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U. S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR JAMES J. DAVIS. Secretary CHILDREN’S BUREAU GRACE ABBOTT, Chief COUNTY ORGANIZATION FOR CHILD CARE and PROTECTION Bureau Publication No, 107 WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1922 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Owing to limited appropriations for printing, it is not possible to distribute this bulletin in large quantities. ADDITIONAL COPIES OP THIS PUBLICATION M A Y B E PROCURED FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT OF DOCUMENTS GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON, D . C. AT 20 CENTS P E R COPY https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis I t *3 1C. o ') % CONTENTS. Page. Letter of transmittal__________________________________________________________ vn U n i f y i n g C o u n t y W o b k f o b C h i l d C a s e a n d P e o t e c t io n . The development of county social work________________________________ 1 Types o f county organization________________________________________________ County organization with a broad program, in direct cooperation with a State board________________________________ ._______________________________ County organization for the care o f dependent children___________________ County child-welfare work developed by private agencies_______________ L_ Raising the standards o f county w ork_________________________________ 13 The types o f county organization represented in this publication_____ 16 4 5 12 12 O r g a n iz a t i o n a n d D e v e l o p m e n t o f C o u n t y C h i l d -W e l f a b e B o a r d s i n M in n e s o t a . J State and local administration in child-welfare work_____________________ 19 The sphere of the public and o f the private agency________________________ 20 Duties of the Minnesota State Board o f Control___________________________21 -2 5 Licensing o f maternity hospitals and organizations caring for children___ ________ 22 Supervision o f placed-out children_____ * __ ____________________________ 22 23 Investigation o f adoptions_______________________________________________ The problem o f the unmarried mother and her child__________________ 23 County allowances for m others-_________________________________________ 24 The care of the feeble-minded____________________________________________ 25 Some objections to a centralized State plan________ __________________________ * 25 The county child-welfare boards____________________________________ i*________27-31 Personnel__________________________________________________________________ 27 Organization________________________________________________ ________________ 29 Financing_________________________________________ 30 31 The need for trained service________________________ __________ ________ * ___ Duties of local boards in relation to State departments____________________ 34-39 Adoption proceedings_____________ i______________________ .________________ 35 Placed-out children ;___________________ __________________ ,_____ __________ 36 The child born out of wedlock__________ ________________ :____„___________ 37 The feeble-m inded__________ .__________________________ __________________ _ 39 Other activities o f county boards_____________________________ 40-41 Local administration of county allowances_____________________________ 40 Probation and school-attendance work_____________________________ 40 County health nursing_______________________________________"___________ 40 L a w enforcem ent_________________________ „__________;_________ £ _________ 40 State conferences o f child-welfare boards______________________________ 41 Education and prevention____________________________________________________ 41 iff https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis CONTENTS. IV T h e N orth Carolina S y s te m of C ou n ty P ublic -W elfare W ork . Page. A county system adapted to rural populations_______________________________ The state-wide program _______________________________________________________ Organization of county work________._______________ _____________ ____________ State-wide system o f juvenile courts________________________________________ Enforcement o f the school attendance and child labor laws______________ Adaptability o f the county plan-----------------------------------------------------------------------The work o f two counties_____________________________________________________ A Study of th e Co u n ty W elfare D epartments of California , S pecial R eference to t h e P rovision for N eedy C hildren . 43 44 45 47 49 50 51 w it h Origin and legal basis of county welfare departments_________________ — 55 Preparatory work and method o f organization---------------------— ------------------- 50-65 Survey of the social work of the counties--------------------------------------------56 38 Education and propaganda________________________________________________ Method of organization of welfare departments____________________ — . 60 66 Provision for needy children under the county welfare department___ ____ Success o f the county welfare department plan---------------------------------------------70 Co u n ty «Organization for C hild W elfare in th e State of N e w Jersey . Characteristics o f the State_____________________________________________________ 73-75 General character of the counties________________ ___________________ _____ 73 Civic organization_______________________________________________________ 74 State and local provision for child welfare________________________________ _ 75 Special achievements in certain counties_____ ______________ ____________ _____ 78 The work in Monmouth County___ *_________ __________________________________ 79-88 Characteristics o f the county______________________________________________ 79 The Monmouth County Organization for Social Service_________________ 81 H isto ry __________ ^_______ '----------------------------- '---------i----------------------------81 82 Original constitution_______________ P olicies_______________________________________ 84 Some of the activities o f the organization___ ____________ _________ _ 85 The relation of the State department of institutions and agencies to county welfare organizations_________ 88 Co u n ty Organization for C h ild -W elfare W ork in N e w Y ork S tate th e N e w Y ork S tate C h ar ities A id A ssociation . by The early program for child care and protection____________________________ The Newburgh experiment_____________________________________________________ The plan of county cooperation______________________________________ The need for unifying county child-welfare work_________ Dutchess County child-welfare work__________________________ ________ ____ _ Centralized juvenile-court work in Chautauqua County____________________ T h e D evelopment of th e D epartment of C hild W elfare C ou n ty , N e w Y ork . of 93 94 96 99 102 106 W est chester The department’s field of work______________________________________________ 1 109 Conditions before the experiment began__________ ___ ____________________ 110-122 Child care in 1914_____ ._____ __________I____________________________________ 110 Machinery for handling the problem____________________________________ 111 County superintendent of the poor_______________________________________ 113 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis CONTENTS. V Conditions before the experiment began— Continued. Paga> First steps toward improvement_______ ________________________________ 213 Indications o f need for preventive work________________________________ 216 Separation of child-caring work from work for adults__________________ llg New developments in work for c h ild ren ,,_______________________________ Boarding-home and mothers’ allowance work begun___________________ 119 Increase in work made possible by additional staff_____________________ 120 "The creation of the department of child welfare__________________________122—128 The passage o f the “ commissionership act ” ________ ____________________ 122 223 Sections relating to children___________________________ _____________ ____ Powers, duties, and methods of work o f county department o f child w elfare_______________ ______________ '_____________________________ 12g Administrative policies___________________________________________ _____ 227 The work o f the department to-day______________ _________________________ 128-143 Mothers’ allow ances________________________________________ ___ _______ __ 228 131 The child under care away from his mother________________ _________ Reinvestigation o f children’s cases__________________________________________ 232 Boarding children in private fam ilies____________________________ 233 The clinic___________________________________________________ 235 Miscellaneous tasks undertaken by the department_________________ Distinctive features and future needs______ _______________________________ 241 242 A ppendixes . A ppendix A .— Laws and bills relating to county boards o f child welfare or public welfare___________________________________ 147-167 A rizon a____________________________________________________________________ 247 248 Arkansas______________________________ Minnesota---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- _ _ 248 M issou ri ____________ ____________________________________ _______ _ 249 North C aro lin a _____________________________________________________ O h io ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ~ Virginia------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 251 254 ig4 B ill recommended by the Kansas Children’s Code Commission, 1921__ B id recommended by the Nebraska Children’s Code Commission, 1921B ill suggested by a group representing the New York State Charities Aid Association, 1922___________________________ 260 A ppendix B.— List o f references on county organizations for child welfare or public welfare_____________________________________________________________ 269 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 157 158 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis LE TTER OF TRANSM ITTAL. U. S. D e par tm en t of L abor, C h il d r e n ’s B ureau, W ashing ton, May 9, 19122. S i r : There is transmitted herewith a report on County Organiza tion for Child Care and Protection in which are described what are among the most important recent administrative advances in the local care o f dependent, defective, and delinquent children. Those who have been in large measure responsible for this development in Minnesota, North Carolina, California, New Jersey, and New York have cooperated in the writing o f the report, and it contains not only their evaluation o f what has been accomplished but plans for future development. Emma O. Lundberg, director o f the social service division o f the Children’s Bureau, planned and edited the publication and contrib uted the introduction on the development o f county social work. The bureau desires to express its appreciation o f the generous co operation o f officials outside the bureau who have made this report possible. Respectfully submitted. G Hon. J am es J. D race A bbott, Chief. a v is , Secretary of Labor. VII https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis COUNTY ORGANIZATION FOR CHILD CARE AND PROTECTION. UNIFYIN G COUNTY W O RK FOR CHILD CARE AND PROTECTION. E m m a O. L undbebg. THE DEVELOPMENT OF COUNTY SOCIAL WORK. The recent rapid development of organized social work in counties as a public function is chiefly the result o f the emphasis that has been given during the past few years to the problems o f rural and small town communities. While the large cities were busy developing their machinery for dealing with individuals in need o f special types o f care, the social problems o f the smaller cities, towns, and rural dis tricts were very generally neglected. But here and there experiments in rural social work were undertaken and various forms o f construc tive community activities were growing up in smaller cities. These were promoted usually by some individual or group sufficiently in terested to assume considerable financial obligation in meeting the social needs o f the community. It was not until the unifying and developing o f public-welfare activities were undertaken as part o f a state-wide plan that scattered rural populations were reached by comprehensive social-welfare programs. County organization, however, does not deal entirely, or even mainly, with rural conditions. The principles o f coordination o f effort, socialization o*f the work o f public agencies, and cooperation with a central State body are applicable to counties containing largely urban populations, as well as to those that are sparsely settled. But in the larger cities, and in counties containing such cities as centers, the establishment o f “ boards o f public welfare” has pertained mainly to the reorganization and development o f work already being done in some manner. Among the more scattered populations, on the other hand, county organization must originate work o f care and protection. It implies uncovering neglected social needs and build ing up means o f dealing with them constructively. In most counties there has existed some form o f “ poor relief,” either care in alms houses or county homes, or scanty doles to families; but child-welfare activities in behalf o f the 49 per cent o f the children o f this country who are living in rural communities have been largely neglected. It is, therefore, on child welfare and on reconstructive work with fami1 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 2 C O U N T Y O R G A N IZ A T IO N FOR C H IL D CARE. lies that the emphasis has been placed in the movement for organi zation o f county activities. The impetus to the movement for unifying and socializing local activities which has come from the development o f State supervisory and administrative work in the care and protection o f handicapped children and adults, has been due to increasing recognition o f the needs and rights o f the individuals concerned. This individualizing o f “ charities and corrections” has led rapidly to search for causes and preventive measures. Prevention and reconstruction call for local action. The county and community must function here; the State can go no further than to point out the obvious results o f neglected social problems. The methods o f social case work are being applied by public as well as by private agencies, and are mainly responsible for the changing emphasis. Home care for dependent children has become a recognized principle, with the emphasis on the prevention o f child dependency through constructive aid in preserving the child’s own home whenever possible. In the care and training o f deaf and o f crippled children progress has been in the direction o f supplying corrective treatment through clinics and the necessary equipment for training in local public schools, so that the handicapped child, while remaining a member o f his own group, may be helped to gain a nor mal relation to the community. Likewise for children who have committed offenses against the law, supervision has largely taken the place o f commitment to institutions, and such children are more and more coming to be considered as in need o f special care and guidance, while custodial care is used only as a final resort. This ideal o f prevention and reconstruction is an outstanding fea ture o f the plans o f work o f the county organizations usually given such titles as “ county board o f child welfare,” or “ county board o f public welfare.” The law directing the establishment o f county boards o f public welfare in North Carolina,1 for example, include among the duties and powers o f the county superintendents o f public welfare the promotion o f wholesome recreation, study o f the causes o f distress and “ other investigations in the interest o f social wel fare.” The law passed in Missouri in 19212 states that the county superintendent o f public welfare “ shall seek to discover any cases o f neglected, dependent, defective, or delinquent children in the county,” and secure for them the full benefit o f the laws enacted in their behalf. A far cry from the old-time conception o f poor-relief! The Missouri official is further directed to “ investigate the condi tions o f living among the poor, sick, and delinquent in the county and to examine thoroughly into causes o f crime and poverty in the 1 See text of law, pp. 151—153. a See text of law, pp. 149-151. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis U N IF Y IN G GOTINTY W O RK. 3 county and to make recommendations from time to time to the State board o f charities and corrections, and to the proper local authori ties, as to any change in conditions or in legislation necessary to prevent or reduce poverty, crime, or distress in the State,” It is significant o f the importance o f the county organization movement, that so many o f the State commissions appointed to study child-welfare needs and recommend revision o f existing laws have emphasized the desirability o f some form o f county board that would tie up the. local work with the activities o f the State board charged with the care and protection o f children. The Minnesota ChildWelfare Commission was responsible fo r the act providing for county child-welfare boards in that State in 1917.3 The bills pro posed by the third Missouri Children’s Code Commission to the legislature o f 19214 resulted in the passage o f the law providing for the appointment o f county superintendents o f public welfare. Two State commissions reporting to their respective legislatures in 1921 included the creation o f county boards among their recom mendations. The Nebraska Children’s Code Commission5 recom mended an a ct6 “ to consolidate the child welfare work in each county o f the State; to establish county boards o f child welfare; to provide for county superintendente of child welfare.” The Kansas Children’s Code Commission in the same year included in its recom mendations 7 a plan, which also failed to become law,8 fo r county de partments o f public welfare, to prevent duplication o f welfare ad ministration in county and city governments, and to centralize the work under a county superintendent o f public welfare. One o f the measures sponsored by the New York State Commis sion to Examine Laws Relating to Child W elfare was the bill passed by the legislature in March, 1922, permitting the extension o f the powers o f the county boards o f child welfare heretofore limited to the administration o f mothers’ allowances.9 In the same month the Virginia Legislature o f 1922 enacted a law recommended by the State children’s code commission, providing for the establishment o f county or eity boards of public welfare to work in cooperation with the State department o f public welfare.10 * Report of the Minnesota Child-Welfare Commission, 1917, p. 23, St. Paul, Minn. * See Monthly Bulletin of the State Board of Charities and Corrections, vol. 22, no. 2 (December, 1929). Jefferson City, Mo. 6 Report of the Nebraska Children’s Code Commission, 1920, p. 231—234. Department of Public Welfare, Lincoln, Nebr. 8 See text of proposed bill, pp. 158—160. 7 Report of the Kansas Children’s Code Commission, January, 1921. Proposed childwelfare legislation, p. 10, 8 See text of proposed bill, pp. 157-158. * An act to amend the general municipal law, in relation, to the establishment, powers, and duties of certain boards of child welfare. Senate Bill, 1922, adding Art. 7 -B to ch. 24 of Consol. Laws of N. Y . Does not apply to New York City and Dutchess and Suffolk Counties. 10 Senate Bill, 1922, No, 86, sec. 12—15. See text of law, pp. 154—156. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 4 C O U N T Y O R G A N IZ A T IO N FOR C H IL D CARE. The purpose o f county organization is well stated in a recommen dation made by the Illinois Children’s Committee. This committee, appointed in 1920 by the director o f the State department o f public welfare, was assigned the duty o f “ setting forth a program o f ade quate child care, o f correlating efforts o f existing boards and de partments in the interest o f children, o f codifying the laws relating to children, and establishing throughout the State minimum stand ards o f child welfare.” 11 On the subject o f county boards the com mittee reported as follow s: * The principle should be accepted that the State departments .are primarily concerned with the carrying out of the State laws. In order, however, to pre vent the State from becoming paternalistic, and the State departments from becoming overloaded with duties and details, the departments must work largely through the existing agencies in the local communities. Since the county is the unit o f local government in this State, the working out o f State programs may best be accomplished through this unit. A t the present time, however, the methods adopted by the 102 counties in the State for the execution o f their responsibilities differ very widely, and there are also many gaps unfilled in their service for human welfare. In order to crystallize the potentialities o f the counties and local communities, both urban and rural, it is recommended that the department of public welfare promote the formation, by the officials and citizens, o f local committees which might be known as county welfare boards. Experience in other States has shown that such boards do much to prevent duplication of effort and to arouse interest, and lead to a common understanding o f community resources and responsibilities and a fine spirit of cooperation in service for the common good. TYPES OF COUNTY ORGANIZATION. It is difficult to define categorically the types o f county organiza tion that have developed so rapidly within recent years. Many o f them, as pointed out above, have resulted directly from the efforts o f State boards to secure local attention to the causes and the treatment o f dependency and delinquency. Frequently the change has come about through local effort to combine modern principles o f social work with business methods. The State’s function has been educa tional and has been directed toward bringing into cooperation the various county agencies in the interest o f better standards o f work. The fundamental differences in the several States and their various needs—inherent either in basic conditions or in local preferences for certain methods o f handling situations—are indicated by the fact that in no two States are the plans o f county organization ex actly similar, even though they may follow the same general trend. It is, indeed, doubtful i f the methods o f work undertaken in any two counties o f the same State are identical. Probably no State will find it practicable to follow in detail the plans adopted by any other 11 Report of the Department of Public Welfare, Children’s Committee, pp. 1, 7, Springfield. 111.. 1921. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis U N IF Y IN G COUN TY W O RK. 5 State, however successful they may have proved. The material presented in this publication in regard to the methods o f organiza tion and the work undertaken by county units in various States in dicates certain fundamental principles as a guide for the develop ment o f similar activities. In their application they must be made to fit local conditions and requirements. In general, the forms o f county organization as they exist to-day in different parts o f the country may be divided into three groups: First, those represented in this publication by Minnesota,12 North Carolina,13 and California,14 the county organizations provided for by the Arkansas15 and Virginia law s16 and the duties designated for county superintendents o f public welfare in Missouri.17 In these States the county work is public, is in direct cooperation with the State board o f charities or a similar department, and includes varied programs o f child care and protection, relief o f dependent families, probation and parole, enforcement o f social legislation, and other forms o f assistance and o f reconstructive and preventive effort. The work in Alabama, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina also belongs in this class o f organization. The second type o f public county organization is concerned mainly with the care o f dependent children. It is found in Indiana18 and Arizona,19 in the permissive law passed in O h io20 in 1921, in the two New York counties o’f Dutchess and Suffolk,21 and in the provisions o f the general law passed in New Y ork State in 1922.22 The third type o f county organization is that under private auspices, and directed to the development o f either a broad program or work with a specific group. The county activities undertaken in the States o f New York, New Jersey, and Florida are examples o f this type. COUNTY ORGANIZATION W ITH A BROAD PROGRAM, IN DIRECT COOPERATION W ITH A STATE BOARD. From the standpoint o f the future development o f constructive county-wide work, the most significant form o f county organization is that represented by Minnesota 23 and North Carolina,24 and pre12 See pp. 19-42. 13 See pp. 43-53. 14 See pp. 5 5-71. 16 See text of law, p. 148. 18 See text of law, pp. 154-156. 17 See pp. 149-151. 18 Burns’ Annotated Statutes,. 1914, secs. 3657-3660, 3 6 6 2 -3 66 4: Supplement of 1921 sec. 3661. ’ 19 See text of law, pp. 147-148. 20 See text of law, p. 154. 21 See pp. 101-106. 32 Senate Bill, 1922, adding Art. 7 -R to c h . 24 of Consol. Laws of N. Y. 23 See section on Minnesota, pp. 19-4:2. 