed as training
units regard the care and treatment of children as their chief
purpose, even though they also provide resources for intensive
periods of training and for orientation of new workers.
2. When schools of social work and State agencies have entered
into a cooperative arrangement which permits the acceptance of
students for field work in a local unit, Federal funds have been
used only to pay salaries of supervisors of field work who are
functioning as members of the local staff and are administratively
responsible to the public-welfare officials. Federal child-welfare
funds have not been used to pay salaries of faculty members
employed by the schools for supervision of students on field
work assignments.
We have now passed through the initial stages of getting programs
under way. Because of educational leave and the training activities
within the States which have gone on for the past 3 years, more
qualified persons are now available for child-welfare services. This
does not mean that there is not great need for continuing emphasis
upon improving quality of personnel and for replacement of inad-
equately equipped workers. The question now is whether the States,
as they begin to formulate new plans, should be encouraged to con-
tinue to operate training units which up to now have served a
useful purpose in the development of child-welfare services or whether
this is unwise from the standpoint of long-time planning.
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C hi l d
- Wel f ane
Ser yi ces, 1 936- 3A
btucr-
Aa iastitute is technically defined as a gathering
of persons
having
ooBrrlon vocational or professional
interest for the purpose
of instruc_
tion and mutual assistance. Five States (Kentucky,
Maine, Missouri,
]ie*' York, and washington) inciuded provisions
for institutes in their
plans for the fiscal year 1939. seven states provided
for institutes
i n thei r pl ans for the fi scal year 193g.
Sttpcrr i si on.
sEcrIoN rr
The functi ons of the trai ni ng supervi sors i n the 14 States i n whi ch
:rai ni ng s.pervi sors have been empl oyed di rough the use of chi l d-wer-
iare funds differ in accordance with needs and requirements
of the
particular
situation within each State and with variations in person-
nei to be trained. An attempt has been made in each State to have
this supervision meet the needs of the individuar
worker. The back-
ground
of experience
and training, as rvell as skilr in performance,
of
the various workers differs widely. There is, however, a common
feeling on the part
of every worker that she need.s to know more about
the "lvhys" and "hows', of case work as applied to her day_by-day job.
In some instances this means gaining a sounder philosophy
about a
specific practice
the worker has carried on for a period
"r
li*.. In
another instance it means modifying her attitudes about human beings.
This has been done in part through individual conferences of the train-
ing supervisor with the fie1d representatives,
at which time they may
discuss case-work procedures
on cases which their county workers are
carrying, or they may use this period
for a discussion of problems
directly related to their supervisory methods. In addition, gro,rp
"or- ferences have been arranged whereby the training supervisor, the
*'orker, and the fieid representative
may discuss jointly
a case. Spe-
cial consultants are drawn into these conferences where their assistance
seems desi rabl e.
The work of the training supervisors appears to be divided into
di rect and i ndi rect supervi si on:
Di tect superv;si on i s the supervi -
sion of that part of the work of fie1d representatives
that is concerned
n'ith content of the program
for child-welfare services and instruction
of county children's workers; and indirect supervision is the teaching
of supervision through individual and group
conferences, staffmeetings,
and so forth.
Th rugh conferences with the training supervisor, field supervisors
are beginning to have a real understanding of what supervision means,
* hich assists the worker to grow professionally
and personally
and to
i uncti on more adequatel y, as opposed to the method of supervi si on
n hi ch i s one of control or checki ng.
Provided by the Maternal and chitd Hearth Library, Georgetowri
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University
Trai ni ng of Chi l d-Wel fare Workers
In area or district meetings the training supervisor has divided her
teaching periods so that time is given to formal instruction, case dis-
cussion, and the discussion of current professional
literature. consid-
eration is given to fundamental basic case-work concepts and a sound
philosophy
which can be utilized. An attempt is made to keep the
discussions practical, to recognize size of case loads, distances to be
traveled, and particular peculiarities
of the community setting. If a
sound philosophy of case work can be inculcated, concepts would
become transferable from one case or community to another and offer
an opportunity for the development of the worker's philosophy rather
than merely a solution of specific cases.
In case discussion no cases are ever used with the group which are
not being carried by one of its members. Cases presented
by a train-
ing supervisor have been used as a means of developing a sound under-
standing of case work rather than as a means of coming to a decision
as to the next step to be taken. To quote from one training super-
visor, "If it is possible to evaluate the reasons for the success of these
meetings and to see why the group gains real help in their day-by-day
job
from these meetings, it may be because the emphasis is not placed
on ideally what should be done, but what is the best way that this
certain thing can be accomplished under existing circumstances;
that is, when one knows, for instance, that she cannot visit as fre-
quently as the situation demands, then what can she do in terms of
these limitations? Frequently this means a choice, but not a choice
because the pressure is greatest
but because she has thought through
her entire
job
and decided that this rather than something else war-
rants a certain amount of time. As a result, more time is given to
the preventive
side of her
job
and she becomes less emotional about
what she cannot do."
In addition to direct and indirect supervision, training supervisors
in some of the States give induction courses to workers preceding the
permanent assignment of a worker to a
job.
This induction or orienta-
tion is given to enable the worker to acquire:
1. Better knowledge of the agency set-up.
2. Understanding of the agency's functional responsibilities,
policies, and procedures.
3. Knowledge of the filing system used in the State office and
the use of speciai tbrms.
4. Knowledge of the agency's methods in regard to adoptions,
foster homes, l i censi ng, and i l l egi ti macy.
5. Knowledge of agency's
'uvorking
relationships with other
public and private agencies.
6. Opportunity to read case-record folder of county to which
workers are assigned.
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C hi Id
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l fare Servi ces, 1 936-3g
7. Methods of obtaining professional
books availabre in the
agency, and supplies and materials needed in the county.
8. Knowledge of case-work philosophy
in regard to children's
work in the particular
agency.
9. Assistance in learning how to study a case record.
Supervisors have given
thought arso to the analysis of functions and
responsibilities
for each worker in the child-welfare program
and. their
relationship to duties of other workers in the department.
rn those states where educational leave has been granted,
the train-
ing supervisor has assisted in the selection of staff members to whom
leave could be made available. The factors considered in this selec-
t r on wef e:
1. worker's background of previous
training and experience.
2. worker's interest in professional
training and her ability to
utilize such training upon her return to the job.
3. worker's potentiarities
for growth and deveropment as evi-
denced through performance
on the job.
4' The agency's ability to prace someone in the worker's posi-
tion during her absence to carry on the agency's functions.
5. The usual considerations of health, age, personality,
and so
forth.
Experi ence of Students on Educati onal Leave.
As has been stated, 35 states have granted ed.ucational leave to a
total of 256 workers to attend a recognized school of sociar work.
Directors of child welfare in the States where educational leave has been
granted
asked each worker to submit a frank and objective evaluation
of what educational leave has meant personally
and professionally
to
the worker. These reports were then made availabre to the con-
sultants. Ten of the recognized schools of sociar work were repre-
sented in the reports from students. so far reports have been re-
ceived from 85 students, representing a geographical
distribution of all
states, except the extreme western ones, granting
educational leave.
With few exceptions these workers have returned to local jobs.
The following is a brief summary of points
which were generafly
made by all students who submitted reports. Listed in order of
number of times of reference, the students expressed a desire for-
1. A longer period
of educational leave.
2. Better facilities for fierd work and more competent super-
visors of field work.
3. Closer integration of classroom work with field work.
4. More realism in the content of lecture material.
5. Insteadof specializedcourses
in rurar work, rurar as weil as
urban interpretation
ofcase-work principles
in all courses offered.
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University
I
Trai ni ng of Chi l d-Wel fare Workers
1 i
6. Less ti me devoted to hi stori cal materi al i n l ecture courses.
7. Opportunity for advisory services regarding selection of
courses prior to student's registration.
8. Better adaptation of courses on communitl' organiza..:on
to situations in rural communities.
9. Smaller classes.
10. Emphasis on the importance of interpreting the proran
to the community.
In the light of these suggestions it may be of interest to give br:ci
quotations from a few of the reports. The positive value of educa-
tional leave was emphasized by all students. To quote:
Even 2 quarters' work has gi ven me a di fferent atti tude toward cl i ents and
toward chi l d-wel fare probl ems. My awareness of chi l d-wel fare probl ems has
spread to the enti re agency and to groups of i ndi vi dual s i n the communi ty.
Al though I know that I am i nadequatel y trai ned, I have been abl e to meet prob-
l ems a l i ttl e more competentl y and have real i zed the need for speci al i zed servi ces
i n the State to meet needs whi ch I am not prepared to meet. It seems to me that
thi s woul d make for a gradual rai si ng of the standards for case work throughout
al l agenci es i n the State.
and agai n:
I bel i eve that educati onal l eave on chi l d-wel fare-servi ces funds has gi ven an
i mpetus to the eval uati on ofpersonnel and the creati on ofpersonnel standards, not
onl y for chi l d-wel fare workers but i n the enti re organi zati on.
and two additional quotations:
In counti es where chi l d-wel fare workers have had educati onal l eave the other
staff members have evi denced more i nterest i n si mi l ar trai ni ng.
The use of chi l d-wel fare-servi ces funds has been a means of obtai ni ng a group
of workers who serve as a "spearhead" i n the dri ve for better standards of work
and personnel i n the State set-up.
In regard to the need for rural training, a question that is frequentiy
discussed, the following observations may be of interest:
Because i ndi vi dual s i n t he ci t y ar e t he same as t hose i n a smal l t own, vi l l age,
or farm communi ty, thei r needs too are si mi l ar, The greatest di fference i n urban
and rural work i s that resources and faci l i ti es i n a rural communi ty are extremel v
l i mi ted and communi ty i nterpretati on i s often the worker' s greatest probl em.
Another comment was:
I shoul d say that rural condi ti ons shoul d be studi ed by workers who do not
themsel ves have a rural background. For those who have grown up i n rural
surroundi ngs such courses woul d not be absol utel y necessary. If persons who
have grown up i n the country do not have adequate knowl edge of rural condi ti ons,
they are hardl y al ert enough to be soci al workers.
Two additional statements were:
It i s an excel l ent thi ng to have a course, or several courses, i n rural soci al
work, but why cannot every course offered contai n the rural case-work angl e as
wel l as i nterpretati on of the pri nci pl es of urban case work?
Provided by the Maternal and Child Health Library, Georgetown University
18
C hi Id
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e l f are Se.ryr' ces, 1 9 3 6- 3 8
\1' e l earn i n urban fi el d work to be too dependent on outsi de resources, whi ch
r j o not exi st i n t he r ur al communi t y. However , t he oppor t uni t y of l ear ni ng
hor v t hi ngs shoul d be done was i nval uabl e.
One student commented:
The eagerness of the facul ty members to l earn fi rst hand more about the
probl ems and general procedures i n rural counti es was of most i nterest to me.
The essenti al s i n al l soci al work are the same, but the ci rcumstances and the
di fferences i n resources someti mes make the approach and emphasi s of a rural
soci al worker a bi t di fferent.
In answer to the question sometimes raised as to whether students
from a rural community profit by fie1d v,'ork in an urban situation.
the following quotation is given:
Rural peopl e need the sti mul ati ng effect of urban work, and j ust
because we
ar e t o wor k under l i mi t ed r ur al condi t i ons does not mean t hat we shoul d not
experi ence urban soci al work,
More comments were made on the importance of field-work training
than on anything else:
The val ue and sti mul us recei ved from fi el d work depend al most enti rel y on
the supervi sor to whom the student i s assi gned. Fi el d work under good super-
vi si on i s the most constructi ve of the experi ences to whi ch a student i s exposed.
and agai n:
I recei ved more val ue from fi el d work than from any other part of my experi ence.
I thi nk thi s was because I had a supervi sor who was aware of the di fferent probl ems
that we rneet i n our l ocai envi ronment and the contrast of hi ghl y organi zed re-
sources i n an urban communi ty versus the pauci ty of resoui ces i n the rural
di stri cts.
Another student states:
Fi el d-work courses are the key courses. They afford opportuni ty to appl y
methods l earned i n l ecture or cl assroom.
and agai n:
There i s need to emphasi ze the cl ose i ntegrati on of fi el d-work supervi si on wi th
academi c work i n order to make each an i ntegral part of the other,
We need f i el d- wor k super vi sr : r s
. r ho
ar e abl e t o r el at e t he pr evi ous exper i ence
of the student to the trai ni ng peri od and who can hel p the student worker rel ate
the whol e of her trai ni ng experi ence to what she hopes to do on her return to her
j ob.
The students expressed a desire that more guidance should be given
to them in the selection of courses prior to the time of registration.
One student makes the following statement:
I bel i eve that students shoul d be prepared for the i nevi tabl e defl ati on whi ch
seems al ways to fol l ow a student' s entrance to a school . I bel i eve that thi s i s
al together to the good, as i t produces an open mi nd and a zeal for l earni ng, at
l east enough to begi n to patch up the sei f-esteem. I thi nk i t i s someti mes di ffi cul t
i n 1 quarter peri od to recover enti rel y from the defi ati on stage.
I
Provided
by the Maternal and Chitd Health Library, Georgetown University
Ttai ni nS of Chi l d-Wel fare Worketg
In regard to the selection of persons for educational leave. stuCe:::s
generally seem to echo the feeling of this one:
chi l d-wel fare-servi ces
funds for educati onal l eave shoul d be l i mi tcc :c :|.:' s:
persons who have had suffi ci ent experi ence to know that they are defi cl :tl i - ::-.:::
est ed i n cont i nui ng i n chi l d- wel f ar e wor k and have had at l east 1 year ' s expe: i : : cc
i n a county offi ce. Thi s experi ence i s necessary i n order for a student to knoq
what thi ngs are of most val ue to hi m i n a rural communi ty'
There were numbers of statements similar to the following:
Mor e r eal i sm shoul d be put i nt o cl assr oom wor k.
Much of t he hi st or i cal mat er i al coul d be gi ven i n r eadi ng assi gnment s.
A11 students seemed to concur in the following:
The associ ati on wi th students drawn from every part of the country i s val uabl e.
Cl ass di scussi on of State l aws and wel fare programs' suppl emented by students
wi th fi rst-hand knowl edge of actual worki ng of the programs, hel ps one to gai n
perspecti ve.
and, finally, this statement seemed to summarize the general attitude
of the workers who had returned to a
job:
Many of the thi ngs whi ch have meant the most to me afe the most i ntangi bl e'
and I may not be abl e to express them adequatel y. I bel i eve that a soci al -work
phi l osophy i s not acqui red through any parti cul af coutse. It i s rather the coor-
di nati on of pri nci pl es, theori es, and practi ce i nto one' s own phi l osophy and the
abi l i t y t o t r ansi at e t he "whys" and "hows"
of t he
j ob i nt o t er ms of gr eat est benef i t
t o t he cl i ent . The per i od of t r ai ni ng al so convi nced me t hat t he f i el d of soci al wor k
i s one i n whi ch t he pat t er n i s not yet set . Ther e i s pl ent y of r oom and oppor t uni t y
for ori gi nal thought and attai nment.
Questi ons.
On the basis of the experience of the past 3 years there are a number
of questions which should be raised for consideration by this com-
mittee. In addition, the members themselves will probably wish to
raise other questions regarding some of the material included in this
report.
The specific
questions which the Children's Bureau would like to
have discussed are as follows:
1. Is the present policy of the Bureau regarding State deter-
mination of the maximum amount to be paid to students for
educational leave within the
$110
monthly maximum set by the
Bureau a sound
policy?
In discussing this question the provisions of part 3 of title V of
the social Security Act, which
place administration of child-
welfare services in the cooperating State agency and the philoso-
phy and experience of the Children's Bureau regarding its role in
Federal-State relationship, should be kept in mind'
2. While the policy of leaving responsibility for all administra-
tive details incident to perfecting satisfactofy arrangements for
educational ieave to the State agency' the schools, and the stu-
the Maternal and Child Health Library, Georgetown University
l 9
Provided by
20 C hild -Welfare
Servrbes, 1 936-gg
dents appears to be sound, the question
is raised as to the experi_
ence of the schools in their contacts with States and students;
and as to whether there is anything the children's Bureau
-o' ao
to further the process
of developing
mutually satisfactory
rela_
tionships
to the end that the students may receive
the maximum
benefit from their school experience.
3. As has been indicated,
educational
leave thus far has gen_
erally been granted
to persons
who have not had an opportunity
to complete full professional
training and who will return to local
positions.
At what point
should we begin to select persons
for
educational leave who have had full professional
training
but who
will contribute
more to the child_welfare program
if given
an
opportunity
for a period
of specialized
trainingi
4. The policy
regarding
length of educational
leave (namely,
not to exceed 2 quarters
at any one time except under special
circumstances)
was based upon recognized
administrative prob-
lems within the State and knowledge
of pressures
which might be
brought if the periods
of educational
leave were too long. How
has this policy
affected the program
of the schools?
5. should the policy
of using Federal funds for educational
leave be regarded
as a permanent
policy?
6. Training
units have served a dual purpose
of supplying
the
current needs of the child-welfare
staff and of stimulating
int"erest
in training and professional
standards.
In addition, some of the
units have been a resource
of schools of social service for rural
field work. With increased
number of train.d p..ror,
,o*
available should training units be continued
as one part
of train-
ing for child-welfare
services?
7' In those states where training units and schoors
of social
work have estabtished
cooperative relationships,
three gror;p,
of
students for whom field_work
assignments
are planned
are:
(a) Workers granted
educati onal l eave by the State agency mai n-
tai ni ng the uni t and who wi l l return to the agency.
(,6)
Students who are potenti ai
workers i n the State agency and. are,
therefore, i nterested i n securi ng fi erd-work
experi ence i n a rural uni t
servi ng chi l dren.
(c) other students who may be from outsi de the state but who have
shown i nterest and potenti al i ti es
for work i n the chi l d_wel fare
fi el d.
Should there be variations in the amount of participation
in
administrative
costs of training
units through the use of Federal
funds for field-work training for these three groups
of students?
hr-
Provided by the Maternal and Child Health Library, Georgetown University
r -
State Summari es
ALABAMA
The expendi ture of funds al l ocated under ti tl e V, part 3, of the Soci al Secunty
Act has for i ts mai n obj ecti ve the strengtheni ng of servi ces to chi l dren i n areas
predomi nantl y rural . In Al abama work toward thi s obj ecti ve has been at-
tempted l argel y through two channel s, namel y, the establ i shment of an effecti ve
system of State supervi si on, and the assi gnment of wel l -trai ned soci al workers to
county departments of publ i c wel fare for the purpose of gi vi ng i ntensi ve servi ce
to chi l dren i n need of such servi ce.
It i s recogni zed i n the l i ght of the experi ence of past years i n Al abama that
effecti ve State supervi si on conti nues to be an i mportant part i n the admi ni s-
trati on of servi ces to chi l dren i n the counti es. Al though the publ i c-wel fare
program has been admi ni stered i n Al abama for a peri od of 3 years, the pressure
of the j ob resul ti ng from the unempl oyment si tuati on and other factors i s sti l l
such that there must fl ow conti nual l y from the State staff some form of servi ce
to the county departments whi ch wi l l sti mul ate and devel op a more qual i tati ve
servi ce for chi l dren. The use of case consul tants attached to the Bureau of
Chi l d Wel fare to suppl ement the servi ces of the fi el d staff has been found to be
effecti ve. These consul tants assi st i n sel ecti ng case l oads to be assi gned to the
l ocal chi l dren' s workers; i n anal yzi ng total case l oads for the purpose of sel ecti ng
the types of cases needi ng i ntensi ve and speci al i zed servi ce; and i n studyi ng
i ndi vi dual county si tuati ons for the purpose of recommendi ng communi ty
organi zati on i n terms of treatment faci l i ti es to meet the needs of chi l dren. Case
consul tants are sent to counti es onl y at the request of the fi el d representati ve
who i s enti rel y fami l i ar wi th the si tuati on that needs to be handl ed or studi ed i n
the parti cul ar county. The case consul tant carri es no conti nui ng responsi bi l i ty
for the si tuati on whi ch she fi nds i n the county. l l er report i s useful to the fi el d
representati ve and serves to portray more defi ni tel y the county' s needs.
In assi gni ng chi l dren' s case workers to county staffs, i t i s understood that the
case worker serves under the admi ni strati ve di recti on and supervi si on of the
county di rector of publ i c wel fare. It i s recogni zed, however, that the di rector
as admi ni strator of the county' s enti re wel fare program usual l y works under such
pressure that the supervi si on she gi ves to the chi l dren' s case worker i s not ade-
quate on the qual i tati ve si de. The fi el d representati ve, therefore, on her routi ne
vi si ts to the county attempts to eval uate the supervi si on recei ved by the chi l dren' s
case worker. Excerpts from a narrati ve report of a fi el d representati ve wi l l
serve to i l l ustrate cl earl y the ki nd of supervi sory rel ati onshi p whi ch exi sts between
the fi el d representati ve, the county di rector of publ i c wel fare, and the chi l dren' s
wor ker :
Approxi matel y 15 cases have been referred to the Negro chi l dren' s worker
by the county di rector si nce the fi el d representati ve' s l ast vi si t, These cases
represent fami l i es that have been known to the agency for some ti me and
have been recei vi ng some form of assi stance. Each case i nvol ves speci al
probl ems that make i t seem wi se for these cases to recei ve cl oser supervi si on
2l
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22 C hi Id
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If are Seryi ces, 1 9 3 6-3 8
than has heretofore been possi bl e. It i s anti ci pated that the case l oad of the
chi l dr en' s wor ker wi l l event ual l y r each bet ween 45 and 50, The count y
di r ect or , hovr ever , f eel s t hat i t i s wi se t o bui l d up t he wor ker ' s case l oad
gradual l y that she rnay l earn her cases as they are added to her case l oad.
The county di rector and vi si tor havi ng previ ous contact wi th the case have
taken the chi l dren' s worker on her i ni ti al vi si t i nto each of these homes i n
order that they mi ght i ntroduce her to the fami l i es. As the chi l dren' s worker
had been i n the county onl y 10 days at the ti me of the fi el d vi si t, there had
been l i ttl e ti me for more than these i ni ti al vi si ts.
For many years the State Department of Publ i c wel fare has gi ven boardi ng
foster care to a l i mi ted number of chi l dren recei ved from the 67 counti es of the
st at e. Ther e i s a wel l - def i ned phi l osophy exi st ent i n Al abama t o t he ef f ect t hat
such f ost er car e admi ni st er ed by t he st at e depar t ment i s t o be consi der ed suppl e-
mentary onl y to that admi ni stered by county dpartments of publ i c wel fare. on
Jul y
1' 1938' therefore, a pl an was put i nto effect whereby funds spent for boardi ng
fcster care by county departments of publ i c wel fare were matched. on a 50-50 basi s
by St at e f unds. Thi s mar ked a di r ect st ep t owar d i ocal i zat i on of a ser vi ce t o meet
t he needs of chi l dr en.
Every effort i s bei ng made to work toward an admi ni strati ve pl an whereby one
or more chi l dren' s case workers can be attached to every county department.
Federal funds are usec at present to i mpl ement and sti mul ate such a servi ce,
Those charged wi th the admi ni strati on of the pl an, however, are l ooki ng to
the ti me when there wi l l be one or more chi l dren' s case workers attached to every
county staff wi thout emphasi s on the source of funds to meet the cost of such
servi ce. Increasi ngl y, state and county funds are bei ng provi ded to defray the cost
of the enti re servi ce to chi l dren. It i s true al so that even those counti es wi thout
speci al chi l dren' s workers are provi di ng servi ces for chi l dren i n varyi ng degrees.
In many i nstances county di rectors who were formerl y chi l d-wel fare workers are
competent to gi ve some servi ce where there are no chi l dren' s rvorkers, on Apri l
1' 1939, speci al chi l dr en' s wor ker s wer e empl oyed i n 21 of t he st at e' s 67 count i es.
ALASKA
The pl an for chi l d-wel fare servi ces i n Al aska was approved october 16, l gl 7,
but the program di d not start unti l the arri val of the chi l dren' s worker on Februarv
1, 1938. The i ni ti al pl an provi ded for onl y one worker.
In Al aska some provi si on for dependent chi l dren has been mad,e si nce the meet-
i ng of t he f i r st Ter r i t or i al Legi sl at ur e i n 1913. At pr esent onl y t wo appr opr i at i ons
are made for the benefi t of dependent chi i dren; one for mother' s al l owance and
the other for dependent chi l dren as wards of the boards of chi l dren' s guardi ans.
The mother' s al l owance fund i s admi ni stered by the Governor' s of6ce, and the
Terri tori al Department of Publ i c wel fare has certai n supervi sory functi ons i n
rel ati on to the four boards of chi l dren' s guardi ans (one i n each
j udi ci al
di vi si on of
the Terri tory). The members of each board are the uni ted States Di stri ct
Judge,
the uni ted States marshal , and one woman appoi nted by the di rector of
the Department of Publ i c wel fare (from 1913 to 1937, appoi nted by the Governor).
chi l dren are commi tted to the boards by the courts and when commi tted become
wards of the boards. The boards have authori ty to arrange for care i n sui tabl e
homes or i nsti tuti ons and to pay for such care, the amount of payment not to
exceed
$25
a mont h, The boar ds f ur ni sh r epor t s on war ds t o t he Depar t ment of
Publ i c wel fare and vouchers for payment must be certi fi ed by the chi l dren,s
worker i n the Department of Publ i c wel fare before bei ng presented to the audi tor
f or payment .
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C hi Id
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l f are Seryi ces, 1 9 36-3 8
peri ods rangi ng from 1 day to 12 months for 167 chi l dren duri ng the past year
and a housekeepi ng servi ce, more recentl y i ni ti ated, i n whi ch chi l dren may be
kept i n thei r own homes duri ng a mother' s absence by pl aci ng a housekeeper i n
the home and payi ng her from chi l d-wel fare funds. some boardi ng homes for the
conval escent care of cri ppl ed chi l dren have been l ocated and used, An acti ve
State chi l d-wel fare advi sory commi ttee has been appoi nted and i n each chi l d-
wel fare uni t there i s a l ocal advi sory commi ttee.
The chi l d wel fare Di vi si on i s l i mi ted to the sel ecti on of col orado workers,
whi ch prevents rapi d devel opment of the program because of a scarci ty of wel l -
equi pped chi l d' wel fare workers. The smal l staff has a very l arge task for the
reason that, outsi de of Denver, very l i ttl e servi ce has previ ousl y been provi ded
for chi l dren, and pl acement i n al ready overcrowded i nsti tuti ons has been the
accepted method of cari ng for chi l dren. Through the cooperati on of the
publ i c-
Assi stance Di vi si on and i ts fi el d supervi sors, the acti ve i nterest of the advi sory
commi ttee, and the cooperati on of other agenci es, i nterpretati on of chi l d-wel fare
needs i s spr eadi ng.
CONNECTICUT
chi l d-wel fare servi ces i n connecti cut were pl aced by Federal requi rement und.er
the offi ce of Commi ssi oner of Wel fare. The Bureau of Chi l d Wel fare was gi ven
speci al supervi si on over thi s proj ect as i t al ready was renderi ng statutory servi ces
i n rural areas. Through four di stri ct offces the Bureau i nvesti gates al l cases of
negl ected and uncared-for chi l dren for whom commi tment peti ti ons to county
homes or the Bureau have been brought; pl aces and supervi ses such commi tted
chi l dren after fi ndi ng sui tabl e foster homes for them; and l i censes i ndependent
boar di ng homes.
Duri ng the year 1938 three chi l d-wel fare workers were assi gned by the
Bureau of Chi l d Wel fare to two counti es, and prel i mi nary steps were taken
by the supervi sor to establ i sh a worker i n a thi rd county. Offrces were furni shed
by the shi re town i n each county.
It i s somewhat di ffi cul t to eval uate the rel ati onshi ps devel oped wi th town and
county offrci al s. County and town governments are very i ndi vi dual i n Connecti -
cut, and thei r l ocal prerogati ves arej eal ousl y guarded by the ofRci al s. To i nterpret
chi l d-wel fare servi ces to the general publ i c as a servi ce onl y, wi thout court author-
i ty, chi l d-pl aci ng faci l i ti es, or funds for rel i ef, i s somewhat di ffi cul t because the
resul ts are someti mes rather i ntangi bl e and because of the seemi ng dependence of
chi l d-wel fare servi ces on al ready exi sti ng agenci es and resources. l l owever, that
very dependence i s a reassurance that l ocal servi ces are bei ng suppl emented and
not suppl anted. Immedi ate attenti on to referral s and the fact that somethi ng i s
usual l y done, even though what i s done i s not al ways understood, has resul ted i n
an i ncreasi ng number of referral s and a rather general testi moni al that chi l d-
wel fare servi ces "are a great hel p."
In Wi ndham County, wtrere there i s a j uveni l e
court, cases frequentl y come to
the attenti on of the chi l d-wel fare-servi ces worker before they become seri ous
enough for actual referral to the court. The j udge
i nvari abl y asks that super-
vi si on be conti nued when peti ti on for commi tment has not resul ted i n commi t-
ment. The court has stated that the program for chi l d-wel fare servi ces i s very
val uabl e i nasmuch as i t provi des case work over a peri od of ti me, whereas the
court does an i ntensi ve i nvesti gati on, but cannot gi ve conti nued supervi si on
because of pressure of l oad.
In Li tchfi el d County chi l d-wel fare servi ces to the l ocal courts vary. Some of
the courts have referred certai n cases for i nvesti gati on, have accepted the recom-
mendati ons i n certai n cases, and have requested the chi l d-wel fare worker' s super-
vi si on i n other cases; i n one court the onl y recogni ti on of chi l d-wel fare servi ces
Provided ny tt.Tvrut*.nal and ctrila Heattn rinru.y, c*ig.i"*t'u#"rv
28
ChiId-We lfare Servrbes, I 936-38
the administration of services under the Federal Social Security Act of 1935 made
them possi bl e. In 1937 the State Department of Publ i c Wel fare was abol i shed
and the State Department of Soci al Securi ty and Publ i c Wel fare was establ i shed,
i ncl udi ng a Di vi si on of Chi l d Wel fare whi ch has responsi bi l i ty for al l chi l d-wel fare
acti vi ti es. The work accompl i shed by the State and l ocal servi ces und.er the pro-
vi si ons for chi l d-wel fare servi ces was enough to cause a vi gorous protest
when a
new board deci ded i n August 1937 that the chi l d-wel fare program
had to be
sacri fi ced to the more popul ar appeal of ol d-age assi stance. After a l apse of about
9 months the chi l d-wel fare program
was resumed and has been i n force agai n si nce
May 1938. The i nterest of l ocal peopl e i n the chi l d-wel fare program
1as bee'
conti nuous.
Because Arizona has had only a few social workers equipped to work with
speci al probl ems of chi l dren, the Di vi si on of Chi l d Wel fare has arranged educa-
ti onal l eave for a group of promi si ng workers who have demonstrated
und.er-
standi ng of the need of servi ces for chi l dren.
One of the fi rst responsi bi l i ti es assumed by the program
for chi l d-wel fare
serv-
i ces was the supervi si on of chi l dren pl aced away from thei r own homes, wi thout
any chi l d-wel fare supervi si on, by county wel fare workers carryi ng a heavy l oad
of responsi bi l i ty for grants-i n-ai d cases. Careful study of each si tuati on has
enabl ed the Di vi si on of Chi l d Wel fare to return many of these chi l dren to thei r
own homes or to the homes of rel ati ves under the supervi si on of a chi l d-wel fare
worker. Marked i mprovement has been made al so i n the types of foster homes
whi ch care for those chi l dren who cannot be returned to thei r own fami l i es.
The l egal advi sor of the State Department of Soci al Securi ty and
publ i c
Wel fare,
after consul tati on wi th the di rector of chi l d wel fare, di scussed at a meeti ng of the
Bar Associ ati on servi ces avai l abl e from the State Di vi si on of Chi l d Wel fare, and
as a resul t the Associ ati on appoi nted a commi ttee of
j udges
whi ch has been meet-
i ng to devel op uni form procedures i n court cases i nvol vi ng chi l dren. The work of
thi s commi ttee i s bei ng sent for comments and approval to the j udges
responsi bl e
for j uveni l e
cases i n each county, and out of the work of thi s commi ttee
wi l l come
much cl oser cooperati on wi th the State Di vi si on of Chi l d Wel fare. The j udges
are al ready turni ng more and more to chi l d-wel fare workers for assi stance i n
maki ng case studi es of chi l dren and adopti ve homes and for recommend.ati ons
as
to the desi rabi l i ty of adopti ons. Many chi l dren who woul d formerl y have been
found "del i nquent" and commi tted to correcti onal school s are now bei ng referred,
to the Di vi si on of Chi l d Wel fare as "negl ected" chi l dren, l eavi ng the chi l d-wel fare
worker free to make sui tabl e pl ans for them. In some counti es where chi l dren
rvere hel d i n j ai l pendi ng heari ng or transfer to i ndustri al school s, the courts have
been gl ad to have the chi l d-wel fare worker l ocate a good, fami l y home i n whi ch
chi l dren coul d be detai ned i nstead of bei ng sent to j ai l .
The probl ems of chi l dren are many i n Ari zona, and among the phases of work
now recei vi ng attenti on are the fol l owi ng:
1. The border probl em. Ari zona and Mexi co j oi n
each other wi th no
natural boundary between. fnnumerabl e fami l i es, made up of Mexi can-
born parents and Ameri can-born chi l dren, are separated, when al i en parents
are deported, l eavi ng the chi l dren behi nd for such support and school i ng
as they may obtai n, thus gi vi ng ri se to many patheti c probl ems
of depend-
ency, negl ect, and del i nquency.
2. The ri se and decl i ne of many centers of copper mi ni ng, wi th l ong
peri ods
of unempl oyment or underempl oyment, occasi onal spurts of over-
work, poor housi ng, deserti on, and i l l ness, especi al l y tubercul osi s and. si l i cosi s,
gi ve ri se to many chi l d-wel fare probl ems.
Frequentl y an ol d mi ni ng center
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State Surntnari es
has become a "stranded town" wi th few prospects of renewed acti vi ty i n
the mi nes. Its peopl e l i ve on there i n hope.
3. The adverti sement i n the past 20 years of Ari zona,s good cl i mate has
brought i n a great number of peopl e wi th tubercul osi s or other i l l ness and
the resul tant probl ems of dependent and negl ected chi l dren have gi ven the
Department much concern.
4. Ari zona has made no publ i c provi si on for the care of feebl e-mi nded
chi l dren, and many negl ected chi l dren of l ow mental i ty are referred to the
Di vi si on of Chi l d Wel fare, The Di vi si on i s gatheri ng materi al to present to
i nterested groups whi ch for some ti me have been advocati ng l egi sl ati on to
provi de faci l i ti es for thi s group of chi l dren.
Tremendous i nterest i n cri ppl ed chi l dren, a growi ng i nterest i n heal th and
recreati on, and work wi th school offi ci al s, j uveni l e
courts, nurses, representati ves
of r el i gi ous or gani zat i ons and men' s and women' s cl ubs have l ai d out a pr ogr am
for the Di vi si on of Chi l d Wel fare that has al ready taxed the smal l staff to i ts ful l est
extent.
ARKANSAS
Arkansas had no State Chi l d Wel fare Di vi si on before the organi zati on of chi l d-
wel fare servi ces under the Soci al Securi ty Act. One person appoi nted by the
attorney general had attempted to supervi se probati on servi ces and adopti ons i n
al l of the counti es of the State. There was a semi publ i c i nsti tuti on to whi ch
chi l dren were commi tted by
j udges
for adopti on. The State Department of
Publ i c Wel fare was establ i shed i n 1935, and i n 1937, under the Publ i c Wel fare Act
of 1937, a Chi l d Wel fare Di vi si on was created wi thi n the Department to admi ni s-
ter and supervi se al l chi l d-wel fare acti vi ti es. There are no pri vate
chi l d-pl aci ng
agenci es.
Because of the l ack of soci al agenci es i n the State there were few professi onal
workers for a chi l d-wel fare program and a consi derabl e del ay i n organi zi ng the
State and l ocal program. The personnel of the Chi l d Wel fare Di vi si on are chosen
through ci vi l -servi ce procedures under the Arkansas Personnel Di vi si on. The
posi ti ons of di rector of the di vi si on and di rector of trai ni ng and coosul tants were
open to any persons i n the Uni ted States wi th professi onal qual i fi cati ons;
and
much ti me was gi ven to trai ni ng workers who were resi dents of the state to enabl e
them to qual i fy for county chi l d-wel fare posi ti ons. The cl ose rel ati onshi p
between the Publ i c Assi stance Di vi si on and the Chi l d Wel fare Di vi si on has l ed
to an i ncreased understandi ng of chi l d-wel fare probl ems and more attenti on bei ng
gi ven to them by the fi el d supervi sors of the Publ i c Assi stance Di vi si on.
Si nce
Jul y
l , 1937, the
Juveni l e-Court Di vi si on, establ i shed under the attorney
general , has been a part of the Chi l d Wel fare Di vi si on, whi ch has contacts
wi th al l of the counti es of the state for the i ntroducti on of case-work methods
both i n general probl ems and i n adopti ons. A study of chi l dren i n the State
Hospi tal for Nervous Di seases was made wi th pl acement of those capabl e of adj ust-
ment outsi de of the i nsti tuti on. The begi nni ngs of a foster-home program have
been i ni ti ated wi th l i mi ted funds al l ocated by the state Department of
publ i c
wel fare' A cooperati ve rel ati onshi p wi th the cri ppl ed chi l dren' s Di vi si on and
the cl ose i ntegrati on of the work of the enti re state Department of
publ i c
wel -
fare has been to the advantage of the chi l d-wel fare program.
contacts have been establ i shed wi th al l of the chi l d-cari ng i nsti tuti ons of the
state and an i nsti tute for i nsti tuti onal workers was hel d by the chi l d wel fare
Di vi si on i n connecti on wi th the state conference of soci al work. The conference
has al so hel d a regi onal meeti ng on chi l d wel fare i n cooperati on wi th the chi l d
wel fare Di vi si on and al l ocated a hal f day of the annual meeti ng to chi l d wel fare.
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C hi l d -Wel fane
Seryi ces, t 936-39
T!:::e has been excel l ent cooperati on on the part of the Arkansas chi l dren' s Home
a: c Hospi t al ( a semi publ i c i nst i t ut i on) i n gi vi ng t empor ar y car e and maki ng
specr al st udi es of chi l dr en pendi ng per manent pl ans by t he Di vi si on.
pl ans
have
been made for j oi nt
acti vi ty of the Maternal and chi l d Heal th Di vi si on of the
St at e Boar d of Heal t h and t he chi l d- wel f ar e Di vi si on i n wor k wi t h mat er ni t v
homes and ot her aspect s of t he heal t h pr ogr am.
\' vi thi n the Di vi si on a trai ni ng uni t has been set up for the prel i mi nary
devel op-
ment of workers, for professi onal trai ni ng, and for the ori entati on. before thei r
assi gnment to chi l d-wel fare uni ts, of workers returni ng from school s ofsoci al work.
l vhi l e operati ng on an emergency case-work basi s, great numbers of requests
for servi ces were recei ved. The Di vi si on i s now abl e to meet these requests and.
to sti mul ate new i nterest. Publ i c-rel ati o' s work and i nterpretati on have been
a maj or functi on of the Di vi si on, by means of publ i cati ons,
speeches, news rel eases,
exhi bi ts, and i ndi vi dual contacts. contacts wi th the state uni versi ty and State
col l eges have been val uabl e al so, and rel ati onshi ps wi th students i nterested i n
professi onal preparati on
have been establ i shed. Other acti vi ti es i ncl ude setti ng
up a l i brary servi ce on chi l d wel fare; prepari ng
a manual of State chi l d-wel fare
resources and a di gest of State-wi de probl ems
rel ati ng to chi l dren; and i ndi vi dual
case servi ce and demonstrati on.
CALIFORNIA
Laws affecti ng the wel fare of chi l dren i n cal i forni a have been on the statute
books for many years.
chi l d-wel fare servi ces came i n as a suppl ementary state
servi ce to al ready exi stent programs for the admi ni strati on of ai d to needy chi l d-
ren, supervi si on of i nsti tuti ons and boardi ng homes for chi l dren,
i uveni l e
proba-
ti on, and adopti ons and for the fi rst ti me made i t possi bl e for the state to share
servi ce costs for chi l dren wi th the county wel fare departments through the use
of Federal funds' Al though cal i forni a has for many years cooperated wi th the
counti es i n granti ng certai n categori car rel i ef, i ncrudi ng ai d. to needy chi l dren,
the State has never shared admi ni strati ve costs wi th the county werfare depart-
ments, al though i t has a supervi sory functi on i n rel ati on to them.
In addi ti on to the state Department of soci al wel fare another state-wi de rel i ef
agency' the State Rel i ef Admi ni strati on,
admi ni sters unempl oyment rel i ef di rectl y
as a State functi on, al though i t mai ntai ns l ocal county of6ces.
Federal funds for chi rd-wel fare servi ces became avai l abre i n February 1936,
and the cal i forni a pl an was approved the fol l owi ng
June.
pendi ng
the establ i sh-
ment of a Di vi si on of chi l d wel fare as enacted i n the wel fare and Insti tuti ons
code i n 1937, the Di vi si on of chi l dren' s Ai d i s responsi bl e for chi l d-werfare
servi ces. At the end of the fi scal year 193g the State staff for chi l d-werfare
servi ces consi sted of a consul tant psychi atri st,
two chi l cl -wel fare agents, and a
stenographer-secretary.
Each of the chi l d-wel fare agents i s responsi bl e i n hal f
of the State for strengtheni ng and extendi ng servi ces to chi l dren. Thi s i ncl udes
i nterpretati on of the program i n counti es i n whi ch the prograrn i s new, supervi si on
of workers al ready pl aced, and i nterpretati on
and pranni ng for the servi ces of the
psychi at r i st .
The program for chi l d-wel fare servi ces i n cal i forni a earl y i ncl uded a psychi atri c
servi ce. It was so organi zed that i ts educati onal features woul d take precedence
over the cl i ni cal , and was dependent upon four basi c pri nci pl es. Inasmuch as
the areas were rural and any extensi on or strengtheni ng of wel fare servi ces woul d.
qui te properl y uti l i ze speci al ti es wherever i ndi cated, i t was regarded as essenti al :
(1) That the recogni ti on and treatment of the emoti onal needs of chi l dren be
regarded as an i ntegral part of any chi l d-wel fare pl an, general or speci fi c; (2)
that the staffs of wel fare departments be offered assi stance i n the perfecti on and
Provided by the Maternal and child Health Library, Georgetown t,nF.it"
I
Sfafe Surnrnari es
extensi on of professi onal
ski l l s i n rei ati on to aspects of emoti onal l i fe and i n the
practi cal appl i cati on of these ski l l s to undevel oped resources and actual need;
(3) that the cl ari fi cati on of therapeuti c measures and l ocal responsi bi l i ty be made
by the coordi nati on of l ocal effort i n the fi el ds of heal th, educati on, and wel l are
as appl i ed to fami l y l i fe and to chi l d wel fare speci fi cal l y; and (4) that di agnosti c
procedures
as such be i nterpreted di screetl y and thei r i ndi scri mi nate use be
avoi ded,
The wel l -bei ng of normal chi l dren as wel l as the wel fare of those wi th speci fi c
probl ems
i s defi ni tel y wi thi n the scope of a mental -hygi ene program. Instead
of i naugurati ng a cl i ni cal servi ce of a speci al i zed type, consi d.erati on has been
gi ven to requests for hel p from professi onal staffs i n county werfare, heal th, or
educati on departments. These i ni ti el requests have been met and compl i ed
wi th when i t seemed that the request was perti nent to chi l d wel fare or represent-
ati ve of a general need. consul tati ons wi th i ndi vi dual workers, di scussi on
groups, i nsti tutes, and addresses before professi onal and ray groups have been
so far the general practi ce.
In every i nstance the program fol l owed has been,
i n part i f not i n whol e, made appri cabre to the rocal sponsori ng group. Acti vi ti es
of an i ndi rect nature, such as commi ttee membershi ps i n whi ch al l i ed professi onal
poi nts of vi ew are represented, have al so been regarded as
j usti fi abl e
because of
the rel ati onshi ps thereby fostered.
COLORADO
The establ i shment of the state Department of
publ i c
wel fare i n 1936 wi th a
chi l d wel fare Di vi si on made possi bl e the fi rst state-wi de chi l d-wel fare program i n
col orado. Previ ousl y a smal l Bureau of chi l d wel far.e i n the Department of
Educati on gave thought to the devel opment of parent-teacher
work and. mad.e a
study of cri ppl ed chi l dren.
The al l ocati on of
$20,000 of publ i c-wel fare funds for di rect care of chi l dren, the
apporti onment of some of the state wel fare funds for admi ni strati ve purposes, and
the chi l d-wel fare-servi ce funds have made i t possi bi e for the chi l d wel fare
Di vi si on t o devel op a pr ogr am of consul t at i on and assi st ance t o di r ect or s and
st af f member s of count y depar t ment s of publ i c wel f ar e, t o
j udges
of t he j uveni l e
court' to school offi ci al s, to organi zati ons and i ndi vi dual s deal i ng wi th or i nterested
i n speci al pr obl ems
of chi l dr en, and t o St at e and l ocal i nst i t ut i ons r equest i ng hel p.
In four rural counti es of the state the chi l d wel fare Di vi si on has pl aced a
wor ker , at t ached t o t he st af f of t he count y depar t ment of publ i c wel f ar e, { or com-
muni ty organi zati on i n chi l d wei fare and i ntensi ve case work wi th chi l d.ren. on
oct ober 1' 1938, and
Januar y
1, 1939, r espect i vel y, wel d and Mesa count i es, t he
fi rst two chi l d-wel fare uni ts establ i shed, wi l l assume payment of 25 percent of the
sal ari es of thei r chi l d-wel fare workers and the state wel fare fund wi l l assume 25
percent' l eavi ng 50 percent to be pai d from chi l d-wel fare-servi ce funds. Thus
chi l d-wel fare-servi ce funds rr,' i l l be rel eased for the establ i shment of another chi l d-
wel fare uni t,
one of the chi l d-rvel fare uni ts has been desi gnated a trai ni ng uni t, where, i n
cooperati on wi th the Denver uni versi ty School of soci al work, supervi si on i n
fami l y and chi l d-wel fare work i s gi ven to a sel ected group of workers from the
vari ous county publ i c-rvel fare
departments or to sel ected advanced. students i n
the school of soci al rvork. In two uni ts, through the cooperati on of the col orado
Psychi atri c Hospi tal , chi l d-gui dance servi ce i s made avai l abl e to the chi l dren of
f h c n n m* " - i + , ,
wi th State funds provi ded for di rect care, two programs are bei ng devel oped-
a program of temporary boardi ng-home care, whi ch has provi ded care duri ng
2L2629"-'40--3
iloviaeo by the Maternal and child Health Library, c"o.g.tor"rTni*rrity
27
C hi l d
-Wel f
are Seryi ces, I 936-38
peri ods rangi ng from I day to 12 months for L67 chi l dren duri ng the past year
and a housekeepi ng servi ce, more recentl y i ni ti ated, i n whi ch chi l dren may be
kept i n t hei r own homes dur i ng a mot her ' s absence by pl aci ng a housekeeper i n
the home and payi ng her from chi l d-wel fare funds. Some boardi ng homes for the
conval escent care of cri ppl ed chi l dren have been l ocated and used, An acti ve
State chi l d-wel fare advi sory commi ttee has been appoi nted and i n each chi l d-
wel fare uni t there i s a l ocal advi sory commi ttee.
The Chi l d Wel fare Di vi si on i s l i mi ted to the sel ecti on of Col orado workers,
whi ch prevents rapi d devel opment of the program because of a scarci ty of wel l -
equi pped chi l d-wel fare workers. The smal l staff has a very l arge task for the
reason that, outsi de of Denver, very l i ttl e servi ce has previ ousl y been provi ded
for chi l dren, and pl acement i n al ready overcrowded i nsti tuti ons has been the
accepted method of cari ng for chi l dren. Through the cooperati on of the Publ i c-
Assi stance Di vi si on and i ts fi el d supervi sors, the acti ve i nterest of the advi sory
commi ttee, and the cooperati on of other agenci es, i nterpretati on of chi l d-wel fare
needs i s spr eadi ng.
CONNECTICUT
Chi l d-wel fare servi ces i n Connecti cut were pl aced by Federal requi rement under
the offi ce of Commi ssi oner of Wel fare. The Bureau of Chi l d Wel fare was gi ven
speci al supervi si on over thi s proj ect as i t al ready was renderi ng statutory servi ces
i n rural areas. Through four di stri ct offi ces the Bureau i nvesti gates al l cases of
negl ected and uncared-for chi l dren for whom commi tment peti ti ons to county
homes or the Bureau have been brought; pl aces and supervi ses such commi tted
chi l dren after fi ndi ng sui tabl e foster homes for them; and l i censes i ndependent
boar di ng homes.
Duri ng the year 1938 three chi l d-wel fare workers were assi gned by the
Bureau of Chi l d Wel fare to two counti es, and prel i mi nary steps were taken
by the supervi sor to establ i sh a worker i n a thi rd county. Of6ces were furni shed
by the shi re town i n each county.
It i s somewhat di ffi cul t to eval uate the rel ati onshi ps devel oped wi th town and
county offi ci al s. County and town goverl rments are very i ndi vi dual i n Connecti -
cut, and thei r l ocal prerogati ves arej eal ousl y guarded by the of6ci al s. To i nterpret
chi l d-wel fare servi ces to the general publ i c as a servi ce onl y, wi thout court author-
i ty, chi l d-pl aci ng faci l i ti es, or funds for rel i ef, i s somewhat di fEcul t because the
resul ts are someti mes rather i ntangi bl e and because of the seemi ng dependence of
chi l d-wel fare servi ces on al ready exi sti ng agenci es and resources. However, that
very dependence i s a reassurance that l ocal servi ces are bei ng suppl emented and
not suppl anted, Immedi ate attenti on to referral s and the fact that somethi ng i s
usual l y done, even though what i s done i s not al ways understood, has resul ted i n
an i ncreasi ng number of referral s and a rather general testi moni al that chi l d-
wel fare servi ces " are a great hel p."
In Wi ndham County, where there i s a
j uveni l e court, cases frequentl y come to
the attenti on of the chi l d-wel fare-servi ces worker before they become seri ous
enough for actual referral to the court. The j udge i nvari abl y asks that super-
vi si on be conti nued when peti ti on for commi tment has not resul ted i n commi t-
ment. The court has stated that the program for chi l d-wel fare servi ces i s very
val uabl e i nasmuch as i t provi des case work over a peri od of ti me, whereas the
court does an i ntensi ve i nvesti gati on, but cannot gi ve conti nued supervi si on
because of pressure of l oad.
In Li tchfi el d County chi l d-wel fare servi ces to the l ocal courts vary. Some of
the courts have referred certai n cases for i nvesti gati on, have accepted the recom-
mendati ons i n certai n cases, and have requested the chi l d-wel fare worker' s super-
vi si on i n other cases; i n one court the onl y recogni ti on of chi l d-wel fare servi ces
28
Provided by the Maternal and Child Health Library, Georgetown University
S/afe Surnrnarr' es
consi sts of sendi ng a noti ce of heari ng, al though the i mportance of earl y referral
has been stressed. In Tol l and County the fi rst referral s were two cases i n whi ch
the
j udge
deci ded agai nst commi tment and conti nued the cases pri mari l y because
supervi si on of these chi l dren, who woul d otherwi se be unsupervi sed, woul d be
gi ven by chi l d-wel fare workers.
Devel opment of a l ocal advi sory commi ttee i n Li tchfi el d County was a sl ow but
i nteresti ng process. The present commi ttee consi sts of 31 men and women repre-
sentati ve ofthe vari ous l ocal i ti es and members of l egi sl ati ve, recreati onal , rel i gi ous,
medi cal , and ci vi c groups. The prompt and cordi al repl i es to our fi rst l etters and
the expressi on of si ncere i nterest and concern about such communi ty probl ems as
l ack of recreati onal faci l i ti es, uni versal l y i nadequate rel i ef, heal th servi ces, more
adequate school faci l i ti es for certai n types of chi l dren, and better soci al l egi sl ati on
were most encouragi ng.
The rel ati onshi ps whi ch have been establ i shed wi th State-wi de pri vate agenci es
seem to be on a sound basi s because of careful l y worked out pol i ci es and the
consi stent practi ce of them.
The State Bureau of Mental Hygi ene gi ves.excel l ent cooperati on i n the testi ng
and treatment of probl em chi l dren. The di ffi cul ty i s i n convi nci ng some l ocal
ofi &ci al s and parents of the val ue of these servi ces, someti mes consi dered "new-
fangl ed" and i mpracti cal .
Heal th probl ems are vari ed, and si ckness i s a contri buti ng cause i n many soci al
probl ems i n thi s area. It i s onl y after physi cal exami nati ons have el i mi nated the
possi bi l i ty of poor heal th bei ng a causal factor i n the soci al i l l s of a fami l y that the
chi l d-wel fare workers feel j usti fi ed i n searchi ng for other underl yi ng causes of a
fami l y di si ntegrati on. The maj ori ty of the fami l i es comi ng to the attenti on of
the chi l d-wel fare workers have very defi ni te heal th probl ems. Knowl edge of
State-wi de resources has proved hel pful i n these cases, as the agenci es i n many of
the smal l er towns di d not l ook bevond town l i mi ts for assi stance.
DELAWARE
An effort has been made i n Del aware duri ng the past year to i ntegrate chi l d-
wel fare servi ces wi th other acti vi ti es of the State Board of Chari ti es and al so wi th
al l other wel fare acti vi ti es i n the State, both publ i c and pri vate. The workers i n
the program for chi l d-wel fare servi ces have bel i eved that the Federal funds made
avai l abl e for the work actual l y were for the purposes of demonstrati ng chi l d-
wel fare servi ces i n rural areas and of i ndi cati ng that the needs of chi l dren coul d
be met i n a responsi bl e manner onl y i f ski l l ed servi ces were avai l abl e and then
onl y i f the communi ty real l y was concerned about i ts probl ems.
State l egi sl ati on i n the spri ng of 1937 provi ded funds for the di rect care of
dependent and negl ected chi l dren by the State Board of Chari ti es, Thi s l egi sl a-
ti on was brought about wi th the expectati on that the use of such funds woul d be
l i mi ted to the care of chi l dren away from thei r own homes. Consequentl y, funds
for chi l d-wel fare servi ces have been used for provi di ng case-work servi ces to
chi l dren i n thei r own homes when i t seemed that the chi l dren i n tbose homes were
not recei vi ng the standard of care that the State expected i ts chi l dren to recei ve.
The Board has sought to fi nd a bal ance between the l i berty of the i ndi vi dual
parent or guardi an to bri ng up hi s chi l dren as he sees fi t and the necessi ty, ma-
teri al and spi ri tual , that al l the peopl e, acti ng through an establ i shed agency,
shoul d assume some responsi bi l i ty for the mai ntenance of certai n standards for
every chi l d i n Del aware.
By
June
30, 1938, al l workers i n the program for chi l d-wel fare servi ces i n
Del aware were ei ther graduates of professi onal school s of soci al work or had been
empl oyed wi th the understandi ng that ful l -ti me work i n a graduate school woul d
29
Provided by the \Iaternal and Child Health Library, Georgetown University
Chi l d-Wel fare Seryi ces, 1 936-38
be started the fol l owi ng October. Fortunatel y, Del aware i s easi l y accessi bl e to
several school s of soci al work, whi ch enabl es students to do thei r fi el d work i n
the agency. Fortunatei l z, too, a teachi ng supervi sor of the Pennsyl vani a School
of Soci al Work i s a staff member of the State Board. Two other staff members
al so are qual i fi ed supervi sors. The Board was compel l ed to empl oy nonresi dent
workers, at l east unti l Del aware workers coul d be trai ned, as no soci al workers
wi th even a mi ni mr,rm amount of trai ni ng were avai l abl e. Pl ans were rnade to
empi oy seven student workers-al l resi dents of Del arvare. One of the student
wor ker s was t o be a Negr o.
The State Board of Chari ti es cooperated wi th the Rotary Cl ub of Dover and
the Works Progress Admi ni strati on i n hel pi ng to devel op recreati onal faci l i ti es
fcr Negroes i n that ci ty. A Negro worker on the staff spent a great deal of ti me
on t hi s pr oj ect i n i t s i ni t i al st ages. The pr oj ect has ser ved a r eal need i n Dover .
Because of t he Boar d' s need f or case- wor k ser vi ces f or i ndi vi dual chi l dr en, hov/ -
ever' thi s worker' s servi ces have not been avai l abl e for the past
few months for
t hi s i ype of soci al wor k.
Pr ot ect i ve wor k f or chi l dr en i n Del awar e has been car r i ed by a pr i vat e agency,
t he Chi l dr en' s Bur eau, i n t he past . The St at e Boar d t hr ough t he pr ogr am f or
chi l d- n' el i ar e ser vi ces has pr act i cal l y t aken over t hi s f unct i on i n t he t wo r ur al
coLr nt i es. t hus per mi t t i ng t he Chi l dr en' s Bur eau t o concent r at e on ot her t voes of
r r ' or k.
A nnan; r ar i ' p n] . n, . . i t h
t he Mot her s, Pensi on Commi ssi on was wor ked out bv
means of
g' hi ch
a f el l or vshi p at a school of soci al wor k was made avai l abl e t o a
r vor ker associ at ed r vi t h t he Mot her s' Pensi on Commi ssi on. whi l e i n t r ai ni ng t he
worker rvoul d be a staff member of the State Board of Chari ti es, but woul d carry
a case l oad of car ef ul l y sel ect ed Mot her s' Pensi on Commi ssi on cases. Such cases
woul d be chosen because of thei r need for servi ce whi ch coul d not be gi ven by
regul ar workers on the staff, who were carryi ng huge case l oads.
Cl ose cooper at i on has been mai nt ai ned wi t h ot her chi l dr en' s agenci es i n t he
State. Arbi trary l i mi tati ons i n the work to be done have been tentati vel y estab-
l i shed, such as rel i nqui shi ng a l arge part of the adopti on work to one of the pri vate
agenci es. On the other hand, al l cases of negl ect i nvol vi ng l egal acti on probabl y
wi l l be handl ed by the State Board. A pl an has been worked out wi th the i ndus-
tri al school s whereby chi l dren of unmarri ed mothers commi tted to the school s
ar e now assur ed essent i al soci al ser vi ces.
Somethi ng may be sai d regardi ng communi ty parti ci pati on i n the prograrn for
chi l d-wel fare servi ces. Del aware i s a smal l State. The members of the State
Eoard come from al l three counti es. The Board has served as a case commi ttee.
Other meeti ngs have been hel d wi th l ocal groups. It i s our growi ng bel i ef that
case commi ttees cannot be superi mposed, but must grow out of the communi ty' s
concern over i ndi vi dual chi l dren. Peopl e may l earn to be concerned about al l
chi l dren i f they fi rst become concerned about i ndi vi dual chi l dren.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
The program of chi l d-wel fare servi ces i n the Di stri ct of Col umbi a i s a proj ect
bei ng carri ed on as a demonstrati on i n case work, wi th the use of communi ty
resources, i n the preventi on of probl ems rel ated to chi l d dependency, negl ect, and
del i nquency. Thi s proj ect was deci ded on by the Board of Publ i c Wel fare i n col l ab-
orati on wi th an advi sory commi ttee compri si ng the executi ves of l ocal pri vate
and publ i c agenci es. The Di stri ct of Col umbi a for many years has had l egal provi -
si on for the care of chi l dren commi tted by the j uveni l e
court to the guardi anshi p
of the publ i c agency, but the funds and servi ces of the Board may be uti l i zed i n
the care of chi l dren onl y after commi tment. In the Uni ted States census of 1930
Provided by the Marcnd-flndlf
L$rary', Georgetown University
30
Sf af e Sur nr naaes
t he Di st r i ct of Col umbi a was shown t o r ank second hi ghest among t he j ur i sdi ct i ons
i n i ts cl ass i n the number of dependent chi l dren cared for away from thei r own
peopl e. It was, therefore, because of the need to establ i sh protecti ve
servi ces as
part of the publ i c chi l d-wel fare program that thi s d.emonstrati on
was undertaken.
The pr oj ect began oper at i ng at t he begi nni ng of t he cal endar year 1932. The
staff consi sts of a di rector, three fi el d workers, stenographers. and cl erks, al l
chosen through the Uni ted States Ci vi l Servi ce Commi ssi on. The offi ces are
l ocated i n two school bui l di ngs- one for whi te chi l dren and one for col ored chi l -
dr en. Thi s ar r angement was sought as a means of r eachi ng as ear l y as possi bl e
pr obl ems i n chi l d dependency, negl ect , and del i nquency. That i t has ser ved t o
faci l i tate thi s purpose i s shown by the fact that more than 50 percent
of the
chi l dren now brought to the attenti on of the uni t are referred by the pri nci pal s
of t he school s i n t he ar ea i n whi ch t he pr oj ect i s oper at i ng.
The area sel ected for the demonstrati on compri ses 8 census tracts i n the north-
east secti on of Washi ngton. The uni t has been uti l i zed for consul tati on and
advi ce as wel l as for referral of cases by the pri nci pal s of the 12 el ementary school s
and the 2 j uni or
hi gh school s i n the proj ect area. A cl ose worki ng rel ati onshi p
exi sts between the uni t staff and 4 pri nci pal s havi ng the responsi bi l i ty for
g
school
bui l di ngs. Wi th thi s group of pri nci pal s the uni t operates i n a sense as an i ntegral
part of the school system i n that si tuati ons of negl ect and del i nquency are rou-
ti nel y referred to the uni t.
Besi des the case-work program, the uni t staff parti ci pates i n communi ty pro-
grams' parti cul arl y wi thi n the proj ect area. Research i s done currentl y when the
need for i t devel ops as part of the proj ect program. For i nstance, three studi es of
gangs have been made. These act i vi t i es gr ew out of r equest s f r om muni ci pal
pl ayground supervi sors and the pol i ce for advi ce and assi stance i n probl erns
rel ated to chi l dren i n these groups. Case-work servi ces were provi ded where
i ndi cat ed.
A study group for parents has been organi zed i n one of the Negro school s at
t he r equest of t he pr i nci pal . The wor ker who gi ves t he ser vi ce i n t hi s school ,
wi th the col l aborati on of the pri nci pal and the presi dent of the Parent-Teacher
Associ ati on, works out programs for the group. The parents bri ng to the meeti ngs
the probl ems encountered i n the care of thei r chi l dren, and i n addi ti on to these
speci fi c case di scussi ons, programs for more general i nformati on are outl i ned and
carri ed out wi th the assi stance of group l eaders who are brought i n by the staff
member of t he demonst r at i on uni t .
From the begi nni ng of the proj ect i ntake pol i ci es and other probl ems of the
case-work program have been worked out wi th the ai d of a case commi ttee. The
personnel of thi s comrni ttee compri ses case-work supervi sors from the fami l y and
protecti ve-servi ce
agenci es and representati ve l ay persons from the communi ty.,
Thi s group at the begi nni ng of the proj ect served to defi ne i ntake, and i n general
throughout the progress of the demonstrati on has been hel pful i n worki ng out
t he case- wor k pr ogr am.
The uni t has col l aborated
' "vi th
the Washi ngton Counci l of Soci al Agenci es and
wi th nei ghborhood counci l s i n research and i n communi ty pl anni ng. Earl y i n the
proj ect a study was made of the organi zed resources for recreati onal acti vi ti es
wi thi n the proj ect area. Thi s i nqui ry showed outstandi ng needs, especi al l y i n
regard to the Negro chi l dren.
The experi ence of the uni t poi nts to the need of some type of communi ty organi -
zati on for care of the chi l dren of empl oyed mothers. Thi s i s a very consi d.erabl e
probl em i n the experi ence of the uni t and i s not l i mi ted to groups at the very
l owest economi c i evel s but seems to be rathe5 general throughout the whol e
communi ty. Even i n fami l i es where the
j oi nt
i ncome from the sal ari es of both
31
Provided by the Maternal and Child Heatth'Library, Georgetown University
32 Chi l d-Wel fare Servi ces, 1 936-3A
parents provi des
an adquate budget, the parents
are not abl e to provi de
sui tabl e
and adequate supervi si on for care of the chi l dren duri ng the mother,s empr.oyment
a*' ay from the home. Duri ng the meeti ngs of the case commi ttee the probl ems
i nvol ved i n thi s si tuati on have been di scussed as they grew out of some of the
case materi ar anaryzed. As woul d be expected, other agenci es refl ect the ex-
peri ence
of the demonstrati on uni t. Another probl em
i s that of the absence of
faci l i ti es for chi l dren requi ri ng speci al care. Among these are two epi l epti cs
and one postencephari ti c.
Al though these cases are few i n number, they cal l
for speci al types of care i n whi ch the Di stri ct of col umbi a i s l acki ng.
The case commi ttee has faci l i tated the work of the uni t i n coordi nati ng
the
servi ces whi ch di fferent agenci es mi ght make avai l abre to meet the needs of a gi ven
fami l y. In general
the soci al servi ces to the home have been brought together
through the servi ces of the uni t staff member. The commi ttee
di scussi on has
proved
to be an i nstrumental i ty
for crari fyi ng probl ems
as wel r as for coor_
di nat i ng ser vi ces.
The uni t was set up by the Board of
publ i c
werfare as a di sti nct uni t reporti ng
di r ect l y t o t he Boar d and t o t he di r ect or of publ i c wel f ar e. I n st udi es of t he publ i c
ser vi ces wi t hi n t he past year t he' ni t was r epor t ed t o have demonst r at ed
t he need
f or a communi t y- wi de pr ogr am of pr ot ect i ve
ser vi ces t o be oper at ed by t he
publ i c agency, and t he pr ovi si on f or such ser vi ce was r ecommended.
These
st udi es wer e made on t he i ni t i at i ve of l egi sl at i ve commi t t ees, and i t i s ant i ci pat ed
t hat t he r ecommendat i ons
wi l l be car r i ed out , at l east i n par t .
Nof e. - I n
Jul y
1939 congr ess made an appr opr i at i on t o t he Boar d of
publ i c
wel fare of the Di stri ct of corumbi a whi ch enabl ed the board to supprement
the
publ i c chi l d- wel f ar e wor k of t he Di st r i ct by al l ocat i ng appr oxi mat et y- 6eo, ooo
r o.
a new di vi si on that wi l l make"protecti on
servi ces" avai l abre on a ci t-y-wi de
basi s.
Therefore, the proj ect
whi ch has been conducted wi th funds for chi l d-wel fare
servi ces wi l l be repl aced by a demonstrati on i n some speci al fi el d ofprotecti ve
and
preventi ve
servi ces.
F'LORIDA
Pri or to the i ni ti ati on of chi l d-wel fare servi ces, Fl ori da had ri mi ted provi si ons
for i ndi vi dual
case work vri th chi l dren, ei ther pri vate
or publ i c.
There was no
boardi ng-home program,
except a very scattered, di sorgani zed type of foster care
uti l i zed by courts and other agenci es, wi thout i ndi vi dual
serecti on or supervi si on,
The onl y recogni zed chi l dren' s agency was the State-wi de pri vate
soci ety maki ng
permanent
adopti ve pl acements.
There was no general
state rel i ef, ntr ai d to
dependent chi l dren. Fac' i ti es
for fam' y rel i ef and servi ce were extremery
scattered and general ry
most i nadequate,
and for the most part were conducted by
county commi ssi oners.
In 1936, when pl ans
were bei ng made for meeti ng the outstandi ng needs i n the
chi l dren' s fi el d through the provi si on
of chi l d-wel fare
servi ces, tw-o methods of
appr oach wer e adopt ed:
1' . Demonstrati ons
of case-work servi ces for chi l dren were provi ded
i n four
r ur al count l es.
2' Trai ni ng progfams
i n two counti es (trai ni ng
centers and educati onal
l eave) rvere deveroped to meet the need for adequate personnel
for an anti ci -
pated
expandi ng program,
Two trai ni ng uni ts wer" establ i shed,
h.rri rrg u
trvofol d purpose:
to trai n personnel
and to deverop permanent
chi l d-werfare
centers i n the two counti es where the centers were establ i shed.
The program
for chi l d-wei fare servi ces has functi oned i n these 6 counti es si nce
t h' f al l of 1936. I n t he f i scal year 1937, wor ker s i n t hese count i es gave ser vi ce t o
1' 801 chi l dr en and spent r ocal f unds amount i ng t o
$10, 137. 23 f o, cu"r e or "r r i t dr . r r .
Pror.ided b1'the !\lateraal and Child Health Library, Georgetown University
Sfafe Surzrrnari es
About hal fofthi s amount was used for boardi ng care. Al though thi s sum i s not i n
i tsel f i mpressi ve, i t represents the devel opment of a consci ousness of the need for
thi s type of servi ce whi ch i s si gni fi cant i n communi ti es where rel i ef was provi ded
rather general l y at
$2
per month for whol e fami l i es. Interest i n what case-work
servi ce can accompl i sh i n chi l dren' s l i ves has not been confi ned to these 6 countres
but has spread i nto many other communi ti es. In al l 6 counti es greater communi ty
parti ci pati on has been obtai ned and i n practi cal l y al l more l ocal support has been
assured.
Ten workers are recei vi ng addi ti onal trai ni ng through the trai ni ng program and
are bei ng absorbed i n counti es as they return from educati onal l eave. Duri ng the
year both counti es i n whi ch trai ni ng centers were l ocated began work on defi ni te
pl ans l ooki ng toward the establ i shment of permanent chi l d-wel fare agenci es to be
supported ul ti matel y by the county.
Duri ng the year some i nteresti ng resul ts of the i nfl uence of chi l d-wel fare servi ces
i n several counti es have been noted, especi al l y i n those where the trai ni ng centers,
wi th thei r l arger staff of supervi sors and students,
' "vere
abl e to do more extensi ve
case work and to affect the thi nki ng of a l arger group. In both of these counti es
the State pl aced a trai ned worker to carry the regul ar case l oad, thus gi vi ng the
trai nees an opportuni ty for more restri cted case l vork. Reorgani zati on of the
programs of several agenci es resul ted from the centers' acti vi ti es, and real l ocati on
of funds wi th more emphasi s on case-work servi ces has fol l owed i n some i nstances.
The experi ence of workers and supervi sory staff i ndi cates that certai n of
Fl ori da' s extremel y rural counti es do not provi de sati sfactory opportuni ti es for a
speci al i zed servi ce to chi l dren because of a compl ete l ack of basi c faci l i ti es for
fami l y and medi cal care, and that these counti es wi l l not offer possi bi l i ti es for
devel opment of l ocal responsi bi l i ty for a l ong ti me. In a program of expansi on,
i t i s bel i eved that counti es wi th some rel i ef and medi cal faci l i ti es wi l l offer sounder
opportuni ti es for good demonstrati ons of case-work servi ce to chi l dren and wi l l
present greater possi bi l i ti es for i nfl uenci ng publ i c i nterest and support of such
a pfogfam.
GEORGIA
Pri or to 1937 onl y one county i n the State of Georgi a offered a program of
servi ces for chi l dren. A few j uveni l e
courts i n urban centers, a few i nadequate
State i nsti tuti ons for the del i nquent and handi capped, church and pri vate i n-
sti tuti ons of varyi ng standards, and a smal l State Department of Publ i c Wel fare
wi th two members gi vi ng consul tant and case-work servi ce on chi l dren' s probl ems
compl eted the pi cture,
From October 1936 to
Jul y
1, 1937, the program for chi l d-wel fare servi ces was
handi capped by changes i n l egi sl ati on and i nadequate personnel . On
Jul y
l ,
1937, si mul taneousl y wi th the l aunchi ng of the publ i c-assi stance program, chi l d-
wel fare servi ces were i ni ti ated and attached to the Di vi si on of Chi l d Wel fare
i n the newl y organi zed and enl arged State Department of Publ i c Wel fare.
The program for chi l d-wel fare servi ces has enabl ed the State Department of
Publ i c Wel fare to offer to the enti re State assi stance i n case work for chi l dren by
provi di ng di stri ct consul tants and chi l d-wel fare workers i n county uni ts. It has
al so been i nstrumental i n bri ngi ng to di rectors of county departments of publ i c
wel fare a better understandi ng of i ndi vi dual case-work val ues and to publ i c
offi ci al s and i nfl uenti al ci ti zens a better understandi ng of the needs of chi l dren
and ways of meeti ng them. The di stri ct consul tants have carri ed some case work,
respondi ng to cal l s for assi stance from county di rectors and j udges. They have
offered consul tati on servi ce al so i n i ndi vi dual probl ems and i n communi ty organi -
zati on.