24 See section on North Carolina, pp. 43-53 . https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 6 COUN TY ORGANIZATION FOR CHILD CARE. sumably to be developed in Arkansas25 and V irginia26— a state wide plan for county boards undertaking broad programs o f child welfare or public welfare, and acting to some extent as local rep resentatives o f the State board. In C alifornia27 this system is be ing worked out along somewhat similar lines through an educa tional campaign by the State board of charities and corrections, which delegates to these county departments certain powers and duties. In Missouri, the law enacted in 1921 28 provides for county superintendents o f public welfare with duties very similar to those o f the North Carolina officials, and acting as agents o f the State boards. The Missouri arrangement lacks the very important fea ture o f a board representing the varied interests o f the county, and giving assistance and backing to the executive officer. This omis sion may be partly compensated for through cooperation by the existing county boards o f visitors or other voluntary groups, act ing in an advisory capacity with the county superintendents o f public welfare. The Alabama State Child-Welfare Department, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Committee representing several departments, and the South Carolina State Board o f Public Welfare are each undertaking the work o f county organization. The Minnesota and Arkansas laws relative to the appointment o f county boards by the State board do not specify in detail the work o f these local boards, but merely designate that they shall perform such duties as may be required o f them by the State board. In Minnesota, the law states that the executive agents and assistants appointed by the county child-welfare boards “ may also, when so directed by the county board, perform the duties o f probation and school attendance officers, and may aid in the investigation and supervision o f county allowances to mothers.” The duties delegated to the county boards by the State board o f control, as pointed out in a discussion o f the Minnesota plan later in this publication, relate mainly to investigation o f proposed adoptions, supervision o f placed-out children, protection o f the interests o f children born out o f wedlock, and supervision o f feeble-minded children. The Arkansas law providing for the appointment o f county boards o f public welfare by the State commission o f charities and corrections, states that each county board shall organize according to the in structions o f the State board, and that they shall work under the direction o f the commission, and shall have “ similar powers and duties o f inspection regarding institutions and agencies within their respective counties to those o f the commission.” The county work in Arkansas is still to be developed. 25 See 26 See 27 See 28 See text of text of section text of law, p. 148. law, pp. 154—156. on California, pp. 55—71. law, pp. 149-151. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis U N IF Y IN G COUN TY W ORK. 7 The varied duties that have been placed upon the county superin tendents o f public welfare of North Carolina include enforcing school attendance, poor relief, aftercare o f persons released from hospitals or institutions, parole, probation, preventing juvenile delinquency, promoting wholesome recreation, supervising children placed in fam ily homes, finding employment, enforcing the child labor law, in specting county institutions, acting as agent o f the State board “ in relation to any work to be done by the State, board in the county,” and, as a general provision, ascertaining conditions and causes o f poverty and distress in the county. The Missouri law, which applies to counties with a population under 50,000, specifies an equally im posing list o f duties: Acting as an auxiliary to the State board o f charities and corrections ; administering all the funds o f the county devoted to outdoor relief and allowances to needy mothers ; aftercare o f the insane; supervision over persons placed on probation or on parole; oversight o f dependent children; securing employment; act ing as deputy State factory inspector and as attendance officer; in vestigating causes o f distress and delinquency; and protecting neglected, dependent, defective, or delinquent children o f the county. It should be noted that in both States it is the intent o f the law that the county superintendents o f public welfare shall be furnished such assistance as may be required for the proper performance o f these manifold duties. The new Virginia law authorizing the creation o f county and city boards o f public welfare and the appointment o f superintendents o f public welfare as executive officers o f such boards, as the first item invests the superintendent with the powers o f a police officer or con stable. This is followed by a list o f duties that include: Care and supervision o f the poor ; administration o f mothers’ aid funds ; parole and probation work; supervision over dependent children placed in the city or county by the State board; acting as agent o f the State board in any work to be done in the locality; investigating the causes o f distress and other conditions, and fostering cooperation among the public and private social agencies o f the county or city. The V ir ginia law specifies that two or more counties, or a city o f the first class and a county, may unite in providing for a superintendent o f public welfare. The power to combine the public welfare work o f two or more counties makes possible the development o f a construc tive program in counties in which the volume o f work would be too small or the expense too heavy to permit the immediate establish ment o f independent units. The question o f the scope o f work o f the county board— whether it should be limited to child welfare or should include all types of social welfare work—is largely a matter o f local expediency. The policy adopted must depend mainly on the amount o f work that https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis COUN TY ORGANIZATION FOR CHILD CARE. will devolve upon the board and its executive officer and the ade quacy o f the assistance that can be provided. State and local re sources for agency and institutional care are also important factors in considering what types o f work it is practicable to undertake. In Minnesota the county work is under the auspices o f the children’s bureau o f the State board o f control, and the work o f the county boards is primarily related to child welfare. In the other States men tioned above the field of work is more general, though considerable emphasis is placed on child-welfare activities. In the list o f duties o f the North Carolina county superintendents o f public welfare six relate to children, six to children or adults, and three to adults only.29 Likewise, in Missouri and Virginia the duties o f the super intendents o f public welfare as outlined in the laws relate somewhat more largely to child care and protection than to work concerning adults and community conditions. In populous counties it is obvi ously more practicable than in counties with scattered populations to separate out the work dealing with children. W ork with de pendent families and activities delegated by State boards having general powers and duties, as well as efforts for social reconstruction in the community, can not always be divided to advantage into child and adult problems. It is, o f course, conceded that where the work o f child care and protection, public health, family relief, or other special groups o f activities, is extensive enough to warrant dealing with each separately, it would not be practicable to develop the same type o f centralization as would be suitable in counties where all the work can be coordinated through the medium o f one worker or o f a superintendent with the necessary assistants. Organization o f social work in counties is a basic part o f the de veloping field o f activity o f the Alabama Child Welfare Depart ment. The law creating this department, passed in 1919,-places upon it the duty “ to advise with the judges and probation officers o f the juvenile courts o f the several counties o f the State and to en courage and perfect the work o f such courts throughout the State; to exercise general supervision over the administration and enforce ment o f existing laws governing apprenticeships, adoptions, and child-placing agencies; to require reports from courts, * * * to make surveys, and to hold conferences and conventions for the pur pose o f carrying out the provisions o f this act and of promoting the welfare o f minor children, and to that end to enlist the cooperation o f any State, county, or municipal official.” 30 The law further pro vides that the county board o f education shall divide the county, 29 Beasley, R. F . : Program of Work for County Superintendents of Public Welfare In cluding Instructions in Methods and Procedure of Keeping Records, pp. 5—6,, State Board of Charities and Public Welfare, Raleigh, N. C., 1919. 80 Alabama Laws, 1919, No. 457, sec. 2. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis U N IF Y IN G COUNTY W ORK. 9 exclusive o f cities, into one or more attendance districts, and shall appoint an attendance officer for every district created, and that the board o f education o f each city of 2,000 or more inhabitants shall appoint one or more attendance officers, “ provided that this article shall be so interpreted as to make it possible for city and county boards o f education, boards o f revenue, and courts o f county commis sioners to jointly employ any person or persons to carry out the pro visions o f this article and such additional duties as may be assigned them by such boards, or governing bodies in connection with the juvenile court o f the county or the State child-welfare department.” Under the provisions o f the law quoted, the Alabama Child-Wel fare Department has undertaken a program o f county organization. The plan o f this work is stated as follows by the director o f the department: 31 “ The juvenile court is fundamental to the organization; a probation officer is fundamental to the court. Without the local machinery o f the juvenile court it would be impossible to build up an adequate system o f child w elfare; without trained workers as probation officers little constructive work can be hoped for. W e have found counties we have visited willing and anxious for the work, but finances sufficient to carry on intelligent activities have not been available. Trained probation officers have likewise been impossible to secure. W e have outlined a plan to meet the first difficulty by persuading the board o f revenue or court o f commissioners o f the various municipalities to pool their .interests, thus securing sufficient funds for the employment o f an all-time worker. It has become pretty generally recognized that practically every attendance problem involves a fam ily problem. * * * It is our ultimate aim to build up county welfare units in such a way that there may be no loss o f motion, no overlapping of effort. For the present, we have been satisfied simply to secure a probation officer for a county, expecting to gradually persuade the counties to pool all their interests. * * * In the counties we have visited, in order to show each county the special need existing, we have undertaken social surveys. The results have been amazing * * * Until the counties are organized, and until trained workers assume the responsibility, we can only move in a vicious circle. * * * W e must build up public sentiment; we must show every county that it has the destiny o f its children in its own hands * * * The Pennsylvania county program, which is just being developed, is of special interest because it includes the health, industrial, edu cational, and social service interests. The Pennsylvania Departments o f Health, Labor and Industry, Public Instruction, and Public Welfare have entered, into coopera tion for the promotion o f general community welfare work and for the coordination o f their own activities within the State. To 81 Mrs. L. B. Bush, in Alabama Childhood, the Official Bulletin of the State ChildWelfare Department of Alabama, vol. 1, no. 1 (April-May-June, 1921), pp. 30, 35, 36. 111532°— 22------ 2 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 10 C O U N T Y O R G A N IZ A T IO N TOR C H IL D CARE. this end, a Commonwealth committee has been organized composed o f six members— two members o f the commission o f public w elfare; one representative appointed by the commissioner o f health; one appointed by the commissioner o f health.; one appointed by the commissioner o f labor and industry ; one appointed by the superin tendent o f public instruction; and one appointed by the commis sioner o f public welfare. The committee will serve as a clearing house for public-welfare plans and programs o f State departments and for the coordination of such plans for presentation to the county organizations for their development.32 The Commonwealth committee on invitation from any responsible group of citizens within a county undertakes the organization o f a county welfare bo&rd. The chairman of the board is selected by the committee and approved by the State commissioners of labor and industry, health, and public welfare, and by the superintendent of public instruction. The county board is composed of 11 mem bers, including ex officio the county medical director and the county superintendent o f schools. The mothers’ assistance fund board, the county commissioners, and the county poor board appoint rep resentatives to the county welfare board. The six members thus chosen, together with the Commonwealth committee, call a con ference o f representatives o f all reputable organizations within the county doing general or special welf are work. At this meeting a county welfare council is organized, consisting o f one delegate and one alternate from each o f the member organizations, individual members, and the members o f the county welfare board. The council nominates to the Commonwealth committee citizens of the county to serve as members o f the county welfare board. Not more than five are appointed by the Commonwealth committee from the persons so nominated. The Commonwealth committee may also nominate members o f the board. The county welfare board, under the plan, will organize through out the county, in townships, boroughs, and cities, “ social ma chinery to promote welfare activities, both private and public, along lines o f health, education, labor and industry, and general welfare. These various subdivisions of ¡public welfare work shall be known as divisions and shall be represented in each community by a director who shall be immediately responsible to the county welfare hoard.” 33 The duties o f the county welfare board are outlined as follows in the plan prepared by the Commonwealth committee: 82 From, mimeographed statement entitled “ County Welfare Organization,, Common wealth of Pennsylvania.” Commonwealth Committee, Department of Public Welfare, Harrisburg, Pa. 33 From mimeographed statement cited. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis U N IF Y I N G C O U N T Y W O R K . 11 The county welfare hoard shall. In cooperation with the county welfare coun cil, promote the establishment o f a county (and local) social service exchange; it shall promote in every way possible all social-welfare activities o f private institutions and agencies which conform to approved standards, but it shall not dictate plans or policies o f private member organizations; it shall endeavor to discover any omissions in the social-welfare program of the county and to make provision for that la c k ; it shall c all to the attention of the Commonwealth committee any failure on the part o f the several State departments to live up to their obligations for service to the county; it shall endeavor to promote the special welfare programs submitted to it from time to time through the Com monwealth committee so far as time, money, and personnel permit. It shall cause to be compiled and made available in suitable form, a directory o f social-welfare agencies within the county and in addition such State agencies and institutions as may be available to the State as a whole. W hen practicable, office space centrally located shall be provided for the records o f the organization and to facilitate the transaction o f business. (This offiee space may be provided by a cooperating organization or in county munici pal or school buildings, i f available.) The county welfare board shall encourage regular conferences of all welfare workers in the countv, teachers, public-health nurses, probation officers, socialcase workers, etc., for the purpose of stimulating coordinated effort in connec tion with common problems. I f the work o f the county welfare board warrants, the board shall be encouraged to employ a county w elfare agent (or superintend ent) whose duty it shall be to fu rt v all social activities o f the county welfare board and to develop the efficiency o f the organization. The Commonwealth committee shall, in addition to its duties of organization, also serve a s a clearing house for the various programs o f the several State departments o f health, labor and industry, education and welfare, as they concern the public welfare, in order that duplication o f effort may be avoided and to promote efficiency in the efforts o f the county welfare boards. Two counties have already 34 been organized under the plan, and two more have progressed so far as to have county councils o f social agencies. The county organizations will probably work for such measures as better school conditions; better conditions in poorhouses and jails; trained workers for child placement; social-service- ex changes on a county basis; the development o f mental-health clinics, in cooperation with State departments; the development o f babyhealth stations and prenatal work; and the enforcement o f childlabor laws. The annual report o f the South Carolina State Board o f Public Welfare for 192135 states that the board, “ appreciating the fact that the success o f any movement for the betterment o f society’s institu tions or o f social conditions depends upon the extent and character o f the education o f the local community and the imperative need for improvement in the penal and charitable institutions o f some o f the counties o f the State,” in 1920 created the position o f county agent o f the board “ whose duty it is to be a. liaison officer between the com84 By May 5, 1922. In June a community organizer was employed by the State. 35 Second Annual Report of the State Board of Public Welfare of South. Carolina, 1921, Vol. II, No. IV, p. 27. Columbia, S. C., 1921-1922. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 12 C O U N T Y O R G A N IZ A T IO N FOR C H IL D CARE. munity and the central office o f the State board o f public welfare.” According to this report there is now a local committee, appointed by the board, in every county of the State. The local committees inspect quarterly the jails, chain gangs, and almshouses, and report on them to the State board. They assist persons paroled from public institutions, cooperate with the probate court judges and the State board in handling dependent and delinquent children in their counties, and aid the State board in other ways. COUNTY ORGANIZATION FOR THE CARE OF DEPENDENT CHILDREN. In Indiana the duties o f the county boards o f children’s guardians relate specifically to the care of dependent children, including aid to children in their own homes. The duties o f the county child-welfare boards o f Arizona— which are adjuncts o f the State child-welfare board— also are limited to the care and protection o f destitute and neglected children, and aid to mothers o f dependent children. In place o f maintaining county children’s homes, Ohio counties were in 1921 empowered to appoint county boards o f child welfare which should provide care for dependent children, especially through plac ing and supervising them in family homes. The county boards o f child welfare created in Dutchess and Suffolk Counties through special acts o f the New York Legislature are charged with duties respecting destitute, neglected, delinquent, and defective children under 16 years o f age. A general law was enacted for New York State in 1922, authorizing the extension of the powers and duties o f the previously existing boards o f child welfare, which had the administration o f mothers’ allowances, to include the relief and care of dependent children received by them as public charges or com mitted to them by the courts. COUNTY CHILD-WELFARE WORK DEVELOPED BY PRIVATE AGENCIES. The outstanding example o f the development of county work for children through a private organization with a state-wide program o f work is described in a later section36 o f this publication•dealing with the county organization work o f the New Y ork State Charities A id Association. For almost 30 years this society has been working out cooperation with public officials— in a total o f more than 20 coun ties— looking toward eventual centralizing o f child-welfare activities under properly equipped public boards. The recent rapid develop ment o f interest in county child-welfare work as a public function in New York State is evidence o f the value o f this experiment, which 86 See pp. 93—108. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis U N IF Y IN G COUN TY W O RK. 13 undoubtedly has also influenced county welfare activities in other States. Monmouth County,37 N.. J., is another well-known example o f county organization under private auspices. The work in this county is more diverse, including child-welfare work o f various types, public-health activities, and work in cooperation with the State department o f institutions and agencies. The plan developed in this county has not as yet been extended into other counties o f the State. The Florida Children’s A id Society, which occupies a leading posi tion in social work in a State having as yet no State board dealing with problems o f dependency, correction, and social welfare, has been making a study o f the counties o f the State in regard to the relief situation, mothers’ pensions, the need for probation work, and similar problems, with special reference to the possibilities o f securing or ganized social work on a eounty-wide basis.38 This activity was oc casioned by the difficulties met with by the society in its child-caring work, which indicated the need for organization o f the resources of the counties and development of constructive social work for child welfare. RAISING THE STANDARDS OF COUNTY WORK. The character o f the work accomplished depends on what the county board and the superintendent make o f it. The law may enumerate the duties, but it can not fix the quality o f the service given. It is here that the supervisory authority o f the State board is o f the greatest importance in securing the appointment o f execu tive officers qualified for the work, and in furnishing advice and assistance to the county boards. In most o f the States in which the central board has a direct relation to the county work, the State board« has some control over appointments o f superintendents or executive secretaries o f the local boards, either through authority given by law or in an advisory capacity. Some provision is usually made for periodic reports by the executive o f the county board to the State board or boards most directly concerned in the work done. Especially in rural communities where there has been no activity o f the kind, the impetus to organization o f county social work must come from an outside source. The county organization program undertaken by the Missouri State Board o f Charities and Correc tions illustrates the type o f aid that is usually found necessary in order that laws relating to county boards o f public welfare may become effective. Under the Missouri law o f 1921, the county court 37 See pp. 79-88. 38Johnson, Marcia P ratt: “ County Relief and Probation Systems in Florida.” presented before the Florida State Conference of Social Work, April, 1922. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Paper 14 C O U N T Y O R G A N IS A T IO N FOR C H IL D CARE. (corresponding to county commissioners in most States) appoints the county superintendent of public welfare, usually on petition o f a committee o f citizens. The State board, in order to arouse local interest in establishing the county work, has undertaken a campaign o f education in regard to existing conditions in the counties and the purposes o f the proposed county work. A field worker especially assigned to this county activity secures preliminary information in regard to dependency, delinquency, and other problems in a county, and organizes a civic committee composed o f representatives o f each town. Meetings are held in order to bring the situation before the citizens o f the county, and the committee presents to the county court a f ormal request that action be taken to appoint a superintendent o f public welfare. The State board endeavors to guide the selection o f superintendents, in order that they may be appointed because o f fitness for the work rather than by political preferment. The State board is to supply record forms for the use o f the county superin tendents, who will report regularly to the board. The problem o f securing for this public social work executives and assistants who have had the advantage o f training that equips them for their duties, offers, perhaps, the greatest difficulty in con nection with county organization. It is essential that the workers in this for the most part new and uncharted field shall be persons o f understanding and o f judgment broadened through study and prac tical experience. They should have knowledge o f the best standards o f practice in specialized agencies in highly developed urban com munities, as well as o f the conditions which must be met and the methods which must be followed by the general rural practitioner. The developing work o f the State universities, through their special departments for training in social work, their extension depart ments, and similar activities that reach into the remotest parts o f the States, is a most important factor in the movement toward socializing and localizing governmental functions. Not only in the States long credited with being progressive in State and local work, but—even more significant—in the States in which social legislation is o f recent growth, the State institutions o f higher education are becoming im portant agencies for promoting understanding o f social problems and providing training in constructive methods o f dealing with them. One o f the most important phases o f the development o f county social work in North Carolina is the cooperation between the State university and the State board o f charities and public welfare in equipping workers for county activities. There is an active relation ship between the two bodies in that the head o f the State university school o f public welfare is the “ consulting expert” o f the State board. The university gives special courses in training for social work, combining theory and practice, especially as applied to condi https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis U N IF Y IN G COUNTY W ORK. 15 tions in a State that is largely rural. In cooperation with the State board the university has given summer courses for county superin tendents o f public welfare, and two weeks o f intensive training have been provided free o f charge. The development o f standards o f county work is in several of the States carried on partly through bulletins or news letters, in printed or multigraphed form, issued monthly or at longer intervals by State boards.39 In the States having county organization o f the types under consideration, these bulletins serve as a medium for the exchange o f information concerning social welfare activities in the State, and other items o f special interest to local workers. In some States, for example Missouri, North Carolina, and South Carolina, the State departments publish quarterly bulletins dealing with special problems. The series o f quarterly bulletins issued by the North Carolina State Board o f Charities and Public W elfa re40 is especially noteworthy in connection with the promotion of county organization. Several o f these publications are in the nature o f handbooks for the information and instruction of the county workers in the purposes o f the laws relating to the county boards o f public welfare, their local application, and the relation o f the county activities to the State board. In May, 1919, there was held under the auspices o f the Minne sota State Board o f Control the first State conference o f childwelfare boards.41 The first sessions were devoted to discussion o f the functions o f the various State boards in regard to child wel fare, State institutions for children, and explanation o f child labor and compulsory school attendance law& A t the later sessions the discussion concerned the problems to be dealt with by the county boards, and reports were made on county activities already under way, The Minnesota law, recognizing the value o f this form o f education, provides that one representative from each county childwelfare board may, at the expense o f the county, attend the annual State conference o f social work. In this way is continued the work begun in the first special conference o f child-welfare boards,7 through 0 * Following is a partial list of such news letters or bulletins issued by State boards, including States in which, there is no special county organization: Arkansas: The Com mission of Charities and Corrections, Little Rock, “ The Round Table.” California: State Board of Charities and Corrections, San Francisco, “ County Welfare Letter ” and “ Child Welfare Letter.” Georgia: Department of Public Welfare, Atlanta, “ Children’s Insti tutions News Letter.” Massachusetts: Department of Public Welfare, Boston, “ The News About the Department.” North Carolina: The State Board of Charities and Public Welfare, Raleigh, “ Public Welfare Progress.” Ohio: Division of Charities, Department of Public Welfare, Columbus, “ Welfare Exchange.” Oregon: Child Welfare Commission, Portland, “ Bulletin.” Pennsylvania: Department of Public Welfare, Harrisburg, “ The Common Weal ” ; also news letter- issued by the Division of Juvenile Delinquency. South Carolina: State Board of Public Welfare, Columbia, “ The News Letter ” <0 See list, pp. 172-173. 41 Proceedings of the First Conference of Child-Welfare Boards with the Board of Control, St, Paul, Minn., 1919, https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 16 COUNTY o r g a n iz a t io n for c h il d care. special sessions for county board members and workers’. North Carolina has a State organization of superintendents of public welfare, which holds its annual meeting just preceding the State conference o f social work. The object o f such conferences is not only to furnish opportunities for discussion o f special county problems, but to give the county workers an opportunity to become ac quainted with the wider work o f the State and with the trend o f social progress in the country. THE TYPES OF COUNTY ORGANIZATION REPRESENTED IN THIS PUBLICATION. The examples o f county organization described in the succeed ing sections o f this publication represent varied types o f work in progress under differing State and local conditions. Diverse as have been the methods o f approach and the scope o f activities o f the county organizations here dealt with, the basic principles are in agreement. In this introductory section there has already been discussion o f the Minnesota and North Carolina types o f county organization as representing definite coordination o f work between the State and local boards— the one devoted to child welfare, the other covering the wider range o f public welfare activities. It has been pointed out that these States have placed special emphasis on the development of high standards o f work, through educating the citizens o f the State and the county board members and workers in the purposes and methods o f constructive social work. The California program o f county organization, promoted directly by the State board o f char ities and correction, is the outcome o f the State board’s desire to secure the unification o f all public social work in the counties, pri marily in order that the State may thereby have local assistance in its work and also for the advancement o f such reconstructive work in the community as will lessen the burdens imposed upon the State through poverty, delinquency, crime, and mental deficiency. The county board plans in Minnesota and North Carolina were the sub jects o f special legislation, the laws o f the former giving general authority to the State board o f control to appoint boards when there was local request for such action; in the latter an act o f the legisla ture provided for the creation o f county public-welfare boards and county superintendents o f public welfare, with a detailed outline o f duties. California is o f interest as representing work undertaken by the State board, not as the result o f a special legislative act, but in virtue o f its general powers, and as a part o f a constructive pro gram o f state-wide effort to: improve conditions and to provide bet ter care and protection to children and adults in need o f public assistance. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis U N IF Y IN G COUNTY W ORK. 17 County social work in. New Jersey, especially the outstanding or ganization in Monmouth County, and the county child-welfare work developed by the New York State Charities A id Association in some twenty counties, have been referred to as examples o f such activities fostered by private agencies working in cooperation with public officials. In these undertakings the main purpose has been to demon strate the desirability o f unification and extension o f county childwelfare or public-welfare activities. The adoption o f the county child-welfare organization idea as a public policy in New York State has borne out the value o f the experiments made in this State. The section on the growth o f the Westchester County child-wel fare work has been included because it is an outstanding illustration o f a high type o f public administration o f child-welfare work in its various phases. The organization in this county may perhaps be considered more applicable in general to State than to county con ditions, because o f the large population and the complexity and ex tent o f the problems dealt with. But it is an especially valuable ex periment in public work on a county-wide basis, with the equipment necessary to make such work a constructive force for child welfare. It is also o f interest because it had its origin under private auspices, and has always maintained a close relation to other child-welfare activities in the county. These various, demonstrations o f the methods and value o f or ganization o f county child-welfare work bring out emphatically the primary need o f having workers who are equipped for the varied duties. This is essential i f the work is to follow sound principles and have a constructive purpose. The social worker in a rural com munity must be all types o f worker in one, equipped not only to diagnose needs and prescribe treatment, but to provide the means o f treatment, and gradually to work out local resources. The linking up o f each local community with the central State board has been shown to be o f great importance in county social work. In the organized county work described in the following pages, the local communities have been left free to develop their own resources, while the State body has acted as adviser and has helped to solve problems and coordinate activities. The assistance given by the central State board may be summed up under the following items: Providing the means for interchange o f information and experiences between county and State workers; aid in the wise utilization o f the State’s resources for institutional care; putting the county worker in touch with available agencies; interpreting the social legislation o f the State and assisting in its application; guidance in special types o f work; and, above all, encouragement and inspiration in working toward a broader program o f prevention and reconstruction. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis ORGANIZATION AN D DEVELOPM ENT OF COUNTY CHILDW EL F A R E HOARDS IN MINNESOTA, 1 W il l ia m W . H obson, Director, Children's Bureau, Minnesota State Board o f Control. STATE AND LOCAL ADMINISTRATION IN CHILD-WELFARE WORK. In the field o f social service, as in Government, much thought has been directed to the most effective method o f securing a proper cen tralization o f authority without destroying the principle o f local autonomy. It is generally recognized that in both fields there are many matters o f equal concern to all persons within a given geo graphical or governmental area, requiring a single administrative unit upon which definite responsibility can be fixed and through which a harmonized program based upon reasonable uniformity can be achieved. However, without a recognition o f purely local d if ferences in situation, experience, and ideals, and o f the necessity for local control if self-conscious development is to be secured, central ized administration is likely to be bureaucratic and unsuited to its intended purpose by reason o f its isolation. When the Minnesota Child W elfare Commission began its study in 1916, it was confronted with the problem o f the proper relation between State and local governments in .child-welfare administration. State machinery for the protection o f children seemed essential, but the commission early felt the need for local adaptation and control. A quotation from the report o f that body is illuminating in this connection: 2 A t present the function of ultimate guardianship is exercised by the State, with respect to handicapped children, only through the courts and the public institutions to which the court makes commitments * * *. Except as to the limited work done by th e Bureau o f W om en and Children o f the State Depart ment of Labor, it is literally true that no State agency in Minnesota is charged with the duty o f seeing that children who need the help o f the State by reason o f their peculiar social handicaps have that help afforded them, either through court action or otherwise. The initiative is le ft with private persons and or ganizations. Present laws lay upon the board o f control general duties in the matter of inspecting certain child-helping organizations and institutions con ducted by th em ; but these law s are fa r too vague to be thoroughly effective, and as to children not in institutions, public or private, the board has no duties whatsoever. 1 This manuscript was completed in March, 1922. 3 Report of the Minnesota Child-Welfare Commission, 1917,, pp. in', 11. Si. Paul 19 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 20 C O U N T Y O R G A N IZ A T IO N FOE C H IL D CARE. It has seemed to the commission, therefore, that the prime requisite o f its scheme is to centralize the State’s authority and duty, so far as practicable, in an official group [the State board of control]. * * * This machinery oper ates in every part of the State through the county child-welfare boards. The coordination o f local agencies with a central one is expected to be an educative force of great value in developing right ideals and methods oh work for children throughout the State, besides affording opportunity and responsi bility for initiative now nowhere found. In this discussion of the organization and development o f childwelfare boards in Minnesota, it is the purpose o f the writer to discuss the relation between the State and the local government in the childwelfare field, with particular emphasis upon the powers and duties o f the county child-welfare boards. It is hardly to be claimed that Minnesota has an ideal plan for local administration. The effort is merely to describe it as it exists after three years o f operation. Before turning directly to the subject it is necessary to consider first the sphere o f governmental activity as distinguished from private effort, and second the general functions o f the State department from which the local boards in part derive their powers. THE SPHERE OF THE PUBLIC AND OF THE PRIVATE AGENCY. What duties in behalf o f children are naturally within the sphere o f governmental as distinguished from private agencies? Apart from institutional care, this question has not been given the amount o f consideration it deserves, because in most parts o f the country State and local governments have been content to permit the private agency to assume the chief responsibility for child care and protec tion. Naturally enough, the more farsighted agencies have been lead ing the movement for a larger measure o f State activity. It is only within very recent times that a mother with dependent children could secure financial cooperation from the county or State in keeping her family together, and in most States, even to-day, that assistance has to be supplemented from private sources. Whatever may be the weaknesses o f charitable organizations, they have done for the State what it should have done for itself by one means or another, and they have in countless cases laid bare the results o f social and industrial maladjustment in a manner which has resulted in remedial measures o f a fundamental nature. Certainly the family case-work agency has played no insignificant part in the development o f workmen’s compensation laws, the minimum wage, and the pro hibition o f child labor. I f the jurisdiction o f the public and o f the private agency in this field has been up to this time largely a matter o f circumstance, the time has come when some general principles must be formulated for the guidance o f those States which are under taking social-welfare programs. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis M IN N E S O T A . 21 In the children’s field the report o f the children’s committee o f the National Conference o f Social W ork made a distinct contribution to the subject when it stated3 that public departments should devote themselves to such work “ as is based on principles that are well es tablished, require the more permanent care, are more general in appli cation, or contain an element o f compulsion or control, while private organizations should seek development in directions that are more experimental, require more temporary care, are more unusual in their application, or are carried on with the cooperation o f the families benefited.” Thte report further expressed the judgment that children’s work not carried on by the State should nevertheless be subject to State regulation and supervision. In other words, it is the obligation o f the State to undertake protective work in those fields where a public board can operate with the greatest propriety and effectiveness, and to be assured that a minimum standard o f efficiency is maintained by private organizations in the lines o f work which they can perform more properly. DUTIES OF THE MINNESOTA STATE BOARD OF CONTROL. To some extent the Minnesota plan conforms to these principles. The State board o f control is the official agency o f the State in fulfilling its obligations to children. This board consists o f five members, o f whom two must be women, appointed by the governor for terms o f six years. Prior to the adoption o f the 1917 legisla tive program, the board had supervision and control over 17 State institutions, including those which cared for dependent, delinquent, and defective minors; it was therefore natural that it should as sume the additional powers necessary to an enlarged program o f care for children outside institutions. Moreover, with a long record o f efficiency behind it, the board had the respect and confidence o f the legislature and o f the community. Under the law o f 1917 the State board o f control was authorized to create a department within itself to administer the new laws relating to child welfare. In pursuance o f that authority, it has established what is known as the children’s bureau o f the State board o f control. The powers and duties o f the board in relation to children are o f a threefold character: First, those o f a general protective nature, such as enforcement o f laws which are designed to protect children from their own anti social conduct or the harmful acts o f adults, and taking initiative to conserve the interests o f children in all matters where adequate provision has not already been made. The protective laws are those 8 Carstens, C. C .: “ A community plan, in children’s work,” in Proceedings of the National Conference of Charities and Correction, 1915, p. 95. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 22 C O U N T Y O R G A N IZ A T IO N FOR C H IL D CARE. requiring that the cases o f juveniles under 18 years o f age charged with delinquency be heard in juvenile courts and net in the courts of ordinary jurisdiction; laws which require children to attend school and which prohibit their employment in industry at an early age; laws relating to sex offenses against young children and girls under the age of 18 years; laws regulating dance halls, pool rooms, and other places o f commercialized recreation; the law providing for the establishment o f the paternity o f children born out o f wed lock; and the county allowance (mothers’ pensions) law for depend ent children. The second group o f duties relates to the authority which is con ferred upon the board to accept the guardianship o f handicapped children o f all types who are committed by the juvenile courts, and to make such disposition o f the children, in either a temporary or a permanent way, as the facts may warrant.4 Third, specific duties are imposed upon the board with regard to particular classes o f children and institutions for their care. Licensing of maternity hospitals and organizations caring for children. The law enjoins the board to cooperate with juvenile courts and all reputable child-caring agencies, and also requires it to license and supervise private societies, agencies, and institutions which receive children for board and care or which place them in family homes. Maternity hospitals—i. e., all hospitals which receive more* than one woman within a period o f six months for confinement care— are sub ject to the same licensing and supervising power. Here is recognition o f the right o f the State to assurance that the care which children are receiving at the hands o f private institutions and organizations is o f such a nature as to provide a fair opportunity for growth and development. In the exercise o f this right, it has been necessary to prevent many who sought to undertake such work from doing so, usually those who were looking for a business opening. In the great majority o f cases the problem has been one o f mutual counsel between the State and the private groups in the attainment o f higher standards and o f at least a minimum o f uniformity in principles and technique. Supervision o f placed-out children. Those agencies which place children in free homes for permanent care or adoption are required to investigate and to report their place4 This authority has been modified somewhat by a recent decision of the Minnesota Supreme Court, which holds that after commitment to guardianship' and before legal adoption by third persons, the juvenile court has jurisdiction, upon a proper showing, to remand children so committed to the custody of their parents from whom they were originally taken. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis MINiSriESOTA. 23 dents to the State board o f control, which investigates such cases and d a y order the return o f the child i f in its opinion the hm*» is not a suitable one. The procedure here involves a duplication o f investi gations by the private agency and the State, which is cumbersome and should be avoided i f possible by am agreement to accept as final the reports o f such agencies as attain a reasonable standard o f pro ficiency in child placement. ■Good placement is fundamental in child-welfare work. Xowbere is there greater need for general agreement between the public and the private agency as to principle and method than in this field, where individual judgment so easily leads to differing opinions and diametrically opposed conclusions. Investigation o f adoptions. Correlated with the subject o f placing children is that o f their legal adoption. It has been the prevailing custom to regard adoption as a strictly legal process based upon the sufficiency o f the papers and affidavits presented to the court having jurisdiction. However, under the Minnesota law, the State board o f control now receives copies o f the petitions filed in such cases and is required to investigate and report to the court as to the suitability o f the child and the foster home, each to the other. The social factors have been given a place o f prime importance in a proceeding which is essentially social in all its implications, as is shown by the fact that adoptions can not be legally perfected until the child has been in the foster home for six months. •/ The problem o f the unmarried mother and her child. The adoption and placement o f children naturally relates itself to the age-long and baffling problem o f illegitimacy, for the child born out o f wedlock is frequently in need o f a foster home. The State hoard o f control functions here by assisting the mother to secure proper care before, during, and after the birth o f her child, and by making it possible for her to perform her natural maternal function in the early care o f the child. I t assists in establishing the paternity o f the child and in conserving the rights and interests o f the mother and child in whatever ways may be necessary. The responsibility o f illegitimate paternity is by law made the same as that o f legiti mate, so far as eare, maintenance, and education are concerned. The board is usually required to be represented in court at these hearings and is authorized, with the approval o f the court, to make financial settlements for the child’s support, to hold money in trust for the child, and to disburse it from time to time, as needed. I f the set tlement is made in lump sum, the principal can thus be conserved! during the full period o f the child’s m inority; in any event, money need be paid out only after a showing, by the mother or other custo https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 24 COUNTY O R G A N IZ A T IO N FOR C H IL D CARE. dian o f the child, that good care and wholesome environment are being provided with the money received. Moreover, the activity o f a public body in securing adequate settlements, either in lump-sum or monthly payments, tends to raise the amounts paid in such cases and consequently improves the standards o f maintenance. The duty o f the board does not end with the settlement, but relates also to the problem o f follow-up care and the determination o f whether the child shall remain with the mother or whether other provision shall, be made fo r him, as good case-work methods may dictate. In general, the duties o f the State office may be sum marized in the language o f the la w : 5 It shall be the duty o f the board of control when notified o f a woman who is delivered of an illegitimate child, or pregnant with child likely to be illegitimate when born, to take care that the interests of the child are safeguarded, that appropriate steps are taken to establish his paternity, and that there is secured for him the nearest possible approximation of the care, support, and education that he would be entitled to i f born of lawful marriage. For the better accom plishment o f these purposes the board may initiate such legal or other action as is deemed necessary; may make such provision for the care, maintenance, and education of the child as the best interests of the child may from time to time require, and may offer its aid and protection in such ways as are found wise and expedient to the unmarried woman approaching motherhood. County allowances for mothers. Minnesota had made provision for county allowances (mothers’ pensions) for several years, and the relief had been administered by the county juvenile-court judge, with such assistance in the way o f social investigation as the individual judge might desire and be able to obtain. In practice very little investigating o f such matters was done except in the counties containing large cities, and the law was administered in a loose, unstandardized fashion. The statute o f 1917 makes it the duty o f the State board o f control to promote uniformity and efficiency in the giving o f this relief by cooperating with and lending assistance to probate courts. It also provides for a State refund o f one-third o f the amount expended by the counties, to be paid upon the approval o f the board. No appro priation has ever been made for this purpose, but in spite o f that fact an interrelationship between the courts and the State and local boards has been developing; this cooperation has seemed to bring about some improvement, and the situation gives hopeful promise for the future. The provisions o f the law permit relief from the county in the maximum sum o f $20 per month for the first dependent child and $15 for each o f the other dependent children. Allowances are 5 Minn. Laws 1917, eh. 194, sec. 2. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis M IN N E S O T A . 25 granted, within the discretion o f the judge o f the juvenile court, for those children who are under the age o f 16 years and not lawfully entitled to an employment certificate, upon a showing that the mother is a widow, or that her husband is an inmate o f a penal institution or a hospital for the insane or for inebriates, or is physically dis abled, or has abandoned his family and has been under indictment for so doing for one year; that the dependency o f the child is not due to the mother’s fault or neglect; that she is a proper person to care for the ch ild; and that the mother is a citizen o f the United States, or that she or her husband has made declaration o f intent to become a citizen, and has resided in the State two years and in the county one year. A mother is not eligible i f she has personal property in excess o f the value o f $100, exclusive o f specified exemptions. The care of the feeble-minded. In the general State program the needs o f the mentally defective have not been ignored. A feeble-minded person is subject to com pulsory commitment to State guardianship when his own interests and those o f the public require it, and the board o f control becomes responsible for the supervision or custodial care o f the patient. It may make such provision as may be needed, within the limits o f its facilities, which in common with those o f all States are somewhat meager. Some relief will be afforded, however, when the new col onies on State land are put into operation as a supplement to the present institution for defectives. The board may also provide for these patients outside the institution, if such a course seems advisable and proper arrangements can be made. SOME OBJECTIONS TO A CENTRALIZED STATE PLAN. Whether this grouping o f functions in a State department is re garded as in conformity with the suggestions o f the committee on children referred to above, will depend, o f course, upon the indi vidual point o f view. Many will find in such a program too much centralization and too little recognition o f group diversities within the State— for example, the various religious organizations, which cherish the privilege o f unhindered welfare activity among their own adherents, and which see in the State organization too little o f the spiritual approach. The Minnesota plan was not intended as a limitation upon private initiative, o f whatever character. Numerous private insti tutions for children and private child-caring and child-placing agencies exist, and the number o f the latter is increasing, though not rapidly. However, Minnesota law frankly accepts the principle that the State, representing all the people, has a right through its 111532°—22----- 3 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 26 C O U N T Y O R G A N IZ A T IO N TOR C H IL D CARE. licensing power to be assured o f the type o f care which all children’s agencies are affording their wards. To prevent the worst type o f individual or agency from exploiting the child, it is necessary to give the State power over all agencies, the best included, for law to be constitutional must be uniform in its application. The real nub o f the argument, probably, lies in the manner in which the licensing power o f the State is exercised, the contention o f some private agencies being that such power may result in restriction, unwarranted regulation, and eventual control. This danger must be admitted in theory, though experience seems to show that private philanthropy on the whole shapes its own destiny, and that public opinion can be relied upon to protect it from undue State interference. Public administration, in the last analysis, must respond to the thoughts and beliefs o f the majority or suffer extinction. That agency which has the highest standard o f service has the least to fear from State interference, because o f the intrinsic merit o f the work it does and because that merit is usually well known to a large group who are vigorous in the support o f its activity. In Minnesota the effort has been to emphasize the standards gen erally accepted as fundamental to child care, involving among other things the placing out o f children in properly selected foster homes, balanced diet, wholesome recreation, regular medical inspection, and proper record keeping. Ho attempts have been made to interfere with internal management or individual policy as to methods. As to standards o f care, the plans for the coming year provide for a committee on medical inspection to formulate a program, the com mittee to have a majority membership from the boards o f directors o f the institutions themselves. It is not too much to say that, with proper cooperative effort on the part o f the State, the child-caring institutions will eventually set for themselves a standard higher than any which the State would dare to impose. Many o f the functions o f the State department here outlined seem to come within that class o f duties which can fairly be regarded as o f settled technique and application, or at least as dependent in some measure upon the exercise o f compulsion through the police power o f the State. This is especially true o f law enforcement, the discharge o f guardianship fo r special classes o f committed children, adoption, and the supervision o f placed-out children. The treat ment o f the unmarried mother and her child, while it has an element o f compulsion on the legal side and presents a peculiar claim upon the public conscience, is nevertheless an experimental field where private agencies can make an increasingly important contribution, particularly in the matter o f follow-up care. F or the feeble-minded, commitment to a public agency, such as the State board o f control, https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis MINNESOTA. 27 is a necessity by reason o f inadequate State institutional facilities and the frequent need for the exercise o f public authority in super vising such patients as are not provided for in institutions. The remainder o f this article will be devoted to a consideration o f the extent to which this broad centralized program o f child care has been decentralized in its application to the local community through the county child-welfare board, in accordance with the principle o f local autonomy and control. THE COUNTY CHILD-WELFARE BOARDS. Minnesota has 86 counties. A t the close o f 1921, 69 counties had child-welfare boards which had been appointed by the State board o f control at the specific request o f the boards o f county commissioners. In its original form the bill proposed by the Minnesota Child-Welfare Commission provided for a board in every county, but the legisla ture amended the plan so as to make the organization -voluntary with the local authorities. I t is a fair assumption that a community not sufficiently interested to make the request would offer scant support to a board organized from without. It has not been necessary to stimulate the local communities in this regard, for they have already made requests faster than the State department could meet the demand. The initiative has frequently been taken by the local membership o f such organizations as the National Fed eration o f Women’s Clubs and the various chapters o f the American Red Cross. The movement attained considerable momentum dur ing the war period, due to the general stimulus toward organization at that time and the heightened interest in human values. It has by no means stopped, though the pace is now somewhat slower; and the problem ahead is how to sustain and further public interest in the work o f these boards as they launch into their various per manent programs. There has been some tendency to regard the community job as completed when the board is organized. This tendency is comparable to that which is sometimes apparent in people who labor unceasingly for legislation, but who are far less concerned about the humdrum routine o f law enforcement. Personnel. The child-welfare boards are composed of from five to seven members—the- latter number in the largest counties o f the State, which contain the three largest cities. The membership is partly appointive and partly ex officio. The county superintendent o f schools and a member o f the board o f county commissioners selected by that board serve by virtue o f their official position. The whole subject o f child welfare is intimately related to the school system, which is an accurate reflector o f the conditions under https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 28 C O U N T Y O R G A N IZ A T IO N FOR C H IL D CARE. which children are living and which has unlimited possibilities in the field o f correction and prevention. Moreover, the enforcement o f the compulsory education law, which is still very imperfect, is one o f the chief problems o f child welfare in any community. Medical inspec tion in the schools, supplementing diet, recreation, the development o f special classes for the physically and mentally handicapped— these are all a vital part o f a well-organized child-welfare program and relate naturally and logically to the work o f a child-welfare board. It is for these reasons that the county superintendent o f schools is an ex officio member. As a rule, the county superintendent is asked to serve upon every county organization having even a remote bear ing on education or educational problems, and he is often overbur dened. For this reason, or occasionally because o f embarrassment which may result from the handling o f cases coming to the attention o f the board, a few superintendents have objected to serving. Usu ally, however, these officials are efficient members o f the boards, and in many cases they are leading spirits ; and as the boards are not with out value to the superintendents in the solution o f their educational problems, the relationship is one o f mutual profit. The board o f county commissioners has general charge o f the ad ministration o f county affairs. It administers the poor-relief fund and the county institutions for the sick, the aged, and the indigent. This board has controlled to some extent the administration o f the county allowance law, by reason o f the fact that it appropriates the money for that purpose. The recommendations of its members as to the granting o f the allowance in individual cases have frequently had weight with the juvenile-court judge. Again, the commissioners are called upon to appropriate money for the expenses o f the childwelfare board, and their contact with the board through official rep resentation gives opportunity for education as to the needs o f its work. The commissioners, with a few splendid exceptions, have been slow to grasp the importance o f the work o f the county child-welfare boards and have not shown that interest which it is hoped may develop as the efficiency and prestige o f the boards grow. It may be added that the solution o f this problem is within the power o f the local boards themselves. In addition to the two ex officio members, three (or five) persons are appointed annually by the State board o f control, and o f these at least two must be women. In making these appointments it has been the policy o f the State office to consult the local public officials and others interested in the work o f the board. B y reason o f the close contact which should exist between the board and the juvenile court judge, his wishes and opinion are o f especial importance, as are those o f the county attorney and the members of the board o f county https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis M IN N E S O T A . 29 commissioners, who frequently make recommendations as to mem bership in the resolution which asks for the organization o f the wel fare group. In the appointment o f members an effort has been made to have various parts o f the county represented, though in some in stances the membership has been selected from or near the county seat. When the members come from remote parts o f the county, some difficulty has been experienced in securing regular attendance at board meetings. Train service is not always convenient, and this means considerable loss of time in going to and from the place o f meeting which is nearly always the county seat, for the reason that the county superintendent o f schools has his office there, and the county commissioners convene at the same place. The question of expense for railroad fare, and for hotel accommodations when it be comes necessary to stay overnight, also, is involved. The obviously ideal arrangement, which has seldom been possible, is to select the membership from within a convenient radius o f the county seat. Among the appointive members o f the child-welfare boards are a total o f 45 men on 68 boards. In every case the county commissioner is a man, and in 35 counties men hold the office o f county superin tendent o f schools. About 43 per cent o f the total membership o f the boards is male, though in most cases the principal burden o f the work is borne by the women. It is important that the movement should not be regarded as exclusively o f interest to women, for the obligation rests upon the community as a whole and should be shared by all. The drawing o f the sex line in matters o f social welfare leads almost inevitably to a sentimental conception o f the task in hand, which is fatal to sound development. Qualifications for board membership are not specified, nor should they be. Interest and activity in social and civic problems, a desire to share in the community life, and a willingness to undertake the duties o f the child-welfare board, are o f course essential. Every community has a few public-spirited citizens who are usually asked to serve upon the various boards and committees which the com munity sustains. It is, therefore, inevitable that such private or semipublic organizations as the American Red Cross chapters and the county public-health associations should be fruitful sources o f membership for county child-welfare boards, and this interlocking directorate ought to make for cooperative effort within the com munity. But effective results in that line have not been achieved save in those counties where plans have consciously been made to secure it. Cooperation does not “ just g row ; ” it must be nurtured. Organization. The boards organize by electing a chairman and secretary, and an effort is made to carry on all the board’s correspondence through https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 30 C O U N T Y O R G A N IZ A T IO N FOR C H IL D CARE. the secretary (except where the board has an executive agent), in order that he may have a complete file o f all matters coming to the board’s attention. This plan is not without its difficulties, because it would often be a saving o f time for the State office, for instance, to write directly to the member of the board who lives nearest the case needing attention. Reference through the secre tary and report back through the same source sometimes delay matters for a considerable period; but any other plan too often means that no official record is kept by the local board, because the secretary is not advised o f the correspondence. It has been exceedingly difficult to impress upon the boards the need for carefully kept records o f all cases and other matters com ing to their attention. Not only should correspondence be carefully preserved, but all the steps in the treatment o f the case should be noted on the file. A public group can not afford to be placed in the position o f not knowing what has taken place in the cases within its jurisdiction. This is particularly true where subsequent court action is involved, and the record is put in evidence. It is equally important to orderly progress that full minutes should be kept o f the board’s transactions, just as the proceedings o f any public body should be available for the information o f those who are en titled to it. A s a matter o f business policy and for the convenience o f the board itself a proper record in this regard is essential. The boards are urged to meet at least once a month for considera tion o f their problems. Some o f the boards, especially those which are most inactive, meet only upon the call o f the chairman; others find meeting more than once a month a necessity; and in the case o f the boards in the larger communities a part o f the work is done through permanent committees, such as those on adoption and the unmarried mother. Financing. The county treasury is the source o f funds for the child-welfare board, and the county commissioners are authorized by law to defray the “ traveling and other necessary expense o f the several members o f the child-welfare board while acting officially as mem bers o f such boards, and o f the executive agents while exclusively employed in the business o f the board.” “ Necessary expense ” is construed to cover that o f attendance at meetings and the investi gation o f cases. The board members do not receive compensation. The salaries o f executive agents must be approved by the com missioners. There is considerable diversity in the manner o f providing funds for the use o f the boards and in the sources o f these funds. In some cases (when no executive agent is employed) the bills as they https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis M IN N E S O T A . 31 are incurred are submitted for monthly audit and approval. In others, and particularly in the large counties, a yearly budget is agreed upon in advance, with the various items o f the budget speci fied. The yearly budget plan has proved to be the most satisfactory, and it is clearly a more dignified and effective arrangement. In a few counties the American Red Cross pays the salary o f an executive agent, who is the joint representative o f that organization and the child-welfare board. In one county the salary is paid jointly by the county and the American Red Cross. Still another plan, adopted in a few counties, is to utilize the services o f the c#unty nurse, giving her the title o f executive agent for the board. So far as financing is concerned, the State plays no part. It is worth considering whether, in view o f the, functions and character o f these boards, the State should not contribute to their maintenance; and the county commissioners might well ask that the State office approve all expenses or budgets, as a matter o f local protection. Such a plan would tend to eliminate unlawful expenditure, which sometimes occurs, and would afford a means for standardizing budgets through comparative study— although this latter result might be achieved in part under the present plan. Certain it is that more careful study must be given in the future to the subject o f financing the county boards. Outside perhaps a dozen o f the Min nesota counties there is little plan or purpose on the financial side. THE NEED FOR TRAINED SERVICE. Enough has been said herein to indicate the breadth and the scope o f local administration in child-welfare work. It remains to be con sidered how the most effective results can be obtained in the carry ing out o f so comprehensive, and at the same time so technical, a program. For the problems faced by the local boards are fre quently o f a character which would tax the patience, ingenuity, and capacity o f the most skilled social worker. The treatment o f child problems involves (to use a medical term) diagnosis rather than investigation. The social worker strives to seek out all the facts and to prescribe a remedial course o f action based on full knowledge. She wants to know the history o f the family, in order to determine whether there is material upon which to build so that the child may remain in his own home and with his own parents instead o f being placed in the unnatural environment o f the institution. Such a basic process as the verification o f the mar riage o f the child’s parents may lead to information which will change the whole course o f treatment. I f the parents are divorced, accurate knowledge o f that fact and o f the time and place may result in securing alimony for the support o f the children. The death o f https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 32 COUNTY O R G A N IZ A T IO N FOR C H IL D CARE. the father or his desertion, if the facts are fully known, may lead to the granting o f a county allowance for the mother. Frequently an analysis o f the family budget will disclose ways in which the income can be increased or more wisely used. #An undernourished child may be restored to full capacity. By securing proper medical examination and such treatment as the needs o f the child may make necessary, possible delinquency may be checked and a laggard in school transformed into a normal pupil. Much is said in these days o f the value o f recreation; if the child’s family does not appreciate the value of play, and if the community offers no opportunity for it, someone must undertake the job of read justing the conditions. The mental condition o f the unmarried mother is o f the utmost im portance in solving her problem, and it should be known as well as her age and place o f residence. A ll are basic facts o f primary con cern to the treatment o f the case. Again, full knowledge will pre vent unwise marriage between the parents o f children born, or to be born, out o f wedlock, where a criminal record or a history o f syphilis, for example, makes such a marriage an almost certain failure from the start. The method o f gathering facts in children’s cases emphasizes the need for training and experience. In the large cities the multiplica tion o f social agencies makes an interchange o f information between them imperative where two or more agencies are dealing, or have dealt, with the same case. Such exchange o f facts results in saving time, in avoiding duplication, and in more intelligent case treatment, because more facts are availa^e. Even in the small town a single child or his family may be known to the school nurse, the county commissioners, church organizations, the county agent, and the county child-welfare board. Each may be ignorant o f what the other knows about the case and may work blindly as a result. The proper use o f all available sources o f information is an art which is acquired by training and experience alone. The doctor, the hos pital, the dispensary, the clinic, the school nurse may each have facts which, if known, will mean the difference between success and failure in case treatment. Too often in children’s work, as distinguished from family case work, the relatives and the neighbors are overlooked, yet they may have a fund o f information useful in itself or as giving clues to further facts. To approach relatives with tact and sympathy, to be able to distinguish between neighborhood gossip o f a malicious or biased character and the true situation, is a difficult and delicate job. One should know what information to seek, what method to use in ob taining it, how to correlate all the facts obtained and apply the sum total to a successful solution o f the problem; and how to do all this https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis M IN N E S O T A . 