33
Provided by the Maternal and Child Health Library, Georgetown University
Chi Id
-Wel fare
Seryr' ces, 1 936_3e
By February 1938, ei ght l ocal chi l d-wel fare uni ts, where the servi ces of a chi l d-
wel fare worker wi th some formal trai ni ng were avai l abl e, had been d.evel oped.
Most of these uni ts serve one county, al though i t has been possi bl e
to combi ne
two
counti es i n a uni t i n some i nstances. In these counti es the qual i ty
of servi ce
gi ven the chi l dren has i mproved, and the cooperati on of l ocal di rectors and. the
communi ty' s understandi ng of and i nterest i n chi l dren' s needs have i ncreased
greatl y. Chi l d-wel fare commi ttees have been organi zed. i n a few uni ts.
Duri ng thi s year, the cri ppl ed chi l dren' s program
was organi zed.by the Di vi si on
of Chi l d Wel fare, i n cl ose cooperati on wi th the program for chi l d-wel fare servi ces
and functi oned as a part of the Di vi si on of Chi l d Wel fare duri ng the l ast quarter
of t he year . on
Jul y
1, 1939, t he cr i ppl ed chi l dr en' s pr ogr am
became a sepa_
rate di vi si on under the di recti on of a qual i fi ed orthopedi c surgeon.
Duri ng thi s year, si x students were gi ven schol arshi ps for further trai ni ng i n
soci al work.
I n
Januar y
1938 a psychol ogi st
was added t o t he st af f of t he Di vi si on of Chi l d
wel fare, thus affordi ng the fi rst publ i c
servi ce of the ki nd i n the hi story of the
State. Psychol ogi cal cl i ni cs were hel d for a week i n each congressi onal
di stri ct and
chi l dren from the uni ts were brought i n for study and fol l ow-up servi ce. rnter-
pretati on
of causes of behavi or probl ems
has been gi ven to school teachers and
publ i c offi ci al s through meeti ngs and conferences.
In Apri l 1938, through the use of funds for chi l d-wel fare servi ces, a speci al
consul tant on chi l d pl aci ng has been added to the State staff. A pol i cy has si nce
been establ i shed whereby cooperati ve agreements between county wel fare d.epart-
ments and the State Department of Publ i c Wel fare are set up for the protecti on
of chi l dren i n foster homes.
The outstandi ng probl ems
at present
are the grave fi nanci al si tuati on i n the
State and the di ffi cul ty of obtai ni ng qual i fi ed personnel .
HAWAII
The Terri tori al l aw of 1919, as amend.ed i n 1935, i ncl uded provi si on
for county
chi l d-wel fare boards whi ch were appoi nted by the Governor. The basi c pri nci pl e
underl yi ng chi l d-wel fare work duri ng thi s peri od.
was that of
,,mothers,
ai d.,,,
but the l aw permi tted
foster-care payments
al so. In 1937 the Terri tori al Depart-
mentof Publ i cWel farewas
establ i shed and chi l d-wel fare workers were empl oyed.
under the program for chi l d-wel fare servi ces for four of the fi ve pri nci pal
Fl awai i an
i sl ands' These workers have been si fti ng through the chi l d-wel fare probl ems
i n
thei r di stri cts i n an attempt to organi ze and devel op faci l i ti es for the protecti on
and care of dependent and negl ected. chi l dren and chi l dren i n d.anger of becomi ng
del i nquent.
Adj ust ment s have been made wi t h t he j uveni l e
cour t s wher eby al l dependent
chi l dren i n need of pl acement
away from thei r own homes are referred i mmedi atel y
to the chi l d-wel fare workers. ol d cases of depend.ent chi l dren under the care of
the j uveni l e
courts have been transferred. to chi l d-wel fare
workers on al l the
i sl ands except oahu, where the court had agreed to conti nue fi nanci al support of
t hei r dependent chi l dr en unt i l
Januar y
1, 1939. At t hat t i me t he cases wi l l be
transferred to chi l d-wel fare workers. Many of these chi l dren have been i n i nsti -
t ut i ons f or l ong per i odsof
t i me ( 10 t o 12 year s) ,
and r e- pl acement i n f ost er homes
has frequentl y been found to be necessary.
In the past, cases of chi l dren on one i sl and. were often handl ed by agenci es
l ocated on another i sl and, whi ch resul ted. i n negl ect. Chi l d-wetfare workers have
arranged for a transfer of cases so that now chi l dren i n foster care on a parti cul ar
i sl and are under the supervi si on
of workers on that i srand.
34
Provided by the Maternal and Child Health.Library, Georgetown University
Sfa/e Surnrnari es
Frequent conferences are hel d wi th publ i c-assi stance workers on cases of ai d to
dependent chi l dren and general assi stance where negl ected chi l dren are i nvol ved.
Some of these cases are carri ed by the chi l d-wel fare worker. Some case-work
servi ce to dependent chi l cl ren i n the i nsti tuti ons that have been i nvesti gated and
l i censed by the board has been attempted.
A budget for chi l d-wel fare servi ces for the Terri tory was worked out wi th a
vi ew to central i zi ng the chi l d-wel fare
program and pl aci ng i t on a more assured
basi s. Thi s was approved by the board. Workers on several of the i sl ands are
demonstrati ng the need for more trai ned chi l d-wel fare workers and for commi ttees
that wi l l hel p sti mul ate i nterest i n a more adequate chi l d-wel fare program on al l
the i sl ands.
IDAHO
Three years ago l daho, l argel y rural , mi ght wel l have served as the typi cal
State for whi ch chi l d-wel fare servi ces were establ i shed. There was no State pro-
gram for chi l dren, and the State Department of Publ i c Assi stance had onl y three
wo.kers who had recei ved any soci al -servi ce trai ni ng. An i nterest i n chi l d wel fare
prompted the state Department to al l ow si x of i ts abl est workers (i ncl udi ng
those who had recei ved some soci al -servi ce trai ni ng) to serve as the nucl eus for
the establ i shment of a chi l d-wel fare
program. To achi eve thi s ai m, the State
Department brought to the State a speci al i st i n chi l d wel fare as a temporary
supervi sor to set up the program, trai n the workers, and poi nt out the obj ecti ves
to be achi eved. Meanwhi l e one worker l eft the State for a peri od of educati onal
l eave.
Duri ng a 6-month
peri od, the supervi sor and the fi ve workers i ntroduced the
program to the peopl e throughout the state, each of the fi ve workers carryi ng a
di stri ct of several counti es. At the end of thi s 6-month peri od each worker was
assi gned to one county to carry out a concentrated case-work and communi ty-
organi zati on
j ob. The sal ari es of these workers were pai d one-hal f frcm State
funds and one-hal f from Federal funds for chi l d-wel fare servi ces, and the workers
carri ed ai d-to-dependent-chi l dren
cases and other publ i c-assi stance cases as wel l
as nonrel i ef cases.
That workers, i nexperi enced and l i mi ted i n trai ni ng, shoul d endeavof to pi oneer
i n a fi el d that woul d have chal l enged experi enced and trai ned workers can be
attri buted onl y to the fact that they had vi si on and recogni ti on of the need and
enthusi asm for thetask. Because of these characteri sti cs the workers were eager to
obtai n further trai ni ng. Il ence for them, as wel l as for an addi ti onal fi ve workers
(persons wi th excepti onal l y
good educati onal background but wi th no professi onal
trai ni ng), i t has been necessary to carry on a staff-devel opment
program mai nl y
by granti ng educati onal l eave.
The chi l d-wel fare l i brary, contai ni ng the best of the recent professi onal publ i ca-
ti ons, has been used not onl y by the chi l d-wel fare workers but by the state Depart-
ment staff as we1l . Chi l d-wel fare conferences, usual l y 3 days i n l ength, are hel d
at quarterl y i nterval s. Speci al i sts i n case work, communi ty organi zati on,
j uveni l e
del i nquency, and othef phases of chi l d-wel fare work are brought i nto the state
to conduct these conferences, An awareness of the State' s soci al needs, as wel l as
an awareness of the chi l d-wel fare
program, i s bei ng devel oped by i nvi ti ng repre-
sentati ves of soci al and ci vi c organi zati ons to some of these meeti ngs.
Among the more seri ous probl ems faci ng the chi l d-wel fare pfogram i n Idaho i s
proper supervi si on of a staff pl aced i n a wi del y scattered afea, pafts cf whi ch must
be reached by travel outsi de the state. It i s bel i eved that the probl em i s bei ng
sol ved more adequatel y thi s year by pl aci ng on the chi l d-wel fare staff two fi el d
consul tants who wi l l gi ve cl oser supervi si on to the workers i n the fi el d.
35
Provided by the Maternal and Child Health Library, Georgetown University
C hi l d
-We
I f are Servi ces, 1 9 36-3 8
The l ack of avai l abl e resources for sol vi ng seri ous chi l d-wel fare probl ems
i s the
cause of consi derabl e concern i n the chi l d-wel fare program. For exampl e, the
l ack of provi si on for foster homes has made i t i mpossi bl e to handl e successful l y
many probl ems that otherwi se mi ght be sol ved. As a prel i mi nary step i n devel op-
i ng a state-wi de foster-home program, the State Department has contri buted. from
i ts general rel i ef fund suffrci ent money to provi de foster-home care for si x chi l dren.
By means of thi s demonstrati on as wel l as by constant i nterpretati on, i t i s hoped
that the need for such a program
wi l l be recogni zed by wel fare ofRci al s as wel l as
by l ay persons. It i s parti cul arl y true i n Idaho that the communi ti es must ask
for soci al programs; soci al programs cannot be i mposed on the communi ti es.
when the demand i s made by the publ i c for foster-home servi ce, the Department
wi l l be prepared to l ead the way i n obtai ni ng and mai ntai ni ng i t, rn a si mi l ar
way resources must be bui l t up for the treatment of mental l y and physi cal l y
handi capped chi l dren.
In addi ti on to recogni zi ng the responsi bi l i ty for l ayi ng the foundati on of a
broad program for chi l dren, the Department feel s the responsi bi l i ty of devel opi ng
the soci al -servi ce professi on
wi thi n the State, Idaho i s the l ast of the western
States to be wi thout a State conference of soci al work. A speci al i st i n communi ty
organi zati on, brought i nto the State by the Department, wi l l act as a consul tant
i n worki ng out pl ans for the fi rst rdaho State conference, to be hel d. i n the spri ng
of 1939.
ILLINOIS
To the Di vi si on of chi l d wel fare of the Il l i noi s state Department of
publ i c
wel -
fare the advent of the provi si ons for chi l d-wel fare servi ces under the Soci al Securi ty
Act has meant the real i zati on of a l ong-hoped-for expansi on of servi ce to chi l dren
throughout the state. Regul ar functi ons of the Di vi si on i ncl ude i nspecti on and
l i censi ng of chi l dren' s i nsti tuti ons, agenci es, and "fami l y homes" under the chi l d
wel fare Act, l i censi ng of and i nvesti gati on of pl acements made from materni ty
hospi tal s, l i censi ng of boardi ng homes, admi ni strati on of a soci al -servi ce program
at the Il l i noi s Sol di ers' and sai l ors' chi l dren' s school , al l ocati on of the state
mothers' pensi on fund, and the approval of i mportati on of dependent chi l dren
from other States. Li mi ted staff made i t i mpossi bl e to hel p i nsti tuti ons wi th thei r
probl ems, to handl e the i ncreasi ng number of requests for assi stance on chi l dren' s
cases' or to gi ve much needed l eadershi p to l ocal offi ci al s and l ay groups i n devel op-
i ng competent, coordi nated servi ces i n thei r own communi ti es. wi th the i ncreased
personnel provi ded through Federal funds, the State has been abl e to offer con-
sul tati on servi ce to l ocal offi ci al s and ci ti zens i n handl i ng cases of dependency and
predel i nquency, and to carry on a l i mi ted number of demonstrati ons of ski l l ed
servi ces to chi l dren i n rural areas.
Al though county wel fare departments are provi ded for by l aw, thei r onl y func-
ti on at present i s the admi ni strati on of ol d-age assi stance. Il l i noi s does not yet
qual i fy for ai d to the bl i nd nor for ai d to dependent chi l dren. Rel i ef i s handl ed by
townshi p supervi sors; state bl i nd pensi ons are admi ni stered by the county boards
of supervi sors; and mothers' pensi ons by the county courts.
probati on
of0cers,
i n pl aces havi ng them, usual l y have responsi bi l i ty for adul t probati on and mothers'
pensi ons, as wel l as for cases of j uveni l e
dependency, negl ect, and del i nquency.
In 18 counti es i ntroducti on of consul tant servi ce has been accompl i shed through
studi es of mothers' pensi ons made at the request of the county j udges.
In addi -
ti on to bei ng a defi ni te servi ce of i mmedi ate and practi cal val ue to l ocal offrci al s,
these surveys have l ed to the heart of dependency probl ems i n the counti es and
have offered opportuni ty for case work on a demonstrati on basi s. It was found
tbat mothers' pensi on funds were bei ng used to meet al most every type of depend-
36
Provided by the Maternal and Child Health Library, Georgetown University
J
Sfafe Sumrnartes
ency probl em, such as supporti ng chi l dren i n orphanages or payi ng for thei r care
away from thei r mothers. Wi th the ai d of consul tants, l ocal offi ci al s have
attempted to set up the pensi on admi ni strati on as i t was i ntended to be set up,
and to work out pl ans for other dependency cases through townshi p rel i ef or
county general funds. In addi ti on to gi vi ng i ntensi ve case-work servi ces i n
cri ti cal si tuati ons found i n mothers' pensi on fami l i es, consul tants have al so been
asked by townshi p supervi sors,
i udges, and State' s attorneys to assi st wi th other
cases i nvol vi ng chi l dren. Thi s has proved to be a more practi cal approach than
general di scussi ons of dependency and chi l d care.
ln three of the local child-welfare units lay advisorv committees are attacking
comrnunity prob\ems
brougtrt into locus by the cases hand\ed. throug\ ch\\d,-
wel fare servLces. Support of rocar recreati on programs
of the works
progress
Admi ni strati on
and the Nati onal
youth
Admi ni strati on,
campai gns for better
tavern control ' assi stance wi th the sare of chri stmas sears to provi de
money for
tubercul i n tests' surveys of school attend.ance, and pl ans for medi cal servi ces are
some of the proj ects
under way at present.
suppl ementi ng the work i n the demonstrati on uni ts are the servi ces of a psy-
chol ogi st who i s avai l abl e for psychometri c
testi ng whenever needed. More
i mportant than the di agnosti c testi ng i s the work wi th the rural school teachers
i n hel pi ng t hem t o r ecogni ze ear l y sympt oms of mal adj ust ment
and t o become
aware of the more subtl e aspects of chi l d behavi or. As the psychorogi st,s
work
becomes better understood, teachers are referri ng not onl y the mental l y defecti ve
chi l dren but al so those wi th normal or superi or i ntel l i gence who are ,roi h"ppy o,
are not abl e to adj ust sati sfactori l y, Speci al assi stance wi l l be gi ven to the cor-
r ect i on of r eadi ng and ot her subj ect di sabi l i t i es.
A consul tant on foster care i s gi vi ng speci ar assi stance to smal r rurar i nsti tu_
ti ons and agenci es for chi l dren i n setti ng up sound. i ntake standards, soci al -servi ce
pol i ci es,
and programs
of i ndi vi dual i zati on
wi thi n the i nsti tuti on.
In one com-
muni ty, as a part of the program for chi l d-wel fare servi ces, a worker i s bei ng pro-
vi ded, on a demonstrati on basi s, to assi st the county court and a cooperati ng
pri vate agency i n setti ng up a mod.ern, coordi nated program
of chi l d care i n the
communi ty.
As a basi s for i ntei l i gent pl anni ng,
the program
for chi l d-werfare servi ces,
through the work of a research assi stant, i s seeki ng to perfect procedures
of re.
porti ng
chi l dren under the care of pri vate chi l d-wel fare agerrci es and to devel op
a si mi l ar reporti ng system i n county courts.
INDIANA
The 1936 Publ i c Wel fare Act created the Chi l dren' s Di vi si on of the Indi ana State
Department of Publ i c wel fare al ong wi th county departments of publ i c
wel fare,
gi vi ng
each county a pai d staff and offi ce wi th wel l -defi ned responsi bi ti ti es
i n
regard to chi l dren. The county departments of publ i c
wel fare l ook over the
work of the ol d county boards of chi l dren' s guardi ans.
The meri t system set
personnel
standards and the new state staff was sel ected on the basi s of qual i fi -
cati on for each posi ti on.
An amendment to the wel fare Act, whi ch went i nto
effect
Jul y
r' 1937, extended the meri t pl an to the county departments and pro.
vi ded for 50 percent rei mbursement of al l sal ari es by the state. The state
Department of Publ i c werfare, through the chi l dren' s Di vi si on, proceeded
to
devel op a program
for supervi si on of the county departments and of chi l dren,s
i nsti tuti ons and agenci es whi ch rvoul d gi ve hel p i n recogni zi ng and sol vi ng prob-
l ems as wel l as gi ve l eadershi p i n the devel opment of a sound chi l d-wei fare
program.
Provided by the Maternal and Child Health Librarp'. Gcorgetown University
C hi l d-Wel fane Seryi ces. 1 936-38
The program for chi l d-wel fare servi ces fi nanced by Federal funds was cl osel y
i nterwoven wi th that of the State so that i t coul d bri ng refi nement to the whol e
pr ogr am. I n Mar ch 1938 t he st at e Depar t ment of Publ i c wel f ar e r eor gani zed
the supervi si on of county departments by i ts fi el d staff. Under the new pl an
each di st r i ct r epr esent at i ve was assi gned t o a di st r i ct of si x count i es. Thi s r epr e-
sent at i ve was made r esponsi bl e f or t he devel opment of t he ent i r e publ i c- wel f ar e
pr ogr am i n each count y. The chi l dr en' s Di vi si on made avai l abl e t o each di s-
t r i ct r epr esent at i ve consul t ant ser vi ce t o ai d i n t he devel opment of t he count y
chi l d- wel f ar e pr ogr am. Thi s pl an makes possi bl e l onger per i ods of ser vi ce f r om
t he chi l d- r vel f ar e consul t ant s i n t he count i es t o whi ch t hey go. The chi l d- wel f ar e
consui t ant s al so st udy and super vi se chi l dr en' s i nst i t ut i ons and assi st i n cor r el at -
i ng t hei r pr ogr ams wi t h t hose of ot her chi l d- car i ng agenci es.
Dur i ng t he past f i scal year t he chi l d- wel f ar e wor ker s pl aced by t he chi l dr en' s
Di vi si on i n t he f our demonst r at i on count i es have car r i ed t he chi l d- wel f ar e case
1oad, i ncl udi ng sel ect i on of f ost er homes. They al so have car r i ed br oad. r espon-
si bi l i ti es for i nterpretati on to the communi ty and for the gradual devel opment of
a t ot al communi t y pr ogr am f or chi l dr en. chi l dr en' s commi t t ees wer e or gani zed.
i n three of the four counti es. Through careful case presentati on
and di scussi on
of chi l d- wel f ar e pl ans and pr obl ems, t hese commi t t ee member s and t he count y
board members have come to share i n responsi bi l i ty for the chi l d-wel fare work.
The di rector and staff members of the county department have used. the chi l d-
wel fare worker as a consul tant i n some of thei r case probl ems.
In the demonstrati on county where servi ces were fi rst gi ven, a l ocal worker i s
gradual l y taki ng over some of the chi l d-wel fare cases i n preparati on for the ti me
rvhen the speci al worker wi l l be wi thdrawn.
The soci al - ser vi ce depar t ment at t he I ndi ana sol di er s' and Sai l or s' chi l dr en' s
Home has made sl ow but sound progress duri ng the year. The soci al -servi ce
program was started wi th three workers, one of whom was pai d from Federal
funds, and has grown to i ncl ude four workers wi th one sti l l bei ng pai d from
Federal funds. The board and superi ntendent are urgi ng the soci al workers to
spend more ti me i n hel pi ng wi th chi l dren' s probl ems i n the i nsti tuti on. At the
begi nni ng of the program the soci al workers were expected to do onl y the i ntake
work. The popul ati on of the i nsti tuti on duri ng the year was reduced from 92g
chi l dren to 790. The trai ned staff has cooperated i n al l parts of the state wi th
the county departments of publ i c wel fare and wi th pri vate agenci es i n maki ng
pl ans for chi l dren and has contri buted to the whol e program of the chi l dren,s
Di vi si on by rai si ng standards of care and by gradual l y bri ngi ng about a better
understandi ng of chi l d wel fare.
chi l d-gui dance servi ce was set up i n cooperati on wi th the maternal and chi l d-
heal th program of the State Board of Heal th, the State Board of Heal th gi vi ng
the servi ces of the psychi atri st and the chi l dren' s Di vi si on gi vi ng the servi ces of
the psychol ogi st and the soci al worker as wel l as provi di ng supervi si on of the
program. Thi s servi ce has been gi ven regul arl y to the demonstrati on counti es
and to the sol di ers' and sai l ors' chi l dren' s Home. It has been used al so by the
consul tants of the Chi l dren' s Di vi si on i n other county departments and i nsti tuti ons,
Educati onal l eave was gi ven to si x persons who represent di fferent posi ti ons i n
the state wel fare program, each of whom had a defi ni te part i n the chi l dren' s
program on hi s return to work,
The servi ces of three speci al workers were used duri ng the summer months of
L937 to concentrate on the devel opment of case records i n the county departments
of publ i c wel fare.
Provided by the Maternal and Child Health Library, Georgetown University
38
S/ af e Sur nr nar i es
IOWA
I n 1923 t he I owa Chi l dr en' s Commi ssi on made ext ensi r - e st udi es and r eccm-
mendat i ons, i ncl udi ng r ecommendat i ons f or 10 i nt er r el at ed l ass.
ghi ch
r ef f e ct e d
r eal appr eci at i on of br oad gener al l egi sl at i on t hat v, ' oul d ai l o*. t he de' , ' ei o1r . : nt
of a const r uct i ve chi l d- wel f ar e pr ogr am and r ecogni ze t he i nt er est s of bot h c, . : - . -
muni t y and chi i d. Two year s l at er , i n 1925, t he Bur eau of Chi l d Wel f ar e r yas
est abl i shed. l l owever , al l of t he r ecommended 10 bi l l s wer e not passed, and
suffi ci ent funds were not appropri ated for the Bureau to provi de ski l l ed assi stance
to meet exi sti ng needs.
Duri ng i ts fi rst year the program for chi l d-wel fare servi ces was under the di rec-
ti on of the Bureau of Chi l d Wel fare, but when the Board of Soci al Wel fare was
establ i shed i n
Jul y
1937, the functi ons and acti vi ti es of the Bureau of Chi l d Wel fare
were transferred to the Di vi si on of Chi l d Wel fare. The passage of a l aw, whi ch
became effecti ve i n
Jul y
1937, requi ri ng State resi dence for staff members, tem-
porari l y cri ppl ed the program as the ori gi nal staff had been careful l y sel ected
wi thout restri cti on as to resi dence. At the present ti me the program for chi l d-
wel fare servi ces i s gi vi ng speci al attenti on to di rect case-work servi ce i n rural areas.
Di rect case-work servi ce and consul tati on servi ces were provi ded accordi ng
to the needs of the county, efforts bei ng concentrated i n rural areas or areas of
speci al need. When requested, assi stance was rendered i n organi zi ng chi l d-
wel fare servi ces by i nterpreti ng the program to communi ty groups and to county
publ i c offrci al s. Uni ts were establ i shed where none exi sted previ ousl y. Psycho-
l ogi cal servi ces were made avai l abl e to school s, communi ti es,
j udges, and soci al
agenci es, both publ i c and pri vate, deal i ng wi th chi l dren. Speci al studi es were
conducted by the uni t ofpsychol ogi cal servi ces i n three school systems, representi ng
the town, rural , and consol i dated school s ofthe State. Schol arshi ps for educati onal
l eave were granted i n an effort to establ i sh and mai ntai n adequate staff. Coopera-
ti on wi th exi sti ng soci al agenci es was establ i shed and mai ntai ned and worki ng rel a-
ti onshi ps wi th other State departments and programs were establ i shed. The
l ong-ti me process of rai si ng soci al standards wi thi n the State was begun, and the
need of a trai ni ng center for students and staff was recogni zed but has not been
made possi bl e yet because of the l ack of conti nui ty and stabi l i ty i n thi s and other
programs wi thi n the State.
Some of the accompl i shments and devel opments i n di stri cts and demonstrati on
uni ts i n the past year are:
1. I ncr eased communi t v awar eness of chi l dr en' s Dr obl ems wher e l i t t l e had
exi sted previ ousl y.
2. Greater acceptance of responsi bi l i ty for pl ans made for i ndi vi dual chi l -
dren by county boards of supervi sors.
3. Decr eased number s of chi l dr en, i n demonst r at i on count i es, unj ust i f i abl y
commi t t ed t o St at e i nst i t ut i ons.
4. Greater recogni ti on by courts of the val ue of adequate and authenti c
i nvesti gati on of chi l dren' s cases precedi ng heari ng.
5. Anal ysi s and study of rural school chi l dren whose mental retardati on
and behavi or probl ems were di ffi cul t to di agnose and treat.
6. Ai d gi ven to rural school teachers i n the handl i ng of subnormai chi l dren,
7. Devel opment of a foster boardi ng-home program as a tool i n the treat-
ment of chi l dr en' s cases.
8. I mpr oved handl i ng of chi l dr en' s cases by t he use of l ocal and St at e
resources.
39
Provided by the Maternal and Child Health Library, Georgetown University
40 Chi l d
-Wel fare
Seryi ces, 1 936-38
In order to meet the persi stent
demand for di rect case-work servi ce, the si ze of
the di stri cts has been reduced from 20 counti es to di stri cts of from 2 to 5 counti es,
and the number of si ngl e demonstrati on uni ts has been i ncreased.. The servi ces
of a State chi l d-wel fare consul tant have been provi ded for al l other counti es.
KANSAS
The fi rst l egal provi si on for a State-wi de servi ce program for chi l dren i n Kansas
came wi th the establ i shment of the Chi l d Wel fare Di vi si on i n the State Board of
Soci al Wel fare i n 1937. Previ ousl y the Kansas State Orphans' Il ome an6 the cor-
recti onal school s for boys and gi rl s under the Board of Admi ni strati on compri sed.
al l of the State faci l i ti es, al though county care of chi l dren on an i ndi vi dual basi s
was someti mes possi bl e. Soci al servi ces for chi l dren have been l i mi ted; foster
pl acement
from the Kansas State Orphans' Il ome has been the responsi bi l i ty of
one person; parol e from the Boys' and Gi rl s' Industri al School was und.er the
same of;Rcers who serve the penal i nsti tuti on; and ful l -ti me probati on
offl cers i n
the j uveni l e
courts have been l i mi ted mostl y to the three l argest ci ti es.
pri vate
agenci es for chi l dren have been few. The l argest ci ty has devel oped a chi l dren' s
agency. For years a pri vate chi l d-pl aci ng agency, whose work was i ntended to be
State-wi de, has been forced to l i mi t i ts servi ces to fi t i ts smal l budget and staff.
Probate-court reports reveal a l arge number of adopti ons annual l y, few of whi ch
were gi ven servi ce by any of the chi l d-cari ng agenci es.
The Soci al Wel fare Act of Kansas provi d.es for an i ntegrati on of al l wel fare
servi ces i n the county soci al -wel fare board composed. of three county commi s-
si oners i n each county who have control over county personnel (wi th the approval
of the State Board) and wi th the ri ght to provi de care for chi l dren l ocal l y. It
al so created i n the State Board a di vi si on to work wi th pri vate agenci es an6
i nsti tuti ons and boardi ng homes i n the State for the i mprovement of standard.s
of care.
Duri ng the fi rst 2 years of admi ni steri ng chi l d-wel fare servi ces great emphasi s
was pl aced upon a trai ni ng program for al l workers i n the county soci al -wel fare
boards by the provi si on of teacher-consul tants who hel d regul ar meeti ngs wi th
groups of county workers and commi ssi oners and case d.i scussi ons wi th i ndi vi d.ual
workers, usi ng current case l oads as a basi s of chi l d-wel fare d.i scussi on. Two
demonstrati on uni ts were centers of i ntensi ve supervi si on for sel ected. county
workers gi ven l eave of absence by thei r county boards for a few months' speci al
trai ni ng to prepare them to assi st i n i nterpreti ng case work wi th speci al probl ems
i n thei r county departments.
Upon thi s basi s of trai ni ng the program for chi l d-wel fare servi ces has been
reorgani zed to spread i ntensi ve work wi th chi l dren i nto a l arger number of counti es
and to provi de consul tati on servi ce to county workers i n other rural counti es.
Because of a l ack of workers wi th speci al i zed chi l d-wel fare background., fund.s
for chi l d-wel fare servi ces were provi ded to al l ow sel ected. workers to take ed.uca-
ti onal l eave for professi onal trai ni ng as a background. for the devel opment an6
admi ni strati on of county programs of chi l d-wel fare servi ces. The county chi l d-
wel fare workers are admi ni strati vel y a part of the staff of thei r county soci al -
wel fare boards, but are supervi sed i n case-work and. chi l d-wel fare acti vi ti es bv
the State Chi l d Wel fare Di vi si on.
Pol i ci es and procedures of the Chi l d Wel fare Di vi si on are worked. out careful l y
wi th other di vi si ons of the State Board of Soci al Wel fare to avoi d. admi ni strati ve
di ffrcul ti es and dupl i cati on of servi ces. The chi l d-wel fare consul tants, worki ng
cl osel y wi th the fi el d supervi sors of the publ i c-assi stance
di vi si on i n thei r di stri cts,
confi ne themsel ves to speci al servi ces for chi l dren, i ncl ud.i ng advi ce to county
workers or actual case-work servi ce on behavi or probl ems of chi l dren i n thei r own
Provided by the Maternal and Child Health'Library, Georgetown University
Sfafe Sumrrrarr' es
homes, the pl acement and supervi si on of chi l dren needi ng care away from thei r
own homes, consul tati on i n communi ty organi zati on for chi l d wel fare, i nter-
pretati on of the needs of chi l dren and ways of meeti ng them.
Several cooperati ve proj ects have been entered upon wi th other agenci es,
publ i c and pri vate. Among these are the mental -hygi ene di agnosti c and. treat-
ment faci l i ti es for chi l dren from nearby counti es i n eastern Kansas devel oped by
osawatomi e State Hospi tal ; the speech cl i ni cs made possi bl e through the speech
department of wi chi ta col l ege; the psychol ogi cal servi ces offered to l i mi ted areas
by three State col l eges; the di vi si on of responsi bi l i ty wi th the state-wi de chi l dren,s
agency to avoi d dupl i cati on of servi ce; and a pl an, worked out wi th the state
di vi si on responsi bl e for work wi th chi l dren' s agenci es and i nsti tuti ons, provi di ng
for the chi l d wel fare Di vi si on to assume responsi bi l i ty for vi si ti ng boardi ng homes
i n r ur al count i es cover ed bv i t s ser vi ces.
KENTUCKY
Si nce 1895 the state' s i nterest i n chi l d wel fare i n Kentucky has been expressed
i n the form of subsi di es to two pri vate i nsti tuti ons-the Kentucky chi l dren' s
Home Soci ety and the Kentucky Home Soci ety for col ored chi l dren. From
ti me to ti me l egi sl ati on was passed i n behal f of chi l d wel fare, but no money was
appropri ated. In 1928 the Kentucky chi l dren' s Bureau was created and. was
gi ven general powers rel ati ng to chi l d wel fare, mothers' ai d, and the organi zati on
of county chi l d-wel fare bureaus, but onl y two counti es devel oped a mother' s ai d
program. The 1936 Reorgani zati on Act provi ded for a Di vi si on of chi l d wel fare
i n the newl y created state Department of wel fare and. gave to i t generar powers
to supervi se chi l d-cari ng i nsti tuti ons and to provi de for the dependent and
negl ected chi l dren of the State.
The Di vi si on was or gani zed i n Mar ch 1937, and cer t ai n obj ect i ves wer e i mmedi -
at el y set up. chi ef among t hem wer e t he devel opment of bet t er l ocal or ganr za-
ti ons for the handl i ng of chi l dren' s probl ems, assi stance to the subsi di zed i nsti tu-
t i ons i n t hei r soci al - ser vi ce pr ogr ams, and t he devel opment of case- wor k and
consul tant servi ce i n l ocal areas.
Four case workers and a supervi sor pai d from Federal fund.s were assi gned
to the Kentucky chi l dren' s Home soci ety. More than 60 percent of the budget
of thi s i nsti tuti on was fi nanced by State funds. By
June
30, 193g, the over-
crowded condi ti on i n the i nsti tuti on had been greatl y reduced. Twenty chi l dren
had been pl aced i n boardi ng homes, others had been pl aced i n free homes, and
some had been returned to rel ati ves, Psychometri c tests l ed to the return of
other chi l dren of subnormal mental i ty to the counti es from whi ch they had been
ori gi nal l y commi tted, proper supervi si on havi ng been arranged.
pl ans
for the
State to take over and operate thi s i nsti tuti on were made.
A reorgani zati on of the Kentucky Home Soci ety for col ored chi l dren seemed.
to be i ndi cated, but condi ti ons were found to be such that i n october 1937 the
State subsi dy was wi thdrawn, and a secti on for col ored chi l dren was created i n the
Di vi si on of chi l d wel fare of the state Department of wel fare. The chi l drer were
moved from the recei vi ng home and were pl aced i n boardi ng homes und.er a trai ned
supervi sor. Ni nety-si x chi l dren were cared for i n thi s way by the end of
June
1938. r n Apr i l a speci al consul t ant f r om t he chi l dr en' s Bur eau of t he uni t ed
states Department of Labor was l oaned to the Di vi si on and a study of resources
for the care of col ored chi l dren i n the state was undertaken. In connecti on
wi th thi s study a conference of representati ve Negro ci ti zens was hel d i n Loui s-
vi l l e on May 30.
Local publ i c chi l d- wel f ar e ser vi ces have been car r i ed on i n f our demonst r at i on
di st r i ct s i n each of whi ch a chi l d- wel f ar e super vi sor has been l ocat ed. Thr ee
Provided by the Maternal and child Health Library, G"o.gffiilrriry
4l
l
Chi l d-Wel fare
Seryi ces, 1936-3g
f i el d consul t ant s have been avai l abl e f or case- wor k ser vi ces and. communi t y-
or gani zat i on l vor k, and have of f er ed consul t at i on
ser vi ces t o publ i c
of i Eci al s i n
sever ar ar eas. By t he end of t he f i scal year 193g, r 0 count i es wer e par t i ci pat i ng
f i nanci al l y i n ser ' i ces t o chr l dr en and 7 count i es wer e cooper at i ng
wi t h t he st at e
i n a mot her s' ai d pr ogr am.
Tn' o i nst i t ut es t ver e hel d dur i ng t he f i scal year ,
The Di ' i si on of chi l d wel f ar e has f ound t he need of i nt er pr et at i on
of a ser vi ce
pr ogr am t o I ocai of f i ci al s and ci t i zens t o be one of i t s gr eat est pr obl ems.
Anot her
probl em has been the l ack of suffi ci ent funds for reri ef and assi stance, Kentucky
does not ha' e as yet an ai d- t o- dependent - chi l dr en
pr ogr am
under t he soci al
Securi ty Act. In many cases servi ce i s useress wi thout accompanyi ng reri ef. A
thi rd probl em
has been the need for better chi l d-wel fare regi srati on, eJpeci arl y i n
rel ati on to the removal of chi l dren from bad home condi ti ons and i n adopti on
procedures. A11 these probl ems have been i ntensi fi ed by the di ffi cul ty ofobtai ni ng
t r ai ned per sonnel .
LOUISIANA
Pri or to the estabri shment i n 1936 of the Loui si ana State Department of
publ i c
wel fare, i ncl udi ng a Bureau of chi l d wel fare, the onl y state publ i c servi ces to
chi l dren were those provi ded by the very smal l staff of the Board of chari ti es and
correcti on whi ch gave advi ce to chi l dren' s i nsti tuti ons and approvar of adopti ons.
Because of the l ack of an adequate number of workers prepared
for ch' d-
wel fare work, much of the effort of the Bureau of chi l d werfare has been di rected
to a trai ni ng program i n whi ch sel ected workers from the pari shes
have been gi ven
educati onal l eave to get professi onal
trai ni ng i n chi l d-wel fare work i n the Tul ane
uni versi ty school of Soci al work, whi ch i ncl uded a peri od of careful supervi si on i n
a chi l d-wel fare uni t of a rural pari sh. when these workers had compl eted a year,s
preparati on,
they were praced i n chi l d-wel fare uni ts attached to pari sh
depart-
ments of publ i c
wel fare, and another serected group of workers were gi ven edu-
cati onal l eave. Several students on educati onal l eave from other southern
states al so have been gi ven the pri vi l ege of supervi sed fi erd work i n the pari sh
chi l d-wel fare uni ts.
consi derabl e expansi on of pari sh servi ces to chi l dren has been made possi bl e
by the ai l ocati on of State wel fare funds to pay hal f the sal ary and al l of the travel
expenses of the pari sh chi l d-wel fare workers.
For servi ces to chi l dren i n pari shes i n whi ch there i s no chi l d-wel fare
worker
on the l ocal staff and to gi ve techni cal supervi si on to the rocal chi l d-wel fare
work_
ers, the Bureau of chi l d wel fare has deveroped a staff of state chi l d-wel fare
consul tants.
I n 1938 t he Loui si ana Legi sr at ur e, by t r ansf er r i ng t he dut i es of t hest at e Boar d
of chari ti es and correcti ons to the state Department of
pubri c
wel fare and by
passi ng a new adopti on raw provi ded
a comprehensi ve program
for state-wi de
acti vi ti es for the protecti on
and care of chi l dren. These acti vi ti es i ncl uded
servi ces to agenci es, i nsti tuti ons, and i ndi vi duars cari ng for chi l dren or pl aci ng
them i n foster care, and provi si on
for soci al studi es and supervi si on of al l adopti ons,
wi th reports to the courts responsi bre for granti ng
adopti ons. The devel opment
of chi l d-wel fare servi ces si nce 1936 provi ded
the nucreus of a staff wi th back-
ground and experi ence i n chi l d wel fare for the greatl y enl arged program.
A State advi sory commi ttee, consi sti ng of two j udges,
two l awyers, and two
soci al workers, cooperati ng wi th soci ar agenci es and. ray groups, has been appoi nted
to work wi th the di rector of the Bureau of chi l d wel fare to hel p devel op si andards
for the expandi ng program for chi l dren and to herp i nterpret the program to the
publ i c.
Provided by the Maternal and ChiH Hcellh Librar'', Georgetown University
42
Sfafe Surnmari es
MAINE
An i nteresti ng feature about the devel opment of chi l d-wel fare servrces
i n Mai ne i s the way i n whi ch the servi ce has touched chi l d-wel fare work
al l over the state. one mi ght say that the devel opment i n many of the l ocal
areas i n the fi rst 2 years has been general rather than concentrated.
when the program for chi l d-wel fare servi ces was i ni ti ated, the fi rst j ob
seemed
to be to i nfl uence publ i c offi ci al s i n l ocal towns to see that there were other ways
of cari ng for negl ected and del i nquent chi l dren than to commi t them to the
Bureau of soci al wel fare and to i mpress on these same peopl e the extent to whi ch
the l ocal communi ty i s responsi bl e for meeti ng chi l dren' s needs i n thei r own
homes. By and l arge, l ocal of6ci al s are begi nni ng to accept the new responsi bi l i ty
that has been pl aced upon them si nce chi l d-wel fare servi ces became operati ve.
The fi ve di stri ct supervi sors, hal f of whose sal ari es are pai d from Federal funds
for chi l d-wel fare servi ces, have contri buted thei r share to the revi val of l ocal
i nterest and l ocal responsi bi l i ty. Thi s has been accompl i shed by di rect contact
wi th offrci al s and l ay groups i n thei r respecti ve di stri cts and by the qual i ty of
staff educati on and supervi si on whi ch they are abl e to gi ve workers on the staff
of the Bureau of Soci al Wei fare.
The Bureau of Soci al Wel fare has a staff of 46 case workers. Thi rty-two of
them have j oi ned
the staff si nce chi l d-wel fare servi ces fi rst started. wi th one
or two excepti ons al l of these workers have i n-servi ce trai ni ng i n chi l d-wel fare
servi ces to thei r credi t, fol l owed, after the trai ni ng peri od i s over, by the super-
vi si on of di stri ct supervi sors who have been trai ned to use modern methods of
care for chi l dren,
The workers on the staff of the Bureau cover every town i n the State i n the
course of thei r work. They may be regarded as the vanguard of chi l d-wel fare
servi ces, prepari ng the way i n certai n communi ti es for the future establ i shment
of l ocal programs for chi l d-wel fare servi ces. The workers from the Bureau of
Soci al wel fare, most of them possessi ng the poi nt of vi ew that most chi l dren can
be served best i n thei r own homes, are the ones who are gi vi ng l ocal offi ci al s thei r
fi rst taste of what a soci al worker can do to hel p them wi th thei r l ocal probl ems.
The workers are taki ng on more and more servi ce cases referred to them by l ocal
offi ci al s. The work has reached a poi nt where i t i s not a questi on of persuadi ng
offrci al s to cooperate wi th soci al workers but of the workers on the staff of the
Bureau havi ng the ti me to take on extra servi ce cases.
The ground work bei ng l ai d by the staff of the Bureau i s of i nesti mabl e hel p
i n the promoti on of l ocal programs for chi l d-wel fare servi ces. A worker i s i n a
posi ti on to expl ai n chi l d-wel fare servi ces to of6ci al s i n her terri tory and at the
same ti me to noti fy the supervi sor of chi l d-wel fare servi ces when a town or group
of towns i s ready to start a l ocal program.
The actual establ i shment of l ocai areas for chi l d-wel fare servi ces has been sl ow,
but the progress made has been steady and sound. The Bri dgton area has grown
i n 2 years from one town parti ci pati ng fi nanci al l y to three towns. The soci al
worker i n thi s area has i ntegrated chi l d-wel fare servi ces wi th al l the di fferent
wel fare acti vi ti es carri ed on by the towns. Thi s i ncl udes the study of appl i -
cati ons for general town assi stance and the recommendati on of the ki nd and
amount of assi stance to be grantedl servi ce to nonrel i ef as wel l as rel i ef fami l i esl
and coordi nati on of the vari ous soci al -securi ty programs and other Federal pro-
grams wi th l ocal publ i c and pri vate undertaki ngs so that the communi ti es may
have a better coordi nated and i ntegrated wel fare program.
The wor k bei ng car r i ed on i n Br i dgt on has spr ead t o ot her t owns i n t hat sect i on.
Norway, a nei ghbori ng town, i s now starti ng a chi l d-wel fare program of i ts own.
2126290 40---{
+J
Provided by the Maternal and Child fteattfr Library, Georgetown University
C hild
-WeIf
are Services, 1 936-Sa
The offi ci al s i n Norway hope
i nterested i n what the soci al
her ser vi ces.
that other smal l towns around Norway wi l l become
worker i s doi ng i n thi s communi ty and wi l l ask for
MARYLAND
when chi l d-wel fare servi ces were i ni ti ated i n Maryl and, there was l i tfl e state
or l ocal publ i c provi si on for servi ce to chi l dren. one state-ai ded chi l d-pl aci ng
agency gave some servi ce to some rural areas. Thi s servi ce was l i mi ted, however,
as to both type and amount. The publ i c-assi stance programs admi ni stered
through the l ocal county wel fare boards brought attenti on to the many unmet
needs of chi l dren i n those parts of the state predomi nantl y
rural ; the l ocal com-
muni ti es were turni ng more and more to the publ i c assi stance agency i n the area
for servi ce i n meeti ng a vari ety of probl ems centeri ng around the chi l d and hi s
fami l y-probl ems whi ch coul d not be met by publ i c-assi stance
al one.
Therefore the emphasi s of the state i n maki ng use of Fed.eral funds for chi l d-
wel fare servi ces was pl aced pri mari l y on hel pi ng l ocal uni ts provi de servi ce to
chi l dren by assi gni ng qual i fi ed chi l d-wel fare workers to more l ocal uni ts and
maki ng avai l abl e more adequate case supervi si on than coul d otherwi se be
provi ded.
Several of the more si gni fi cant features of the program have been the di rect
outgrowth of the demands made upon the l ocal county wel fare board. for assi st-
ance i n provi di ng for the needs of chi l dren. some of these features are bri efl v
out l i ned her e.
The j uveni l e
courts, where such courts were establ i shed, or the magi strates
handl i ng j uveni l e
cases wanted hel p i n determi ni ng more careful treatment for
chi l dren comi ng to thei r attenti on. They began to ask for certai n background
i nformati on about the chi l d and hi s fami l y and al so for hel p i n pl anni ng for hi m,
Thi s has been a maj or devel opmental servi ce to the court, i ni ti ated partl y by the
court and partl y by the chi l d-wel fare workers i n the l ocal wel fare uni ts.
Another devel opment made possi bl e
through the program for chi l d-wel fare
servi ces was foster-home work. Thi s work has grown out of the i ncreased servi ce
to fami l i es comi ng to the attenti on of the wel fare boards through the courts,
through l ocal communi ty i nterest, and through appl i cati on for ai d. to dependent
chi l dren. The provi si on for foster-home care has meant the devel opment of a
new servi ce to the communi ty, i n several i nstances where none previ ousl y
exi sted.
Another servi ce was a trai ni ng course for workers on the Eastern shore. As
better supervi si on was provi ded for workers on the county wel fare boards, the
demand for more adequate trai ni ng was made by the workers who were unabl e to
go away for an extended peri od of professi onal
trai ni ng. The
pennsyl vani a
School of Soci al work conducted a course,
,,Atti tudes
and Behavi or," for 15 weeks
on the Eastern shore. Because much of the teachi ng centered. around the chi l d
and was basi c to al l chi l d-care servi ce, a smal l porti on of the funds for chi l d-wel fare
servi ce was used to hel p defray the expenses of the teacher. workers pai d thei r
own tui ti on and travel expenses. Regul ar credi t was gi ven for sati sfactory compl e-
ti on of the course. Thi s use of funds for chi l d-wel fare servi ces mad.e a real con-
tri buti on to al l workers.
Another si gni fi cant chi l d-wel fare proj ect
was a speci al study of 39 boys from
Pri nce Georges county who were i n a l arge correcti onal i nsti tuti on i n Bal ti more.
Thi s entai l ed vi si ts to the homes of these boys, to thei r rel ati ves, and to the
agenci es whi ch had known thei r fami l i es. Al though the compl ete resul ts of the
study are not yet avai l abl e, there i s no questi on that i t has meant an i ncreased
i nterest on the part of the i nsti tuti on i n maki ng a more ad.equate study of a chi l d
before he i s commi tted. It i s hoped that case-work servi ce to chi l dren whi l e i n the
i nsti tuti on and after di scharge wi l be i ncreased as a resul t of thi s study.
Provided by the Maternal and Child Health Librarv.
++
Georgetown University
=
Sfafe Surnrnarres
Some of the outstandi ng needs are the further devel opment of servi ce to the
chi l d i n hi s own home, conti nued servi ce to the court, and devel opment of fotct-
home faci l i ti es.
MASSACHUSETTS
The demonstrati on i n suppl yi ng chi l d-wel fare servi ces to rural areas i n Massa-
chuset t s was begun wi t h t he ai d of Feder al f unds i n Apr i l 1936' Si nce t hat t i me
18 towns i n the southern hal f of Worcester County have recei ved assi stance from
one or two workers wi th headquarters i n that di stri ct. Begi nni ng i n February
1937, 15 t owns i n t he Cape Cod ar ea have been gi ven ser vi ce.
The experi ment i n preventi ve servi ces that has been conducted through the
program for chi l d-wel fare servi ces has shown that a l arge area needi ng chi l d-
wel fare work has been negl ected and that the probl em i s to prevent negl ect,
dependency, and del i nquency by constructi ve work at an earl y stage. The cooper-
ati on of l ocal of6ci al s and ci ti zens and the real i nterest shown i n the work that has
been done for thei r communi ti es has been most encouragi ng.
When the program for chi l d-wel fare servi ces was i ni ti ated i n the two areas i t was
the i ntenti on to conti nue the demonstrati on for a l i mi ted peri od unti l the exi stence
of the need for l ocal preventi ve work had been shown, and a way coul d be di s'
covered to l ocal i ze the work as the responsi bi l i ty of town publ i c-wel fare offi ci al s.
In accordance wi th the requi rements of the Federal Soci al Securi ty Act i t was
pl anned to use the maj or part of the Federal funds for chi l d-l vel fare servi ces for
assi stance to l ocal communi ti es i n provi di ng chi l d-wel fare servi ces, wi th such
supervi si on and consul tati on by workers on the staff of the State Department of
Publ i c Wel fare as was needed to promote l ocal acti vi ty. Vari ous condi ti ons have
del ayed the contempl ated transi ti on from demonstrati on to a program of coopera'
ti on wi th l ocal communi ti es.
It i s expected that the effort to l ocal \ze chi l d-wel fare servi ces i n smal l groups of
towns wi l l be successful when i t becomes possi bl e to pl an the State program i n
rel ati on to the reorgani zati on now under way i n the publ i c-assi stance admi ni stra-
ti on of the State Department of Publ i c Wel fare, whi ch i nvol ves setti ng up a num'
ber of regi onal ofEces for State supervi sory work.
l Vofe.-Si nce thi s was wri tten, three towns i n Worcester County whi ch were i n-
cl uded i n the demonstrati on concl uded arrangements to empl oy a chi l d-wel fare
worker, the towns shari ng the sal ary. Therefore, the fi rst peri od ofdemonstrati on
has been compl eted, and pl ans are bei ng made for the devel opment of a new pro'
gram of State-wi de rural chi l d-wel fare servi ces.
MICHIGAN
At the ti me the program for chi l d-wel fare servi ces was begun i n Mi chi gan, the
State was confronted wi th seri ous l acks i n the coordi nati on of publ i c-wel fare
acti vi ti es, i ncl udi ng State pl anni ng for chi l dren. One favorabl e factor was that
the State had l ong before acknowl edged i ts responsi bi l i ty for the care of depend-
ent and negl ected chi l dren i n the establ i shment of the state Publ i c School i n
1871. Fol l owi ng that si gni fi cant step, there was a peri od duri ng whi ch the
changi ng concepts of adequate substi tute parental care for chi l dren were not
refl ected noti ceabl y i n the State program. The program remai ned l argel y i nsti -
tuti onal unti l 1935, when the State Publ i c School was abol i shed and the Mi chi gan
chi l dren' s Insti tute was establ i shed wi th a foster-home program for dependent
and negl ected chi l dren. Local l y the pl anni ng for dependent, negl ected, and
del i nquent chi l dren has remai ned the l egal responsi bi l i ty of the probate courts
and the county wel fare agents of the State Wel fare Department. The most
noti ceabl e probl em i n chi l d care i n Mi chi gan has been the l ack of fami l y case
+D
Child Health Library, Georgetown University
Provided by the Maternal and
46 Child-Welfane
Services, 1 936-3g
work' Fami l y ti es have been easi l y severed i n many cases, and. the appri cati on
of case' work ski l l s i n the newer trend toward preservi ng
the chi l d,s own home
was not recogni zed.
Because there was no chi l dren' s di vi si on i n the state wel fare Department,
chi l d' wel fare
servi ces were establ i shed i n Mi chi gan und.er the admi ni strati on
of
the Mi chi gan chi l dren' s Insti tute. In ri ne wi th the state,s deveropment
of
foster-home care for dependent ch' dren on the basi s of i ndi vi dual need.s, an
educati onal
approach was attempted through chi l d-werfare
servi ces. Thi s was
pl anned to reach j udges
of probate
courts, county-wel fare
agents, and other l ocal
county offi ci al s i n the rural areas to poi nt
out the i ndi vi dual probrems
of chi l dren
and methods of meeti ng them. Accordi ngl y, the mobi l e ,rrri t *". organi zed as
an acti vi ty of the chi l d-wel fare program,
and through that medi um chi l dren,s
si tuati ons were studi ed. Thei r probl ems
were d.i scussed wi th rocal peopre
and
an effort was made to pl an for the chi l dren wi th the l ocal workers. In counti es
where chi l dren were on the wai ti ng l i st for acceptance by the Mi chi gan chi l -
dren' s Insti tute' the si tuati ons of these chi l dren were sl udi ed. As a resurt,
pl ans
were made for the care of 167 chi l dren by the Mi chi gan
ch' dren,s rnsti -
tute. The study of these chi l dren al so became the basi s for the formurati on
of
i ntake pol i ci es
by the Mi chi gan ch' dren' s Insti tute. Emphasi s
was pl aced
upon the i mportance of fami l y ti es and the i mportance of consi deri ng
emoti onal
needs of chi l dren i n pl anni ng
for them. subsequentry
several j ui ges
of the
probate
court requested certai n background
materi al about certai n chi l dren i n
order to pl an treatment for them careful l v.
Duri ng the fi scal year
.1937-3g,
ful l -ti me quari fi ed
chi l d-werfare
workers were
pl aced i n si x rural counti es i n the probate
courts, under the supervi si on
of the
state wel fare Department.
They assumed responsi bi l i ti es
formerry carri ed by
the county wel fare agents who worked on a per di em basi s. As a resurt, furl
uti l i zati on of l ocal resources for the care of chi i dren has been sti murated i n these
areas, and l ocal parti ci pati on
i n pl anni ng
for chi l dren i n the vari ous communi ti es
has been i ncreased' In February 1937 a preventi ve program
was estabri shed. i n
Hi l l sdal e county to emphasi ze the possi bi l i ti es
of ful l y .rti ti ri rrg case-work serv-
i ces to meet probl ems
at an earry stage and thus to obvi ate the necessi ty
for
court acti on l ater. Duri ng the l ast fi scal year,
as a resul t of the chi l d-wel fare
workers' accompl i shments
wi th case si tuati ons, the communi ti es i n thi s county
have become more aware of effecti ve methods of cari ng for dependent
and neg-
l ected chi l dren and of pl anni ng
for care of chi l dren i n thei r own homes.
rn
June 1937 the Bureau of ch' d werfare was set up i n the state wel fare
Department, thus establ i shi ng the basi s for a new ad.mi ni strati ve rel ati onshi p
between the program
for chi l d-wel fare
servi ces and the Mi chi gan State werfare
Department.
Further emphasi s on i mprovi ng the standards of chi l d_werfare
work i n rural counti es by strengthened
supervi si on through an i n_servi ce
trai n-
i ng program
for arl ch' d-werfare
workers and cor.rnty wel fare agents of the state
wel fare Department
i s thus made possi bl e.
The new Bureau i ncreases
the
coordi nati on
of chi l dren' ,s servi ces and i s a step i n advance of the generar
reor.
gani zati on
of publ i c-wel fare
admi ni strati on i n Mi chi gan,
whi ch i s ai ti ci pated i n
t he near f ut ur e.
MINNESOTA
chi l d-wel fare
servi ces i n Mi nnesota had thei r begi nni ng 20 years ago i n Mi nne-
sota' s ch' dren' s code. under the l eadershi p of the state chi l dren,s Bureau and
through vol unteer chi l d-wel fare boards i n such counti es as chose to organi ze
them' i nterest i n and understandi ng
of chi l d wel fare were bui l t up througb the
years'
No si gni fi cant change al tered thi s basi c organi zati on
unti l recentl y.
Wi thi n the past year or two, newl y organi zed county wel fare boards have taken
Provided by the Maternal and Child Health Library, Georgetown University
Sf af e Sur nr nar i es
over chi l d-wel fare responsi bi l i ti es i n the counti es; the State has recei ved Fed-
eral funds for chi l d-wel fare servi ces; and an i ntegrati on of publ i c-wel fare servi ces
has taken pl ace on both county and State l evel s.
Thi s has resul ted i n an expansi on of servi ces. Integrati on has created a
j oi nt
fi el d staff rvhi ch serves practi cal l y al l phases of wel fare work i n State-county
super vi sor y r el at i onshi ps. Thr ough t he use of Feder al f unds f or chi l d- wel f ar e
ser vi ces, t he number of count i es havi ng pai d compet ent chi l d- wel f ar e wor ker s
has i ncr eased f r om 20 i n Mar ch 1936 t o 84 ( a11 but 3 count i es i n t he St at e) i n
June
1938. A part of thi s great i ncrease i n trai ned personnel can be attri buted
to the new ai d-to-dependent-chi l dren program, whi ch i s i ntegrated wi th chi l d-
wel fare servi ces, and to the setti ng up of county wel fare boards and the coor-
di nati on resul ti ng therefrom.
The devel opment of trai ned staff and the i ntegrati on of thei r work i n the
counti es have 1ed to a gradual shi fti ng of case work from the State to the county
l evel . Basi c l aws are not changed and correspondence conti nues to come to the
State agency, but few cases are taken over by the State agency. More and
more, chi l dren' s cases are regarded as the county' s probl em. The State agency
assi sts the county i n such a way that al l avai l abl e faci l i ti es may be used and
supervi si on mai ntai ned to assure proper handl i ng of cases.
Chi l d-wel fare work done by the counti es i s supervi sed by the fi el d staff of 18
supervi sors, who supervi se al l of the servi ces for whi ch the State Wel fare Depart-
ment i s responsi bl e, and, wi th the ai d of Federal funds for chi l d-wel fare servi ces,
by chi l d-wel fare consul tants. Both supervi sors and chi l d-wel fare consul tants
fi nd a growi ng awareness of the i mportance of chi l dren' s probl ems, not onl y
among county wei fare boards and personnel but al so among county offrci al s and
the general publ i c. These peopl e are becomi ng i nterested i n preventi ve work.
In several parts of the State
j uveni l e-court j udges i nvi te chi l d-wel fare workers
to meet wi th them for a di scussi on of
j uveni l e-court probl ems, of preventi on of
del i nquency, and of the devel opment of communi ty resources. Long-standi ng
cases of negl ect and l ong-standi ng condi ti ons l eadi ng to dependency, del i nquency,
and general handi caps are fi nal l y bei ng attacked on the l ocal l evel .
Sel ect i on and l i censi ng of boar di ng homes has been ver y much i mpr oved dur i ng
t he past sever al year s, wi t h t he r esul t t hat a number of chi l dr en capabl e of ad'
j ust ment out si de of an i nst i t ut i on have been pl aced i n f ost er homes. Mar ked
pr ogr ess i s shown i n pr ovi di ng t he t ype of f ost er - home car e best sui t ed t o t he
needs of t he i ndi vi dual chi l d, i n saf eguar di ng pl acement , and i n usi ng pr i vat e
f ost er - home car e i nst ead of l ong- t i me i nst i t ut i onal car e. A1l except 7 of t he 84
counti es have proper boardi ng-home resources.
The counti es are maki ng i ncreased use of mental tests pri or to commi tment of
feebl e-mi nded petsons. The l arge i ncrease i n trai ned county personnel has
permi tted more comprehensi ve pl anni ng for feebl e-mi nded chi l dren who must
be cared for and supervi sed i n thei r own communi ti es.
Perhaps the most i mportant devel opment duri ng the past several years has
been a renewed emphasi s on the fami l y as the basi s of worl t wi th chi l dren. The
i ncrease i n competency of county personnel -made possi bl e by Federal funds for
chi l d-wel fare servi ces-has enabl ed the State agency to formul ate pol i ci es and
procedures whi ch do not i sol ate the chi l d and hi s probl ems, but consi der tbem
as a part of the whol e fami l y si tuati on and attack them as a uni t. The envi ron-
ment i s thus recogni zed as the mai n source of causati ve factors, and attenti oni s
focused on the real home as agai nst the adopti ve home.
MI SSI SSI PPI
Al though the fi rst extraordi nary sessi on of the Mi ssi ssi ppi Legi sl ature passed
an enabl i ng act on September 19, 1936, provi di ng for the cooperati on by the
47
Provided by the Maternal and Child Health Library, Georgetown University
4E Chi l d-Wel fane Seryrbes, 1 936-3g
State rvi th the uni ted States chi l dren' s Bureau i n furtheri ng chi l d-werfare
serv_
i ces, no pl an for such servi ces was submi tted unti l February 193g. Duri ng the
i nterveni ng year the state Department of
pubri c
wel fare had been establ i shed.
In Apri l 1938 the regul ar sessi on of the l egi srature passed
an act authori zi ng the
State Department of
publ i c
werfare and the county boards of publ i c
wel fare to
admi ni ster and supervi se al 1 chi l d-wel fare servi ces concerni ng
dependent or neg-
l ected chi l dren. Thus l egar authori ty to enter al r phases
of chi l d-werfare
work i n
the state was acqui red. As no such provi si on
had exi sted previ ousry
and no
budgetary al l otment of State funds for provi di ng
servi ces for chi l dren had been
made, the pi oneeri ng
work i n thi s fi el d was undertaken wi th the ai d of Federal
funds for chi l d-werfare servi ces, ai l ocated to the state by the uni ted States
Chi l dr en' s Bur eau.
Duri ng the l atter part of Apri l , a supervi sor of chi l d-wel fare
servi ces was
appoi nted. IIer arri val coi nci ded wi th the fi rst State-wi de conference of the countv
workers of the state Department of
publ i c
werfare. As a resurt, she had al
unusuar opportuni ty to exprai n the phi l osophy
and mechani cs of chi l d-wel fare
servi ces to the enti re staff of the State Department of
publ i c
werfare. She was
met wi th understandi ng
and a spi ri t of cooperati on. For the next 6 weeks her
tl me was spent chi efl y i n i ntervi ewi ng prospecti ve personnel .
By the fi rst of
June
two Mi ssi ssi ppi ans had been serected to serve as fi el d consul tants on the State
staff. one was a graduate
of rul ane uni versi ty school of Soci al work and the
other of the New
york
schoor of Soci al work. Four potenti al
chi l dren,s
workers
al ready empl oyed by the state Department of
pubri c
\vel fare were granted
educati onal l eave i n
June. one was accepted as a speci ar student at wi l ri am
and Mary, one as a regul ar student at the schoor of Soci ar servi ce Admi ni strati on,
uni versi ty of chi cago, and two as regurar students at Tul ane uni versi ty School
of Soci al Wor k.
Because of the i nterest of some of the county agents of the state Department
of
Publ i c wel fare and thei r fi erd supervi sors, requests began to co' ' e i rrto the state
offi ce concerni ng the possi bi l i ty
of pl aci ng
a chi l dren' s worker i n these counti es.
Therefore, the supervi sor vi si ted. several of these counti es, meeti ng wi th i nterested
groups of offi ci al s and ci ti zens and expl ai ni ng to them the Mi ssi ssi ppi pl an for
the devel opment of chi l d-werfare servi ces, The supervi sor and orr. of i t . fi "l a corr_
sul tants vi si ted the Bureau of chi l d werfare of the state Department
of
publ i c
wel fare i n Al abama. They studi ed, the enti re organi zati on
and noted especi al l y
the ways i n whi ch such an organi zati on had been devel oped.
a. trr. i dea of
chi l d-wel fare servi ces on a state-wi de scal e i s new i n Mi ssi ssi ppi , i t was thought
that the program
woul d benefi t by sendi ng one of the fi erd consul tants
and the
assi stant to the commi ssi oner of the state Department of
pubri c
werfare to the
Nati onal conference of Soci al work at Seattre, wash. The fi el d consul tant had
the pri vi l ege
of vi si ti ng the chi l d-wel fare
di vi si ons i n oregon and i n washi ngton.
rn these states she observed the ways i n whi ch the publ i c-wel fare
program
had
begun and i ts devel opi ng process.
From these two states as from Al "b.*.,
copi es of manual s, forms, and. research studi es whi ch had proved
to be varuabre
i n those states were obtai ned. From these sources and. from the meeti ngs of the
Nati onal conference of Soci ar work some degree of ori entati on conceri i ng the
versati l i ty and fl exi bi l i ty of the program
for chi l d-werfare servi ces and the ways
i n whi ch i t can be adapted to fi t l ocal needs was obtai ned.
At the end of the fi sca1 year,
June
30, 1g3g, the program for chi l d-wel fare serv-
i ces was an accepted part of the state Department of
pubri c
wel fare.
pl ans
were
bei ng made for essenti al contacts.l si th
the state i nsti tuti ons, for studi es i n certai n
counti es, and for col l ecti ng some of the soci al data concerni ng chi l dren, that was
scattered i n the records of the vari ous county and State agenci es andi nsti tuti ons
whi ch came i nto contact wi th chi l dren,
Provided by the Maternal and Child Health Library, Georgetown University
t
Sfafe Surnrnari es
MI SSOURI
Before the begi nni ng of the program for chi l d-wel fare servi ces i n Mi ssouri , the
State Chi l dren' s Bureau l i censed and supervi sed pri vate chi l d-cari ng agenci es,
boardi ng homes, and materni ty homes, conducted a State home for dependent and
negl ected chi l dren, and pl aced chi l dren i n free foster homes, In most counti es no
l ocal case-work servi ce was avai l abl e for speci al care of chi l dren i n thei r own
homes and communi ti es. Some counti es had part-ti me probati on offi cers or county
wel fare of8cers, l argel y wi thout trai ni ng i n case work. One of the greatest needs
seen at the begi nni ng of the program for chi l d-wel fare servi ces was study of the
possi bi l i ty of maki ng l ocal pl ans for chi l dren i nstead of i mmedi atel y commi tti ng
them to the State chi l dren' s home. The State pl an for chi l d-wel fare servi ces at
fi rst di vi ded the rural areas i nto l arge di stri cts wi th one worker i n each di stri ct.
Thi s worker vi si ted al l of the counti es, gi vi ng some case-work servi ce on a demon-
strati on basi s and i nterpreti ng to county ofRci al s and l ocal ci ti zens the need for
chi l d-wel fare servi ces. Counti es were encouraged to uni te i n formi ng l ocal uni ts'
each appropri ati ng some funds toward the sal ary and travel expenses of a trai ned
worker. At the present ti me 8 l ocal uni ts, rangi ng i n si ze from 1 county to 4
count i es, have been devel oped, maki ng a t ot al of 19 count i es. As t he number of
l ocal uni ts i ncreased, the number ofdi stri ct consul tants was decreased from 8 to 4.
I n
Jul y
1937 t he l egi sl at ur e cr eat ed a St at e Soci al Secur i t y Commi ssi on t o ad-
mi ni ster the State progfams of publ i c assi stance and chi l d wel fare, transferri ng
atl chi l d-wel fare acti vi ti es to the Di vi si on of Chi l d Wel fare.
Si nce the program for chi l d-wel fare servi ces began, county
j udges accustomed
to commi tti ng dependent chi l dren to the State chi l dren' s home wi thout prel i mi -
nary i nvesti gati on, and to sendi ng young chi l dren to correcti onal i nsti tuti ons or
to urban pri vate i nsti tuti ons for free care, became i nterested i n the chi l d-vrel fare
ser vi ces made avai l abl e under t he pr ogr am, I n many i nst ances t hese j udges have
shown that they prefer that al ternate pl ans be devel oped l ocal l y, i f possi bl e, before
r emovi ng a chi l d f r om hi s own communi t y. I n sever al count i es at t he pr esent
t i me, communi t i es ar e def i ni t el y i nt er est ed i n devel opi ng l ocal boar di ng- home
programs for l ocal chi l dren and throughout the State many counti es have become
i nterested i n parti cul ar cases and have accepted responsi bi l i ty for boardi ng care.
Advi sory commi ttees i n the counti es i n whi ch l ocal uni ts are l ocated have been
hel pful i n i nterpreti ng the needs for servi ce to the communi ty and i n devel opi ng
the program. They have assi sted i n devel opi ng l ocal foster-care faci l i ti es and l ocal
fi nanci ng as a defi ni te proj ect i n several counti es. Several counti es have become
i nterested i n recreati onal programs i n cooperati on wi th l ocal churches, the Works
Progress Admi ni strati on, and ci vi c cl ubs. Provi si on of speci al necessi ti es such as
medi cal care for chi l dren, transportati on to chi l d-gui dance centers, cl othi ng, and
vol unteer servi ce has been made by groups, cl ubs, and churches. The commi ttees
have ai <l ed greatl y i n mai ntai ni ng the servi ce i n counti es where there has been
fi nanci al pressure for other needs. Some of the commi ttees have served i n a
coordi nati ng capaci ty to bri ng together agenci es, groups, and i ndi vi dual s who have
been worki ng wi thout cl ose cooperati on.
Si nce the establ i shment of the State Soci al Securi ty Commi ssi on there has been
cl ose cooperati on between the Di vi si on of Chi l d Wel fare and the Publ i c Assi stance
Di vi si on on State and l ocal l evel s. Chi l d-wel fare advi sory commi ttees have had
j oi nt meeti ngs wi th county soci al -securi ty commi ssi ons and i n some i nstances
have uni ted wi th them to i nterpret a uni fi ed county wel fare program'
A State advi sory commi ttee has been devel oped whi ch serves the enti re Di vi si on
of Chi l d Wel fare.
chi l d-wel fare workers i n many counti es have worked cl osel y wi th school
offi ci al s, publ i c-heal th nurses, county heal th offi cers, and workers responsi bl e for
49
Provided by the Maternal and Child Health Librarl' , Georgetorvn University
Chi l d-Wel fare Servi ces, 1936-38
cri ppl ed chi l dren' s servi ces i n many speci al proj ects, i ncl udi ng parti ci pati on
i n
cl i ni cs and provi di ng case-work servi ce on heal th and. other probl ems.
As a foundati on for a permanent State program of servi ce to j uveni l e
courts,
the chi l d-wel fare program has made possi bl e a stud.y of j uveni l e-court
probati on,
i ncl udi ng consul t at i on ser vi ces on j uveni l e- cour t
st andar ds and met hods t o en-
qui ri ng j uveni l e-court j udges
and county probati on
offi cers. Through thi s
speci al proj ect a uni form system of reporti ng j uveni l e-court
stati sti cs has been
devel oped, resul ti ng for the fi rst ti me i n an accounti ng of al l cases appeari ng
before every j uveni l e
court i n Mi ssouri .
MONTANA
The hi story of Montana reveal s that the need for chi l d protecti on
has had
l egal recogni ti on al most si nce the State was ad.mi tted to the Uni on i n 1gg9.
The earl i est program was admi ni stered. by the Montana State l l umane Soci ety,
whi ch l ed to the establ i shment of the Bureau of Chi l d and Ani mal
protecti on
by
l egi sl ati ve act i n 1903. A board, of whi ch the Governor, the superi ntend.ent
of publ i c i nstructi on, and the attorney general became ex offi ci o members, was
authori zed to appoi nt a secretary at a sal ary of
$1,200 annual l y. offi ce space
was provi ded i n the capi tol . The responsi bi l i ti es
of the Bureau were
,,to
secure
enforcement of l aws for preventi on
of wrongs to chi l d.ren and dumb ani mal s'
and "to promote the growth of educati on and. senti ment favorabl e to the pro-
tecti on of chi l dren and dumb ani mal s."
I
When funds were made avai l abl e for chi l d-wel fare servi ces under the Federal
Soci al Securi ty Act of 1935, the State program
was extended and redi rected..
In Apri l 1936, the Chi l dren' s Bureau of the Uni ted States Department of Labor
approved the pl an submi tted by the State Department of Publ i c Wel fare, usi ng the
Bureau of Chi l d and Ani mal Protecti on as the uni t for the ad.mi ni strati on
of chi l d-
wel f ar e ser vi ces. On
June
30, 1937, t he end of t he f i scal year , t he Bur eau of Chi l d
and Ani mal Protecti on was abol i shed and chi l d-' "vel fare servi ces became a functi on
of the State Department of Publ i c Wel fare. A Di vi si on of Chi l d-Wel fare
Servi ces
wi thi n the State Department was created to admi ni ster these functi ons.
The State Di vi si on of Chi l d-Wel fare Servi ces consi sts of a d.i rector, who i s the
admi ni strati ve head of the Di vi si on, under the di recti on of the admi ni strator
of
the State Department of Publ i c Wel fare; an assi stant di rector, who assi sts wi th
the admi ni strati on of the di vi si on and i s the case-work supervi sor; and a staff
assi stant, who i s responsi bl e for servi ces rendered to the si x chi l dren' s i nsti tuti ons
i n Hel ena wi th the ul ti mate obj ecti ve of establ i shi ng mi ni mum stand.ards for i n-
sti tuti ons. Both the assi stant and staff assi stant were ad.ded duri ng the past
year i n order to coordi nate the acti vi ti es of the di stri ct workers.
previ ousl y
chi l dren were pl aced i n the vari ous i nsti tuti ons wi th no provi si on
for conti nuous
supervi si on or preparati on for thei r return to the communi ty.
pl ans
have been
made to add another staff assi stant on
Jul y
1, 1938, whose pri mary responsi bi l i -
ti es wi l l be to fi nd and approve al l types of foster homes. Previ ousl y thi s functi on
was performed by the di stri ct workers, but i n ord.er to promote
uni formi ty and
hi gher standards i t was consi dered advi sabl e to make thi s a functi on of a speci al
wor ker as a demonst r at i - n pr oj ect f or a t i me.