33 tactfully and with the cooperation o f all concerned. Perhaps this ideal is seldom attained even by a trained worker. In theory, the board should be a policy-making group, directing and supervising the work o f its trained agents, educating the com munity as to methods, and dealing with fundamental improvements in community life as the need is shown through the cases actually handled. Persons o f experience and training in social work should be employed to do the active case work, and they should be the tech nical advisers o f the boards. But, as was anticipated from the in ception o f the program, public opinion moves slowly in such mat ters, and a trained social worker in every county is a hope rather than a reality. The board members for the most part have under taken to do the board’s work themselves, and they have been serving with unusual fidelity and with marked success. They may well be compared to the friendly visitors o f the average charity organiza tion society, giving freely o f their time and service, with the State office striving to supply instruction, assistance, and supervision. This situation has not been without its incidental benefits, for it has brought home to the board members a sense o f the reality and extent o f their problem, as only actual contact with cases can do, and, more than this, has demonstrated the need for an experienced full time worker. Each o f the two largest counties o f the State, Hennepin and Ram sey, whose annual budgets are in the neighborhood o f $12,900 (an ad ditional $12,500 is allowed for the maintenance o f the county nurs ing staff) and $11,500, respectively, has a staff o f Workers numbering about five. St. Louis County, the third in size, has three full-time agents with a budget o f approximately $5,000. Seventeen other counties have either part or full-time service o f various types and under various financial arrangements. In some instances a member o f the board with special qualifications has been appointed execu tive agent on part or full time. In 7 counties the local chapter o f the American Red Cross has generously placed its executive at the disposal o f the welfare board, the county in some cases con tributing toward his salary and expenses. In five counties in addition to the three largest already men tioned the county bears the full expense, and the executive’s full time is devoted to the welfare board. In other counties th.e county nurse has rendered special service from time to time; but this ar rangement raises several questions o f policy: For instance, whether the extent o f social training possessed by the nurse is sufficient for these other duties, and to what lengths she can devote herself to them without jeopardizing the success o f her nursing work; in its favor is the argument o f economy in expense and the elimination o f duplica https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 34 COUNTY O R G A N IZ A T IO N FOR C H IL D CARE. tion o f traveling expenses and visitation o f families. On the whole the effort should be made to divorce the two types o f effort, because o f the large amount o f work to be done and the dissimilarity in the training required. One o f the chief difficulties has been to find agents of maturity and experience in social work who have knowledge of the rural problem and point o f view and who would stay in one place long enough to do a constructive piece o f work. It is indeed the rare person who will consecrate herself to the comparative isolation o f rural life, particularly when she is not working in her home community and does not foresee compensating financial rewards. Salaries average from $125 to $150 per month. The Training School for Social W ork o f the University o f Minne sota is seeking to meet the problem by offering instruction in childwelfare work to its students, many o f whom come from small com munities, to which they may return and labor with contentment and with understanding o f the point o f view and particular problems o f the small town and ©pen country. These qualifications may in part overcome the handicap of youth and comparative inexperience. From the standpoint o f the welfare board there is a danger, which has already appeared, that the employment o f an agent may be re garded as the occasion for shifting the entire burden, thus leaving the board itself practically inactive. Nothing could be more dam aging to the program in the long run, and a wise executive will re quire a full quota o f interest and assumption o f responsibility by her board. It is one o f her most important duties to hold regular meetings o f the board, secure full attendance, submit reviews o f all cases which are ready for final decision by the board, and require the board to pass judgment upon questions o f policy and in regard to important steps in the treatment o f cases—court action, for in stance, should that appear to be necessary. There is a tendency, in the desire o f the executive to get results without delay, to forget that the board has the ultimate authority and responsibility in these mat ters, and, incidentally, that it is frequently in need o f education. DUTIES OF LOCAL BOARDS IN RELATION TO STATE DEPART MENTS. The law provides that the county child-welfare board “ shall per form such duties as may be required o f it by the said board o f con trol.” 6 The general duties o f the State board have already been outlined. The duties o f the local board are for the most part dele gated, though, as will hereafter appear, this is not always the case. « Minn. Laws 1917, ch. 194, sec. 4. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis M IN N E S O T A . 35 The guiding principle in the Minnesota plan has been that o f cen tralization of responsibility in the State board of control and de centralization o f administration through the county child-welfare boards. The children’s bureau o f the State board o f control is or ganized to accomplish that purpose in the following manner: A director in*general charge. A case supervisor in charge o f case work. Five field representatives, each o f whom has a district including from 15 to 20 counties, which she visits for advice and consul tation. A department for the feeble-minded. A department for the licensing and supervision o f maternity hospitals and children’s institutions. The precise relationship between the State board and the county group, and the manner in which they cooperate, may be shown best through a description of the procedure in various types o f cases. Adoption proceedings. When an adoption petition is filed with the clerk of the district court which has jurisdiction, a copy is sent to the children’s bureau o f the State board o f control. The case supervisor immediately refers the petition to the secretary o f the child welfare board in the county where the petitioners reside, which in each case is the county where the petition was originally filed. W ith the petition is sent a general letter o f instruction bearing on the procedure and manner o f inves tigation, and a standard form upon which to record the necessary information concerning the proposed foster parents, their home, and the history o f the child. The secretary o f the local board, if there is no full-time executive secretary, refers the matter to that member of the board living nearest to the petitioners, who makes a personal investigation and reports back to the secretary. The matter is then taken up by the local board for the purpose o f making a recommenda tion either for or against the petition; the recommendation, with the information blank properly filled out, is forwarded to the children’s bureau. The case supervisor then goes over the report to determine whether the investigation has been carefully and thoroughly made and whether the facts disclosed support the recommendation. A formal recommendation, with a detailed report, is then sent by the State office to the court from which the petition was forwarded, unless further information or investigation is desired of the local board. In the latter event further inquiry is made by letter from the case supervisor or by personal contact between the field representative and the county board. Through this contact the effort is made to keep the county board organization active and functioning and to establish the best possible standards o f investigation and case work. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 36 COUNTY O R G A N IZ A T IO N FOR C H IL D CARE. I f the petition is forwarded from a county where no child-welfare board exists the investigation is made directly by the field repre sentative, unless there is a suitable correspondent in the community. A decision in these matters made by the local board is rarely over turned by the State office, for the reason that the investigation made in the community by those living there, if conducted in a proper manner, ought to be a more satisfactory basis of decision than any other. Moreover, the placing o f full responsibility upon the welfare board is conducive to better work and a broader conception o f duty. The exercise o f judgment and discretion and a share in the final decision transform the local board from a mere agent of the State office to a group having not only responsibility, but power as well. The emphasis o f the State office is laid upon proper method and technique in securing the necessary information. In the case o f legal adoption the power of the State board of con trol is merely to recommend to the court a proper disposition, the court then determining what action shall be taken. I f the adoption is granted in the face o f an adverse recommendation, the matter is closed. I f the adoption is denied the child can be taken from the petitioners without their consent or that o f the guardian o f the child if there is one, only upon proof in juvenile court o f dependency, delinquency, or neglect. It should be noted here that facts which might lead an adminis trative body to disapprove an adoption may hot be regarded by a juvenile court judge as legally sufficient to justify the removal o f the child upon the grounds just mentioned. Consequently, in some cases the State board o f control has disapproved o f adoptions and has at the same time been powerless to remove the child from the home. In some cases a final disapproval is not recommended, but a request is made for a continuance o f the matter for a stated period pending possible improvement o f conditions. Placed-out children. In the case o f children placed out for permanent care in foster homes (which frequently results in adoption) the procedure is the same, save that the agency which places the child makes a full pre liminary investigation, which is forwarded to the children’s bureau o f the State board o f control when the report o f the placement is made, as required by law. In the case o f a placed-out child the placing agency, which is always licensed by the State board o f control, usually has guardian ship o f the child, and upon disapproval o f the placement the board has authority to order the removal of the child by the organization which placed him, https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis MINNESOTA. 37 The child born out of wedlock. In the treatment o f the problem o f the child bom out o f wedlock and his mother, the procedure is not so simple and clear cut. The cases are usually reported to the State office in one o f three ways: (1) Every hospital in which a child is born out o f wedlock must report such birth to the State board o f control (many illegitimate births do not occur in hospitals, and some are not reported accurately as illegitimate by the hospitals themselves); (2) the county attorney who prosecutes the proceedings to establish paternity, or the judge by whom the case is heard, may report the matter to the State board of control; (3) the case may be reported by the physician, a friend, a relative, or other interested person or agency. In some instances the case may originally be brought to the attention o f the county childwelfare board and reported by it to the State office. In any event the local board in the county from which the report or inquiry comes is charged with the initial responsibility, whether the matter comes to its attention originally or is referred by the State office. I f the child is yet unborn, the mother is visited by a board member or agent and advised as to her rights and duties; plans are made for proper confinement care, the identity o f the father o f the child is ascertained, if possible, and steps are taken to establish paternal re sponsibility either through agreement or through court action, with the cooperation o f the county attorney who prosecutes such cases. In a very considerable number o f cases the unmarried mother comes to one o f the large cities to be confined in one o f the specialized ma ternity hospitals, where she may have seclusion before the birth o f the child and during a nursing period consisting usually o f three months. In such a case the welfare board o f the county where the child is born has original jurisdiction, but cooperates with the board in the county o f the mother’s residence, which in most instances is the residence o f the father o f the child. Full jurisdiction may be transferred eventually to the latter county, where the matter o f paternity must usually be settled and where the follow-up care for .mother and child must be worked out if they return to the mother’s place o f residence. The disposition o f the case is largely in the hands o f the local board, subject to the approval and the general supervision o f the State office, which makes suggestions as to pro cedure in the working out o f general policies of care and treatment and the establishment o f proper cooperation between the various boards concerned. I f financial support is obtained it is generally administered through the local board, which visits the mother from time to time to determine whether the money is being used properly and the child is receiving good care. I f the mother desires to keep the child with https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 38 COUNTY O R G A N IZ A T IO N FOR C H IL D CARE. her or to board him out, though still retaining her right to custody, she is helped to do so. Assistance is given her in making such plans by reestablishing her contact with her home if she is to return to it, or by finding employment for her and a suitable boarding place for the baby if that is desired. I f it appears that the mother is unwill ing or unable to care for the child, or if his best interest will not be conserved by his remaining in her custody, the plan is to have the child committed to a suitable child-placing agency through a juvenile-court proceeding. In any event the direct and immediate contact is between the mother and child *and the county child-welfare board. When legal proceedings are undertaken the county board acts as next friend to the mother by aiding her in presenting her case to the prosecuting officer (the county attorney) and by having a representa tive in court during the trial o f the case. The law provides for notification to the State board o f control when the paternity o f the child has been established and the matter o f determining the settle ment is to be considered. The local board is then requested by the State office to act as its agent and to appear and advise the court fully concerning the social facts o f the case and the financial ability o f the man. A recommendation is usually made as to the amount to be paid by him; but in all adjudicated cases the ultimate power to fix the amount, either in lump sum or in monthly payments, is vested in the court. The court may designate the State board o f control or the county child-welfare board as the recipient and trustee o f whatever money payments are required o f the man. In either case the fund is disbursed under the immediate direction o f the local board. I f the case is one in which the settlement is to be without a legal adjudication o f paternity, but by voluntary acknowledgment o f the man and payment o f a lump sum in discharge of the obliga tion, the law authorizes the State board o f control to fix the settle ment subject to the approval o f the court. Here again the settle ment is usually based upon the investigations and recommendations o f the local board, and the funds may be held by that board as trustee for the use and benefit o f the child. Here, as in the case o f the adoption and placement o f children, the local board is required to keep a full record o f its treatment of the problem and to submit its reports to the State office for advice and suggestion or ultimate decision. There is an obvious difficulty in this procedure, namely, that the mother may object to a number of persons being informed o f her plight, especially those living in her own community. As a safeguard, the board members have repeat edly been pledged to regard such matters as o f a confidential char acter, not to be disclosed except to the proper persons or officials. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis M IN N E S O T A . 39 The danger o f disclosure is now fairly well avoided, though not entirely so. It is interesting to observe, however, that in most cases the community is already aware o f the situation which the mother believes unknown. I f she has been at all loose in her action, this, combined with her prolonged absence from home is sufficient cause for gossip. The object of the board is to aid and protect the mother and her child and to safeguard both from the malice o f the com munity, and this responsibility is being met for the most part. Certainly no type o f case emphasizes the need for trained social workers in the field o f child welfare with greater force than does that o f the unmarried mother and her child, in spite o f the loyal and devoted service which board members have rendered in this connection. The feeble-minded. In the care and treatment o f the feeble-minded, it is the duty of the county child-welfare board to see that cases needing public guardianship are brought to the attention o f the probate judge o f the county, who has jurisdiction to determine the existence of mental defect and to commit to the State board o f control. The Minne sota definition o f a feeble-minded person is “ any person, minor or adult, other than an insane person, who is so mentally defective as to be incapable o f managing himself and his affairs, and to require supervision, control, and care for his own or the public welfare.” The gathering o f all the social facts involving family history and conduct is an administrative job and one which requires patient social investigation. I f commitment is determined upon, three courses are open, the choice among which will be determined by the facts o f the individual case: (1) The patient may be sent to a State institution; or (2) be taken from his present environment and placed in a new one; or (3) be left in his present surroundings but with supervision. In the two latter cases the county child-welfare board in cooperation with the State office can render and has rendered valuable service— in addition to that o f preparing the case for hear ing before the probate judge for commitment—by finding relatives, friends, or interested persons willing to take the patient, and by visiting the homes where patients are living, in order to assist in affording them protection from exploitation and in making neces sary adjustments as problems arise within the family group or in the community. The reports o f the local board in these cases are sent to the State office and are reviewed by the supervisor o f the department for the feeble-minded. The duty o f the State office here is similar to that with reference to unmarried mothers. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 40 C O U N T Y O R G A N IZ A T IO N FOR C H IL D CARE. OTHER ACTIVITIES OF COUNTY BOARDS. Local administration of county allowances. Thus far have been considered the duties o f the county childwelfare board which are for the most part delegated by the State board o f control, in which the ultimate responsibility is vested. Other responsibilities of a more direct nature rest upon the local board. The judge o f the juvenile court may, at his discretion, call upon the board for investigation o f applications for county allow ances (mothers’ pensions) and for follow-up supervision when the allowances are granted; Whether a mother is eligible for help can be safely determined only after careful inquiry, which a court pro ceeding alone does not permit. When the assistance is given, there is need for wise eounsel in household problems and friendly advice in the determination o f the family budget, and in the manner in which expenditures are made; for the county is entitled to know whether its money is'being wisely spent in the interests o f the de pendent children and for their permanent benefit. This neighborly service is one which county child-welfare boards can well perform, and in many counties they are undertaking it with a fair degree o f success. The Hennepin County Child-Welfare Board has a specially or ganized committee, appointed at the request o f the juvenile court judge, to consider all applications for county allowances, reviewing the facts o f each case, preparing the family budget, and making recommendations to the court in each instance. Allowances previ ously made are regularly reviewed by this committee to ascertain that the purposes o f the law are being fulfilled. Probation and school-attendance work. The juvenile court judge may, and frequently does, call upon the members and agents o f the local board to act as probation officers in the preliminary investigation and follow-up care o f cases involving dependency, neglect, and delinquency, and the school authorities may call upon them to act as attendance officers in the enforcement o f the compulsory education laws. County health nursing. Under a recent law, the county child-welfare board may super vise and direct the activity of the county health nurses, and in Henne pin County (containing the city o f Minneapolis) the entire county nursing system is under the board’s jurisdiction. Law enforcement. In law enforcement the welfare boards find a large field o f en deavor.. The prevention o f child labor, the keeping of children in school for the full le^al period, the prosecution o f sex offenses (par https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis M IN N E S O T A . 41 ticularly those against young girls), and the proper regulation o f places o f commercialized recreation— such as public pool rooms arid dance halls— are all matters within the peculiar province o f these groups. With such duties the boards naturally become centers, towhich all cases involving the care and well-being o f children are reported, and in some counties they have become informal “ confi dential exchanges,” where records are kept o f all children who have; come to the attention o f social and philanthropic agencies. STATE CONFERENCES OF CHILD-WELFARE BOARDS. The law provides for the attendance at the annual State confer ence o f social work o f one member o f the county child-welfare board at the expense o f the county. (The juvenile-court judge is also per mitted to attend under the same circumstances.) A t this conference special sessions are held for the county groups' for the discussion o f methods, relationships, and ideals. In 1921 a plan was started for regional or district conferences; whereby a small group o f boards may meet together for the exchange o f ideas and experience. Much is expected o f these smaller con ferences, which can be of a more informal nature and which a. larger number o f board members can attend. It is also hoped that public meetings can be arranged for in the community where the conference is held— and at the same time—so that an opportunity may be afforded for general discussion and education, which are se essential to the successful development o f the work o f these boards and the enforcement o f laws for child protection. * EDUCATION AND PREVENTION. On the side o f education and preventive work the boards are just, beginning to realize their possibilities. Through attendance at the State conference of social work an opportunity is afforded for in struction, discussion o f special problems, and interchange o f viewsand experience, and the regional conferences will aid that process. It is everywhere apparent that the various communities must bo more thoroughly informed as to the meaning, purposes, and ideals o f the laws for child protection, and the functions of the welfare, boards. Moreover, the case-work method in this field—i. e., careful individual investigation and treatment o f each case—is not under stood by the average citizen, who is likely to regard this method, as the members o f the boards themselves sometimes do, as officious meddling with private affairs in a manner that is odious and involves much red tape. Again, the very technical nature o f the job which confronts the lay members o f county child-welfare boards places a special burden. 111532°— 22-----4 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 42 COUNTY ORGANIZATION TOR CHILD CARE. o f education upon the State office. The local conferences will achieve the double purpose o f instructing the boards and educating the community. A study o f environmental conditions is needed to determine what community influences are restricting the child^s full development or leading him into positively harmful paths. The child-welfare hoard as the official agency o f the county for the protection o f childhood must concern itself in the future with these fundamental factors while it deals with the individual cases o f maladjustment. Too much absorption in individual problems without a vision o f the larger underlying causes and the means o f fundamental reconstruc tion frequently results in discouragement and disappointment to hoard members. People must be inspired to the broader field o f pre vention while they seek individual remedy. Minnesota is beginning to realize the possibilities o f preventive work, and its program will develop in proportion as that phase is duly emphasized. The Minnesota plan o f county administration, with centralization o f authority in the State department, has not been operative long enough to permit anything like a final judgment as to its ultimate suc cess in establishing the right balance between these two units o f gov ernment in the solution o f their joint problem. Within the structure o f the plan is found recognition o f the need for local responsibility and control, and upon the proper development o f the county childwelfare board system under wise and sympathetic guidance from the State board.of control and its agents depends the future o f the whole State program. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis TH E NORTH CAROLINA SYSTE M OF COUNTY PUBLICW E L F A R E W O RK .1 R oland F . B e a s l e y , Former Commissioner of PuMic Welfare, North Carolina. A COUNTY SYSTEM ADAPTED TO RURAL POPULATIONS. T h e d e v e lo p m e n t o f th e N o r t h C a r o lin a p la n o f p u b lic w e lfa r e to its p r e s e n t m a r k e d s u c c e s s p r e s e n ts a v e r y in t e r e s t in g a n d in s t r u c tiv e s to r y , n o t o n ly in th e s tu d y o f s o c ia l s e r v ic e b u t in c o n n e c t io n w it h p o lit ic a l a n d le g is la t iv e r e a c tio n s th e re to . The State has both manufacturing and agricultural interests, the latter predominating. It has only a few cities containing so much as 40,000 or 50,000 population. Except for the lack o f a foreign popu lation, the social problems o f its cities differ in magnitude rather than in kind from those o f the large cities o f the country. But the State’s total population o f two and one-half million, scattered over a wide area, was without any organized social service whatever, until four years ago. Obviously, the experience o f such a State in developing its social resources must afford a valuable example to many o f the States o f the Union. North Carolina can offer nothing o f value to the large cities where social work has reached its greatest development and has been longest in operation. But it does offer a great deal to States with conditions similar to its own and to those agencies which are now studying the small town and rural com munity— a field which, after too long neglect, is now quite generally recognized as offering great opportunities for achievement in social work. T h e N o r t h C a r o lin a p la n m a y ju s t ly b e c a lle d a s ta te -w id e p la n , s in c e i t c a lls fo r an o r g a n iz a tio n in each cou n ty a m e n a b le t o th e S ta te b o a r d o f c h a r itie s a n d p u b lic w e lfa r e a n d d e p e n d e n t u p o n it f o r a d v ic e , f o r d ir e c t io n , f o r in t e r p r e t a t io n o f th e la w s , a n d f o r t h a t g e n e r a l a s sista n ce w it h o u t w h ic h s u c c e s s fu l c o u n t y w o r k c o u ld n o t b e a c c o m p lis h e d . The w h o le s c h e m e is fle x ib le , a n d its e x e c u tio n g iv e s w id e la t it u d e f o r th e p e r s o n a lit y o f t h e o ffic ia ls a n d w o r k e r s . 'T h is manuscript was completed in December, 1921. See also paper by Mrs. Clarence A. Johnson, present Commissioner of Publie Welfare of North Carolina, on “ The Organi zation of county juvenile courts in a rural State,” in Proceedings of the Conference on Juvenile-Court Standards, Ü . S. Children’ s Bureau. Washington, 1922. Publication No. 97, pp. 75-81. 43 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 44 C O U N T Y O R G A N IZ A T IO N FOR C H IL D CARE, This latitude was its salvation in the initial period. It can readily be seen that, in a State where local self-government is highly prized and vigorously maintained and practiced, and where the amount o f social work to be done in a single county might not be sufficient, in the estimation o f the public, to warrant the expenditure o f much money or the employment o f many workers—if any at all—no cutand-dried plan and method o f work could be imposed from without in a short period. The State board, therefore, carefully nurtured the growth of the work in each county and gave it time for development. The statute creating the State board o f charities and public welfare3 and defining its duties was passed by the legislature of 1917. It was intended that for two years the board should have $15,000 a year from the State to carry on its work. Through legisla tive oversight no appropriation was made. The members of the board borrowed $10,000 on their own indorsement for the two years. A State commissioner o f public welfare was elected and began work. A t this time the system was not obligatory on the counties but only permissive, and none o f the counties chose to accept it. The com missioner therefore spent his time in educational work and in pre paring the way for a better law and greater support at the follow ing session. His experience and knowledge o f the State convinced him o f the necessity o f having the county organization law made com pulsory, o f including in the general plan the enforcement o f school attendance, and o f enacting a state-wide and modern juvenile court law. At the time there was not a juvenile court in the State. The legislature o f 1919 provided for all these things and made an appro priation sufficient for a fairly adequate staff for the State board.4 The plan upon which the North Carolina Board o f Charities and Public Welfare is working has created considerable interest among public-welfare students and officials, as well as among those whose constructive thinking is directed toward a larger interpretation and development o f the whole field o f charities, corrections, and general public welfare. This interest is due largely to a number o f special features, chief among which are the state-wide program, the county plan, the special emphasis upon the development o f rural life,-and the close correlation between education and public welfare. The feature about which most interest has centered is the county plan of organization, which this paper will briefly describe. THE STATE-WIDE PROGRAM. The present organization of the state-wide system o f public wel fare comprises a State board of charities and public welfare, com- 3N. C. Laws 1917, cb. 170. ‘ N. C. Laws 1919, cb. 46. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 45 NORTH CAROLINA. p o s e d o f s e v e n m e m b e r s a p p o in t e d b y th e g o v e r n o r a n d s e r v in g w ith out pay. T h is b o a r d e le c ts a c o m m is s io n e r o f p u b lic w e lfa r e a n d a c o n s u ltin g e x p e rt. T h e w o r k o f th e b o a r d is c la s s ifie d u n d e r fiv e d iv is io n s : C o u n t y o r g a n iz a t io n ; c h ild w e lfa r e ; in s t itu tio n a l s u p e r v is io n a n d a id ; m e n ta l h y g ie n e ; a n d e d u c a tio n , p r o m o t io n , a n d p u b lic it y . C o u n t y o r g a n iz a t io n in c lu d e s c o o p e r a t io n w it h c o u n t y b o a r d s o f p u b lic w e lfa r e , c o u n t y c o m m is s io n e r s , a n d c o u n t y b o a r d s o f e d u c a t io n ; c o o p e r a t io n w it h a n d s u p e r v is io n o f t h e ^ v o r k o f th e c o u n t y s u p e r in t e n d e n t s o f p u b l i c w e l fa r e , s ta n d a r d iz a tio n o f w o r k in c h ild w e lfa r e ; a id to m o th e r s ; a n d o t h e r s o c ia l w o r k , s u c h a s o u t d o o r r e lie f, w o r k in th e c o u n t y h o m e s , a n d th e o t h e r fe a t u r e s o u tlin e d u n d e r th e c o u n t y p la n . T h e c h ild - w e lfa r e w o r k in c lu d e s c h ild - p la c in g a n d a llie d a c tiv itie s , c o o p e r a t io n w it h c h ild r e n ’s in s t itu tio n s a n d ju v e n ile c o u r ts , a n d a id in th e e n fo r c e m e n t o f s c h o o l a tte n d a n ce . T h e d iv is io n o f in s t itu tio n a l s u p e r v is io n r e la te s t o a ll in s t itu tio n s f o r th e s o c ia lly d e fic ie n t, in c lu d in g th o s e fo r d e p e n d e n t, d e lin q u e n t, a n d d e fe c tiv e c h ild r e n , th e penal in s t it u t io n s , th e h o s p it a ls f o r t h e in s a n e , c o u n t y h o m e s , a n d o th e r s . T h e m e n ta l-h y g ie n e w o r k in c lu d e s p s y c h ia t r ic s e r v ic e in th e f o r m o f c lin ic s , s p e c ia l e x a m in a tio n s , in d iv id u a l a n d g r o u p te s ts , re s e a rch , a n d p r o m o t io n o f m e n ta l h e a lth in th e S ta te . T h e w o rk o f ed u ca tio n , p r o m o tio n , a n d p u b lic it y c o m p r is e s s p e c ia l e ffo r t s to in te r p r e t th e p u r p o s e s a n d id e a ls o f p u b lic - w e lfa r e w o r k a n d t o e n c o u r a g e its s u c c e s s fu l o r g a n iz a tio n in th e S ta te . T h e s e in c lu d e th e Q u a r t e r ly B u lle t in , th e M o n t h ly N e w s L e t t e r , s p e c ia l s tu d ie s a n d r e s e a r c h , d is t r i c t c o n fe r e n c e s , in s t it u t e s o f p u b l i c w e lf a r e , n e w s p a p e r p u b l i c i t y , a n d p a r t ic ip a t io n in S ta te a n d s e c tio n a l c o n fe r e n c e s . F rom th is b r i e f s u r v e y o f th e s ta te -w id e p r o g r a m th e c o m p r e h e n s iv e n e s s o f th e c o u n t y w o r k b e g in s t o s ta te -w id e sy s te m s o m e t h in g app ear. of The e m p h a s iz e s a n d m a k e s e a s ie r th e s t a n d a r d iz a t io n o f w o r k in th e c o u n tie s a n d th e d e v e lo p m e n t o f p u b lic - w e lfa r e w o r k in th e r u r a l c o m m u n it ie s , a n d i t e n a b le s t h e b o a r d o f p u b l i c w e l f a r e t o a lig n it s e lf c lo s e ly w ith th e d e p a r tm e n ts o f e d u c a tio n a n d p u b lic h e a lth a n d w it h o t h e r d e p a r tm e n ts . F r o m th e d e ta ils o f th e c o u n t y sy s te m o th e r a d v a n ta g e s w ill a p p e a r , s u ch as th e s u p e r v is io n o f c h ild p la c in g and w o r k e r s ; th e r e c e iv in g a n d o f m oth ers’ a id ; th e tr a in in g o f s o c ia l d e v e lo p m e n t o f a s ta t e -w id e s o c ia l c o n s c io u s n e s s ; a n d -th e p r o m o t i o n o f e f f ic i e n t o r g a n i z a t i o n . ORGANIZATION OF COUNTY WORK. T h e c o u n t y p l a n o f o r g a n i z a t i o n is a s f o l l o w s : E a c h c o u n t y i n t h e S t a te is to h a v e a s u p e r in t e n d e n t o f p u b lic w e lfa r e , j o i n t l y e le c te d b y th e b o a r d o f c o u n t y c o m m is s io n e r s a n d th e c o u n t y b o a r d o f e d u c a tio n . T h e ir s e le c t io n m u s t b e a p p r o v e d b y th e S ta te c o m m is s io n e r o f p u b lic w e lf a r e , a f t e r w h ic h a n o ffic ia l c e r t ific a te w i l l b e is s u e d b y https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 46 COUNTY ORGANIZATION FOR CHILD CARE. the board o f county commissioners. The salary o f the superintend ent, which should be adequate, is to be provided, in equal shares, by the two boards. In counties o f less than 32,000 population, the lead ership in the work o f public welfare may be assigned to the county superintendent o f schools, who shall receive no additional pay for the work, but who may be given assistance in performing the duties involved. The county superintendent o f public welfare may select such assistants and office force as are authorized by the county board. W orking with the county superintendent o f pjiblic welfare is a county board o f public welware, the members o f which are civicminded men and women appointed by the State board o f charities and public welfare. The duties and opportunities o f the county superintendent o f public welfare are such as to challenge the best efforts o f trained full-time workers and to constitute an incentive for the training of public leaders in this field. In general, the duties of the county superin tendent o f public welfare may be said to include work in the five divisions o f State organization— administration and organization o f the county office, child welfare, cooperation with institutions, care for the defective, and education o f the people in the principles o f public welfare. Technically the duties o f the county superintendent o f public wel fare may be classified as follows: 1. Administration of the (ountÿ office and cooperation with the State department. (а) To maintain and perfect the office o f county superintendent, keeping a satisfactory set of records and making such reports as may be necessary. (б ) To act as agent o f the State board o f charities and public welfare in any work to be done by the State board within the county. (c ) To inspect and investigate county homes, convict camps, and alms houses, and report to the State board of charities and public wel fare such matters respecting these institutions as may be required by the State board. (d ) To act as secretary o f the county board o f public welfare. (e ) To assist the State child-welfare commission in the enforcement o f the child-labor law. 2. Child welfare. ( а ) T o look after and help children who are in danger of becoming delinquent or dependent and prevent such children from falling into delinquency or neglect. (б ) To exercise oversight of dependent children who have, under the direction o f the State board, been placed in homes within the confines o f the county. 3. Charities and corrections, (a) To investigate applications for relief made to the county commis sioners and advise them as to proper disbursements o f poor funds or other proper action relative to such cases. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis NORTH CAROLINA. 47 3. Charities and corrections— Continued. (&) To supervise and help persons discharged from hospitals for the insane and other State institutions, including prisons, reforma tories, institutions for children, etc. (e) To exercise oversight o f persons in the county on parole from the penitentiary and from reformatories. (d ) To help the unemployed to obtain employment. (e) To study conditions and causes of poverty and distress in the county. 4. Probation and juvenile-court work. (а ) To act as probation officer for children adjudged delinquent by the courts and to assume, under the direction of the court, the work of ' guardianship of children adjudged neglected. (б ) To act as chief probation officer, where any probation officers are already employed or are subsequently to be appointed in the county or in cities in the county. 5. School attendance enforcement. A s chief school-attendance officer, to enforce the compulsory education law, dealing particularly with those eases where nnexcused absences require investigation and action. 6. Community organization. (a ) To assist in the correlation o f community social agencies and to cooperate with other groups. (b ) To enforce laws relating to amusement places or other commercial recreation. (c ) To promote wholesome recreation throughout the county for adults and children. . • STATE-W IDE SYSTEM OF JUVENILE COURTS. North Carolina has a state-wide system of juvenile courts by which court protection and care are provided for every delinquent, depend ent, and neglected child under 16 years o f age in the State. Those familiar with the history o f juvenile court development know that while courts o f this character have generally been provided for urban populations throughout the country, the principle is being extended to rural populations slowly and with difficulty. How this State has undertaken to cover its whole territory at once is a matter o f peculiar importance to all persons and agencies interested in the general subject. Prior to the year 1919 North Carolina had a general statute by which any criminal court might voluntarily assume the functions o f a juvenile court; but it is hardly#necessary to say that nothing worth while came o f this statute for lack o f proper court machinery and o f an understanding as to what a juvenile court should be. The legis lature o f 1919 established a uniform system for the State, made a court in each county mandatory, and included in the law the most modern principles of the juvenile court. The court system o f the State having jurisdiction over adults is embraced in 20 judicial districts known as superior-court districts, with 20 judges covering the districts and holding court at stated https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 48 COUNTY O R G A N IZ A T IO N FOR C H IL D CARE. periods in each of the 100 counties. A resident clerk o f the court is elected in each county; he keeps the court open at all times for the transaction o f all business not requiring the presence of the presiding judge. In order to divorce the juvenile court from the old ideas o f criminal procedure and make it in fact an educational and discipli nary agency embracing the fundamental work of social adjustment, it was necessary to set up entirely new agencies in each county. In small rural counties there was not sufficient work to justify the employment o f men devoted exclusively to carrying on a juvenile court, and it was, therefore, impossible to have such courts unless they could be tied up with some already existing and stable agency. The plan was adopted o f making the superior-court clerks ex officio judges o f the juvenile courts for their respective counties. The juvenile court statute is explicit as to procedure and puts into the hands o f these judges the powers and duties attaching to the most modem juvenile courts. “ Here are 100 untrained men,” it may be said, “ who are suddenly given powers and duties with which they are not familiar, and for which they have had no special training. How will the plan work out in practice?” The answer is that it works out satisfactorily, for several reasons. These superior-court clerks are men o f common sense and good judgment as well as o f human sympathies, else they could not have been elected to their present position under the circum stances existing in this State. They are elected for long terms; they are thoroughly familiar with the people o f their counties; many of them are Sunday-school and church workers or school officials; and they are always on the job, can be reached easily by the central au thority residing in the State board o f charities and public welfare, and are not only teachable but anxious to learn. Probably no other group o f 100 men could have been selected who would be so well fitted to take up the work. Given a juvenile-court judge and a mandatory procedure in each county, the next step was to provide a paid probation officer for each court. Here again a satisfactory combination was made. The county superintendent o f public welfare, appointed by the county commissioners and the county board o f education, is the chief proba tion officer for the county juvenile* court. The 100 counties o f the State vary in population from 5,000 to 80,000, and in area from less than 200 to nearly 1,000 square miles. This variation in size and population necessitates a certain elasticity in the county system, and this point is met by making the county superintendent the chief official and providing supplementary help where needed. The county superintendents o f public welfare are selected from former teachers and school superintendents, young men having had Y. M. C. A. training or having done some war-service work, and, in https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis NORTH 49 C A R O L IN A . the more populous counties, from those having some training in actual probation work and in social work o f a general nature. The juvenile-court judges and their probation officers (the countysuperintendents of public welfare) are called together from time to time and given instructions in their duties. The courts and the superintendents are both under the general supervision o f the State board o f charities and public welfare, whose approval is necessary for the appointment o f all probation officials. At the head o f the State board’s division o f child welfare, established in 1921, is a trained person whose business it is to keep in constant contact with the court and probation work and assist in difficult situations. ENFORCEMENT OF THE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE LABOR LAWS. AND CHILD The first child labor bill introduced in the Legislature o f North Carolina was that o f 1887. It was a typical prohibitive measure, and it was opposed and defeated by representatives o f cotton manufac turers, aided by the general apathy on the subject existing at that time. Similar measures were brought before successive legislatures, and in 1903 a mild measure was passed without any special provision for its enforcement. There was no attempt at enforcement o f childlabor legislation by State authorities in North Carolina until after the first Federal child labor la w 5 came into existence. A bill drawn along thé lines o f modem legislation was introduced in the legisla ture o f 1919 and was passed. This law not only prohibits the work o f children under 14, but also carries the concept o f positive childwelfare work. Its administration is closely linked with the enforce ment o f school attendance, with the promotion o f a system o f public amusements and recreation, and with social care for children who are forbidden gainful employment. A fter some contention as to what machinery should ,be provided for carrying it out, a special childwelfare commission was created, composed o f ex officio members— the State superintendent o f public instruction, the secretary o f the State board o f health, and the State commissioner o f public welfare. Representatives o f the cotton manufacturers took the lead in pro posing this solution o f the question. In each county the county superintendent o f public welfare, besides acting as probation officer, serves as a compulsory school-attendance officer fo r the whole county and as the local representative o f the State child-welfare commission in enforcing the child labor law. The county superintendents o f public-welfare work under the direction o f the executive officer o f the State child-welfare commis6 39 Stat. 675. This law became effective September 1, 1917, and was declared un constitutional June 3, 1918. The Federal child labor tax law (40 Stat. 1138) became effective April 25, 1919, and was declared unconstitutional May 15, 1922. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 50 COUN TY ORGANIZATION TOR CHILO CARE. sion, which, has only enough funds to employ one general executive officer and an office stenographer. They are instructed to start with school attendance as a basis for their operations. Every child under 14 years o f age is expected to be in school. I f he is not there, the school authorities report his absence to the county superintendent of public welfare, who proceeds to find the child, to ascertain the cause that is keeping him from school, and to take such measures as are necessary to secure his attendance. Whether the superintendent finds the child on the street or in a mercantile establishment or in a manu facturing plant, the situation is the same; the child is required to enter school. No exceptions are permitted. On visiting a county, the executive officer o f the commission, with the county superintendent o f public welfare, inspects the industrial plants, consults with their managers or owners, and in every way seeks to bring out helpful suggestions bearing upon the local situa tion. Many o f the manufacturers are asking his advice in regard to plans along various lines o f community development, including rec reation, social-welfare work, playgrounds, vocational courses, and other forms o f community welfare that bear upon child life. ADAPTABILITY OF THE COUNTY PLAN. The county public-welfare workers are confronted with the prob lems arising from rural life and from life in* villages, small towns, and small manufacturing communities. The system seems to be elastic enough and compact enough to meet them all eventually. The plans contemplate ultimately the adequate protection o f every delinquent, neglected, and dependent child within the State, and it is believed that the State has the framework o f the machinery for doing it. The fact can not be stressed too strongly that the organization has wide latitude. It is capable o f the utmost expansion to fit the needs o f larger counties, and it can be enlarged indefinitely as a community becomes educated in social-welfare endeavor and is willing to pro vide increasing support. The county superintendent o f public welfare and the juvenile court judge in each county form a nucleus for a staff which may increase as the needs o f the county are recog nized and support is granted. Some counties have only these two officials, while larger counties have staffs o f considerable size. These primary officials are put to a great test in developing their work. A ll are being linked up with the State department in helpful ways. Some counties are much more advanced than others, owing to the greater skill o f their superintendents or to the presence of individual citizens who are interested in social welfare, and are able to develop every resource of the community. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis NORTH CAROLINA. 51 THE WORK OF TWO COUNTIES.8 The quality and amount o f work being done by the county super intendents o f public welfare warrant the belief that the assignment and classification o f duties has been well made, but the experience o f years is necessary for an adequate test. For the purpose o f this paper, the general work o f two counties will serve as illustrations. Durham County, with a population o f 42,219, and with only one town— Durham, the county seat (population, 21,719), reports the following activities: 1. Office administration and cooperation nrith the State Aboard. (а) Employs a full-time superintendent o f public welfare and a full time assistant, whose duties center largely In the work o f child welfare. (б ) Maintains an office with records and reports, as required by the State department and as needed for the work. (c ) Cooperated with the North Carolina Children’s Home Society (In c .), in the placing of about 20 children and in looking up similar cases referred by the State board o f charities and public welfare. 2 . Child welfare. (a) Placed 37 children in homes, either in Durham County or in other counties, and maintained follow-up w o rk ; cooperated with the churches in regard to more than* 30 orphans. (b) Provided, through local agencies, the funds for building a cottage with a capacity o f 30 boys at the Jackson Training School for Delinquent W h ite Boys. (c ) Now working on plans for a detention home for children having social deficiencies and for children awaiting permanent placement (d) Granted aid to mothers in more than 20 cases. (e ) Cooperated with the county board o f health and the American Red Cross in making 1,144 visits, in the examination of 395 children, and in the clinical dental examination o f 1,484 children. 3. Charities and corrections. ( а ) Inspected the County H om e; assisted in its work and weekly re ligious services. (б ) Inspected the county jail and investigated a number o f cases o f fam ilies o f those in prison and on county work.' (c ) Placed a number of girjs in the North Carolina Training School for Delinquent W hite Girls. 4. Probation and juvenile-court work. Assisted in the cases o f 65 juvenile offenders. 