As the Bureau had establ i shed a precedent of provi di ng
servi ce for the enti re
State, thi s pl an was retai ned but the di stri cts were red.uced i n si ze and. i ncreased.
to 13 i n number. Workers empl oyed rnet the mi ni mum qual i fi cati ons
approved
by the Uni ted States Chi l dren' s Bureau. The educati onal requi rements
of a
certi fi cate from an undergraduate course i n soci al work or, i n preference,
2 quarters
graduate study i n a professi onal
school must have been compl eted.
t
L^- " ' Rt t " " l ut i ons and Memor i al s, Ei ght h Regul ar Sessi on of t he Legi sl at i ve Assembl y of 19c3,
p. 216. St at e Publ i shi ng Co. , 1903.
50
Provided by the Maternal and Child Health.Library, Georgetown University
Sf af e Sur nmar i es
I n Mar ch 1938 a mer i t syst em was adopt ed by t he St at e Denar t ment of
pub' c
wel f ar e pr ovi di ng exami nat i ons f or al i posi t i ons,
wi t h a r i mi t ed nuar bcr oi ex-
cept i ons' An unassembl ed exami nat i on
was gi ven f or chi r d, r ver f ar e *. o: xe r s and
t he appl i cant s wer e gr aded as f ol l ows: 50 per cent f or educat i on. . i 5
: e: c: . : : r :
exper i ence i n soci al wor k or al l i ed f i el ds, and. 5 per cent f or a r equ: r ed 1. . , , , , , . . \ . _i
wr i t t en di scussi on of empl oyment , t r ai ni ng, and use of r esour ces r el ai : r : : : : : - . :
f i el ds of chi l d wel f ar e. Of t he 56 who t ook t he exami nat i on, 30 $. er e : t . i c. l
__r
t he el i gi bl e l i st . These wer e evenl y di vi ded as t o sex and. r esi ded i n cr r t : e: t
sect i ons of t he coun. ur y.
The 13 di st r i ct chi l d- wer f ar e
wor ker s ar e admi ni st r at i ver y r esponsi br u : . : he
count y super vi sor s of t he l ocal depar t ment of publ i c wel f ar e and r ecei r . e t t ch: . : cal
super vi si on f r om t he St at e st af f . Each l ocal wor ker at t empt s t o sf , r e: . , . : s
chi l dr en i ' f r om l t o 6 count i es, but t he case r oad. i s concent r at ed i n t he pl ace
i n whi ch t he n' or ker r esi des. The out l yi ng t er r i t or y i s vi si t ed once a mont h
by t he wor ker t o assi st wi t h emer gency si t uat i ons onl y, Al t hough t he si ze of
t he di st r i ct s has been r ecl uced. , t he ar ea ser ved by one wor ker i s st i l l t oo l ar ge
for effecti ve q' ork.
case wor k i s f ur t her handi capped by t he l ack of such r esour ces as psychi at r i c
ser vi ce, adequat e psychol ogi cal
and medi cal f aci l i t i es, and i ndi vi dual i zed gui dance
and t r ai ni ng i n t he school s and pr i vat e soci al agenci es.
NEBRASKA
Al t hough Nebr aska has had a St at e chi r d wel f ar e Depar t ment si nce 1919, t he
Depar t nent consi st ed onr y of a di r ect or , t wo f i el d wor ker s, and. a st enogr apher
when t he f i r st gr ant f or chi l d- wel f ar e ser vi ces was mad. e t o t he st at e. obj ect i ves
f or t he Depar t n) ent had not been def i ned. Ther e wer e no count y publ i c soci al
ser vi ces. Nebr aska' s f i r st st ep was t o evar uat e i t s chi l d- wer f ar e needs and pl an a
pr ogr am
wi t h l ong- r ' i er v obj ect i ves f or publ i c chi l d- wel f ar e ser vi ces, St at e and
count y. The i mpr ovement of t hese ser vi ces dur i ng t he past 2/ year s was
sti mul ated by the provi si ons for chi l d-wel fare servi ces i n the Federal soci al
Securi ty Act and the subsequent passage of the Nebraska Assi stance Act. rncl ud_
i ng an addi ti onal appropri ati on for chi l d wel fare.
The out st andi ng devel opment i n t he past year i n Nebr aska was t he cr eat r on
of a chi l d wel fare Di vi si on by the state Board of control . Thi s Di vi si on makes i t
possi bl e t o i nt egr at e i nt o one depar t ment al l of t he St at e' s chi l d- wel f ar e act i vi t i es
except ai d t o dependent chi l dr en, t he admi ni st r at i on of whi ch i s super vr sed. by
the Publ i c Assi stance Di vi si on under the same Board. The correl ati on of county
soci al ser vi ces i ncl udi ng chi l d wel f ar e, i nst i t ut i onal pr ogr ams, and t he st at e-
department f.ncti ons has made possi bl e
an opportuni ty to pi oneer i n the devel op-
ment of a wel l -rounded State-county program for cbi l d wel fare,
Federal funds for chi l d-wel fare servi ces have been used. for an extensi on of
chi l d- wel f ar e ser vi ces on a demonst r at i on basi s i n t hose ar eas of need wher e St at e
funds woul d not reach or coul d not be used because of l egal l i mi tati ons or publ i c
opi ni on. The pr ogr am f or chi l d- wel f ar e ser vi ces has f unct i oned. i n a mor e r n-
di r ect way by st i mul at i ng gener al l y t he devel opment of chi l d- wel f ar e ser vi ces.
It has hel ped to mai ntai n standards for personnel and has shown the need. for
devel opi ng resources for State and county to meet probl ems of chi l d wel fare.
The emphasi s thi s past year has been on the devel opment of county chi l d-rvel -
fare programs.
chi l d-wel fare workers have been pl aced i n four d.emonstratron
county areas' Many requests were recei ved from other counti es for workers.
whi ch coul d not be gr ant ed because of l i mi t at i on of f unds. Two of t he count r es
ar e meet i ng one- hal f of t he sal ar y and t r avel expenses of t hi s ser vi ce. one of t he
other two counti es has i ndi cated that i t wi l l assume part of thi s expense when
F_
Provided by the tvtut..rruiu,ra
crrilo Health Librar.r,, Georgetown university
J 1
\ J
C hi l d -WeIf
ane Seryrbes, I 93G-38
county funds are avai l abl e. Thi s demonstrati on has been so outstandi ng
that
the offi ci al agency i s aski ng the l egi srature for provi si ons
and funds for a grants_
i n-ai d program for the counti es to enabre more of them to deverop chi l d-wel fare
work through the empl oyment of qual i fi ed personnel .
wi th the ai d of Federar funds for chi l d-wel fare servi ces the State Board
has empl oyed a fui l -ti me chi l d psychi atri st
wi th chi l d-gui dance
trai ni ng. The
psychi atri st
has weekl y conferences wi th the supervi sors i n the Chi l d Wel fare
Di vi si on on chi l dren' s cases and serves as a consurtant to the staff. tre anal yzes
case records for speci fi c and general recommendati ons.
In addi ti on to these
consul tati on servi ces, the psychi atri st
i s treati ng a number of chi l dren who have
been referred by the county offi ci al s. chi l dren who are recei vi ng treatment are
i n some i nstances bei ng boarded by the county, i n Li ncol n.
Wi th the ai d of Federal funds for chi l d-wel fare servi ces, consul tati on servi ces
are bei ng provi ded
to the counti es through di stri ct chi l d-wel fare consul tants.
Because of the ai d of thi s fund, these workers are abre to gi ve ti me to demonstra-
ti on case work i n the rural areas. consi derabl e progress has been made i n devel _
opi ng county servi ces for probati on
and boardi ng-home care through the efforts
of these workers. communi ty resources for chi l d werfare have been deveroped,
i ncl udi ng recreati onar programs,
chi l d-wel fare counci l s, medi car servi ces, and
other constructi ve and preventi ve
communi ty work. The staff-devel opment
work done by the di stri ct workers i n the counti l s has been of consi derabre val ue.
NBVADA
The program for chi l d-werfare servi ces was the 6rst program
to be i naugurated
i n the state of Nevada under the Federar soci ar Securi ty Act. At the ti me of i ts
i ncepti on i n
June
1936 Nevada was al most a vi rgi n fi el d as far as soci ar work was
concerned. In parti cul ar
there was a wi despread. l ack of i nformati on as to the
meani ng of chi l d wel fare. To understand thi s, i t i s necessary to pi cture the state
wi th i ts area of 110,000 square mi l es, onry 540 of whi ch are und.er curti vati on, and
a t ot al St at e popul at i on
of onl y 100, 000.
In the absence of a state wel fare agency, the program for chi l d wel fare was
attached to the state Board of Rel i ef, work
pranni ng,
and
pensi on
contror, a board
appoi nted i n 1935 by the Governor to recei ve Federar grants-i n-ai d.
The onl y
acti vefuncti on of the Board. was the admi ni strati on of w.
p.
A. proj ects,
so chi l d-
wel fare servi ces began i ts l i fe under the wi ng of that agency.
In March 1937 a consti tuti onar
amend.ment was approved. by the peopl e, mak-
i ng i t possi bl e
for the fi rst ti me for the State to parti ci pate
i n rel i ef p.ogr.^".
A l aw was passed creati ng a State wel fare Department wi th two maj or functi ons,
the admi ni strati on of chi l d-wel fare
servi ces and of ol d-age assi stance. The l aw
provi ded
al so for an admi ni strati ve
appropri ati on, part of whi ch was set asi de for
chi l d-wel fare servi ces.
By the ti me Nevada had created a State Wel fare Department, the program
for
chi l d-wel fare
servi ces had arready been under way for 9 months. The staff had
grown from three trai ned workers to si x trai ned workers, had made evi dent the
need for soci al work, and had demonstrated that trai ned personnel
courd. success-
ful l y meet the need. Hi gh personner
standards were emphasi zed i n the new
DeDar t ment .
General rel i ef and ai d to mothers i s sti l r bei ng handl ed by each of the l 7 counti es
i n the State, onl y 3 of whi ch empl oy a person
to handl e the rel i ef probl ems.
However, the ground
work i s gradual l y
bei ng rai d for county wel fare uni i s i n each
county to handl e al l the types of wel fare probl ems
i n that area. To thi s end,
some of the chi l d-wel fare
workers have been l oaned on a part-ti me
basi s to the
cl d-age-assi stance
program,
and eventual l y the staff wi l l carry an i ntegrated
program.
Provided by the Maternal and Child Health Library, Georgetown University
Sf af e Summar i es
A pr el i mi nar y sur vey r eveal ed t he i nadequat e r esour ces of t he St at e. The
onl y chi l d- car i ng agency was t he Nevada St at e Or phans' Home. \ f i t hr n : he
St at e t her e wer e no publ i c cl i ni cs and no pr ovi si ons f or car e of i uber c: i : : s
pati ents, mental l y defecti ve chi l dren, or orthopedi c cases.
cour t pr ocedur e i n j uveni l e cases f ol l ows t he same pat t el n as cr i mi nal pr oceed-
i ngs, wi th practi cal l y al l cases bei ng handi ed i n a formal court manner. Further.
the adopti on l aws consi st of onl y a few i nadequate provi si ons, and there rs no
l i censi ng or regul ati on of boardi ng homes. One of the most i mportant contri bu-
ti ons of the chi l d-wel fare program i s bri ngi ng these condi ti ons to publ i c attenti on,
through i ndi vi dual cases, so that somethi ng may be done about them. Wi de-
spread i nterest and acti vi ty i n remedyi ng these si tuati ons i s evi dent now, and
needed l egi sl ati on wi l l probabl y be i ntroduced at the next sessi on of the l egi sl a-
ture. At the same ti me i t i s hoped to i ntroduce an ai d-to-dependent-chi l dren
bi l l that wi l l make possi bl e Federal parti ci pati on and uni form hi gh standards of
care for dependent chi l dren throughout the State.
A State-wi de rel i ef program has been sl ow i n devel opment. Unti i the amend-
ment of Mar ch 1937, whi ch made St at e par t i ci pat i on i n r el i ef cost s const i t ut i onal ,
i t had been hel d t hat r el i ef pr ogr ams wer e t he r esponsi bi l i t y of t he count i es.
Local pr i vat e agenci es and i ndi vi dual s ar e st i l l wi l l i ng t o hel p wi t h many cases
i nvol vi ng chi l dr en i n need of speci al car e, and of a t ot al of $13, 245
cont r i but ed by
t hem dur i ng t he past year ,
$3, 410
was cont r i but ed f or assi st ance.
The cl osest cooperati on has been establ i shed wi th the Nevada State Orphans'
Irome, where, for the past year, a chi i d-wel fare worker has been pl aced to compi l e
records and case hi stori es of the chi l dren and to gi ve servi ces i n connecti on wi th
admi ssi on and aftercare.
Just
before thi s ti me a l egi sl ati ve i nvesti gati on had
reveal ed the depl orabl e condi ti ons exi sti ng i n the Orphans' Il ome. Ai d was
gi ven i n i ni ti ati ng drasti c reform i n the management and today the Orphans'
Home i s an i nsti tuti on i n whi ch the whol e State takes pri de. The spl endi d co-
operati on of the superi ntendent and board of di rectors has made i t possi bl e to
demonstrate what can be accompl i shed by putti ng adopti ons and pl acements on
a good soci al - wor k basi s.
Si mi l arl y soci al servi ces have been i ntroduced at the State Industri al School .
Pl ans for the rel ease of boys are made i n consul tati on wi th the chi l d-wel fare
worker i n the area i n whi ch the school i s l ocated, and the worker i nto whose
di stri ct the boy i s returni ng i s asked to conti nue supervi si on of the case.
NDW HAMPSHIRE
The Di vi si on of wel fare of the Department of Wel fare and Rel i ef of New
Hampshi re had three ful l -ti me workers and a part-ti rne supervi sor empl oyed i n
admi ni steri ng chi l d-wel fare servi ces on
Jul y
l , L937. The Di vi si on of wel fare
was responsi bl e for the admi ni strati on of mothers' ai d, supervi si on of county
admi ni strati on of ai d to the needy bl i nd, and had a general supervi sory and ad-
mi ni strati ve responsi bi l i ty for al l chi l d-wel fare acti vi ti es. Connected wi th the
Department were rel ated servi ces such as home teachi ng and work wi th the bl i nd'
educati on of the deaf, and the program for si ght conservati on. The workers
under the provi si ons for chi l d-wel fare servi ces were assi gned to three l ocal offi ces,
one of whi ch was temporary,
pendi ng publ i c-wel fare l egi sl ati on that woul d affect
the reorgani zati on of the department. The three l ocal uni ts were made possi bl e
through Federal funds for chi l d-wel fare servi ces and were the Department' s fi rst
experi ence i n decentral i zi ng i ts work. When l egi sl ati on was passed creati ng a State
Department of Publ i c Wel fare i t extended the current l aw unti l
Jul y
1, 1938. In
Sept ember 1937, t he chi l d- wel f ar e wor ker who had been assi gned t empor ar i l y was
transferred to the northeromost county i n the State. Thi s i s the most i sol ated
53
Provided by the Maternal and Ctfld llcafth Library, Georgetown University
54 C hi Id -We
lf ane Servrbes, 1
g
3 6- 3g
area ofthe State and one whi ch has never had an effecti ve chi l d-wel fare progfarx,
except i nsofar as the one smal l urban center and i ts envi rons i s coverert h.. -
br anch of 6ce of t he New Hampshi r e Chi l dr en, s Ai d Soci et y.
' r ' Lu
u' \ a
It i s bel i eved that the workers i n the uni ts admi ni steri ng
chi l d-wel fare
ser' rc.s
made real progress
duri ng the past year, Al though the department
shares *.i ti :
town and county of' ci al s the responsi b' i ty
for rocati ng sui tabl e foster homes
for chi l dren, i t has no appropri ati on
to use for the payment
of board and care.
Thi s fi nanci ar support must be obtai ned from rocar publ i c
offi ci al s. rl ence the
chi l d-werfare worker, of necessi ty, must work cl osery wi th rocar of,Eci al s, i nter,
preti ng
her pl ans
and getti ng
approval before pl acements
can be made. when
the worker has won the confi dence of the l ocal of' ci al she has been .i r" ao get
the
necessary fi nanci al support' and the offi ci al s have come to refer more and rnore
of thei rchi l d-wel fareand
fami l y probl ems
to the ch' d-wel fare
workers for pl anni ng.
The ch' d-wel fare workers have worked wi th many fami l i es
who recei ve di rect
rel i ef and wi th publ i c
offi ci al s i n an effort to i ncrease
the amount of rel i ef i n
i nstances where the grant gi ven i s bel ow a subsi stence l evel . Ir, .o*" i nstances
the amount of reri ef has been i ncreased.,
and i t i s hoped. that tt.orrgi i rr...
"or,-
ferences the reri ef offi ci ars w' r have more und.erstandi ng
of the needs of chi l dren.
chi l d-werfare workers i n predomi nantl y
rurar areas of the state have met a
Ii mi tati on whi ch i s found i n many rural secti ons of the uni ted States; that i s,
a l ack of recreati onal faci l i ti es. There i s l i ttre commu"i ,"
o.*r"i l .1i on,
and
the chi l dren whose recreati onal needs cannot be met i n the home, the school , and
the church are forced to fal l back on commerci ar recreati on.
The Nati onar
Youth Admi ni strati on
has been herpful i n maki ng i t possi bl e
for more chi l dren
to conti nue school ' but a great
dear needs to be done i n the way of communi ty
organi zati on and group
work.
As of
Jul y
1, 1938, New Hampshi r e' s
newr y or gani zed
St at e Depar t ment
. , 1.
Publ i c wel fare began operati on as provi ded
i n chapter 202 of the l aws of 1937.
under thi s statute the Department i s charged wi th the admi ni strati on
of ol d_age
assi stance' ai d to the needy bl i nd, and ai d to dependent
chi l dren,
together
wi th
the pracement
and supervi si on
of dependent, negrected,
and del i nquent
ch' dren;
the l i censi ng and supervi si on
of publ i c
and pri vate
i nsti tuti ons
".rd
ho-." p.o-
vi di ng assi stance' care' or other di rect servi ces to chi l dren who are negrected,
del i nquent' defecti ve, or dependent
as wel r as to the aged, bri nd, feebre-mi nded,
and other dependent persons;
servi ces to the bl i nd; .rJ
"ti ta-w.i fr..-."rl rr"... The Department' s pl an i s to admi ni ster
these assi stance
and servi ce programs
through seven di stri ct offi ces and four branch of' ces. The pubri c-assi stance
and chi l d-wel fare programs
w' r be admi ni stered
by j uni or
and. seni or vi si tors
under the supervi si on of a di stri ct offi ce supervi sor.
The di stri ct of,Qce supervi sor
wi l l be responsi bl e
to a fi erd supervi .o.,
who i n turn wi l be responsi bl e
to a fi el d
servi ce di rector. The fi el d servi ce di rector wi l r be responsi bre
to the commi ssi oner
of publ i c
wel fare wi th fi nar responsi bi l i ty
l odged i n the State Department
of
Publ i c werfare. Servi ces to the bl i nd and si m' ar consul tant
acti vi ti es wi l r be
under the i mmedi ate supervi si on
of the Department,s
admi ni strati ve
assi stant,
who wi l r be responsi bl e
to the commi ssi orrer.
The fi erd-servi ce
di rector
wi l l act
as a speci al consurtant to the chi l d-wel fare
workers on probrems
rel ati ng
to chi l d
wel fare.
under the new pran,
four chi l d-werfare
workers are to be praced
i n three of
the seven di stri ct ofi fl ces of the state i n areas correspond.i ng
to those i n whi ch
these programs
for chi l d-werfare
servi ces have been i n operati on si nce thei r i ncen-
ti on. rt i s bel i eved advi sabl e to hol d the gai ns
made i n the past
."u ,.
""",r""' ri .
wi th changed emphasi s under the new admi -ni strati on.
The chi l d-werfare
workers
wi l l devel op such speci ari zed
chi l d-wel fare
servi ces i n each of the areas covered
as the speci al probrems
and. communi ty i nterests i ndi cate.
It i s hoped that
Provided by the Maternal and Child Health Library, Georgetown University
I
I
=
=
Sf a/ e Summar r es
through thei r l eadershi p i n demonstrati ng good case-work sen' i ce to chi l &ca
that they wi l l contri bute to a broader chi l d-wel fare program for the State as a
whol e. I t i s t he Depar t ment ' s f ur t her hope t hat i n t hese demonst r at i on ar eas
members of the communi ty wi l l accept a porti on of the responsi bi l i ty for further-
i ng better opportuni ti es for chi l dren.
NEW JERSBY
Duri ng the second year of promoti ng chi l d-wel fare servi ces i n New
Jersey
there has been a growi ng i nterest and si ncere appreci ati on of the servi ces offered
by chi l d-wel fare workers. Thi s was demonstrated by the steadi l y i ncreasi ng case
l oads i n the si x counti es whi ch have chi l dren' s workers, by numerous requests for
consul tati On servi ce on cases that coul d not be taken Over for i ntensi ve case work,
and by requests for advi ce to cl i ertts and assi stance i n worki ng out procedures
from those rvho wi sh di recti on i n thei r work. It i s bel i eved that the foundati on
defi ni tel y has been l ai d and that the rural cornmuni ti es are gradual l y becomi ng
aware of the val ue of a chi l d-wel fare worker i n the commtrni ty.
In some counti es i t i s bel i eved that the most effecti ve work has been accom-
pl i shed through the court and the rural school s by demonstrati ng the val ue of
soci al i nvesti gati ons and case work wi th chi l dren. Through constant cul ti vati on
of contacts, new resources are bei ng devel oped and personnel encouraged to take
an act i ve par t i n t he communi t y pr ogr am. One means of accompl i shi ng t hi s
has been to bri ng more vi vi dl y before the publ i c the work of the chi l d wel fare
Di vi si on by tal ks before parent-teacher and other groups i n the communi ti es.
The need for chi l d-wei fare servi ces has been stressed i n communi ti es havi ng no
such resources. In counti es where agenci es al ready exi st the effecti veness of
ser vi ces t o t he communi t y i s bei ng i ncr eased t hr ough t he cooper at i on of t he
Chi l d Wel fare Di vi si on wi th these agenci es.
I n t wo count i es, t hr ough t he cooper at i on of St at e ment al - hygi ene cl i ni cs and
l ocal resources, i t has been possi bl e to demonstrate the need for study homes where
a chi l d showi ng unusual behavi or pattefns may recei ve i ntensi ve treatment and
st udy. Such a ser vi ce woul d hel p t he super vi sor s i n pl anni ng bet t er pl acement
i n t he communi t y.
In worki ng wi th the fai ni l i es of the chi l dren who come under the supervi si on
of the Chi l d Wel fare Di vi si on careful i nterpretati on of the chi l d' s needs and a
bettef opportuni ty for hi m to express hi s own personal i ty under i ntel l i gent gui d-
ance have been stressed. In many cases cl asses for adul t educati on, l i brary
faci l i ti es, hon:e-economi cs courses, and parent-teacher cl asses have been sug-
gested to hel p i nstruct the parents i n promoti ng a more whol esome fami l y l i fe.
Dur i ng t he f i scal year 558 cases i nvol vi ng 1, 240 chi l dr en excl usi ve of i nst i t u-
t i onal r ef er r al s wer e r ecei ved i n t he 6 count i es. On
June
30' 1938' 483 chi l dr en
were under actual supervi si on of the chi l d wel fare Di vi si on. As a system of
recordi ng the mi nor servi ce cases and consul tati on servi ces rendered had not yet
been put i nto effect, such stati sti cs are not avai l abl e.
speci al pr oj ect at t he sf a/ e school s f ot boys and f or
si r l s. -
I t i s ver y
di ffi cul t to measure pfogress by the number of chi l dren referred by the i nsti tu-
ti ons to the Chi l d Wel fare Di vi si on for case-work treatment, because of the i nten'
si ve case work and careful pl anni ng i nvol ved i n returni ng a chi l d to the com-
muni ty.
I t has been necessar y i n sever al cases t o commi t chi l dr en t o t he St at e Boar cl c' f
Chi l dr en' s Guar di ans, when t he i nvest i gat i on r eveal ed t he f act t hat no amt ) unt
of case- wor k ser vi ce coul d r ehabi l i t at e t he t r ome. Ther e ar e ot her cases Nher e
i t i s necessar y t o pl ace chi l dr en i n f r ee homes or t o obt ai n t he hel p of i nt er est ed
) )
Provided by the Maternal and
Llrrr!', Georgetown University
56 C hild
-Welfare
Seryr'ces, 1 936-9g
persons when the chi l d i s not el i gi bl e for commi tment to the state Board or
Chi l dren' s Guardi ans because of l i mi tati ons i n the exi sti ng l aws.
one of the handi caps has been the di ffi cul ty i n fi ndi ng foster homes of the typr
that can be used for pl aci ag boys and gi rl s who cannot be returned to thei r own
homes and who need i ntel l i gent, sympatheti c, and understandi ng supervi si on and
the feel i ng of securi ty that bei ng accepted as a member of the fami l y i n whi ch
t hey ar e pl aced can gi ve t hem.
The fi gures bel orv present i n tabul ated form the work done at the state l l ome
for Boys and the State l l ome for Gi rl s duri ng the fi scal year,
State lJome for Boys State Home for Girls
Total ]Colored
----l----
6 s l 3 3
4 6 1 2 9
nl 6
l
In l i ne wi th organi zati on pori cy, workers are bei ng encouraged to take advan-
tage of speci al courses and opportuni ti es for further study. T*o of the workers
have regi stered for farl crasses and. three others have si gni fi ed thei r i ntenti on of
regi steri ng for wi nter cl asses. It has been arranged for these workers to have
ti me off from thei r regurar duti es when they attend l ate afternoon cl asses.
NEW MEXICO
In the state of New Mexi co chi l d-wel fare
work began i n 1919 wi th the organi -
zati on of the state Bureau of chi rd wel fare. The work was state admi ni stered,
under the supervi si on of a state di rector wi th headquarters at the capi tal . In
1933' the Bureau of chi l d wel fare was mad.e responsi bl e for the admi ni strati on
of
emergency rel i ef. Speci al servi ces to chi l dren were practi cal l y
el i mi nated i n the
pressi ng need of the reri ef program.
After passi ng through several stages resul t-
i ng from the publ i c-wel fare
l egi sl ati on i n effect after the emergency-reri ei
admi ni s-
trati on, the Bureau of chi l d werfare fi nal y has become a part of the chi l d
wel fare Di vi si on i n the State Department of
publ i c
wel fare. Il ere the work of
the Di vi si on i s i ntegrated wi th that of the other di vi si ons of the State Department
of Publ i c wel fare, and al though the enti re program i s State admi ni stered, l ocal
branches of the Department have been establ i shed through county or di stri ct
uni ts, wi th a trend toward cl ose cooperati on wi th county staffs.
Duri ng the fi rst year of the program for chi l d.-werfare servi ces, the supervi si on
of case work was generar and l i ttre ti me was spent i n bui l di ng up stand.ards or
chi l d-wel fare techni que because of the pressure of work and the confusi on resul t_
i ng from i nterrupted servi ces. Attenti on was gi ven to the reestabl i shment
ofl ocal
i nterest and parti ci pati on
whi ch had been tost duri ng the emergency-rel i ef pro-
gram'
An i mportant feature of the program
duri ng thi s peri od
was bui tdi ng up
the confi dence of publ i c ofEci al s i n the abi l i ty of chi l d-werfare
workers to gi ve
servi ce to chi l dren. The desi re for more i nteusi ve servi ces by one j uveni l e-court
j udge,
whose i nterest had been aroused., l ed to a cooperati ve pran for hi s j udi ci al
di stri ct i n whi ch part of the sal ary and travel expenses of one chi l d-wel fare
worker
was pai d from court funds. Thi s cooperati ve pl an i n one j udi ci al
di stri ct has sti m-
ul ated the i nterest of other j uveni l e-court j udges.
Two more such cooperati ve
arrangements are pendi ng
at the present
ti me.
rn the begi nni ng much of the chi l d-werfare workers' ti me was d.evoted to
cri ppl ed chi l dren' s servi ces, maki ng soci al i nvesti gati ons of al l cases referred
26
9
3 2
1 7
3
Provided by the Maternal and Child Health
]
Total
9*,..r..**";;;;.,;."
o,r"""- r38
unl l oren pl aced l n communi t y
72
uhrl df ea commi t t ed t o st at e Board of
Chi l dr en' s Guar di ans______
l E
Library, Georgetown University
Sf af e Summar i es
and fol l owi ng up al l cases accepted. These workers were responsi bl e for the
transportati on of cri ppl ed chi l dren, but gradual l y thi s part of the servi ce has been
absorbed by other faci l i ti es devel oped by the State Department of
publ i c
Wel fare.
In the begi nni ng, too, much ti me, was devoted to county advi sory commi ttees for
cri ppl ed chi l dren. These commi ttees have been l ed gradual l y to take an l nrerest
i n and responsi bi l i ty for other probl ems i n chi l d wel fare and i n general publ i c
wel fare.
In October 1937 a supervi sor of chi l d-wel fare servi ces was added to the staff,
wi th supervi sory responsi bi l i ty for consul tati on and techni cal devel opment of chi l d
care and foster-home fi ndi ng and supervi si on. Si nce that ti me more emphasi s
has been gi ven to the probl ems of chi l dren other than cri ppl ed chi l dren. Case
l oads have been reduced to a workabl e basi s and i ntensi ve case supervi si on has
been gi ven. Speci al servi ces have been gi ven to fami l i es recei vi ng grants for ai d
to dependent chi l dren where chi l d-wel fare probl ems have been present.
Case
records are bei ng i mproved and stati sti cs are becomi ng more rel i abl e and compre-
hensi ve.
l ' he confi dence of the publ i c has been shown by the many referral s constantl y
bei ng recei ved. These referral s i ncl ude cases of chi l d l abor and expl oi tati on,
cr uel t y, abandonment , and negl ect ; chi l dr en who ar e physi cal l y handi capped,
ment al l y def ect i ve, del i nquent , or i n danger of becomi ng del i nquent ; and
pr obl ems of i l l egi t i macy, cust ody, nonat t endance and conduct at school .
An effort has been made to prepare l ocal workers for more effrci ent servi ce to
chi l dr en. A chi l d- wel f ar e l i br ar y has been acqui r ed and has been wi del y used by
chi l d- wel f ar e \ \ ' or ker s and ot her st af f member s as wel l . Thr ough t he educat i onal -
l eave pr ogr am, f i r ' e wor ker s have been sent t o pr of essi onal school s of soci ai wor k.
NEW YORK
The program for chi l d-wel fare servi ces i n New York State rests upon a founda-
t i on of St at e- wi de accept ance of publ i c r esponsi bi l i t y f or t he pr ot ect i on and car e of
homel ess, dependent , negl ect ed, and del i nquent chi l dr en and mor e t han 30 year s
of ef f or t t o est abl i sh ser vi ces f or chi l dr en on a count y basi s. Gener al l y speaki ng,
t he count y i s t he uni t of admi ni st r at i on f or di r ect car e and ser r . i ce t o dependent
and negl ect ed chi l dr en, and t he St at e, t hr ough t he St at e Depar t ment of Soci al
Wel f ar e, i s r esponsi bl e f or super r , ' i si on of al l chi l d- car i ng agenci es and i nst i t ut i ons,
t he l i censi ng of f ost er boar di ng homes f or chi l dr en, and t he admi ni st r at i on of
t hr ee t r ai ni ng school s f or del i nquent chi l dr en and a st at e school f or I ndi an chi i -
dr en. The admi ni st r at i on of chi l d- r vel f ar e ser r - i ces was pl aced. i n t he S: a: : B: : : ea. . :
of chi l d wel f ar e whi ch al so admi ni st er s t he ot her St at e ser r - i ces f or ch: l dr t : : =r : .
t i oned above, t hus i nt egr at i ng t he new pr ogr am r vi t h t he *. el l - est abi ; sh: : c: : : l c-
wel f ar e act i vi t i es of t he st at e. Suppl ement i ng t hi s speci al i zed wor k f or chr i dr cn
i s the ai d-to-dependent-chi l dren program admi ni stered l ocal l y wi th State super-
vi si on from the Bureau of Publ i c Assi stance of the state Department of soci al
Wel fare. Underneath al l i s a broad basi s of home rel i ef.
when the program for chi l d-wel fare servi ces was l aunched i n New
york
state
i n May 1937, al l except 4 of t he 57 count i es out si de of New
yor k
Ci t y had at
l east 1 chi l dren' s worker. These workers di ffered wi del y i n thei r equi pment for
the
j ob
and the si ze of thei r case l oads. The mai n obj ecti ves of the new program
were cl earl y to strengthen the work i n the 53 counti es i n whi ch servi ces for chi l dren
had al ready been devel oped and to establ i sh and devel op these servi ces i n the 4
remai ni ng counti es.
County sfud:es.-A study of the organi zati on for chi l d care i n the 57 counti es
outsi de of New York Ci ty was undertaken. These studi es whi ch were al most
compl eted duri ng the year provi de i nformati on regarci i ng l ocal chi l d-wel fare
Provided by the Maternal and Child Health Library, GeorgetowrUniversity
57
58 Chi l d -Wel fare
Servi ces, I 936-3g
acti vi ti es and needs whi ch serve as a basi s for pl anni ng
the chi l d-werfare program
so that the type of assi stance best sui ted to each coorrty,s need may i e p.ovra"a.
Ttai ni np-consul tati on
ptograrn--rn
ord.er to assi st
"."","
-
ch' dren,s
workers to i mprove the qual i ty of thei r work, a trai ni ng
uni t has been set up i n
whi ch there are two chi l d-werfare
consul tants
wi th rong experi ence i n student
trai ni ng i n connecti on
wi th school s of soci ar work. The pran provi des
for addi -
ti onal consul tants who wi l l be empl 0yed
as soon as ci v' -servi ce
regi sters are
avai l abre. Trai ni ng on the j ob by the consul tants has been offered. to counti es i n
whi ch the commi ssi oners
and the chi l dren' s workers request the servi ce and. where
the workers gi ve promi se
of benefi ti ng from such trai ni ng. Thi s servi ce has been
adapted to the i ndi vi dual needs and capaci ti es of the chi rdren,s
workers and.
cl osel y rel ated to thei r l ocal probl ems.
Twenty-fi ve
workers i n twel ve areas
have been i ncl uded i n the trai ni ng program
thi s year. The consul tants have al so
l ed several i nsti tutes
on chi l d wel fare.
A corl ecti on of books on ch' d wel fare has been added to the Department,s
l i brary to be l ent to county chi l dren,s workers, and a readi ng l i st for thei r use has
been prepared.
"A Gui de to Thi nki ng
on an Intake study i n chi l d werfare,,
has been wri tten as the fi rst of a seri es of publ i cati ons
to be prepared
for the use of
county chi l dren' s workers.
Educati onal reave and substi tute servi ce.-An
amendment
to the pubri c-
wel fare l aw passed
thi s year authori zes the board of supervi sors
of a county an.
the appropri ati ng body of a ci ty or town to i ncl ude i ' i t.
"pp.op.i .i i .""
moneys
for the conti nuati on of the sarari es of thei r l ocar wel fare .^ptoy.".
*t o u." o,
l oave recei vi ng addi ti onar trai ni ng for the better performance
of thei r duti es,
subj ect to the approval of the State Department
of Soci al Wel fare. In order to
encourage county commi ssi oners
to grant
educati onal reave to promi si ng
chi i dren,s
workers, the Department by means of Federal funds for chi l d-werfare
sl rvi ces has
offered to provi de
experi enced workers to act as substi tutes
auri ng trre absence of
the workers on l eave' Two commi ssi oners
have taken advantage
of thi s oppor-
tuni ty thi s year
and severar appri cati ons have been recei ved for substi tute
servi ce
next year.
Dertonstrati ns
chi l d-werfare
setvi ces.-Demonstrati ons
of chi l d-wel fare
servi ces have been made i n three counti es and i n one ci ty whi ch was an
,,area
of
speci al need"' These demonstrati ons,
mad.e at the request of the rocar offi ci al s,
had a defi ni te ti me ri mi t varyi ng from 3 months to 1 year.
In al r of the areas the
cost of transportati on
of the chi l d-wel fare
workers, cl eri cal assi stance
as need.ed,
and of' ce space and equi pment
were provi ded
l ocal ry- rn one county two addi -
ti onal chi l d-wel fare workers, empl oyed by the county commi ssi oner
and pai d
from
l ocal funds, worked cl osery wi th the ch' d-wel fare
staff and remai ned i n the
county when the demonstrati on
was over, The demonstrati on
i n each case
succeeded i n sti mul ati ng 10ca1 0ffi ci al s and other ci ti zens to a better und.erstandi ng
of thei r responsi bi l i ty
rur cffa werfare and setti ng up procedures
and practi ces
for
an adequate program
for chi l d care whi ch was then carri ed on by the communi tv.
NORTH CAROLINA
In Apri l 1936 when the North carol i na State pran for chi rd-wel fare
servi ces ,' as
approved and the program
began, the Di vi si on of Chi l d Wel fare of the State Board
of chari ti es and Publ i c wel fare had been i n exi stence si nce 1920 and was responsi bl e
for the admi ni strati on
of the smarl mothers' ai d fund, the state boar<l i ng-home
fund' .i nspecti on
and supervi si on
of pri vate
chi l d-cari ng
agenci es, ,.*i .,r"ri o.,
o,
adopti ons,
and i nterstate
transfer of ch' dren, The program
for chi l d-werfare
servi ces hel ped to expand these functi ons and conti nued
to sti mul ate rocal efforts
to provi de
more adequatel y for chi l dren,s need.s.
wi th the cooperati on
of l ocal board.s and d.epartments of publ i c
wel fare. courl t\.
Provided by the Maternal and Child Health Library, Georgetow'n University
Sfafe Surnrnari es
commi ssi oners, and
j uveni l e-court j udges, qual i fi ed chi l d-wel fare workers were
assi gned t o 17 count i es dur i ng t he l ast f i scal year . They ser ved as st af f member s
of count y depar t ment s of publ i c wel f ar e.
Speci al i zed super vi si on of t he count y chi l d- , * ' el f ar e assi st ant s by case consul t ant s
was i nt er woven and i nt egr at ed wi t h gener al count y super vi si on f r om t he f i cl d
r epr esent at i ves of t he Di vi si on of Publ i c Assi st ance. Each of t hr ee case consul t ant s
was assi gned a sect i on of t he St at e. Mont hl y super vi sor y vi si t s of I day or mor e
to each county chi l d-wel fare assi stant afforded opportuni ti es for case di scussi ons
and for soci al pl anni ng. Superi ntendents of publ i c wel fare
j oi ned these di scus-
si ons when conveni ent. Consul tant servi ce on chi l dren' s probl ems was gi ven to a
l i mi ted extent i n counti es wi thout chi l d-wel fare assi stants, whi ch requested and
coul d uti l i ze thi s servi ce. One of the three case consul tants was a psychi atri c
soci al worker who gave speci al i zed consul tant servi ce, on request, outsi de her
di stri ct, especi al l y to State staff members.
Provi si on was made for educati onal l eave for chi l d-wel fare u' orkers. Duri ng
the year four county chi l d-wel fare assi stants attended school s of soci al work,
three for 2 quarters and one for 1 semester-and al l returned to work i n North
Carol i na counti es. Thei r addi ti onal trai ni ng has defi ni tel y benefi ted the servi ce.
Workers accepti ng educati onal l eave pl edged themsel ves to return to chi l d-
n' el fare work i n the State for at l east 1 year.
Through funds provi ded for chi l d-wel fare servi ces the servi ces of a psychol ogi st
were made avai l abl e to chi l dren i n counti es served by chi l d-wel fare assi stants
and some servi ce was gi ven al so to chi l dren i n the State trai ni ng school s. Other
acti vi ti es of the psychol ogi st i ncl uded a survey of the i ntel l i gence quoti ents of
school chi l dren i n Pi edmont County and speci al mental -testi ng proj ects i n a few
other school s. Thi s provi si on of ful l -ti me psychol ogi cal servi ces i s a step toward
the devel opment of a l arger mental -hygi ene program, i ncl udi ng psychi atri c servi ce
t o chi l dr en.
An expl oratory study of i ntake and di scharge practi ces i n State trai ni ng school s
for del i nquent chi l dren l ed to the temporary pl acement of case workers i n three of
the school s. The ai m of thi s proj ect was the correl ati on of case-work servi ce i n
the counti es and i n the trai ni ng school s. Thi s proj ect and the supervi sory servi ces
of case consul tants have been used to i nterpret to county workers the proper use
of State trai ni ng school s i n deal i ng wi th del i nquent chi l dren. Insti tutes, study
groups, and suggested readi ng have been used for thi s purpose al so.
Wi th the dual obj ecti ve of i ncreasi ng faci l i ti es for gi vi ng trai ni ng i n the chi l d-
wel fare fi el d and of provi ng the val ue of ski l l ed servi ce for chi l dren, a trai ni ng and
demonstrati on area was set up i n cooperati on wi th the School of Soci al Work and
Publ i c Admi ni strati on of the Uni versi ty of North Carol i na. Three counti es easi l y
accessi bl e to the uni versi ty were used. A chi l d-wel fare assi stant was assi gned to
each county, a Negro worker was made avai l abl e to the three counti es, and a
supervi sor was pl aced i n charge of the enti re area. A l i mi ted number of students
from the school of soci al work have been assi gned to the workers i n thi s area for
fi el d work.
Assi stance was gi ven to pri vate chi l d-cari ng i nsti tuti ons i n anal yzi ng thei r
popul ati ons and wai ti ng l i sts i n order to di scover whether the chi l dren under care
and awai ti ng admi ssi on mi ght be affected by grants for ai d to dependent chi l dren.
Thi s servi ce was gi ven i n any i nsti tuti on onl y by i nvi tati on of the i nsti tuti on. It
resul ted i n a few transfers of chi l dren from i nsti tuti ons to thei r own or rel ati ves'
homes and was parti cul arl y hel pful i n deal i ng wi th wai ti ng l i sts.
A State advi sory commi ttee for chi l d-wel fare servi ces representi ng agenci es and
organi zati ons i nterested i n chi l d wel fare has hel d quarterl y meeti ngs throughout
the year.
2126290--4(F-6
59
Heatth'Linrr.y,ffiiry
Provided by the Maternal and Child
i
I
t
60 Child-Welf are Seryrbes, 1936-3g
NORTH DAKOTA
rn North Dakota, the provi si ons
for ch' d-werfare
servi ces have gi ven
an i m-
petus
to the i ntegrati on
of the pubri c-assi stance
and chi l d-wel fare
programs,
thereby l ayi ng the structure for a uni fi ed state wel fare program.
organi zi ng
chi l d-wel fare servi ces resurted i n the consol i dati on
of tr," st"t. trri l dren,s Bureau
then under the Board of Admi ni strati on,
the State agency that had ad.mi ni stered
chi l d-wel fare l aws si nce r923, and the
pubri c
werfare Board, whi ch had been estab-
l i shed i n 1935 to admi ni ster
the publ i c-assi stance
program,
servi ces for cri ppred
chi l dren, and chi l d-wel fare servi ces i ni ti ated
under the Soci at securi ty act.
The fi rst pran
for chi l d-wel fare
servi ces, approved i n october 1936, provi ded
for
the empl oyment of si x chi l d-werfare
nel a worters, one i n each j udi ci ar
di stri ct
to
coordi nate the ch' d-wel fare
work of the j uven' e
commi ssi oner
and the county
wel fare offi ces and to gi ve consul tant servi ces to school s, parents, pri vate
agenci es,
and state i nsti tuti ons.
The chi l d-wel fare
fi el d workers made communi ti es
aware
of the l ack of fac' i ti es-for
the protecti on
of negl ected, deri nquent,
and dependent
chi l dren, demonstrated
the need for state supervi si on of case-work
techni ques,
and devel oped a pi ace i n county wel fare offi ces for rocal chi l d_wel fare
workers.
In August 1g37 the
pubri c
werfare Board of North Dakota i naugurated
a coordi -
nated fi el d staff of 10 di stri ct supervi sors under the di recti on of a State di rector
of case work to supervi se al l county wel fare acti vi ti es and pubri c-as.i .,urr".
oro- grams'
Inasmuch as a sound State chi l d-wel fare program
i s based on adequate
l ocal publ i c-werfare
servi ces, i t seemed feasi bre that the supervi si on
of l ocal chi l d-
wel fare servi ces shoul d be i ntegrated
wi th the State supervi si on
of the publ i c-
assi stance arrd general
wel fare programs.
Fi ve of the si x ori gi ' al chi l d-wel fare
fi el d workers became di stri ct supervi sors
on the coordi nated
fi el d staff.
Si nce
there has been State fi el d supervi si on, consi d.erabl e i mprovement
has b.er, ^.de
i n both the chi l d-wel fare
and fami l y-wel fare
fi el ds. The di stri ct supervi sors
offer consul tant chi l d-wel fare
servi ces to county wel fare offi ces, j uveni l e
courts,
school s, pri vate
agenci es, and State i nsti tuti ons.
wi th the organi zati on
of a coord.i nated
fi erd staff, the pran for ch' d-werfare
servi ces was changed. Instead of di stri ct workers, county chi l d-werfare
uni ts
were devel oped by the empl oyment
of qual i fi ed
chi l d-wel fare
workers on the staffs
of county werfare of' ces to do i ntensi ve case-work servi ce i n rehabi l i tati ng
broken
homes, i n assi sti ng probl em
chi l dren i n maki ng sati sfactory
ui j rr*_.rr,.,
,r,
maki ng boardi ng-home- pl acements,
i n supervi si ng
ch' dren parol ed
from the
state Trai ni ng schoor, i n assi sti ng schoors i n copi ng wi th truancy and conduct
probl ems, i n l ocati ng and assi sti ng physi carl y
and menta' y handi capped
ch' dren,
and i n organi zi ng communi ty acti vi ti es for the preventi on
of j uveni l e
del i nquency.
Funds for chi l d-werfare
servi ces are used. to assi st counti es i n payi ng part
of the
sal ari es and traveri ng expenses of ch' d-werfare
workers for a speci fi ed l ength of
ti me to demonstrate preventi ve
aspects of chi l d-werfare
work. As of
June 30,
1938, 17 counti es and the Fort Totren Indi an Agencv rrua o" ti .r.' ;;";. quari fi ed
chi l d-werfare
workers. As the State
pubri c
we' rfare Board i s responsi bre
for the
admi ni strati on
of the servi ces for cri ppred chi l dren and of ai d to dependent
chi l -
dren' chi l d-wel fare
servi ces are i ntegrated
very crosel y wi th these programs.
Funds for chi l d-werfare
servi ces are used. to provi de for the
"*prov-*a.ra
ort*o
chi l d-wel fare
consul tants- and a chi l d psychol ogi st
on the staff of the Di vi si on of
chi l d wel fare' The chi l d-wel fare
consul tarrti ,erri ew and anaryze peri odi caty
the cases carri ed by the chi l d-werfare
workers and gi ve
techni cal gui dance
to
county wel fare offi ces, fi el d supervi sors, j uveni l e
commi ssi oner.,
ui J ,t.f. of
state i nsti tuti ons
for care of chi l dren.
' i he
"orr".rrt.nts
are avai l abre al so for
consul tati on wi th the staffs of pri vate
chi l d-cari ng
and chi l d-pi aci ng agenci es.
There i s a defi ni te need i n the State for the servi ces of a psychi atri st,
especi aty
Provided by the Maternal and Child Heatth Library, Georgetown University
T--
Sfafe Surnrnarres
equi pped for servi ce i n the chi l dren' s fi el d. The psychol ogi st on the staff of the
Di vi si on of Chi l d Wel fare i s offeri ng consul tant servi ces to chi l d-wel fare workers,
school s,
j uveni l e courts, and parents, rel ati ng especi al l y to the needs of mental l y
retarded and mental l y superi or chi l dren who present probl ems.
Educati onal l eave has been granted to 15 soci al workers i n the State for 6
months' trai ni ng i n chi l d-wel fare work at recogni zed school s of soci al servi ce.
As publ i c-wel fare servi ces are comparati vel y new i n North Dakota, there seemed
to be no better pl an for strengtheni ng servi ces for chi l dren than by provi di ng
educati onal opportuni ti es for workers to obtai n trai ni ng whi ch wi l l equi p them
wi th certai n knorvl edge and ski l l s i n the fi el d of chi l d wel fare.
In these formati ve years North Dakota has been bui l di ng i ts wel fare program
sl owl y on a sound admi ni strati ve structure. The Publ i c Wel fare Board i s
attempti ng to mai ntai n hi gh personnel standards and i s focusi ng attenti on on
such ul ti mate goal s as establ i shi ng a chi l d-gui dance cl i ni c and pl aci ng a wel l '
trai ned chi l d-wel fare worker on the staff of every county wel fare of6ce.
OHIO
When the program for chi l d-wel fare servi ces was establ i shed i n Ohi o i n May
1936. i t was made a part of the Bureau of chari ti es whose functi on was to stand-
ardi ze i nsti tuti onal and foster-home care of chi l dren as wel l as to accept the guard-
i anshi p of certai n dependent, negl ected, or cri ppl ed chi l dren.
Ohi o has no county publ i c-wel fare uni ts. Ei ghteen counti es have no publ i c
chi l d-care uni ts. The ai m of the program for chi l d-wel fare servi ces has been to
assi st those counti es where no publ i c chi l dren' s servi ces exi st or where such servi ces
need i ntegrati on or suppl ementati on. There are now 10 chi l d-wel fare uni ts-
4 havi ng been establ i shed duri ng the fi scal year 1938. They are progressi ng
wi th varyi ng degrees of success, dependi ng upon the qual i ty of l ocal personnel
and the acceptance of the program by offi ci al s, l ay groups, and i ndi vi dual s as
wel l as upon the sti mul ati on and assi stance gi ven by the State staff.
The State supervi sory staff has been i ncreased from two supervi sors to thl ee.
Effort has been rnade to Strengthen thei r servi ce to the counti es by more frequent
vi si ts and by concentrated di scussi on of case-work
procedures, communi ty
rel ati onshi ps, and of what consti tutes an adequate county program for chi l dren.
An exchange of i deas among staff members has been possi bl e through monthl y
staff meeti ngs i n the State offi ce. County workers wel come thi s opportuni ty to
l earn what others are doi ng, and i t has proved a sti mul ati on to many.
One l ocal uni t has l argel y concentrated i ts P.ttenti on on a popul ati on study i n
the county chi l dren' s home. vi si ts to the homes of the chi l dren have been made,
and. i n some i nstances pl acement of chi l dren ei ther i n thei r own homes or i n foster
homes has resul ted. Thi s study has i ncl uded al so the devel opment of case
records and a fi l i ng system. Thus i t i s hoped that the benefi ts of soci al servi ce
i n an i nsti tuti on wi l l be demonstrated.
A rnember of the State staff serves as speci al consul tant to counti es $' here
speci fi c probl ems i nvol vi ng del i nquency occur. He advi ses wi th courts and l ay
groups concerni ng preventi ve programs, and Serves i n a general educati onal
capaci ty i n thi s fi el d, He has been worki ng al so wi th rural courts i n connecti on
wi t h a new pl an bei ng devel oped
j oi nt l y by t he St at e and t he Uni t ed St at es
Chi l dren' s Bureau for State-wi de
j uveni l e-court reporti ng of stati sti cs rel ati ng
to del i nquency, dependency, negl ect, and cri ppl i ng condi ti ons. Thi s proj ect i s
bei ng used as a means of establ i shi ng case records whi ch are l acki ng.
A mental -hygi ene uni t, consi sti ng of a psychi atri c soci al worker and a psychol -
ogi st, wi th provi si on for obtai ni ng psychi atri c servi ce on a fee basi s, has been
establ i shed. Thi s uni t assi sts the State and county consul tants i n studyi ng and
Provi dedbytheMaternaIandChi l drr"ui tr,l i n.u.yffi ,y
61
I
62 C hi Id -WeIf
ane Servzbes, I 936-3
g
pl anni ng
for chi l dren who present
seri ous mal adj ustments.
under di recti on of
the cgrsul tants fol l ow-up work i s done by the county chi l dren,s workerg. con-
sul tatron servi ce arso has been gi ven by these uni t workers to members of the
State staff i n di vi si ons other than chi l d wel fare.
Fundamental requi rements i n the program
for chi l d-wel fare servi ces are sel ecti on
of wel l -qual i fi ed personnel ,
compl ete understandi ng of the program
by l ay and
offl ci al groups i n the counti es, staff deveropment
through supervi si on, trai ni ng
programs'
and suggested professi onal
readi ng, and the di sccvery and use of
exi sti ng resources, or the devel opment of resources to meet the needs.
OKLAHOMA
Previ ous to the enactment i n
Jury 1936 of the okrahoma Soci ar securi ty Act
whi ch created the State Department of
publ i c
werfare wi th a chi l d werfare Di vi _
si on, certai n responsi bi l i ti es for chi l d care were del egated by consti tuti on
and
statute to severar boards or commi ssi ons, of these, the onl y agency offeri ng
state-wi de servi ces was the commi ssi oner of chari ti es and correcti ons whose func_
ti ons rvere l argel y i nvesti gatory and advi sory wi th the authori ty to appear as
"next fri end" for al r mi nor orphans, defecti ves, dependents,
and del i nquents
i n
guardi anshi p
cases. The l i mi ted staff and heavy duti es have of necessi ty confi ned
the servi ces of thi s offrce, for the most part, to emergency servi ces on acute
probl ems.
A pattern
of i nsti tuti onal care was estabri shed earry i n the state as a soi uti on
of chi l d-wel fare probl ems,
wi th commi tments by county courts si tti ng i n j uveni l e
sessi on. The state mai ntai ns three i nsti tuti ons for dependent chi l dr"en, four for
del i nquent chi l dren, and four for the physi cai l y
handi capped,
wi th contror i n the
Board of Publ i c Affai rs (except
the school s for the bri nd and deaf and the cri ppl ed
chi l dren' s hospi tal ), Generarl y, there has been no provi si on
for pre_admi ssi on
studi es of chi l dren pl aced
i n i nsti tuti ons nor for the supervi si on of adopti on
cases,
The program
for chi l d-wel fare servi ces began wi th the deveropment
of l ocal
chi l d-wel fare workers and State consurtati on servi ce to l ocal workers i n counti es
not speci fi cal l y organi zed for chi l d werfare. The okrahoma soci al Securi ty Act
provi des
a fund of one-hal f of I percent of the pubri c-wel fare
revenues for the use
of the chi l d wel fare Di vi si on and a si mi l ar amount for cri ppred chi l dren,s assi st-
ance i n the chi l d wel fare Di vi si cn. The avai l abi l i ty of State funds for foster
care and medi cal care has been of i nval uabl e benefi t to the program,
as many
chi l dren needi ng these servi ces were resi dents of counti es too treavi ty obl i gated
fi nanci al l y to provi de them. In addi ti on to State and Federal funds for chi l d-
wel fare servi ces, l ocal fi nanci al assi stance has been obtai ned from the counti es
havi ng demonstrati on uni ts so that the chi l d wel fare Di vi si on, al though not abre
to provi de
i ntensi ve case-work servi ces throughout the State, has been abl e to
respond to many requests for chi l d-wel fare servi ces from each county i n the
State.
rn the foothi l l s of the ozarks, fi ve okl ahoma counti es were sel ected as one
di stri ct to be used as a demonstrati on
uni t by the state Heal th Department,
the uni ted States
publ i c
Hearth Servi ce, the uni ted States Bureau of rndi an
Affai rs, the uni ted states chi l dren' s Bureau, and the chi l d wel fare Di vi si on of the
state Department
of
pubri c
werfare. The sel ecti on of thi s di stri ct was i nfl uenced
by the l arge Indi an popul ati on (approxi matel y
25 percent);
the many fami l i es
dependent on some form of publ i c
assi stance (approxi matel y
75 percent);
the
l ack ofadequate medi cal faci l i ti es for treatment ofthe si ck;.rrd th.
i reat
need for
case-work servi ces for chi l dren i n thei r own homes as wel r as for those needi ng
pl acement
el sewhere.
Provided by the Maternal and Child Health Library, Georgetown University
<
Sfafe Surnrnari es
Duri ng the past year, real progress has been made i n understandi ng the si tua-
ti on and i n devel opi ng resources to meet the needs through the cooperati ve
efforts i n thi s di stri ct.
The chi l d-wel fare workers have cooperated i n the cl i ni cs hel d frequentl y i n thi s
di stri ct i n order to provi de needed case-work servi ce for chi l dren referred for
hospi tal i zati on, fol l ow-up care, or other speci al needs, as wel l as to obtai n medi cal
servi ces and i mmuni zati on for chi l dren under care. Someti mes the Chi l d Wel fare
Di vi si on has hei ped to obtai n funds for speci al di ets or medi cal care and to i nter-
pret the servi ces and recommendati ons of the doctors to fami l i es i n i sol ated
ar eas,
Al though the Bureau of Indi an Affai rs has a wel l -organi zed program of boardi ng-
school care, chi l d-wel fare workers have been abl e to assi st the Bureau i n arrangi ng
pl acement i n foster homes for preschool chi l dren as wel l as for chi l dren presenti ng
speci al probl ems. Several homes i n southeastern Okl ahoma, l ocated on the new
Indi an resettl ement proj ect, have been uti l i zed as boardi ng homes for Indi an
chi l dren where the school s and cl ub-work faci l i ti es have offered speci al advantages
f or t he chi l dr en. Many I ndi an chi l dr en i n need of or t hopedi c sur ger y have been
hospi tal i zed through the cri ppl ed chi l dren' s funds of the Chi l d Wel fare Di vi si on.
The Chi l d Wel fare Di vi si on i s gi vi ng soci al -servi ce assi stance to the Commi ssi on
for Cri ppl ed Chi l dren i n i ts pl an for aftercare of chi l dren under treatment and i s
cooperati ng i n a pl an to provi de boardi ng homes for conval escent care of chi l dren
from rural areas brought to Okl ahoma Ci ty, whi ch i s a center for many of the
cl i ni cs and hospi tal faci l i ti es of the State.
As the Chi l d Wel fare Di vi si on l acked personnel equi pped for i ntensi ve case work
wi th chi l dren, i t has had a di rector of trai ni ng duri ng the past year as a member
of i ts staff, who i s responsi bl e for an i n-servi ce trai ni ng program, i ncl udi ng a trai n-
i ng uni t for i ntensi ve supervi si on ofchi l d-wel fare workers i n trai ni ng and for ori enta-
ti on of new workers. As a resul t of the demonstrati on of the val ue of thi s servi ce,
the school of soci al work of the Uni versi ty of Okl ahoma has empl oyed the di rector
of trai ni ng as an i nstructor i n chi l d wel fare and a di rector of fi el d work, thereby
ful fi l l i ng a requi rement necessary for i ts admi ssi on to membershi p i n the Ameri can
Associ ati on of School s of Soci al Work.
Duri ng the corni ng year an expansi on of the chi l d-wel fare program i n addi ti on
to i ts establ i shed servi ces wi l l gi ve some case-work servi ce i n every rural county of
the State, wi th speci al reference to fami l i es recei vi ng ai d to dependent chi l dren.
OREGON
Chi l d-wel fare servi ces i n Oregon are admi ni stered by the State Rel i ef Com-
mi ttee, a State-wi de organi zati on responsi bl e for general assi stance and wel fare
and responsi bl e for al l ocati ng the costs of admi ni strati on and rel i ef between the
State and the county uni ts.
By empl oyi ng l ocal workers wi th good professi onal background and l i mi ti ng
case l oads to enabl e these workers to make a real demonstrati on of the case-work
process, the program for chi l d-wel fare servi ces has attempted to i nsti l l i nto the
county programs a better i nterpretati on of chi l dren' s needs and a better use of
resources to meet these needs.
Speci al emphasi s has been pl aced upon professi onal devel opment. A11 workers
have had at l east 1 year of professi onal preparati on; the maj ori ty have had more
than 1 year; and al l , except supervi sed workers i n the fi el d uni t, have had previ -
ousl y a substanti al experi ence i n soci al work.
Chi l d-wel fare servi ces have sti mul ated the offeri ng of accredi ted uni r,' ersi ty
courses i n chi l d wel fare, desi gned parti cul arl y for personnel now i n the fi el d of
publ i c admi ni strati on, parti cul arl y i n rural areas; and for publ i c-heal th nurses,
63
Provided by the Maternal and Chitd Health Library, Georgetown University
64 C hild -Welfane
Seryr'ces, 1 936-3g
wel fare workers' teachers, and probati on
offi .cers. These courses have met
uni versi ty academi c requi rements i n every respect but at the same ti me have
been i nterpreted as not bei ng a substi tute for professi onar
trai ni ng. In addi ti o'
to havi ng consi derabl e ci vi c varue, the courses have served to faci l i tate com-
muni ty educati on, parti curarl y
as to the new chi l dren' s programs provi ded
for
under the Soci al Securi ty Act.
A supervi sed fi erd uni t has been establ i shed i n a rural county, desi gned to
provi de
a suppl ementary control l ed fi el d experi ence i n deal i ng wi th si tuati ons
i nvol vi ng chi l dren' s probl ems.
A ful r-ti me supervi sor i s i n charge. The present
uni t consi sts of fi ve workers, al l of whom have had professi onal
i rai ni ng i n soci al
work for at reast 3 quarters. case l 0ads are l i mi ted but provi de
I vari ety
of experi ence. The peri od
spent i n the fi el d uni t i s from 4 to 6 months,
Some of the gai ns of thi s program,
i n addi ti on to gi vi ng speci fi c trai ni ng i n
meeti ng more effecti vel y probl ems
of chi l d dependency and obtai ni ng, perhaps,
upon the part of the workers a croser i denti fi cati on
wi th the whol e chi i dren,s
program
are: (1) better understandi ng of workers and thei r fi tness for speci al i zed
tasks; (2) more di scri mi nati ng pl anni ng
as to the pl acement
of workers, especi al l y
i n the pl acement
of chi l dren' s workers; (3) ful ter knowredge of the probrems i n-
vol ved i n the admi ni strati on of any i n_servi ce trai ni ng program.
The program
for chi l d-wel fare servi ces has been i nstrumental i n refi ni ng the
use of exi sti ng communi ty fesources, i ncl udi ng not onl y such resources as ai d to
dependent chi l dren but al so the resources offered by the ci vi l i an conservati on
corps and the Nati onal
youth
Admi ni strati on.
For exampre, i n worki ng wi th
the ci vi l i an conservati on corps, a more detai l ed consi derati on of the meani ng
of thi s experi ence i n the devel opment of the youth rather than as a rel i ef measure
onl y has been attempted.
one of the chi l d-wel fare consurtants has prepared
a
detai l ed memorandum, outl i ni ng a case-work approach to the enrol ment pol i ci es
of the ci vi l i an conservati on corps, whi ch i s now avai l abre for State-wi de di s-
tri buti on.
The program for chi l d-wel fare servi ces has assi sted i n maki ng a sound research
approach to the nature and magni tude of chi l d. dependency. A study of al l
forms of publ i c assi stance rendered to chi l dren di rectry or i ndi rectl y has been
made. Among other thi ngs, the fi ndi ngs have been most val uabl e i n substanti at-
i ng the basi s upon whi ch the admi ni strati on of chi l d-wel fare servi ces has been
predi cated;
that i s, a need for the general i mprovement of case-work standard.s
for al l dependency si tuati ons i nvol vi ng chi l dren rather than the devel opment of a
si ngl e or speci fi c program, such as foster-home care. The study wi l l be of real
val ue i n the i ni ti al approach to counti es wi thout servi ces for dependent chi l dren.
The program
for chi l d-wel fare servi ces has brought about a crearer concepti on
of certai n general admi ni strati ve probl ems.
one of these i s the process
of i ntro_
duci ng new workers i nto the program (apart from those i ntroduced through the
supervi sed fi el d uni t)' The i nstal l ati on of many new workers i n a rel ati very
short peri od
of ti me made necessary careful consi derati on of thi s subj ect. A pran
whi ch seems to possess meri t has been the sel ecti on of cases by present
staff
members, the eval uati on of the si tuati ons i nvol ved at a case conference composed.
of the admi ni strator, the fi el d representati ve, the State di rector of chi l d-wel fare
servi ces' and then the fi nal formul ati on of an i ni ti al l oad to be assi gned to the
new case worker over a reasonabl e peri od of ti me. Thi s method has served a
doubl e purpose-that
of provi di ng
contror and protecti on for the begi nni ng
workers, so that they may not be overwhel med by i ndi scri mi nate referral s and
"hopel ess si tuati ons," and that of provi di ng
at the same ti me a most varuabre
opportuni ty for staff educati on.
4i.
*fd&
ffi
-1-
. #t
,
*,,
Library, C*.g",o*rffirr-
Provided
by the Maternal and Child Health
Sf af e Summar i es
PE\ \ SYL\ "{\ I . {
Mar ch 31, 1936, mar ked a ne\ a er a i n chi l d n- ei f ar e
: . n
Pennsyl vani a. On t hi s
dat e t he Gover nor cr eat ed by execut i ve or der t he Rur al Ext " ns: : r Ur i t s' : t hi n
t he Bur eau of Communi t y Wor k of t he Depar t ment of Wel f ar e, t hr ough r r ' hr ch
the chi l d-wel fare servi ces provi ded for by the Soci al Securi ty Act mi ght be ad-
mi ni stered. It took more than a year of study and experi mentati on to devel op
the pattern on whi ch the Uni t i s worki ng at present.
At present there are three mai n poi nts of emphasi s i n the chi l d-wel fare pro'
gr am- a di r ect ser vi ce t o homel ess, negl ect ed, and dependent chi l dr en i n r ur al
count i es and ar eas of speci al need, under
' "he
count y commi ssi oner s ( as pr i mar i l y
a county responsi bi l i ty); an i ndi rect servi ce from the State offi ce, whi ch i ncl udes
t he st r engt heni ng of t he super vi sor y ser vi ces of t he Bur eau of Communi t y Wor k
over publ i c and pri vate care of chi l dren away from thei r own homes; and an ex'
per i ment i n mor e i nt ensi ve ser vi ce t o a smal l er gr oup of chi l dr en t hr ough t he Tr i -
Count y Chi l d- Gui dance Cent er l ocat ed i n Har r i sbur g.
Di r ect ser vi ce wi t hi n t he count i es. - I n 1937 t he Pennsyl vani a Legi sl at i ve
Assembl y abol i shed t he count y and t ownshi p poor boar ds and pl aced t hei r f or mer
r esponsi bi l i t i es f or t he car e of dependent chi l dr en upon t he count y commi ssi oner s.
Because thi s act opened up an opportuni ty, never offered before, for devel opi ng
const r uct i t ' e ser vi ces t o chi l dr en, t he Rur al Er t ensi on Uni t has pl aced par t i cul ar
emphasi s on pr ovi di ng soci al wor ker s qual i f i ed by educat i on, exper i ence' and
per sonal i t y t o act under t he count y commi ssi oner s as count y chi l d- wel f ar e secr e-
t ar i es i n t he devel opment of such ser vi ces. Expenses i nci dent t o t he ser vl ce ar e
shar ed by t he uni t a. nd t he count i es. Under t hi s cooper at i ve
pl an ni ne count i es
nos' have county chi l d-wel fare secretari es. Three of these counti es have added
a second wor ker t o car r y t he i ncr easi ng case l oad. The pl acement of a wor ker
i n a county whi ch i s 100 percent rural to work pri mari l y wi th chi l dren i n thei r
orvn homes i n cl ose cooperati on wi th the county board of assi stance i n i ts ai d-to-
dependent - chi l dr en
pr ogr am i s now bei ng cont empl at ed.
I ncl i r ect ser v. I ce. - The Bur eau of Communi t y Wor k i n t he Depar t ment of
Wel fare 6as responsi bi l i ty for the supervi si on of al l agenci es and i nsti tuti ons whi ch
provi de care for chi l dren away from thei r own homes and for a program of educa-
t i on and d. evel opment of st andar ds wi t h t hese or gani zat i ons. The Rur al Ext ensi on
Uni t has r ecent l y hel ped t o st r engt hen t he Bur eau by addi ng t o i t s st af f a consul t ant
on st ancl ar ds, who wi l l wor k on t hese pr ool ems, wi t h speci al r ef er ence t o l ur al
count i es, wi t h t he Bur eau of Communi t y Wor k and t he count y commi ssi oner s.
Wi th the purpose of rai si ng standards of servi ce to dependent and negl ected
chi l dr en and chi l dr en i n danger of becomi ng del i nquent t hr oughout Pennsyl vani a,
t he uni t has al so made st udi es r el at i ng t o commi t ment s of j uveni l edel i nquent s
t o cor r ect i onal i nst i t ut i ons and t o par t i cul ar pr obl ems of chi l d wel f ar e i n sel ect ed
count i es.
Tr i - Count y chi t d- Gui dance cent et . - As
par t of t he pr ogr am of t he Rur al
Extensi on uni t i t appeared to be desi rabl e to see what coul d be done i n a l i mi ted
ar ea wi t h a mor e concent r at ed, sust ai ned appr oach t o t he di f f i cul t i es of chi l d-
hood, parti cul arl y i n rural areas. The Tri -County Chi l d-Gui dance Center was
or gani zed wi t h t he cooper at i on of t he St at e Bur eau of Ment al Heal t h, t he Rur al
Ext ensi on Uni t , and a commi t t ee of ci t i zens r epr esent i ng t he t hr ee count i es.
Ori gi nal l y i t was pl anned to serve three nei ghbori ng counti es onl y, but appeal s
from other counti es have come to the Center, and i t i s now recei vi ngchi l drenfrom
a wi der ar ea.
The staff of the Center consi sts of a part-ti me di rector, who i s a psychi atri st
wi th experi ence i n a chi l d-gui dance cl i ni c, a psychol ogi st, and two psychi atri c
soci al wor ker s. I n Mar ch i nt er vi ews at t he cent ef t ot al ed 22; i n sept ember ' 150.
Maternal and Child Health
65
ProviOea bv the
Library, Georgetown University
66 Child -l4elfare
Sezr,.ices, 1 93 6-3g
Thi s i ncrease i ndi cates
the need fert by the communi ty for the servi ce gi ven
by
the center, and for thi s reason i t i s pranned
to i ncrease
the di rector,s ti me to 4
days a week.
RHODE ISLAND
The program
for chi l d-wel fare
servi ces i n Rhode Isl and has i ts prace i n the
general pl an for the decentral i zati .on
of pubi i c-assi stance
servi ces i n Rhode Isl and.
Speci fi cal l y the program
for chi l d-wel fare
servi ces i s set up to act as a coordi nati ng
uni t between the State chi l dren' s Bureau and the vari ous State and l ocar servi ces
operati ng throughout the State.
A l ocal area offi ce set up on an experi mental
basi s i s responsi bl e
for the ad_
mi ni strati on
of al r publ i c-reri ef
servi ces i n an area coveri ng two counti es i n the
southern part of the state. A supervi sor i n the Di vi si on of soci al securi ty
ad-
mi ni sters ol d-age assi stance,
ai d to dependent ch' d.ren,
and a speci al out-door
rel i ef fund known as ai d to desti tute. In thi s offi ce a worker .rrra., ti . p.ovi si ons
for chi l d-wel fare
servi ces i s gi vi ng
case-work servi ce for the supervi si on
an. care
of dependent and negl ected
ch' dren and al so to chi l dren who are i n danger of
becomi ng del i ncl uent. In adcl i ti on, thi s worker carri es a group
of fami l i es
to
whom an ai d-to-dependent-chi l dren
al !.owance has been gi ven
on a tri ar basi s i n
an effort to work out di ffi curt fam' y si tuati ons whi ch present probl ems
rerati ng
to the chi l dren i n the home' Thi s worker arso gi ves
fo' ow-up
"".ti c"
i o .
*.orro
of chi l dren who have been rel eased ei ther to rel ati ves
or parents
fol l 0wi ng
com_
mi tment to the state ch' dren' s Bureau. She attends case conferences
wi th the
supervi sor and al so some court heari ngs i nvol vi ng commi tment
and adopti on.
As the Rhode Isrand l aw d.oes not arl owl he state chi l dren,s Bureau to functi on
unti l after commi tment has taken pl ace,
i t i s hoped that the chi l d-wel fare
worker
wi l l gradual ry
assume responsi bi l i ty
for case-work servi ce and recommendati ons
for fami l i es that eventual l y get i nto court and. reach the State Chi l dren,s
Bureau.
Duri ng the short ti me that thi s pran has been i n operati on i n thi s experi mental
of&ce, the l ocar pubi i c-wel fare
offi ci ars have shown a marked i nterest i n thi s
approach to thei r probl ems
and al ready are begi nni ng to confer wi th the offi ce
and request an opportuni ty
to tal k over the p.obl "-. presented
,. ar**.
rn the same bui l di ng the State unempl oyment
rel i ef supervi sor assumes ful l
responsi bi l i ty
for rel i ef to al r emproyabl es
and suppl ementary
rel i ef to fami ri es
on proj ects
of the work
proj ects
Admi ni strati on.
Because of i egal techni cari ti es,
there must be separate
admi ni strati on
for the Di vi si on of Soci ar Securi ty and the
state unempl oyment
reri ef- Al ready there i s j oi nt pranni ng
as far as publ i c
as-
si stance i s concerned. Thi s comprehensi ve
pl Jnni ng
i n terms of the admi ni stra-
ti on of rel i ef has made for_ a more fl exi bre i nterpretati on
of pol i cy
and a w' l i ngness
to assume ful l responsi bi l i ty
for the probl em presented.
A chi l d-wel fare-servi ce
uni t consi sti ng
of a supervi sor,
a fut-ti me
worker, an.
two vol unteers i s operati ng at the state Home and School . Thi s uni t has three
maj or obj ecti ves:
1. To make a popul ati on
study of chi l dren now i n the i nsti tuti on.
2. To work j oi ntl y
wi th ai d_to_dependent_chi l dren
and. other fami l y agen-
ci es and the State Chi l dren,s B,rr"a,, t. fl "d ;;;. ;*^;;
"?^r.l "r"r"*
chi l dren to parents
and rel ati ves.
3. To work wi th the di rector of the State Home and School to study probl em
chi l dren i n the i nsti tuti on and to poi nt
the way toward. the establ i shment
of
a study uni t for ch' dren
who ei ther have been returned to the i nsti tuti on
because they have been unabre to become adj usted i n foster homes or need
speci al study at the ti me of commi tment.
Provided by the Maternal and Child Health Library, Georgetown University
Sf af e Sur nmar i es
SOUTH CAROLINA
Through the Publ i c wel fare Act passed by the 1937 l egi sl ature, South carol i na
has a comprehensi ve State Department of
publ i c
wel fare for the fi rst ti me. The
chi l d wel fare Di vi si on of the State Department of
publ i c
wel fare, i n addi ti on to
admi ni steri ng ai d to dependent chi l dren, admi ni sters the program for chi l d-
wel fare servi ces whi ch was i ni ti ated i n the summer of 1937. The State chi l dren,s
Bur eau, est abl i shed i n 1920 and ext ended i n 1930 but not i ncl uded i n l he new
State Department of Publ i c wel fare, i s authori zed "to
pl ace i n free fami l y homes
f or adopt i on, dest i t ut e, del i nquent , negl ect ed, and dependent chi l dr en commi t t ed
t o t hei r car e" and t o ar r ange f or i nst i t ut i onal pl acement of chi l dr en. r he chi l -
dren' s Bureau had a l i mi ted staff and an i nadequate appropri ati on and. the ti me
r vas r i pe and t he need gr eat f or an expansi on of ser vi ces t hr oush t he ner v St at e
Department of Publ i c Wel fare.
I n addi t i on t o t he St at e chi l dr en' s Bur eau, ot her st at e- suppor t ed agenci . cs anc
i nst i t ut i ons f or chi l dr en ar e: I ndust r i al school s f or del i nquent r vhi t e boi . s and
whi t e gi r l s and a r ef or mat or y f or del i nquent Negr o boys; t he st at e t r ai ni ng school
for whi te feebl e-mi nded and the
John
De l a Howe School for normal whrtr d.c-
pendent boys and gi rl s. A11 of the i nsti tuti ons are crowd.ed and have manv
pendi ng appl i cat i ons. Most of t hese i nst i t ut i ons and agenci es have cooper at cd
to the utmost wi th the chi l d wel fare Di vi si on, and several of them have grasped.
eager l y t he ser vi ces avai l abl e t hr ough t hi s sour ce. Gener ous psychol ogr cal
servi ce has been extended to the chi l d wel fare Di vi si on and to county depart-
ments of publ i c wel fare by the staff of the state trai ni ng school and by the travel i ng
mental -hygi ene cl i ni c of the State hospi tal .
Fi ve counti es now have workers pai d from Federal funds for chi l d-wel fare
servi ces as members ol the staff of the county departments of publ i c wel fare.
Two counti es have both a whi te and a Negro worker. Al ready, awareness of the
si gni fi cance of servi ces for chi l dren on the part of county boards and the commu-
ni ti es i s i ncreasi ng. Attendance offi cers, teachers, and other school offi ci al s, pro-
bat e j udges,
ci t y and count y of f i ci al s, heal t h depar t ment s, and many pr i vat e
ci ti zens have sought the servi ces of chi l dren' s workers i n deal i ng wi th vanous
probl ems.
In two of the chi l d-wel fare uni ts cornmuni ty centers for Negroes were estab-
l i shed. These acti vi ti es represent a fi ne cooperati on of vari ous communi ty el e-
ments, both whi te and Negro, as wel l as of generous materi al gi fts, students of
two Negro col i eges i n one county contri buted thei r ti me i n repai ri ng and equi ppi ng
a bui l di ng for use as the communi ty center and i n di recti ng some of i ts acti vi ti es.
I n t he ot her count y t he pr oj ect was pr omot ed by t he Negr o women' s ci vi c cl ub
under the l eadershi p of the Negro chi l d-wel fare worker. rt i s grati fyi ng to see i n
both of these counti es that the work for whi te and col ored chi l dren has been
accepted by the l ocal boards as an i ntegral part of the county wel fare program.
Chi l dren' s workers gi ve reports regul arl y at board meeti ngs,
A st udy of j uveni l e
del i nquency i n one count y, made i n t he summer of 1937.
has been usef ul t o t he chi l d- wel f ar e wor ker s, whi t e and Negr o, who wer e pl acr c
i n t hat uni t .
Because of the scarci ty of trai ned workers and the heavy vol ume of r,l ' ork :n
t he publ i c- assi st ance
f i e1d i n t he count y publ i c- wel f ar e depar t ment s, t he t hr ee
chi l d- wel f ar e consul t ant s ser vi ng t he r emai ni ng 4l count i es of t he st at e har . e had
t o gi ve case- wor k ser vi ces i n many pr obl ems whi ch l ocal wor ker s wer e not equi pped
by trai ni ng or experence to deal wi th. As the year progressed and the counl y
assi st ance case l oads became somewhat st abi l i zed, gener al count y s' or ker s have
assumed mor e r esponsi bi l i t y i n chi l dr en' s cases. one evi dence of t he' , . al ue of
thi s consul tant servi ce i s the change i n atti tude of some county workers an,l board
67
Provided by the Maternal and Child Health Library, Georgetown University
t
Child-Welfane Services, 1936-38
members. After i nterpretati on by the consul tant, two county boards have recog-
ni zed thei r responsi bi l i ty for fi nanci ng foster-home care for negl ected Negro
chi l dren. Much of the success of the chi l d-wel fare consul tants' efforts i s due to
the understandi ng and i ntel l i gent cooperati on of the di stri ct fi el d supervi sors of
the publ i c-assi stance staff.
The val ue of the chi l d-wel fare advi sory commi ttee, organi zed soon after the
program was set up, i s mani fest. Three formal meeti ngs of the advi sory com.
mi ttee have been hel d and frequent i nformal contact i s mai ntai ned wi th i nd.i vi dual
members.
SOUTH DAKOTA
rn South Dakota a smal l begi nni ng i n chi l d-wel fare work had been made by
the State Chi l d Wel fare Commi ssi on before the advent of chi l d-wel fare servi ces
provi ded under the Soci al Securi ty Act. chi l d-wel fare servi ces, fi rst undertaken
j oi ntl y
by the state chi l d-wel fare commi ssi on and State
publ i c
wel fare com.
mi ssi on, were admi ni stered by the state soci .rl Securi ty commi ssi on after i t
r epl aced bot h ear l i er commi ssi ons.
At fi rst case-work servi ces onl y, wi thout funds for chi l dren,s care i n counti es
pl agued by grasshoppers and drouth, were recei ved wi th l i ttl e enthusi asm. The
compl ai nt was made that chi l d-wel fare workers found too many chi l dren wi th
needs whi ch coul d be met onl y by expendi tures from county and l ocal funds.
chi l d-wel fare workers l ooked for other sources of ai d. A women' s cl ub was per-
suaded to rai se money for shoes for chi l dren who must trudge col d, wi ndy mi l es
to school . A Red cross chapter provi ded gl asses for chi l dren unabl e to see wel l
enough to do thei r school work. A church gave furni ture for a home whi ch had
been unfi t to l i ve i n, and a board of county commi ssi oners pai d for boardi ng-
home care of chi l dren who had formerl y been adverti sed for adopti on i n the news-
papefs of over the radi o. Such cooperati ve endeavors not onl y brought the fi nan-
ci al ai d needed but resul ted i n an i ncreasi ng number of referral s of nonrel i ef cases.
i ndi cati ng a growi ng appreci ati on of case-work servi ce.
soi neti mes the probl em of one chi l d was a communi ty probl em affecti ng many
chi l dren i n the communi ty. The chi l d-wel fare worker became a communi ty
worker as wel l as a case worker, emphasi zi ng the preventi on
of chi l dren' s probl ems
and carryi ng her appeal for understandi ng and hel p to servi ce cl ubs, women' s
cl ubs, church groups' the parent-teacher associ ati on, or to any other group whi ch
woul d gi ve her the opportuni ty to present the needs of chi l dren.
The preventi on and treatment of del i nquency has been gi ven speci al -emphasi s.
Previ ousl y del i nquency, and al l too often dependency, had been met by sendi ng
the chi l d to the state trai ni ng school , where care was provi ded at no cost to the
county and where, i t was reasoned, the chi l d escaped unfavorabl e home condi ,
ti ons. Probati on was l i ttl e used; the need for preventi on
was not often recogni zed.
chi l d-wel fare workers sought earl y behavi or probl ems i n the school s. To pre-
vent del i nquency one communi ty, under the l eadershi p of the chi l d-wel fare
worker, establ i shed and equi pped a boys' recreati on center wi th funds rai sed by
the town' s busi ness men who themsel ves put on an amateur show. In another
ci ty a youth counci l , of whi ch the chi l d-wel fare worker was a member, surveyed
the recreati onal needs of boys and gi rl s and worked out ways to meet them. A
Gi rl Scout troop was started by one chi l d-wel fare worker for a group of gi rrs
al ready known to the pol i ce matron. chi l d-wel fare workers acted as probati on
offrcers, a servi ce wel comed by the j uveni l e
courts and the school s. As a demon-
strati on proj ect,
a case worker was provi ded at the trai ni ng school , where such
servi ces were enti rel y l acki ng. For thi s enterpri se the i nterest shown by the
Ameri can Legi on and the state-wi de rel ease of the report of the osborne Associ a-
ti on hel ped arouse publ i c opi ni on concerni ng the depl orabl e condi ti ons at the
68
Provided by the Maternal and Child Health Library, Georgetown University
Sfafe Surnrnari es
t r ai ni ng school . Peopl e began t o see t hat t he causes of a chi l d' s del i nquency mar .
be beyond the chi l d' s control and the communi ty may be responsi bl e.
r n a st at e l i ke sout h Dakot a, wher e t he t ot al popul at i on i s no gr eat er t han t hat
of a fai r-si zed eastern ci ty, i t i s possi bl e to coordi nate the work of vari ous State
agenci es and i nsti tuti ons, even though the di stances are great. chi l d-q.el fare
workers obtai ned soci al case hi stori es of al l chi l dren authori zed by the State Board
of Heal th for treatment through the Di vi si on of Cri ppl ed Chi l dren; and gar-e
case-work servi ces to cri ppl ed chi l dren who needed i t. The Di vi si on of Voca-
ti onal Rehabi l i tati on i n the state Department of
publ i c
Instructi on used the
servi ces of chi l d-wel fare workers for many of thei r cases. chi l dren i n need of
educati onal trai ni ng at the state school s for the deaf and bl i nd were frequentl y
di scovered by chi l d-wel fare workers, and arrangements were made wi th the
parents and wi th the school s for thei r attendance. cl ose worki ng rel ati onshi ps
have been establ i shed wi th chi l dren' s homes i n the state and wi th homes for un-
mar r i ed mot her s. Per haps t he gr eat est amount of coor di nat i on has been at t ai ned
wi th the fi el d staff of the State school for the feebl e-mi nded. From the chi l d-
wel fare-servi ces demonstrati on of the mutual benefi ts to be deri ved from a cl ose
worki ng rel ati onshi p has recentl y come a program of short i nsti tutes at the state
school for the i nstructi on of county soci al -securi ty di rectors and case workers
i n gi vi ng assi stance to the state school i n the supervi si on of the mental l y defi ci ent
i n thei r own homes.
The servi ces of a chi l dren' s worker have been avai l abl e i n every county i n the
State, but there was more need for such servi ce than a necessari l y l i mi ted staff
coul d gi ve. A l arger State appropri ati on wi l l be requested. Chi l d-wel fare
workers, through thei r case-work and communi ty acti vi ti es and tal ks before cl ubs
and i nterested groups, have devel oped a growi ng understandi ng of the need for
chi l d care and protecti on. The i ncongrui ty ofadequate provi si on for the aged and
none for chi l dren has permeated the publ i c consci ousness.
TENNESSEE
Duri ng the peri od from
January
1 through october 1938 the devel opment that
seems of most si gni fi cance i n the program for chi l d-wel fare servi ces i n Tennessee
i s the i ntegrati on of servi ces to chi l dren i nto the enti re publ i c-wel fare structure on
state, regi onal , and county l evel s. wi th fi el d consul tants responsi bl e for hel pi ng
regi onal di rectors and county workers to devel op better understandi ng of chi l dren' s
work' adj ustments have been made i n schedul es and i n content of regul ar regi onal
staff meeti ngs so as to i ncl ude chi l d wel fare. It has not been found necessary to
hol d speci al chi l d-wel fare i nsti tutes i n order to have chi l d-wel fare probl ems
i ncl uded i n the staff di scussi ons. In regul ar supervi sory conferences chi l d-wel fare
probl ems recei ve thei r share of attenti on and the val ue of these di scussi ons has
car r i ed over t o i mpr ove t he ser vi ce i n t he admi ni st r at i on of t he ot her phases
of t he
publ i c- wel f ar e pr ogr am.
Responsi bi l i t y f or handl i ng chi l dr en' s cases at an ear l y st age i ncr easi ngl y i s
bei ng assumed by t he count y wor ker s. Request s f or gui dance by t he f i el d con-
sul t ant and f or t he t r ansf er of cases t o r egi onal chi l d- u' el f ar e wor ker s ar e st at ed
now i n such a way t hat i t i s evi dent t he count y wor ker i s mor e awar e of chi l dr en' s
needs, i s mor e abl e t o f ace l i mi t at i ons, and i s assumi ng mor e r esponsi bi l i t y f or
get t i ng hel p i n si t uat i ons whi ch she does not f eel ent i r el y adequat e t o handl e, as
cont r ast ed t o a f or mer at t i t ude of shi f t i ng r esponsi bi l i t y t o t he consul t ant or t he
chi l d- wel f ar e r vor ker .
A decr ease i n commi t ment s f r om r ur al count i es t o St at e t r ai ni ng school s i s
di rectl y rel ated to the i ncreased responsi bi l i ty for understandi ng and attempti ng
to meet chi l dren' s needs on the part of county workers and to the fact that there
are now regi onal chi l d-wel fare workers i n each of the ni ne regi ons i n the State.
69
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Provided by the Maternal and Child Health Library, Georgetown University
!
C hi l d
-WeIf
are Seryi ces, 1 936-38
chi l dren i n al mshouses who were el i gi bl e for ai d-to-dependent-chi l dren grants no
l onger fal l between the responsi bi l i ty of the fi el d supervi sor and the case con-
sul tant, but the fi el d consul tant has the authori ty to hel p the regi onal di rector
i n getti ng speci al grants approved where pl ans were not compl eted before county
al l otments were fi l l ed. Thi s hol ds true i n other cases whi ch were at fi rst rej ected
for ai d-to-dependent-chi l dren grants but have been added. subsequentl y as the
workers have grown i n understandi ng and i n abi l i ty deal wi th probl ems.
More and more workers are becomi ng i nterested i n readi ng professi onal l i tera-
ture, i n parti ci pati on i n staff meeti ngs, and i n shapi ng thei r pl ans to study i n
school s of soci al work. several workers who have returned. from ed.ucati onal
l eave and a former member of the chi l d-wel fare staff have been pl aced i n responsi _
bl e posi ti ons i n two urban offi ces and have answered a great need for qual i fi ed
personnei .
Greater responsi bi l i ty for admi ni strati on has chal l enged those pri mari l y
i nter_
ested i n chi l d wel fare to rel ate speci al i zed functi ons to the total j ob
so that thei r
performance can be more effecti ve. A probl em
whi ch i n the earl i er stage at ti mes
seemed i rreconci l i abl e, namel y, the wel fare of the cl i ent versus the devel opment
of the worker, no l onger l ooms so i arge. Nei ther the worker nor the regi onal
di rector i s confused by dual rel ati onshi ps. wi th the authori ty for deci si ons
regardi ng assi gnment of cases to the chi l d-wel fare worker or the county worker
vested i n one person, confl i cts do not ari se. The ti me wi l l never come when we
can be enti rel y sati sfi ed wi th the qual i ty of work done by the staff as a whol e
because there i s so much more to l earn, but we bel i eve some obstructi ons have
been el i mi nated and the admi ni strati ve pattern set whi ch al l owsfreedom of growth
and devel opment and i ncreasi ngl y effecti ve performance.
TBXAS
Al though the Texas Legi sl ature has created a Di vi si on of
publ i c
wel fare i n the
state Board of control , whi ch has been responsi bl e for the admi ni strati on of
most of the state' s wel fare acti vi ti es, the l ack of an appropri ati on has prevented
the devel opment of the Di vi si on or the establ i shment of programs
for ai d to
dependent chi l dren or assi stance to the needy bl i nd. Except for ol d-age assi stance
and the mai ntenance of el eemosynary i nsti tuti ons, responsi bi l i ty for assi stance
to the needy has been l eft to the counti es, whi ch are l i mi ted i n funds and prevented
by l egal restri cti ons from devel opi ng adequate programs.
rn 193I the Di vi si on of chi l d wel fare was establ i shed. und.er the state Board of
control as the chi l dren' s agency for the State, wi th responsi bi ti ty for enforcement
of l aws for the protecti on
of chi l dren, for gatheri ng
and gi vi ng out i nformati on on
chi l d wel fare, and for rai si ng standards of care for chi l dren through i nspecti on and
supervi si on of agenci es, i nsti tuti ons, and fami l y homes cari ng for chi l dren away
frorn thei r own peopl e. The l i mi ted appropri ati on and smai l staff made i t i mpos-
si bl e for the Di vi si on to spread i ts servi ces to the 254 counti es i n Texas.
The establ i shment of chi l d-wel fare servi ces enabl ed the Di vi si on of Chi l d Wel fare
to respond to many more requests for servi ce, whi ch thereupon i ncreased. as serv_
i ces became avai l abl e. Di stri cts were set up for the i nterpretati on of chi l d-wel -
fare needs as wel l as for servi ces i n behal f of i ndi vi d.ual chi l dren, as thi s was con-
si dered to be essenti al to l ocal parti ci pati on
i n chi l d-wel fare uni ts.
Because of a seri ous i ack of workers equi pped to gi ve speci al servi ces to chi l dren
i n Texas, an i ntensi ve trai ni ng program for chi l d-wel fare workers was i ntroduced
i n the program for chi l d-wel fare servi ces, i nto whi ch sel ected workers wi th some
background and experi ence were accepted and. gi ven preparati on
for case work
Provided by the Maternal and Child Health
70
Library, Georgetown University
Sf af e Sur nmar i es
wi t h speci al pr obl ems of chi l dr en, i nt er pr et at i on of chi l d- wel f ar e needs. and
communi ty organi zati on before thei r pl acement i n parti cul ar areas.
Local chi l d-wel fare uni ts have had a sl ow but steady devel opment, wi th com-
muni ty organi zati on an i mportant part of the progress, One uni t was the i nter-
esti ng resul t of a seri es of reports or requests for hel p from 1 rural county, i n whi ch
a study reveal ed that 18 di fferent groups were devel opi ng some phase of com-
muni t y assi st ance, i ndependent of each ot her . The count y r eadi l y accept ed t he
opportuni ty of havi ng a chi l d-wel fare worker who has brought about the devel op-
ment of a communi ty counci l for coordi nati on of servi ces and expendi tures.
Much i ntensi ve effort has been devoted to gi vi ng assi stance to boards and
execut i ves of chi l dr en' s agenci es i n t he r ur al ar eas, i ncl udi ng hel p i n maki ng
i ntake studi es and anal yses of popul ati on, whi ch have l ed to the adopti on of
bet t er st andar ds of car e.
The program for chi l d-wel fare servi ces i n Texas i ni ti ated two tri -State con-
ferences-one wi th Okl ahoma and New Mexi co i n the west, the other wi th
Arkansas and Loui si ana i n the east-for a di scussi on of the l aws and pol i ci es of
each State and thei r common probl ems. Both conferences l ed to a better under-
standi ng of i nterstate probl ems i nvol vi ng chi l dren and an i ncreased opportuni ty
for mutual pl anni ng.
Al ong wi th i ts program of i nterpretati on, cooperati on wi th
j uveni l e
courts and
other agenci es, and case-work servi ce to i ndi vi dual chi l dren, the Di vi si on of Chi l d
Wel fare has made some studi es of State-wi de probl ems as a basi s for more extensi ve
servi ces. A del i nquency study begi nni ng wi th the consi derati on of 132 boys, 12
years of age or younger, who had been commi tted to the State
Juveni l e
Trai ni ng
School was fol l owed by an effort to make other pl ans for them. Thi s study l ed
to acti vi ti es for the preventi on of del i nquency i n whi ch l ocal communi ty studi es
are made. A study of adopti ons from court records has provi ded defi ni te i n-
formati on upon whi ch to base future pl ans for safeguardi ng chi i dren i n adopti on.
Pl ans have been effected for i ntake and di scharge studi es of State i nsti tuti ons
i n rural areas and the provi si on by State hospi tal s for psychol ogi cal servi ces i n
speci al cases. Ini ti al steps have been taken to bri ng about
j oi nt pl anni ng wi th
the State Department of Heal th, regardi ng acti vi ti es of materni ty homes l i censed
by the State Department of Heal tb. A seri es of conferences wi th the State
Cri ppl ed Chi l dren' s Di vi si on has resul ted i n a cl oser worki ng rel ati onshi p and
progress bei ng made i n the devel opment of foster-home care for cri ppl ed chi l dren
and other soci al pl anni ng i n whi ch necessary soci al servi ces wi l l be provi ded by
the Di vi si on of Chi l d Wel fare.
UTAH
Chi l d-wel fare servi ces were i ntroduced i nto the Utah publ i c-wel fare program
i n Apri l 1936, when the fi rst Federal grant was made through the Uni ted States
Chi l dren' s Bureau, but the program was not ful l y effecti ve unti l a Di vi si on of
Chi l d-Wel fare Servi ces was establ i shed i n the Bureau of Assi stance and Servi ce by-
the State Department of Publ i c Wel fare, An advi sory commi ttee of fi ve members
was appoi nted to gi ve techni cal advi ce i n devel opi ng the speci al provi si ons for
chi l dren i n the publ i c-wel fare program.
l n 1937 the l egi sl ature provi ded for permanent organi zati on of the State De-
par t ment of Publ i c Wel f ar e and aut hor i zed t he Depar t ment t o admi ni st er publ r c
assi stance, to cooperate wi th the Federal Government i n recei vi ng funds for
publ i c-heal th and wel fare purposes, and to promote the enforcement of ai l l aus
f or t he pr ot ect i on of ment al l y def ect i ve, i l l egi t i mat e, dependent , negl ect ed, or
del i nquent chi l dr en and t o cooper at e t o t bi s end wi t h
j uveni l e cour t s and chi l d-
wel fare agenci es. Responsi bi l i ty for the l i censi ng of chi l d-pl aci ng agenci es was
i r
Provided by the Maternal and Child Health Library, Georgetown University
C hi ld
-lVe
lf ane Services, I 936-38
: r ansf er r ed t o t he St at e Depar t ment of Publ i c Wel f ar e f r om t he St at e Boar d of
Heal th. Pri or to thi s ti me the onl y responsi bi l i ty assumed by the State for the
care of chi l dren was through State subsi dy to pri vate agenci es. Some l ocal
responsi bi l i ty was assumed by the county commi ssi oners upon order from the
j uveni l e cour t .
Interest i n chi l d wel fare i ncreased more rapi dl y than the program coul d be
devel oped. Few persons were avai l abl e who met the qual i fi cati ons establ i shed
for the posi ti on of chi l d-wel fare worker.
In order to obtai n persons equi pped to deal wi th chi l dren,s probl ems, i t was
necessary to assi st some of the workers to obtai n trai ni ng. Fi ve persons, granted
l eave on part sal ary, attended school s of soci al work and returned to chi l d-wel fare
posi ti ons i n the State. one of thi s number was rel eased to strengthen the staff
of a pri vate chi l d-pl aci ng agency.
At the cl ose of the fi scal year ended
June 30, 1938, the chi l d-wel fare staff con-
si sted of ni ne members and four persons on educati onal l eave, One person had
recei ved 1 year' s graduate trai ni ng and one person 2 years' trai ni ng. Of the seven
l ocal workers al l but two had recei ved professi onal trai ni ng i n recogni zed school s
of soci al work. Pl ans for the ensui ng year al so made provi si on for professi onal
trai ni ng,
By
June
30, 1938, 8 county departments of publ i c wel fare were empl oyi ng Z
chi l d-wel fare workers. Four addi ti onal counti es had been sel ected, the programs
to begi n as soon as qual i fi ed workers became avai l abl e. In each of the counti es
the program was devel oped as a servi ce of the county department of publ i c
wel fare,
cl osel y correl ated wi th the work of the j uveni l e courts, publ i c school s, publ i c-
heal th programs, servi ces for cri ppl ed chi l dren, State i nsti tuti ons, and pri vate
chi l dren' s agenci es. Duri ng
June
servi ce was gi ven to 333 fami l i es presenti ng
speci al probl ems rel ati ng to chi l dren. Incl uded i n these cases were 1,063 chi l dren
under 21 years of age. The total monthl y cost of l ocal programs was
$1,040, or an
average sal ary of
$123
and an average of
$33
for travel i n each county. Counti es
wi th chi l d-wel fare workers met 15 percent of thei r sal ary and travel costs; 50 per-
cent ofthei r sal ari es was pai d by Federal funds; and State funds were used to pay
the bal ance. The 8 counti es had popul ati ons total i ng 130,071, varyi ng from
71000 t o 49, 000. Thus ser vi ces wer e avai l abl e t o about hal f of t he r ur al popul at i on
of t he St at e, est i mat ed at 261, 573.
In cooperati on wi th the Bureau of Research and Stati sti cs of the State Depart-
ment of Publ i c Wel fare regul ar stati sti cal reporti ng of chi l d-wel fare servi ces
was started, and a uni form reporti ng system was i ntroduced i n the chi l d-pl aci ng
agenci es for col l ecti ng i nformati on about chi l dren under foster care.
A study of detenti on practi ces was made whi ch reveal ed rather general use of
j ai l s
for the detenti on ofj uveni l es, al though such confi nement i s i n vi ol ati on of the
State l aw. On the basi s of thi s i nformati on, pl ans were made to assi st the
j uveni l e
court i n ooe county to use boardi ng homes for detenti on purposes. Al so i ni ti ated
was a study of adopti ons granted duri ng the peri od from
January
1, 1936, to Apri l
30, 1938.
Introducti on of chi l d-wel fare servi ces i nto the counti es has of necessi ty been
one of obtai ni ng personnel and establ i shi ng the programs l ocal l y. InsufEci ent
consi derati on has been gi ven to supervi si on of case-work acti vi ti es. Il owever,
care has been taken to empl oy persons whose experi ence and trai ni ng prepared
them to mai ntai n sati sfactory standards of work. Before the program i s extended
to i ncl ude every county of the State, refi nement of exi sti ng servi ces i s needed.
Before the l egi sl ature i s requested to appropri ate addi ti onal funds for chi l d-wel fare
purposes, more workers prepared to deal wi th chi l dren' s probl ems are needed to
assist in the further development of the program.
Provided by the Maternal and Child Health
72
Library, Georgetown University
Sfafe Surnrnarr'es
VERMONT
From 1917, when the State Department of Publ i c Wel fare (then
known as the
Depar t ment of Pr obat i on and Char i t i es) was f or med, t o 1936, when t he pr ogr am
for chi l d-wel fare servi ces began i n Vermont, provi si on had been made for the care
of negl ected chi l dren commi tted by the courts. From 1919 a mothers' ai d l arv
had been i n effect. But i n al l those years never had more than three fi el d workers
been empl oyed at any one ti me. A hi gh-grade State-wi de pri vate chi l dren' s ai d
soci ety establ i shed about 15 years ago suppl emented the efforts of the State De-
partment duri ng thi s peri od. No fami l y wel fare soci ety has been i n operati on
unt i l ver y r ecent l y and t hen onl y i n t he l ar gest ci t y, Bur l i ngt on,
Wi th the comi ng of chi l d-wel fare servi ces the pi cture has materi ai l y changed.
Under the general di recti on of a trai ned and experi enced case worker provi ded by
the program for chi l d-wel fare servi ces, known as the di rector of case-work servi ces
and responsi bl e to the commi ssi oner of publ i c wel fare, an i ntegrated State pro-
gram for chi l d wel fare has been i n effect for more than a year. The State i s bei ng
di vi ded i nt o di st r i ct s, Seven di st r i ct s have al r eady been set up and ar e i n oper a-
t i on and ot her s ar e bei ng pl anned. I n f our of t he smal l er ar eas, chi l d- wel f ar e-
servi ce workers are doi ng demonstrati on work for al l types of cases-commi tted
chi l dr en, ai d t o dependent chi l dr en, and pr event i ve cases- and t he St at e- pai d
wor ker s, now number i ng ei ght , ar e cover i ng t he r est of t he St at e.
Smal l er case l oads and smal l er terri tori es of operati on are gradual l y rai si ng
standards of work for chi l dren throughout the State and not i n the demonstrati on
areas al one, Staff meeti ngs whi ch i ncl ude al l the chi l dren' s workers have resul ted
i n bet t er case wor k.
One of Vermont' s probl ems i s her form of l ocal government, namel y, the town-
shi p as the uni t of operati on. Wi th some 240 such townshi ps wel fare programs
are i n the hands of the overseers of the poor, who change peri odi cal l y. Therefore,
a maj or educati onal program i s bei ng carri ed on wi th that group. Wi th more ti me
at thei r di sposal the chi l d-wel fare workers are recei vi ng more understandi ng
approval , especi al l y i n the ai d-to-dependent-chi l dren cases. Average grants for
ai d to dependent chi l dren have ri sen i n the past year from
$19.21
to
$23.40
per
fami l y. Maxi mum fami l y grants have ri sen from
$26
to
$104
duri ng thi s same
per i od.
Wi t h t he r at i o of chi l dr en i n speci al i nst i t ut i ons or i n f ost er homes
1
at about
twi ce that prevai l i ng for the country as a whol e and the rati o of ai d-to-dependent-
chi l dren cases next to the l owest, i t i s hi gh ti me to study the si tuati on and, i f
possi bl e, correct the cause, A study of State wards i s now bei ng made by the
Chi l d Wel fare League of Ameri ca, wi th a State advi sory commi ttee i n cl ose touch
wi th devel opments, and i s bei ng fi nanced by funds for chi l d-wel fare servi ces.
The whol e chi l d-wel fare staff has parti ci pated i n the gatheri ng of materi al , whi ch
i n i tsel f has had educati onal val ue.
VIRGINIA
The program for chi l d-wel fare servi ces i n Vi rgi ni a was i naugurated i n March
1936 wi th the purpose of i ncreasi ng servi ces for dependent chi l dren and pl aci ng
greater emphasi s upon preventi ve work i n the chi l d-wel fare fi el d. At that ti me
there was no general State-wi de publ i c-assi stance program. The faci l i ti es avai l -
abl e for the care of dependent chi l dren were mai nl y pri vate chi l d-cari ng i nsti tu-
ti ons, a State-wi de pri vate chi l d-pl aci ng agency wi th maj or emphasi s on adop-
ti ons, and the State Chi l dren' s Bureau wi th a smal l staff, whi ch was charged by
- , chi l d. "' ' ' d. r I nst i t ut i onal cscandi nFoEt gHomes, l 933, p. E. U. s. Buf eauof t heCensus,
Washington, 1935.
73
Provided by the Maternal and Child Health Library, Georgetown University
74
Chi l d-Wel fare Servi ces, 1936-38
l aw to care for dependent, del i nquent, and defecti ve chi l dren. The chi l dren' s
Bureau was created by the acts of L922 and charged wi th the care of dependent
chi l dren, but moneys were never made avai l abl e for that purpose. wi thi n 2
years after the i naugurati on of a general State publ i c-assi stance program i n
June
1936, 93 of t he 100 count i es and 23 of t he 24 i ndependent ci t i es i n vi r gi ni a
had organi zed departments of publ i c wel fare. Thi s basi c organi zati on macl e
possi bl e t he devel opment of chi l d- wel f ar e ser vi ces.
At the end of the fi scal year,
June
30, 1938, the vi rgi ni a pl an for chi l d-wel fare
servi ces was i n ful l effect. Maj or emphasi s was pl aced on strengtheni ng the exi st-
i ng St at e agency, t he chi l dr en' s Bur eau i n t he st at e Depar t ment of
publ i c
wel f ar e, and on pr ovi di ng l ocal publ i c ser vi ces i n sel ect ed uni t s. The st at e
st af f had been expanded t o i ncl ude a di r ect or , 3 super vi sor s, and 12 f i el d wor ker s
ot her t han t hose i n t he st udy Di vi si on. They wer e pai d by Feder al and St at e
f unds and di vi ded t hei r sen' i ces bet ween t he st at e' s pr ogr am f or di r ect car e
and the program for chi l d-wel fare servi ces. An average of 200 chi l d.-wel fare cases
were carri ed by the fi el d workers each month. These cases i nvol ved consul tati on
wi th the superi ntendents of wel fare and actual servi ce i n the pl acement and super-
vi si on of chi l dren i n foster homes.
Appl i cati ons for other types ofservi ce i ncreased to such an extent that the i ntake
had t o be l i mi t ed t o t he most ur gent cases, especi al l y t hose i nvol vi ng t he br eak-
down of the fami l y home. Perhaps the best way of j udgi ng
the success of the
State-wi de pl an i s the fact that duri ng the year 100 fewer chi l dren were commi tted.
as del i nquent to the state chi l dren' s Bureau for care than duri ng the previ ous
year.
In Vi rgi ni a chi l dren found to be del i nquent and not sui tabl e for care l ocal l y are
commi t t ed t o t he St at e Depar t ment of
publ i c
wel f ar e, t he st udy Di vi si on of t he
St at e chi l dr en' s Bur eau ser vi ng as t he cent r al r ecei vi ng agency i n cooper at i on
wi t h t he Ment al - Hygi ene Bur eau. Thr ough f unds f or chi l d- wel f ar e ser vi ces t he
study Di vi si on was strengthened by the addi ti on of a Negro case worker and of a
whi te worker to gi ve speci al or i ntensi ve case work to a sel ected group. The
state was fortunate i n obtai ni ng the servi ces of a representati ve of the uni ted
States chi l dren' s Bureau, who was assi gned for several months to the Study
Di vi si on, and who hel ped to create a better understandi ng of the probl ems
i nvol ved.
A medi cal soci al worker was assi gned to the cl i ni c di vi si on of the Medi cal col l ege
of Vi rgi ni a for work i n a program l i mi ted to cri ppl ed chi l dren under 1g years of age
from rural areas. There has been a steady i ncrease i n requests for servi ces, and
for the l ast 6 months of the year the case l oad vari ed between 75 and 90 chi l dren' s
cases. In addi ti on there were approxi matel y 100 cases for fol l ow-up servi ce onl y.
on
June
30, 1938' there were 9 l ocal chi l d-wel fare uni ts wi th experi enced
chi l dren' s workers i n charge. These uni ts i ncl uded 17 separate governmental
areas. The program was devel oped as a part of the l ocal wel fare d.epartments,
and the superi ntendents of wel fare referred onl y the cases whi ch i nvol ved the care
of dependent chi l dren wi th speci al di ffi cul ti es. case l oads were l i mi ted so that
i ntensi ve supervi si on coul d be gi ven. A supervi sor from the state offi ce has gi ven
her ful l ti me to the supervi si on of these l ocal workers.
The speci al consul tant on Negro chi l d wel fare of the uni ted States chi l dren' s
Bureau who assi sted the Study Di vi si on of the state chi l dren' s Bureau al so made a
speci al study of the probl ems rel ati ng to Negro cases i n a sel ected. rural counry.
As a resul t, a Negro worker was pl aced there permanentl y. The probl ems brought
to her attenti on have been vari ed. In cooperati on wi th the superi ntendent of
wel fare and the pri nci pal of a Negro hi gh school , a study was mad.e i n one smal l
communi ty whi ch showed a l ack of recreati onal faci l i ti es, crowded housi ng con-
di ti ons. and other soci al probl ems. These were brought to the attenti on of out-
Provided by the Maternal and Child Health Librarv.
I
I
Georgetown University
=
Sfafe Surnrnari es / 3
standi ng ci ti zens, and as a resul t a W. P' A' proj ect was obtai ned for the com-
muni ty and a recreati onal center was opened i n May 1938. Attendance at thi s
center has averaged 66
Per
daY.
WASHINGTON
The fi rst recogni ti on by the state of washi ngton of i ts responsi bi l i ty i n devel op-
i ng state-wi de servi ces for chi l dren was set forth i n the establ i shment of a Di vi si on
of chi l d wel fare i n the State Department of Publ i c wel fare i n 1935. Thi s Di vi -
si on took over the functi ons of the chi l d wel fare Di vi si on of the State Depart-
ment of Busi ness Control , whi ch had been establ i shed i n 1933 for the purpose of
i nspecti ng and l i censi ng chi l d-cari ng i nsti tuti ons. The Di vi si on began to devel op
the program for chi l d-wel fare servi ces, as outl i ned i n the Federal soci al Securi ty
Act of 1935, to strengthen servi ces for the protecti on and care of dependent and
negl ected chi l dren, especi al l y i n rural areas'
In 1937 the State Legi sl ature establ i shed a new publ i c-wel fare code provi di ng
for a coordi nated Federal , State, and county pfogtam of publ i c assi stance, setti ng
up the State Department of Soci al Securi ty, and maki ng i t responsi bl e for super-
vi si on of ol d-age assl stance,
publ i c assi stance, assi stance to the bl i nd, and chi l dren' s
servi ces. The admi ni strati on of these programs was pl aced i n the county wel fare
departments, and provi si on was made for
j oi nt Federal ' State' and county fi nanc-
i n g . Th e Di v i s i o n f o r Ch i l d r e n o f t h e s t a t e De p a r t me n t o f So c i a l Se c u r i t y r v a s
gi vent hepower t ocooper at ewi t ht heFeder al Gover nment i npr ovi di ngser vi ces
i or the pfotecti on of homel ess, dependent, and negl ected chi l dren and chi l dren
i n danger of becomi ng del i nquent .
I n a d d i t i o n t o t h e d e v e l o p me n t o f t h e p r o g r a mf o r c h i l d - we l f a r e s e r v i c e s i n
cooper at i onwi t ht heUni t edSt at esChi l dr en' sBur eau, t heDi vi si onf or Chi l dr en
i s responsi bl e al so for the ai d-to-dependent-chi l dren
program, servi ces for cri ppl ed
chi l dren, anci the approval and certi fi cati on of pri vate chi l d-cari ng agenci es and
certi fi cati on of foster homes. An assi stant supervi sor of each of these servi ces
has been pl aced i n the Di vi si on for chi l dren. In addi ti on, consul tant servi ces
h a v e b e e n a v a i l a b l e f o r t h e 3 6 c h i l d r e n ' s wo r k e r s wh o a r e n o wwo r k i n g i n 2 9 o f
the 3g county rvel fare departments of the state. The Di vi si on for chi l dren
pl ans
t opl acechi l cr en, swor ker si never ycount yof t hest at ewi t hi nt henext bi enni um.
Chi l dren' s
' a' orkers
of the county wel fare departrnents
gi ve servi ces to any
chi l d i n need of caf e or pr ot ect i on. Chi l dr en ar e r ef er r ed by t he school s, cour t s,
pr osecut i ng at t or ne) ' s, ot her di vi si ons of t he count y r vel f ar e depar t ment s' and
other i ndi vi dual s i n the communi ty. It has been gfati fyi ng to note the use of
the chi l dren' s worker made by the courts and the school s, especi al l y i n the smal l
counti es.
Mo s t o f t h e c h i l d r e n s e r v e d ' a r e i n t h e i r o wn h o me s o r t h e h o me s o f r e l a t i v e s '
al though care i n a foster home or an i nsti tuti on i s provi ded for a chi l d
' *' ho
needs
c a r e o u t s i d . e o f h i s o wn f a mi l y g r o u p ' T h e c h i l d r e n ' s wo r k e r s a i s o a r r a n g e f o r
t h e c a f e a n d t r e a t me n t o f c r i p p l e d c h i l d r e n a n d a s s i s t i n p l a n n i n g f o r a n d wi t h
the chi l d and hi s fami l y after the necessary medi cal or surgi cal treatment has
been gi ven.
To g e t q u a l i f i e d wo r k e r s i n t h e p r o g r a mf o r c h i l d - we l f a r e s e r v i c e s h a s b e e n a
pr obl em. Speci al qual i f i cat i onsf or chi l dr en' swor ker shavebeenmai nt ai ned' and
t hey ar e now bei ng made a par t of t he mer i t syst em of t he St at e Depar t ment of
S o c i a l s e c u r i t y , s o t h a t o n l y wo r k e r s wi t h a d e q u a t e t r a i n i n g a n d e x p e r i e n c e
rvi l l be empl oyed.
I n Se p t e mb e r l g 3 Ta c l i n i c a l p s y c h o l o g i s t wa s a d d e d t o t h e St a f f o f t h e Di v i s i o n
for Chi l dren. Hi s servi ces have been made avai l abl e upon the request of the
212629""4H
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=
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Provided by the Maternal and Child Health Library, Georgetown University
I
76 C hild -Welfare
Seryrbes, 1
g
36-3g
chi l dren' s workers of the county wel fare departments, for chi l dren needi ng
psychometri c
tests and an i nterpretati on
of behavi or probl ems.
He has -"t
al so wi th the staffs of the county wel fare departments,
chi l d-wel fare
commi ttees,
representati ves
of the schoors and courts i n an effort to bri ng about a better
understandi ng
of the mentar devel opment
and the mental rryg' i "r.
oi ch' dren.
In the annual meeti ng of the State associ ati on
of superi l r*
"o.rrt-.1,rdg",
i .,
August 1937, i t was agr eed t hat t he car e of dependent
chi l dr en
was an admi ni s-
trati ve and not a
j udi ci al
functi on and that dependent chi l dren
shoul d be referred.
to the chi l dren' s workers of the county wel fare departments
for deterrni ni ng
the
best pl an for each chi l d.
payments
for foster care were to be made by the
county werfare departments.
such an afrangement
was to be tri ed unti l the
1939 sessi on of the l egi srature, when a deci si on mi ght be reached ,.i o-J' . possi bl e
needed amendments i n the j uveni l e-court
l aw on the basi s of thi s experi ence.
Except i n the cases of a l i mi ted. number of chi l dren cared for af.."i i l " county
wel fare departments, the usuar procedure
before thi s ti me was th-at payment
shoul d be made for a dependent chi l d upon order of the superi or
court.
A census, taken i n
January 193g, of al l dependent
chi l dren
who were bei ng
cared for outsi de thei r own homes and whose c"re was bei ng pai d
for from publ i c
funds, marked the fi rst ti me that a compl ete count was made i n the state. rt
showed that
g16
dependent chi l dren
were bei ng cared for by publ i c
i unds i n
i nsti tuti ons
or foster homes. More than hal f of these chi l dreri
*"r" i .i .rg
".".a
for by pri vate
agenci es or i nsti tuti ons
whi ch were bei ng pai d
ei ther
$10 or g12
a
month per chi l d by the courts or a l ump_sum payment
for al l chi l dren
who wers
referred from an i ndi vi dual
county. A s-al l number
of chi l dren
had been
pl aced
di rectl y i n foster homes by the courts. As the county wel fare depart-
ments have assumed payment
for these chi l dren,
a revi ew has been made to
determi ne what ki nd of care seemed best to fi t the needs of each cti J ana ptans
were made accordi ngl y. Many of these chi l dren have been returned
to thei f own
homes or to the homes of rel ati ves,
ei ther wi th or wi thout the assi stance
of ai d-to_
dependent-chi l dren
funds,
WEST VIRGINIA
when the broader program
for chi l d-wel fare
servi ces i n west vi rgi ni a
was
i naugurated
i n 1936 wi th the ai d of Federal funds, g
chi l dren,s
workers were
praced
on the staffs of county departments
of publ i c
assi stance
i n
g
di fferent
counti es; I chi l dren' s worker was pl aced
i n an area consi sti ng
of 3 counti es
and
1 i n an area consi sti ng of 2 counti es'
of these l 0 chi l dren,s
workers, ori gi nal ry
pai d from Federal funds, the State and counti es have now assumed fi nanci al
responsi bi l i ty for al l but 4 and have provi ded
funds for 9 addi ti onal
chi l dren,s
workers. The i ntegrati on
of chi l d-wel fare
servi ces wi th the general
assi stance
pfogram has been made possi bl e
through the cooperati ve
rel ati onshi p
exi sti ng
between the state and the county departments.
The program
i s admi ni stered
by the Di vi si on of chi l d wel fare of the chi l dren,s Bureau
under the State De-
partment
of Publ i c Assi stance,
In an attempt to decentral i ze
the supervi si on
of chi l dren l egal l y commi tted
to the state' who heretofore
were supervi sed
by State workers whose di stri cts
i ncl uded
several counti es, the State wards i n seven counti es were pl aced i n Sep-
tember 1937 under the supervi si on
of the county chi l dren,s
worker i n each of
these counti es' It i s anti ci pated
that eventual ty
al l state wards wi ' be super-
vi sed by county chi l dren' s
workers.
-
The care of menta' y defecti ve chi l dren i n the state i s one of the unmet needs.
To determi ne the number of these chi l dren who are now bei ng cared for and
publ i cl y
supported i n foster homes and i n i nsti tuti ons,
approxi matery
600 chi l -
- i
Provided by the Maternal and Child Health Library, Georgetown University
Sfafe Surnrnari es 77
dren were gi ven psychol ogi cal tests. Thi s cross secti on of a speci al group presents
a pi cture oi the ,reed for more adequate faci l i ti es for the care of mental l y defecti ' e
children throughout the State.
In consi deri ng the need of reorgani zati on of the State Chi l dren' s Bureau, tbe
Chi l d Wel fare League of Ameri ca was asked to make a study of the Bureau'
T h i s s t u d y e x t e n d e d o v e r a p e r i o d o f 3 ) 4 mo n t h s a n d i n c l u d e d a r e v i e wo f a l l
the functi ons of the Bureau and the rel ati onshi p of chi l d-wel fare servi ces to other
phases of the work of the Bureau'
The need for better coordi nati on of servi ces to chi l dren had been apparent
and was confi rmed by the League' s survey' Therefore, i n
June
1938' the Di vi si on
of Foster care i n whi ch the supervi si on of state wards had been vested was di s'
sol vedasasepar at edi vi si onandi t sr esponsi bi l i t ywast akenover byt heDi vi si on
of chi l d wel fare. As the needs of chi l dren commi tted to the state are no di ffefent
from other dependent and negl ected chi l dren, i t has been possi bl e to i ntegrate
the chi l d-wel fare
program, both admi ni strati vel y
i n the state offi ce and l ocal l y
i n the counti es. Duri ng the year addi ti onal duti es consi sti ng of case-work
servi ce to chi l dren on parol e were assumed by thi s Di vi si on. The assumpti on of
t h e s e d u t i e s a d d e d t o t h e c a s e l o a d s o f c h i l d r e n ' s wo r k e r s a n d i n c r e a s e d t h e
vol ume of work i n the State offi ce, as referral s were made to counti es through
the State omce. As the duti es of the supervi sol were i ncreased by these
a d d i t i o n a l s t a t e s e r v i c e s , t h e p a y me n t o f p a r t o f h e r s a l a r y wa s t a k e n o v e r b y
the State.
Duri ng the past year many chi l dren have recei ved temporary care at the
St a t e c h i l d r e n ' s c a mp . Th e t o t a l n u mb e r o f c h i l d r e n r e c e i v i n g t h i s c a r e h a s
vari ed from month to month, as pl acement i n the camp i s made on a temporary
basi spendi ngmor eper manent pl ansf or t hemei t her wi t ht hei r ownf ar ni l i esor
rel ati ves or i n foster homes. Frequentl y the state chi l dren' s Bureau recei ves
r equest sf r omt hecount ydepar t ment st oPl acechi l dr eni ncampwhi l et hedepar t -
ment saf emaki ngmor eadequat epl ansf or t hechi l dr eni nt hei r owncommuni t i es.
A soci al worker who i s a member of the state staff gi ves case-work servi ce to the
chi l dr eni ncampf r omr ur al count i esandassi st si npl anni ngf or t hei r f ut ur ecar e.
The need for staff trai ni ng and devel opment
i n the publ i c-assi stance program
was recogni zed rvhen the West Vi rgi ni a
publ i c wel fare l aw of 1936 was
passed,
a n d p r o v i s i o n f o r s u c h t r a i n i n g wa s ma d e . I t wa s p o s s i b l e f o r t h e St a t e c h i l -
dren,s Bureau to uti l i ze a pofti on of the Federal funds for chi l d-wel fare servi ces
f or t het r ai ni ngof t hest af f ont hej obandi npr of essi onal school sof soci al wor k.
The supervi sor
of trai ni ng has vi si ted the county chi l dren' s workers and has
used the actual
probl ems and si tuati ons as a basi s for teachi ng'
one of the probl ems i n devel opi ng chi l d-wel fare servi ces i s the l ack of trai ned
personnel , As the State has assumed the fi nanci al responsi bi l i ty for some of
, h. " or r n, ychi l dr en' swor ker s, Feder al f undshavebeenut i l i zedf or educat i onal
l eavc for some of the rtaff to attend graduate school s of soci al work'
WI SCONSI N
Thepr ogr ami nWi sconsi nf or devel opi ngl ocal chi l d. wel f ar eser vi cesi sanex-
pansi on of the program carri ed on by the
Juveni l e
Department of the State Board
of Cont r ol si nce t he passage of t he Chi l dr en' s Code by t he St at e Legi sl at ur e i n 1929'
Expansi onhasbeenb. o, , gt ' t about byaddi ngmor ef i el dwor ker st ot heSt at est af f '
by provi di ng an i n-servi ce trai ni ng
program that has made possi bl e a better per'
for-"tce by the staff, and by pl aci ng workers i n rural counti es to carry on the
vari ous acti vi ti es i ncl uded i n the program'
Provided by the Maternal and Child Health Library, Georgetown University
I
i 8 Chi l d -Wel fare
Servi ces, 1 936-3g
Typi cal devel opment s
dur i ng t he year
Jul y l , 1937, t o
June 30, 193g, wer e:
1. The Lafayette County advi sory commi ttee, confronted. by the probl em
of how to provi de for certai n mental l y defecti ve ch' dren and wi shi ng to pl an
comprehensi vel y for the whol e county, arranged a study of one rurar schoor-
the fi rst of a seri es-by psychol ogi sts
and psychi atri sts.
A soci al study was made of each chi l d, i ncl udi ng physi cal
and psychometri c
exami nati ons. It was found that a l arge percentage
of these i hi l dren wouta
never be abl e to compete successful l y wi th other chi l dren of the same age.
supported by the recommendati ons
of the speci al i sts and. the approval of the
advi sory commi ttee, the superi ntendent presented
to the school board sugges-
ti ons for a new system-a system whi ch abol i shed progressi on
by grades_i n
hi s most di scouragi ng school . Groups were formed. accordi ng to th1 rapi di ty
wi th whi ch each chi l d coul d advance, and the heartacbe from fai l i ng to pass
was el i mi nated. Fi nal l y, through si mpl e and pati ent
expl anati on] parents
were won over to an enthusi asti c approval of the pl an,
2, The Crawford County advi sory chi l d-wel fare
commi ttee, sti mul ated
by a growi ng i nterest i n i ndi vi duar cases i n thei r own l ocal i ty, began a general
survey of recreati onal needs and resources whi ch resurted i n acti on- berng
started through the
parent-Teacher
Associ ati on and the works
progress
Admi ni strati on for a recreati onal program
i n one vi l l age
3. Interest was fi rst aroused i n a chi l d-wel fare program for Marquette
county through tal ks gi ven by representati ves
of the
Juveni l e Department
at
a meeti ng of the federated women' s cl ubs of the county. The Federated parent-
Teacher Associ ati on then voted to sponsor a chi l d-wel fare program.
A study
of county needs and resources was mad.e, and efforts were di rected toward
maki ng the peopl e general l y
aware of condi ti ons surroundi ng chi l dren. In-
formati on as to how a county chi l dren' s worker mi ght be obtai ned was re-
quested. More than 30 organi zati ons and many i ndi vi dual s, i ncrudi ng
mem-
bers of the county board of supervi sors and county offi ci al s, wrote to the
Juveni l e
Department requesti ng the servi ces of a county chi l dren' s worker to
devel op chi l d-wel fare servi ces i n the county.
4. Anti go, county seat of Langl ade County, has raany chi l dren comi ng
i nto the ci ty to attend hi gh schoor. These chi l dren necessari l y must ri ve i n
foster homes from Monday morni ng unti l Fri day eveni ng. Upon i nvesti ga-
ti on by the chi l dren' s worker, i t was rearned that a group of these rural hi gh-
school students had rooms set qui te apart from the owner of the property,
wi th an outsi de entrance and no supervi si on. Each student broughfa basket
of food from the farm on Monday morni ng. As cooki ng faci l i ti es were not
avai l abl e, thei r meal s were eaten col d..
Revel ati on of thi s si tuati on sti mul ated the i nterest of the worker, the
advi sory commi ttee, and the school i n fi ndi ng out whether other rural young-
sters were l i vi ng under si mi l ar condi ti ons. A survey was made of the roomi ng
houses where hi gh-school students resi ded away from thei r parents,
As a
resul t of thi s survey, arrangements were mad.e whereby peopl e who wi shed
to rent rooms to hi gh-school students coul d tal k wi th the chi l dren' s worker
and the worker coul d di scuss wi th them the needs of these young hi gh-
school students. The rooms were vi si ted and approved or not apfroved.
Thi s has done away wi th the use of ri vi ng praces bel ow a mi ni mum standard.
At the present
ti me al l homes used as roomi ng houses are l i censed,
5' Two l -day conferences were herd to di scuss Indi an chi l d-werfare prob-
l ems such as: nonat t endance
of t he I ndi an chi l d at school ; at t i t udes of whi t e
resi dents and school -board members and teachers toward. the Indi an chi l dren;
l ack of school faci l i ti es; i sol ati on of the Indi an fami l i es; need for tui ti on and
-------.-
Health Library, Georgetown University
Provided by the Maternal and Child
Sfafe Suznmari es
transportati on; heal th of the Indi an chi l d; i ndi fference of the Indi an parents
t owar d educat i on, heal t h, and soci al st andar ds; i nadequat e f ood, cl ot hi ng,
and housi ng of many of the Indi an fami l i es; and a foster-home program for the
Indi an chi l d.
6. Two 1-day conferences of the enti re staff of the
Juveni l e
Department and
representati ves of publ i c and pri vate chi l d-wel fare agenci es,
i uveni l e courts,
hospi tal s, physi ci ans, di stri ct attorneys, and i ndi vi dual s from al l parts of the
State di scussed methods for safeguardi ng the chi l d born out of wedl ock and
the chi l d to be adopted.
7. An i n-servi ce trai ni ng program has been carri ed on for the purpose
of
i mprovi ng staff performance. The program has i ncl uded both formal i nstruc-
ti on and supervi si on. An attempt was made to meet the i ndi vi dual needs of
each worker.
WYOMING
i vofe' -The fi rst state pl an for chi l d-wel fare servi ces was approved December
1939.
79
4,
Provided bv the Maternal and Child Health Library, Georgetown University
Appendi x 1. - Text of t he Sect i ons of t he Soci al
Security Act Relating to Grants to States for Child-
Welfare Services, as Amended by the Social
Securi ty Act Amendments of 1939'
[ Or i gi nal
l aw pr i nt ed i n r oman; new' l aw pr i nt ed i n i f al i cs. ]
Ti tl e V.-GRANTS TO STATES FoR MATERNAL AND CHILD
WELFARE
Par t 3. - CHI LD- WELFARE SERVI CES
Sec. 521. (a) For the purpose of enabl i ng the Uni ted States, through the
Chi l dren' s Bureau, to cooperate wi th State publ i c-wel fare agenci es i n establ i shi ng,
extendi ng, and strengtheni ng, especi al l y i n predomi nantl y rural areas, publ i c-
wel fare servi ces (herei nafter i n thi s secti on referred to as "chi l d-wel fare servi ces")
for the protecti on and care of homel ess, dependent, and negl ected chi l dren, and
chi l dren i n danger of becomi ng del i nquent, there i s hereby authori zed to be appro-
pri ated for each fi scal year, begi nni ng wi th the fi scal year endi ng
June
30, 1936,
the sum of $1,510,000. Such amount shal l be al l otted by the Secretary of Labor
for use by cooperati ng State publ i c-wel fare agenci es on the basi s of pl ans devel oped
j oi nt l y by t he St at e agency and t he Chi l dr en' s Bur eau, t o each St at e,
$10, 000,
and the remai nder to each State on the basi s of such pl ans, not to exceed such part
of the remai nder as the rural popul ati on of such State bears to the total rural
popul ati on of the Uni ted States. The amount so al l otted shal l be expended for
payment of part of the cost of di stri ct, county, or other l oca1 chi l d-wel fare servi ces
i n areas predomi nantl y rural , aod for devel opi ng State servi ces for the encourage-
ment and assi stance of adequate methods of communi ty chi l d-wel fare otgani za-
ti on i n areas predomi nantl y rural and other areas of speci al need. The amount
of any al l otment to a State under thi s secti on for any fi scal year remai ni ng unpai d
to such State at the end of such fi scal year shal l be avai l abl e for payment to such
State under thi s secti on unti l the end of the second succeedi ng fi scal year. No
payment to a State under thi s secti on shal l be made out of i ts al l otment for any
fi scal year unti l i ts al l otment for the precedi ng fi scal year has been exhausted or
has ceased to be avai l abl e.
(b) From the sums appropri ated therefor and the al l otments avai l abl e under
subsecti on (a) the Secretary of Labor shal l from ti me to ti me certi fy to the Secre-
tary of the Treasury the amounts to be pai d to the States, and the Secretary of the
Treasury shal l , through the Di vi si on of Di sbursement of the Treasury Department
and pri or to audi t or settl ement by the General Accounti ng Of6ce, make payments
of such amounts from such al l otments at the ti me or ti mes speci fi ed by the Secre-
tary of Labor.
1
49 Stat. 629; Stat. 1360.
80
Provided by the Maternal and Child HJ,ft
- - 1
Library' , Georgetown University
Secri ons of Socra/ *curi ty tbc (tatl
Par t 5. - ADMI NI STRATI ON
Sec. 541. (a) There i s hereby authori zed to be appropri ated for the fi scal year
endi ng
June
30, 1936, t he sum of
$425, 000, 2
f or al l necessar y er penses of t he Chi l -
dren' s Bureau i n admi ni steri ng the provi si ons of thi s ti tl e, except secti on 531.
(b) The Chi l dren' s Bureau shal l make such studi es and i nvesti gati ons as wi l l
promote the effi ci ent admi ni strati on of thi s ti tl e, except secti on 531.
(c) The Secretary of Labor shal l i ncl ude i n hi s annual report to Congress a ful l
account of the admi ni strati on of thi s ti tl e, except secti on 531.
4 4 8
Ti tl e XI.- GENERAL PROVISIONS
DEFI NI TI ONS
Sect i on 1101.
( a)
When used i n t hi s act -
( f ) The t er m "St at e" ( except when used i n sec.
and t he Di st r i ct of Col umbi a, and when used i n
(i ncl udi np sec. 53.1) i ncl udes Puerto Ri co.3
(2) The term "Uni ted States" when used i n a geographi cal sense means the
States, Al aska, Hawai i , and the Di stri ct of Col umbi a.
(d) Nothi ng i n thi s act shal l be construed as authori zi ng any Federal ofi Eci al ,
agent, or representati ve, i n carryi ng out any of the provi si ons of thi s act, to take
charge of any chi l d over the obj ecti on of ei ther of the parents of such chi l d, or of
the person standi ng i n l oco parenti s to such chi l d.
RULES AND REGULATI ONS
Sec. 1102. The Secr et ar y of t he Tr easur y, t he Secr et ar y of Labor , and t he Soci al
Securi ty Board, respecti vel y, shal l make and publ i sh such rul es and regul ati ons,
not i nconsi stent wi th thi s act, as may be necessary to the efnci ent admi ni strati on
of t he f unct i ons wi t h whi ch each i s char ged under t hi s act .
SEPARABI LI TY
Sec. 1103. I f any pr ovi si on of t hi s act , or t he appl i cat i on t her eof t o any per son
or ci r cumst ance, i s hel d i nval i d, t he r emai nder of t he act , and t he appl i cat i on of
such provi si on to other persons or ci rcumstances shal l not be affected thereby.
RESERVATI ON OF POWER
Se c . 1 1 0 4 . Th e r i g h t t o a l t e r , a me n d , o r r e p e a l a n y p r o v i s i o n o f t h i s a c t i s h e r e b y
r eser ved t o t he Congr ess.
SHORT TITLE
Sec. 1105. Thi s act may be ci t ed as t he "soci al Secur i t y Act . "
I
The amount foc each fiscal year is determined by Fcderal appropriation acts.
' Amendment
ef f ect i ve Januar y l , 1940,
tr
531) i ncl udes Al aska, Hawai i ,
t i t l es V and VI of such act
Provided by the Maternal and Child Health Library, Georgetown University
--.-
-_--- --:- --:*T=;ffitJ.
Chi Id
-Wel f
ane Servi ces. 1936-38
Appendi x 2. Federal Funds Avai l abl e to States for
Fi scal Year Bnded June 30, 1939, and Federal Pay-
ments to States for Fi scal Years Ended June 30, 1936,
1937, 1938, and 1939 for Chi l d-Wel fare Servi ces
Under the Social Security Act, Title V, Part 3
J
82
State
I
^J"}},{ili'
F,i.r#i;
I eayment,
F-qP::-': 3-,:-r-::l fr".""r v."i
nscal year nscal year
tg36
(Feb.
1938 1937 ; '
, June 30)
T o t a l - - - - - - - - -
Alabama
Alaska
At i zooa - -- -- -- - - . . .
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connect i cut - - - - - - - - -
De l a wa r e , - - - , - - - - - -
District of Columbia-
Florida
Georgi a-
Ha wa i i - - - - - - - - - ,
I d a h o - - - - - - - - , - - -
I l l i n o i s - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I n d i a n a - - - - - - - , - -
I o w a - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
K a n s a s - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Kentucky
Mi ssi ssi ppi - - - - - - - - - -
Mi s s our i - - - - - - - - - - - -
Mo n t a n a - - - - - - - - - - -
Nebraska -
Nevada- -
New Hampshi r e- - - - -
New J er s ey - - , - - - - - -
New Mex i c o- - - - - - - -
New York
Nor t h Car ol i na- - - - - -
Nor t h Dak ot a- - - - - - -
Ohio
Oklahoma
O r e g o n , - - - - - - , - - -
Pennsyl vani a , - - , , -
Rhode I sl and - - - - - -
Sout h Car ol i na- - - - - -
So u t h Da k o t a - - - - - - -
Tennessee , :
T e x a s - , - - - - - - - - - l
Ut ah - - l
l
Ve r mo n t - - - - - - - - - - - ]
V i r g i n i a - - , - - - - - - - - l
Wa s h i n g t o n , - - - - - - - - l
West Vi r gi ni a - - - - - ;
Wi s c o n s i n - - - - - - - - - i
- - - - - - - - l
5a
" 0t t
' 25
16. 159. 62
40, 800. 68
79 . 347 . t 2
a5, t 7 4. 74
2, 225. 799 . 27 $ 1 . 5 2 0 . 8 9 3 . 7 4
43, 236. 77
6, 847. 89
2r , 06r . t 7
33, 460 . 92
2 8 , 2 7 7 . 3 5
49,1O7 . 46
27 , 128.
a6
46, 996. 63
3 5 , 4 8 0 . 0 2
20, 881. 94
34, 7+5 . 71
20, 429. 17
28, 638. 64
1 1 , 0 9 1 . 0 6
7 , 436. 00
2 5 , 4 1 1 . 1 0
1 r , 0 7 1 . 1 0
57 , t 4t . 76
6 1 , 2 t 2 . 7 0
1 9 , 9 5 0 . 2 5
60. 376. 16
59. 904. 73
22, 542 . t 6
70. 5t 9 . 94
t 2. 4t t . 48
i $r , ssr . oge. ++ $sos, azz. zs
g227, ss4. 12
s r , oo?. 66 al . 8s o. 3i r e, 68d l n
5 . 7 2 5 . 0 0
2 , 3 3 5 . 0 0 5 , 4 0 4 . a 2 6 , 3 0 0 . 0 0
22. 176. 47 9, 31 1 . 64
2 3 . 8 9 6 . 1 6 1 8 , 1 4 0 . 4 1 i l ' 8 8 3 . 0 0
20. r o7. 92 12, 974. 46
1 3 . 0 2 8 , 5 8 1 0 . 2 9 1 . 2 6
9 . 6 4 3 . 1 0 8 , 7 2 0 . 8 5 1 , 7 9 0 . 0 0
25, 270. 53
32, 192. t 3
t l , c < , 1
L9, 2L7 . 20
2 4 , 9 1 8 . l l
64, 58r . 59
L4, 427 . 42
79, 224. 52
6 9 , 1 6 1 . 7 8
57, 089. 33
56, 056. 31
43, 2O4. 39
5 r , 9 2 6 . 6 3
46, 42r . 44
30, 416. 53
37 , 253.
Or
34, 62+. 4A
52 , 347 . 62
37 ,
066. 7 |
69 , 782 . 49
q 4 q 6 {
o ,
2t , 460. 04
40, 656. 58
1 1 , 4 6 6 . 0 6
1 3 , 5 2 1 . 1 8
39, 236. 73
17 , 4r 8. 52
43, 794. 74
6 9 . 0 9 3 . 5 5
24, 446. 02
38. 625. 25
23, 540 . 58
5 7 , 5 0 0 . 8 7
113,879 . 47
23 , 5+r . 92
16, 064. 74
43
, 235
. 52
23, 255. 94
33 ,
494. 77
36, 939. 27
12, 848. 03
37 ,
47+. r a
16, 888. 94
23, 542. 23
12, 264. A2
13, 835. 92
19, 442. 37
14, 873. 05
t 4, 820. 64
1 5 , 8 1 6 . 2 8
2 2 , 7 r 5 . 4 6
55, 724. 54
t 7, 534. 24
11, 637. 37
42, 499. t 9
37 , 344. 52
7 , 7 0 0 . 9 t 5 , 5 8 2 . 2 6 1 , 6 6 6 . 3 0
2 9 , 4 7 7 . 2 6 I 1 7 , 8 5 7 . 1 5 6 , 2 5 5 . 0 7
l - '
42, 478. 06 33. 569. 94
1 1 , 4 1 5 . 6 8 l _ . _ _ _
14, 453. 35 15, 884. 96
I
4, 348. 61
4 8 , 8 5 3 . 3 6 2 1 , 6 2 0 . 2 6 l _ - _ _ _ _ _ . . - - -
3 1 . 0 0 0 . 1 8 2 1 . r 9 2 . 3 6
l - -
-
t l
32. 626. 54 23. 293. a6
Loui si ana --
I
Ma i n e - - - - - - - - - - - - - i
Muyl and-
|
Massachuset t s- , - - - - l
Mi c h i g a n - - - - - - - - - - 1
Minnesota - l
21. aog . 44 2a,25r . 02 1 2, 953 . 40
47 , 5AO. 7t 30, 270. 92
2 7 , L 1 9 . 3 9 3 5 , 8 4 0 . 1 9 4 , 1 5 3 . 7 1
77 , 936 . 67 13, 719. 56 1 , 881 . 63
14, 344. 73 16, 333. 17 ; 7, 336. 00 26, 445. 02
7 , 6 7 5 . 1 1
3 0 , 6 2 6 . 0 4
3 3 , 1 8 9 . 2 8
31, 862. 85
t 2, 292. 07 10, 174. 55 I 3, 250. 00
4 4 , r 7 0 . 0 2 2 3 , 9 5 0 . 9 9 i r 0 , r 0 2 . 5 0
38. 073. 84 29, 4a9. 92
I r 1. 300. 00
43, 301. 64
16, 072. 95
\ 7, 2t 6. 41
1 3 , 1 3 1 . 4 4
13, 868. 59
9 , 2 2 5 . 0 0
2 , 0 6 2 . 5 0
E, 572. 44
842. 57
4, 97t . 6A
1 , 8 9 6 . 6 7
6, 582. 00
-' 1i :1,6.
ee
1 0 5 , 2 9 0 . 7 5
65. 177 . 49
26. 455. 72
t 24. 420 . 9' 1
1 8 , 6 5 7 . 6 8
21. 354. 7 6
t 6, 732. 36
50. 958. 49
61, 088. 76
16. 368. 92
3 2 , 1 5 0 . 1 0
4 0 . 8 6 9 . 5 8
2 2 . 0 7 4 . 3 9
62. 637 . 22
3 , 2 5 0 . 0 0
31. 484. 17
20. +32 . 3l
38. 587. 71
65, 519. 34
7 , 630 . 12
L5, 622. 4\ |
t 3, 243. 62
8 , 7 9 0 . 5 8
3 9 . 5 9 7 . 0 4
1 5 , 9 6 3 . 6 2
I
23, 643. 52 i
2+. 394. 76 ,
1 3 . 7 1 6 . 4 1 i
35. t 62 . 64
6 , 9 8 3 . 0 0
2, 260 . 20
964. +4
5, 440. 00
32, 817 . 39
27, 7 49 . 43
47 , 207 . 43
69, 330 . 27
t 4 , 622 . 95
15, 184. 05 14, 494. 55 15, 305. 42
4 0 . 1 5 3 . 9 7 5 1 , 8 5 1 . 5 9 3 2 , 5 6 6 . 6 7
20, 062. 67 21, 616. 10 22. 4a4. 36
2 a . t 2 5 . 4 7 s 8 . 6 2 3 . 5 2 2 8 . 4 3 7 . 2 4
34, 473. 14 40. 613. 45 37, 710. 92
; l
t o; : t 4. ao-
2A, 434. 75
42, 434. 21
1 4 , 6 6 5 . 3 6
27 , 349. 74
3, 450. 00
3, 372. 46
8, 930. 00
9, 300. 00
1 1 , 0 7 9 . 0 0
5 . 6 0 0 . 5 7
1
The term "State" includes Alaska, the District of Columbia, and Hawaii.
2
Includes io addition to the allotment for the fiscal year 1939 amounts from 1937 and 1938 allot
ment s t o t he St at es remai ni ng unpai d at t he cl ose of t he f i scal year 1938.
3
The first State plan for child-welfare services for Wyoming was approved December 4, 1939.
o
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