5. School-attendance work. Made 538 visits to homes o f children who were out o f school, to improve child and fam ily life. « By December, 1921, 50 of the 100 counties in the State had superintendents of public welfare who were giving all their time to the work, and 3 had part-time superintendents; in 43 counties the superintendents of schools were doing the welfare work, and in 4 the work was unorganized. (See North Carolina’ s Child Welfare Program for the Care and Protection of Dependent,, Neglected, and Delinquent Children through Superintendents of Public Welfare, Juvenile Courts, and Child-Caring Institutions, issued by the State Board of Charities and Public Welfare, Raleigh, N. C., p, 7.) https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 52 COUNTY O R G A N IZ A T IO N FOR C H IL D CARE. Mecklenburg County, population 80,695, o f which Charlotte ( p o p ulation 46,338) is the county seat, reports the following activities: 1. Office administration and cooperation with the State board. (a) Employs a full-time superintendent o f public welfare with adequate assistance in the office. ( b ) Maintains an office with complete record and filing system for making reports. (c ) H as been instrumental in organizing a local welfare committee in every district. ( d ) Cooperated with the State board in child-placing and in the publi cation of reports. (e ) Made 168 inspections for child labor in cooperation with the State child-welfare commission. 2 . Child welfare. (a) Provided for a cottage at the Jackson Training School for De linquent W hite Boys. (b) Held conference on delinquency. (c) Assisted in the placing of a number of children. (d) Is planning a detention home for children. 3. Charities and corrections. ( а ) Inspected the county prison. (б ) Inspected the chain gang. (c ) Inspected the county home and gave rating (o f 73 per cent). (d) Held conference in reference to morally deficient women. ( e ) Provided for a number of insane who could not be admitted to the State institutions. ( f ) Supervised paroled adults, of whom there were 6 at the end of the year. 4. Probation and juvenile-court work. Assisted in juvenile-court work, the total number of cases being 832— 377 official, and 455 handled by probation officers. There were 144 children on probation at end of year. County superintendent acted as chief pro bation officer, assisted by an officer for girls, one for men, and one for colored children. 5. School-attendance work. Handled during the first year 657 cases of nonattendance,- of which 5 were excused and 9 prosecuted, showing a successful management o f the great majority o f cases; during the second year 1,659 cases were handled, most o f them successfully. The increased work was due to better facilities. 6. Community organisation. (а) Organized the county council. (б ) Organized a county welfare day. (c) Assisted in working out a county field day and district track meets. (d) Organized a county, baseball league. (e) Organized a county play and recreation association. ( f ) Inspected moving pictures. (g) Aided in organizing recreation plans in a number o f mills. (h) Cooperated with the Rotary Club in providing lunches for poor children; with churches in the care o f orphans; with the Salvation Army, the American Red Cross, the department of health, school officials, mill villages, and community fairs. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis NORTH CAROLINA. 5a ' For reasons partly outlined in this discussion, the public-welfare idea in North Carolina has been launched upon a very wide and comprehensive basis. The title o f the county officer is “ county super intendent o f public welfare,” but the speech o f the people has cut out all surplusage and adopted the term “ the welfare officer.” This is expressive o f their idea o f what the functions o f the official are— namely, to give help wherever it is needed and is not otherwise pro vided, especially to children. The success o f the plan has been largely the result of the ability to cooperate closely with the organ ized philanthropic,. political, judicial, religious, and educational agencies o f the State. The work was designed not to revolutionize anything but as supplementary to the activities o f other agencies, and as necessary for accomplishing things that other agencies could not do and that imperatively needed to be done. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis A ST U D Y OF THE COUNTY W E L F A R E DEPARTM ENTS OF CALIFORNIA, W IT H SPECIAL REFERENCE TO TH E PRO VISIO N FOR N EED Y CHILDREN.1 M rs. G o bn elia M cK i n n e S tanw ood , Secretary, California State Board of Charities and Corrections. ORIGIN AND LEGAL BASIS OF COUNTY W ELFARE DEPARTMENTS. The law creating the California State Board o f Charities and Cor rections makes it the duty o f the board to supervise, inspect, and stand ardize all the public charitable and correctional work o f the State.2 That work is broadly divided into two parts. There is first the work performed directly by the State. This is mainly confined to the 15 State institutions— 6 State hospitals, 2 homes for the feeble minded, 3 State schools, a woman’s reformatory, 2 penitentiaries, and a home fo r the adult blind. With them this study is not con cerned. The other part comprises the work which is done locally in the several counties o f the State. This work is varied, including in its scope the aged, the sick, children, and delinquents. Some o f it has been done by private agencies, and some o f it by public officials; it has all been supported entirely or in part by county funds. In inspection and supervision o f this complex local work, the State board o f charities and corrections long ago realized that its vari ous aspects were fundamentally related. It became clear to the board that the various agencies which were severally engaged in solv ing social ills were all in reality working upon the same problem, and that they ought therefore to be brought together under unified direc tion and control. Moreover, they were all agencies o f the same com munity; that community politically was the county; and in the county the governing body legally was the board o f supervisors, which alone could make appointments for public social service and dispense public funds fo r social needs. The State board o f charities and corrections therefore considered it logical, and o f probable advantage in raising standards o f social work, that all public work in the counties be unified under a group o f socially minded citizens, on the one hand representative o f the community, and on the other deriving legal standing and authority 1 Tins manuscript was completed in February, 1922. a Calif. Stat. 1903, p. 482, as amended by Stat. 1911, p. 1334, as amended by Stat. 1915, p. 847. 55 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 56 C O U N T Y O R G A N IZ A T IO N F O R C H I L D CARE. from the supervisors. A law o f California3 makes this possible. It gives the board o f supervisors o f the respective counties power to delegate to a committee, a person, or a society the investigation and periodic visiting o f all persons receiving public relief in the county. The statute states that the purpose o f the investigation and the subse quent visiting is to bring to self-support persons hitherto unable to maintain themselves; it requires that all records of investigation, supervision, relief, and rehabilitation shall be prescribed by the State board o f charities and corrections. In accordance with the program adopted by the State board o f charities and corrections and with the provisions o f this statute, the boards o f supervisors o f 12 o f the 58 counties o f 'California (con taining three-tenths o f the population o f the State) have created bodies variously denominated “ department o f public welfare, wel fare department,” “ welfare council,” “ welfare commission,” or “ social-service commission.” 4 The first county to organize was Fresno, which in 1916, during the trouble with unemployment, established a relief and employment com mission to distribute relief to the unemployed. In the same year San Bernardino County organized its social-service commission. In 1917 Fresno County added two supervisors to its relief and employment commission and changed the name to “ Fresno County Welfare De partment o f the Board o f Supervisors.” A former county agent o f the State board o f charities and corrections became the first secretary o f the reorganized body. Then San Mateo, Sonoma, Humboldt, Stanislaus, Merced, San Diego, Alameda, Santa Clara, Kern, and Glenn Counties followed in turn. This study will concern itself with the 12 counties in which wel fare departments o f the type described have been organized. PREPARATORY WORK AND METHOD OF ORGANIZATION. Survey of the social work o f the counties. The State board o f charities and corrections in its county organiza tion program has directed its efforts to communities unorganized in social work; it has not aimed to supplant existing agencies o f tested value. Information in regard to the actual conditions in individ ual counties has been secured by the State board through surveys made at the invitation o f the supervisors. These initial surveys by the board’s county agent are offered upon a written request from the board o f supervisors. So far the super3 Calif. Stat. 1901, p. 637, as amended by Stat. 1917, p. 444. 4 To avoid confusion,, it should be stated that the county boards of public welfare pro vided for in the California law (Calif. Stat. 1915, p. 339) and existing in two counties have merely the functions of supervising local charitable and penal institutions and are not in any way related to the subject of the present study. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis CALIFORNIA. 57 visors have never made this request o f their own initiative. The suggestion has had to come to them from public-spirited and socialminded citizens o f the county, who, after conference with the county chairman and the county agent, appeared before the supervisors to urge them to ask the State board o f charities and corrections to make this survey. The board has always followed the policy o f waiting for an invitation from the supervisors, for the reason that it wants their cooperation, and recognizes that it has not the power—any more than has it the desire—to coerce them. There can be no wel fare department unless the supervisors are ready to have it. Their invitation to have the survey made is at least an expression o f their good will, and makes it possible for the board, through presentation o f the facts that have been gathered, to justify the organization o f a welfare department, and to persuade the supervisors to take such action. The survey follows this general outline: A. Provision for children. 1. Needy children. (a ) W ith their own parents. (&) In foster homes. (c) In institutions. 2. W ayw ard children. (а ) In family boarding homes. ( б) In special institutions. (c) Probation office. (1 ) Administration and policies. ( 2 ) R ecords; ease studies. (d) Detention home. (1 ) Buildings and equipment. (2 ) Length o f stay o f children. (3 ) Dietary. (4 ) Segregation and supervision of children. (5 ) Education; recreation; discipline. ( 6 ) Records; types o f inm ates; case studies. B. County out-relief. 1. Organization and administration. 2. Amount of aid given; nature o f aid given. 3. Method of distribution. 4. Investigation and supervision. 5. Records. 6. Case studies, with special reference to children. C. County hospital. 1. Buildings and equipment. 2. Administration and m anagement; cost of maintenance. 3. Care of inm ates: (a) custodial; (6 ) hospital. 4. Dietary. 5. Records. 6. Types o f inm ates; case studies. 111532°— 22-------5 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 58 D. COUNTY ORGANIZATION FOR CHILD CARE. County jail. 1. A d m in istra tion a n d m a n a g e m e n t; cost o f m ain ten ance. 2. Buildings and equipment. 3. Dietary. 4. Segregation and supervision of prisoners. 5. Daily routine; discipline; occupation. 6. Types of inmates. Such surveys have been made by the county agent o f the State board in 14 counties. As a result o f these studies the following facts were revealed: In many counties persons dead or removed from the county were still on the lists, and relief was received in their names; children and the aged were neglected. It is fair to say that in general these conditions, though typical, were but vaguely if at all realized by the county authorities; however, there was a tendency on the part o f some county officials to use the indigent as part o f the political machines o f their districts. When the survey is completed the report is given to the super visors in executive session by the chairman o f the county committee and the county agent. It is not given out to the newspapers -or even to the citizens who ask for it, since, though intelligently in terested, they are not charged with responsibility. The supervisors accept the findings in the spirit in which they are given. The ad vantages o f the welfare department are set before them by repre sentatives o f the board. Gradually they come to see the inadequacy o f the old system and to consider the claims o f the new. There has been no unfavorable publicity to discredit them. Finally, supported by responsible public sentiment, they accept the plan and pass an ordinance creating a welfare department.8 A ll this has usually taken a good deal o f time and patience. Education and propaganda. The State board of charities and corrections gives continued pub licity in every possible way to the needs and advantages o f welfare departments. It issues monthly a county letter in mimeograph which carries to all social agencies, newspapers, and county officers a report o f progress o f the welfare departments in the counties. The following are typical letters: S t a te B oard of C h a r it ie s a n d C orrections , C o un ty D epartm ent. C o u n t y W elfare L etter N o . 5. R esidence of I n digen t P erson . . . . A recent decision of the attorney general on the point o f county responsibility based on residence of an indigent person will be of interest to all supervisors and county relief workers. The controversy between two counties was brought 8 For a typical county ordinance, see Note 10, pp. 60-61. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis CALIFORNIA. 59 to the State board of charities and corrections for adjustment and was by them referred to the attorney general for decision. After reviewing the case in detail, he gives his opinion as follows: * * *. C o u n t y N otes . Kern County Institutions and Welfare Department created by the board of supervisors of that county on June 6, 1921, was organized for work on July 5 Appointment of members from the ranks of the county’s most earnest and progressive men and women speaks well for the judgment off the supervisors and the future of the department. Two members of the board o f supervisors, are also members of the department. * * *. The county relief work will be continued under the direction of * * * and the health work under ^ county nurse, * * *. New work for dependent children and social service m connection with the county hospital will be undertaken under a new worker, * * * who was formally with the Children’s Agency o f the San Francisco Associated Charities. This department is really the social department of the board of supervisors and has supervision over the county institutions, the county relief and health work, and the care o f dependent children. The organi zation is the democratic means adopted by the supervisors to bring the county government closer to the citizens in matters o f social import. Merced County Welfare Department combines with the Red Cross chapter to provide milk to dependent children in some o f the rural school districts of that county. The Junior Red Cross o f Merced contributes to the support o f a dental hygienist in the schools. Certain dependent children who need dental work done are provided for by the county welfare department. This county presents one o f the best examples o f a true community spirit, where all the agencies fuse their money and energy into one object— to get the work done. Orange County has established a social service department o f the county aid commissioner’s office. * * * The superintendent of that department * * * will have charge o f the care o f dependent children and rehabilitation o f de pendent families * * *. San Diego County welfare department has assumed new responsibilities in the care of dependent children by accepting the work of investigating and su pervising family boarding homes where children may be boarded. The homes are licensed by the State board of charities, which delegates to the county office the authority of local supervision and recommendation. * * * The secre tary of the welfare department is in charge of the children’s work * * * J u l y , 1921. n . C o u n t y A gent . C o u n t y W elfare L etter N o. 8. W e are inclosing to you for your information a statement of the policies o f the State board of charities and corrections regarding the organization of new charitable undertakings and methods of solicitation o f funds for maintenance. The State board of charities and corrections is not infrequently called upon to authorize or license charitable undertakings proposed or already started in places and under conditions which are very questionable; often these under takings are not well conceived or necessary and are initiated by people who have an imperfect knowledge o f what they are undertaking. It would be a saving of money and social effort if the board were consulted before any definite steps are taken to inaugurate the new work. I f this were « n l e, T y, 800131 ia “ UreS WouW be aTertea am3 mucH valuable social effort might be diverted into needed channels. Furthermore, the board from, time to time has received complaints about the methods sometimes resorted to in the collection of funds for the support of https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 60 COUNTY ORGANIZATION FOR CHILD CARE. charitable organizations. A s a result of its experience of many years, the board has formulated certain policies which are set down in the inclosed cir cular. W e are desirous that these policies shall be known throughout the State, par ticularly by the county welfare organizations, so that uniformity o f action may be secured, waste of time and money and energy prevented, and the general cause of social welfare may be advanced wisely. W ill you, therefore give this letter such publicity— where it may he o f service? S tate B oard of C h a r it ie s an d C orrections . D ecember , 1921. The Supervisors’ Review, the official organ o f the State association o f county supervisiors, which goes to all the supervisors in the 58 counties, generally copies the county letters in full in its issues. Representatives o f the State board and its staff have featured the county welfare department in their addresses throughout the State. They go into a county with the story o f actual accomplishment in neighboring counties. In a number of instances, as part o f the plan o f education and per suasion, the chairman o f the county committee and the county agent o f the State board have arranged visits by the board o f supervisors to another county where a welfare department is in operation. Re cently all the members o f the Kern County W elfare Department, with its secretary, were conducted by the chairman o f the Alameda County committee and a county agent through the institutions of that county, in order to make a careful study o f county hospital con ditions. They met in conference with the Alameda County Welfare Commission and with the local authorities on special problems o f the children’s work. Thus, by publicity, by conference, and by cooperation between counties through specially arranged trips o f inspection, the State board o f charities and corrections develops its program for the formation o f new county welfare departments and the standardiza tion o f existing departments. As a result o f this program the State board usually receives support from public-spirited men and women in the county who realize the failure o f the old system, seeing that money is wasted, that children are often neglected or inadequately aided, and that the insistent impose upon the county while the sensi tive suffer and go without aid. Method of organization of welfare departments. The county-welfare department is created by ordinance o f the board o f supervisors.10 A typical department is composed o f seven 10 A typical ordinance is that of Kern County, as follow s: _ Whereas, the increasing volume and growing complexity of the business of Kern County compel its board of supervisors from time to time to create new administrative agencies in order that the service rendered to the people may continue efficient and effective, and whereas, both from the survey of county institutions and social work made at the request of the board of supervisors by the State Board of Charities and Corrections https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis CALIFORNIA. 61 members; the supervisors appoint two o f their own number to repre sent them, and five unpaid men and women interested in social and from independent information of the board of supervisors itself, it appears that the future needs of such institutions and such social work will be served best by delegating to a special department of county work acting under the board of supervisors the right .of recommendations touching the administration and direction of such county institutions and the rights of investigation, supervision, and rehabilitation of county dependents (Stat. Calif. 1917, p. 444), therefore be it resolved, T h at: Section 1. A department of county work is hereby created to be known as the Kern County Institutions and Welfare De partment. Said department shall consist of nine members to be appointed by the board of supervisors, two of whom shall be members of the board of supervisors. The term of office of each member shall, be four (4) years except as hereinafter specified. The members of the department shall serve without salary. Section 2. As soon as the members of the department are appointed, they shall be divided by lot into three groups. The term of office for the first group shall be two years, the term of office for the second group shall be three years, and the term of office for the third group shall be four years. Section 3. Whenever a vacancy shall occur in the department, it shall be filled by the board of supervisors. Section 4. Whenever in this resolution the word “ department ” is used it shall mean the department of institutions and welfare ; the word “ board ” shall mean the board of supervisors. Section 5. The depart ment shall resolve itself into two committees, as follows: (®) An institution committee composed of three members which shall have supervision, over the county hospitals, the County Infirmary, and all activities carried on therein ; the committee shall make rules and regulations to improve and regulate such institutions and activities, the conduct and efficiency of the same, and to carry out the other purposes of this resolution, (b) A social service committee composed of six members, which shall have supervision over all matters relating to county relief, children’ s welfare, and other county social work. All matters coming before the department referring in essence and principle to the county institutions or allied activities shall be referred to the institution committee. All matters coming before the department referring in essence and principle to the county relief and social work shall be referred to the social service committee. Section 6. The powers and duties of the department shall be as follows : (a) To appoint a secretary and such officers as may be deemed necessary to carry on the work of the department ; the salaries of such secretary and officers shall be fixed by the department subject to the approval of the board. To appoint a director of health and hospitals, who shall carry out the policies of the department as outlined by the institutions committee; such director may be the superintendent of the county hospital, and direct the clinics and other publichealth work of the county, (ft) To investigate, determine and supervise the giving of relief to persons applying for county aid and to devise ways and means of restoring them to self-support where possible, (c) To investigate all applications for admission to the county hospitals, (d) To maintain a modern system of records on the county relief cases in accordance with forms and methods prescribed by the State Board of Charities and Corrections, as provided in Statutes of California, 1917, p. 444. (e) To investigate all charities dependent upon public appeal or general solicitation for support and to file its report thereon with the board, a copy of such report to be filed with, the State Board of Charities and Corrections, (f) To cooperate with the juvenile court, probation com mittee, and probation office upon request, (g) To investigate,, determine, and supervise family boarding homes where children may be boarded ; the .standards of investigation, care, and record to be in accord with those required by the State Board of Charities and Corrections. For the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this section the depart ment may be authorized to receive children on commitment from the juvenile court under Section 8 of the juvenile court law. (h) To act as a coordinating agency for all relief and welfare agqpdes and societies in the county which may care to avail themselves of the services of the department. Section 7. Applications for relief made to the board or to any member thereof shall be referred promptly to the department for investigation and recommendation thereon. Section 8. The department shall file with the board monthly a full report of all work done, with recommendations, and shall render to the board for its approval a statement of all relief claims against the county with list of persons receiving aid ; it shall render also a report on the administration and conditions in the county institutions, with recommendations. Section 9. The department shall recommend to the board the duties of and terms of compensation, for employees in the county institutions under its supervision. Section 10. The department shall make all needful rules and regulations for the transaction of its business. Section 11. This resolu tion shall take effect July 1, 1921. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 62 COUN TY ORGANIZATION FOR CHILD CARE. work to share the responsibility o f the department. There is no legal provision to fix this or any particular number, but seven is proving satisfactory as a working force. Eight o f the departments are composed o f seven members; four have nine members. Some supervisors have chosen the personnel geographically by supervi sorial districts. Experience, however, seems to show that it is better not to adhere strictly to the geographical rule, but to strive to secure persons o f differing interests, social and religious. It is necessary that the unpaid members o f the department have the confidence of the community, that they represent varying viewpoints, and that they are willing to give time and counsel throughout a period o f years to the problems o f the aged, the sick, and the infirm, and to the special needs o f children. Three counties organized social-service commissions without in cluding the supervisors in their membership. In two of the three counties, after a series o f misunderstandings between supervisors and the commission, the supervisors reorganized- the commission by placing two o f their own members in the group and naming it “ wel fare department.” The result has been most satisfactory in both cases. O f the total o f 92 welfare-department members in the 12 counties, 50 are men and 42 are women; 21 are supervisors, o f whom 1 is a woman. The 71 lay members represent the following interests and occupations: W om en’s organizations— -------------M e r c h a n ts _________ * ---------------------Public officials--------------------------------H o u s e w iv e s----------------Social w orkers______________ Roman Catholic interests_________ Physicians ________________________ Clergymen _________________________ Lawyers __________________________ - 18 10 5 5 4 4 4 3 3 E d i t o r s __________________ American Red Crosschapters____ ii Probation committees ------------------- 3 3 2 N u r s e s __________________'-----------------B a n k e r _____________________________ School principal ---- -----------------------Real estate___________________ C -------Union la b o r___________ — ------------Librarian ___________ _— -------------- 2 1 1 1 1 1 Once created the department elects its own chairman and effects its own organization. In no county thus far has a supervisor been chairman; in three counties the chairmen are women. In most o f the welfare departments the majority o f the members are men. The duties and powers o f the department are determined by the ordi nance establishing it. In the beginning they have usually been lim ited to relief work—investigation o f every application for relief, periodic visitation o f the persons receiving relief, and planning for the rehabilitation o f such persons. To these duties have been added the responsibility for the care o f needy children in the counties; maintaining the standards o f care set by the State board o f charities and corrections for homes receiving children not with their own https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 63 CALIF ORFTIÀ. parents on either a free or a pay basis; making initial investigations and recommendations for license to the State board; the local re sponsibility o f maintaining at an acceptable standard homes with minor children where there is insufficient income; and the responsi bility o f recommending to the State board o f control allowances o f State aid for needy children, o f maintaining an adequate budget in the homes where a grant has been made, and o f supervising the homes and reporting on conditions while aid is being allowed. The welfare departments all cooperate with the juvenile courts o f the counties, and in most o f the counties they place the dependent chil dren for the probation office. T o the responsibility for administering and standardizing relief work and children’s work is added the responsibility for the health activities o f the counties. First, the control o f admissions to and discharges from the county hospital was given to the welfare departments; gradually more responsibility was added. In one county the administration of all health activities, including the county hospital, was placed under the welfare department. The following chart shows in brief outline the duties o f the various committees as they are usually organized in the county departments: Committee on out-relief. Committee on health. Committee on children’s work. Committee on corrections. Committee on research. Adm ission to 1. Responsibility to State board county hos of charities and corrections pital. for maintaining its stand Relief to the Care of patient ards for care in homes re blind. after discharge. ceiving children not with Cooperation with Medical social their parents on either a the c o u n t y service. Co free or a pay basis. operation with almshouse au (a) Initial inspection and clinics:, health thorities and recommendations for private charita centers, and license. ble agencies. visiting (b) Follow-up inspections Unemploy nurses: also and report onhomes. ment. with Federal, 2. Local responsibility of main Cooperation with State, county, taining at an acceptable children's com and ei t y standard homes containing mittee' in han health author minor children where there dling family ities. is insufficient income. problems. Placing dependent children in boarding homes for the j uvenile courts. 3. Responsibility to State board of control for children eligi ble for State aid (children’s agent). (а) Recommendations of al lowances of State aid to needy children. (б) Maintenance of an ade quate budget in the homes in which a grant is made. (e) Supervision of homes while aid is being al lowed and report on conditions. 4. Center of information and education concerning pos sibilities of the State for meeting the wants of all types of needy children. Cooperation with juve nile court, probation committee,, city and county jail authorities, and the po lice. Special studies or surveys of con ditions in the county, utiliz ing therefor the resources of State commis sions, e duca tional institu tions, and local workers. Charity indorse ment. Relief to the poor in their homes. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 64 C O U N T Y O R G A N IZ A T IO N FOR C H IL D CARE. The support o f the welfare department comes in all cases from within the county; in general, through an appropriation by the board o f supervisors, as a part o f the county budget. However, in one county11 the American Bed Cross supplements the salary o f the secretary and pays for rent; light, heat, and telephone service; in another12 the American Bed Cross pays the salary o f one children’s agent; and in a th ird13 it supplies a health nurse. In order to meet local conditions in a county where private social agencies are well organized, the Alameda County Welfare Council differs from the other county welfare departments. This welfare council is a supervising and standardizing agency. The actual case work and distribution o f relief is done by the tlfree large private agencies in the county— Oakland Associated Charities, Berkeley Charity Organization, and Alameda City Social Service. These are called the “ constituent agencies” o f the county welfare council, and the members o f the council include representatives from the direc torates o f these private agencies. The county budget for relief and social service is allotted by the council to the three agencies, and they in turn report monthly to the council. The first important step for the newly organized welfare depart ment is the choice o f a secretary. A trained social worker o f tested experience is chosen by the department but is paid by the super visors. In most o f the counties the secretaries are women. The qual ifications o f this officer are as important as those o f the board. This position requires training and experience in social work; a definite knowledge o f records and o f office procedure; a wide sympathy, a sustained and abiding sense o f humor, and ability to work with other county officials, to make adjustments easily, and to lead the com munity— largely through the results obtained—to understand the wisdom and necessity o f adequate relief and constructive social work. This need for trained secretaries was one o f the mam reasons for the establishment o f a training course for social workers by the department o f economics o f the University of California in Septem ber, 1920. After a welfare department is created the State board o f chanties and corrections suggests that the newly appointed secretary stu y the methods o f office procedure o f one o f the county welfare depart ments already in operation. The department divides naturally into committees— children’s work, health, and relief. The staff is organ ized along the lines o f the committee work. Two o f the smaller counties have a secretary with no assistants, and four counties have 11 Merced. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 18 Alameda. 18 Stanislaus. CALIFORNIA. 65 a secretary and a stenographer; in the smaller counties the American Red Cross cooperates very closely with the department and supple ments its work. It is the policy o f the State board o f charities and corrections to suggest that the counties begin with a small force and let the work justify an increase in staff, and the short experience of four years has shown a gradual and necessary increase. First, a nurse is added; then a stenographer, where the need warrants it. Salary increases follow recognized service. So far, no county has paid its secretary a salary higher than $2,400 a year. One county,14 which started in January, 1918, with a secretary and one agent, now has a staff o f six, with three automobiles in constant service. Recently the supervisors have placed the administration of the entire health service o f Fresno County, including the county hospital, under the welfare department. In seven counties the office o f the department is in the county courthouse; in two it is in the hall o f records; one department rents offices near the courthouse; and two have converted dwellings into very satisfactory offices. Transportation is arranged for in various ways, from sharing the use o f an automobile with the probation officer or hiring one when needed to the purchase or donation o f one or more machines. One department, in addition to the automobile supplied by the county, is allowed mileage. The constituent agencies o f the Alameda County W elfare Council own or use six machines. A ll the departments meet at least once a month; three meet twice a month. They all meet at stated times, the plan being to have the welfare department meeting immediately before the regular meeting o f the supervisors. At the department meeting the secretary’s report and claims for relief are considered; the committees make their re ports new cases are considered and old cases are closed. When claims have been approved by the department they are taken by the secretary to the meeting o f the board o f supervisors in the form o f a financial report for final approval and action. 14 Fresno. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis PROVISION FOR NEEDY CHILDREN UNDER THE COUNTY W ELFARE DEPARTMENT. The most constructive phase of work the county welfare depart ment has is the work for children. Its possibilities for usefulness in this field are unlimited. The work for children is placed, not in a separate children’s bureau, but with the family relief work, because the State board believes that the basis o f all children’s work should be the family. The State board o f charities and corrections is given the responsibility, by law, of licensing all homes receiving children not with their parents, including free homes as well as boarding homes.15 Any place conducted as a boarding home for children must be licensed, and the standards of the State board must be en forced by frequent and intelligent supervision. It is the policy o f the State board to intrust the work o f selecting suitable boarding homes and o f visiting and supervising them to the local welfare departments, as soon as these departments are prepared to assume this responsibility. Accordingly, after a county welfare department has been in operation for some time, a representative o f the State board o f charities and corrections goes to the department with the board’s printed standards o f child care and the State laws affecting children, and puts the secretary in possession o f the infor mation necessary to a discriminating choice among the various State and private institutions and homes for the placement o f children. The representative o f the State board helps in the establishment o f the files and records, and visits with the secretary all family boarding homes in the county. Problem cases are discussed, and plans made regarding them. The board’s agents return to the counties at fre quent intervals to check up the local children’s work o f the welfare department, to see that the homes are up to standard, and to help with difficult decisions. The departments record their inspections o f homes on a form pro vided by the State board, and a report o f the children’s work o f the county welfare department goes every month to the children’s com mittee o f the board, which keeps a complete file o f all family board ing homes in California. The form o f report is shown herewith : FO RM OF R E P O R T TO ST A T E B O A R D OF C H A R IT IE S A N D CO RREC TIO N S FRO M LO CAL A G E N C Y SU P E R V ISIN G F A M IL Y B O A R D IN G H OM ES. Name of agency_____ _____________________ __________ D ate___________________ Number o f active homes on first o f month_________________________ Number o f homes inactive during month_____________ ‘______________ ________ Number of licenses relinquished_________________ Number of licenses revoked_____________________ l5 Calif. Stat. 1913, p. 73. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 67 C A L IF O R N IA . Number of applicants during m onths-------------------------------------------------------- — Number pending action________ -if---------------------------------- -----------------------— Number voluntarily withdrawn---------- ,----------------------------------------------------Number denied _______________ _— ------------ ------------ — .-------------- - — Number recommended_________ — — - — ------- :--------------------- f-----------u— Total active homes during month— ------------— ----------------iu — --------- --------Total active homes at end of month------ ------------------- '_I -----------------------------i— Number of active homes__________ — LI-------------------- —L_— i-----------------------Number of children in active homes— ---------- if----------------- i--------------— — Number of visits made_____________________________ — ----------------------Number of homes visited: C it y ------------ ± A , -------------------------------------------- ----------------- - ------------------ --- ----Country_____________________________________________________ _____ ._________ Number of homes not visited : C it y -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------- --------Country_____________________________ e--------------------------- ---------------- ------------ — Signed •.___________ t_____ i _____________________________ To report submitted by local agencies supervising family boarding homes should be attached: 1. List of homes recommended for licenses: ( a ) State application blanks. • (6 ) State inspection blanks with recommendations. 2. List of homes which have been denied permits. 3. List of homes which have relinquished licenses: (a ) Licenses (S ta te). (&) Registers (S ta te). 4. List of homes which have had permits revoked: ( a ) Licenses (S ta te). (&) Registers (S ta te). T h e o r g a n iz a t io n o f th e w o r k f o r c h ild r e n u n d e r a c o u n ty w e lf a r e d e p a r t m e n t is e ffe c te d ste p b y ste p . A t fir st th e d e p a r t m e n t is l i m it e d t o f o l l o w -u p v is i t s a n d r e p o r ts o n f a m i l y b o a r d i n g h o m e s a ft e r t h e i n i t ia l in s p e c tio n h a s b e e n m a d e b y th e S t a t e b o a r d . L a te r, w hen t h e c o u n ty w e lf a r e d e p a r tm e n t h a s b e e n te s te d b y e x p e r ie n c e , m o r e p o w e r is d e le g a te d t o it b y t h e b o a r d . N i n e e s ta b lis h e d d e p a r tm e n ts a re n o w a u th o r iz e d t o m a k e th e in i t ia l in s p e c t io n o f f a m i l y b o a r d i n g h o m e s , t o m a k e th e su b se q u e n t in s p e c tio n s , a n d to r e p o r t m o n t h ly t o th e b o a r d . O n t h e ir r e c o m m e n d a t io n th e S t a te b o a r d o f c h a r itie s a n d c o r r e c tio n s g r a n t s a n d r e v o k e s lic en ses. T h e th re e d e p a r tm e n ts la s t fo r m e d a re i n p r o c e ss o f o r g a n i z in g t h e ir c h ild r e n ’s w o r k , a n d a g e n ts f r o m th e S t a t e b o a r d a re i n th e se c o u n tie s h e lp in g t h e m to s t a n d a r d iz e it. A t in t e r v a ls a “ c h i ld -w e lf a r e le tte r ” in m im e o g r a p h e d f o r m g o e s to e a c h w e lf a r e d e p a r t m e n t f r o m t h e c h ild r e n ’s c o m m it t e e o f th e S t a te b o a r d , g i v i n g n e w s o f th e p r o g r e s s in th e c h ild r e n ’s w o r k in th e S t a te a n d th e c o u n tie s, a n d fr e q u e n t ly q u o t i n g f r o m o p in io n s o f th e a tt o r n e y g e n e r a l in le g a l m a t t e r s r e la t i n g to c h ild c a re . Its p u r p o s e is to g iv e d e fin ite h e lp in th e c h ild r e n ’ s w o r k o f th e w e lf a r e d e p a r tm e n ts , ju s t as th e “ c o u n ty w e lf a r e le tte r ” g iv e s i n f o r m a t i o n c o n c e r n in g p r o g r e s s in c o u n ty o r g a n iz a t io n . lo w s is a t y p ic a l one, https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis T h e le tte r w h ic h f o l 68 COUN TY ORGANIZATION FOR CHILD CARE. S ta te B oard of C h a r it ie s a n d C orrections , C h il d r e n ’ s D e p a r t m e n t . C h il d W elfare L etter N o. 1. The State board of charities and corrections, through its children’s depart ment, plans to send out from time to time a “ child welfare news-letter ” to the institutions, agencies, and individuals engaged in the work of caring for needy and wayward children. The purpose of this bulletin ia to report briefly notable happenings and developments in child care, to serve as a clearing house for the exchange o f ideas, and to answer questions bearing on the care o f depend ent children in California. W e want this letter to be informing and interest ing. Any suggestions or items which help to make it so will be appreciated. General.— The University o f California Extension Division announces a lec ture tour throughout California, in the interest o f the health o f children * * * The State board of charities has been asked to resume the regular quarterly The first o f the new series of conferences will be held at an early date, the northern section in San Francisco and the southern section in Los Angeles. Details will be announced in the next issue o f this letter. W e should be glad to receive suggestions of topics for discussion at these conferences. The interesting film “ Motherhood ” is available for free circularization child welfare conferences which were discontinued during the war. sic * H« A council of social and health agencies, representing 98 organizations, has been formed in San Francisco. Institutions.— W ithin the past year, by virtue of an opinion o f the attorney general of California, a new group o f institutions has come under the super vision of the State board of charities. The attorney general rules that all in stitutions caring for children up to the age of majority are subject to the license of this board. The new group includes the George Junior Republic, C hino; the California Girls’ Training Home, A lam ed a; St. Catherine’s Home, San Francisco; and the Convent of the Good Shepherd, Los Angeles, Another new group asking for State license includes preventoria and homes for convalescent children. H ill Farm in Marin County, St. Dorothy’s Rest at Guerneville, Sonoma County, and the Stanford Home for Convalescent Chil dren at Stanford University are splendid examples of this type o f child care. Mother Cabrini Preventorium.— A country home for anemic children and those predisposed to tuberculosis has been opened at Burbank, Los Angeles County, by the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart. The children will re ceive a medical examination prior to admission and will be under the care of a tuberculosis expert while in the home. A new building and many other splendid improvements are progressing rapidly at the Boys' and Girls' Industrial Home and Farm at Lytton. The story of the fire in April, which destroyed the administration building and the girls’ quarters, is a proud record o f efficient organization and undaunted spirit. W h ile the fire was still burning provision was made for the feeding and housing o f the children. The boys turned over their quarters to the girls and made a lark o f sleeping in the newly erected cow barn. W ithin twenty-four hours a “ tent city ” had sprung up and the institution was functioning with remarkable smoothness. The regard which the community has for Lytton was demonstrated by the prompt and generous help which was rendered. The summer has been a busy one, and the accomplishments have been many. October 3rd marked the laying o f the cornerstone of the new home o f the Pacific Hebrew Orphan Asylum. The site of 13 acres is attractively located https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis CALIFORNIA. 69 on Ocean Avenue in San Francisco adjoining a very desirable residential section. The plan conteihplates a group of nine buildings. The cottages are of two general types, two stories in height, and will house 20 children each, 10 boys and 10 girls. The interesting features of this new departure in child care are too numerous to mention here. The forward-looking spirit which animates the group responsible for this institution justifies the expectation of worth-while achievement. C h ie f A gent , C h il d r e n ’ s D e p a r t m e n t . N ovember , 1920. There is a growing understanding in California o f the needs o f children. The legislature o f 191918 raised to $10 per month the amount o f State aid to orphans, half orphans, and abandoned chil dren. The last legislature19 raised to 16 years the age o f eligibility for this aid, and made eligible the child or children o f a father in capacitated for gainful work by permanent physical disability or by tuberculosis; it increased the aid for foundlings to $15 per month until they reach 2 years of age or are placed for adoption. The county welfare departments share in this growing apprecia tion o f the needs o f children. This understanding is gradually shared by the community- and gives that basis o f public opinion which enables the supervisors to make adequate provision in their budget for the relief o f needy children. The county welfare depart ments are becoming more generous in their support of such children. The California statutes permit the county to give $20 a month for. the support o f a dependent child, whether he be cared for in his own home, in a family home not his own, or in an institution.20 The lowest rate given by any welfare department is $15 per month; most departments give $20 a month and supplement this amount from outside sources. A study o f eight county welfare departments shows that the monthly amounts, per child, given by them, were as follow s: One, $15; one, $15 to $20; two, $17.50 to $20; two, $20; one, $20 to $35; and one, $25. The welfare department in its many contacts draws to its aid all the available help in the community. The county chapters o f the American Red Cross are generous in their aid in the care o f children. They give milk, clothing, and facilities for recreation, and in some counties provide clinics for dental and medical care. The Needle work Guild o f America and the county tuberculosis associations sup plement the work o f the departments, and cooperation is established with local dispensaries, baby hospitals, clubs, churches, and health centers. The county welfare departments are working closely with the probation officers, and in many o f the counties needy children 18 Calif. Stat. 1919, p. 473. 19 Calif. Pol. Code, sec. 2289, as amended by Stat. 1921, p. 1689. 20Juvenile court law, Calif, Stat, 1919, p, 476, https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 70 C O U N T Y O R G A N IZ A T IO N FOR C H IL D CARE. are turned over by the juvenile court to the welfare departments for placement. Through the power o f its organization, its representative mem bership, and its official relationships, both State and county, the wel fare department is able to care for needy children according to a standard comparable with the best work o f the best private agencies caring for children. SUCCESS OF THE COUNTY W ELFARE DEPARTMENT PLAN. The county welfare department plan has been tested for four years in California. It is proving successful. Unorganized counties are increasingly making requests for surveys by the State board of charities and corrections, and in the already organized counties more and more responsibility is being delegated to the department by the supervisors. The welfare departments are working under the standards of the State board o f charities and corrections on a pro gram o f child care based on adequate food o f the proper kind; intel ligent medical guidance and nursing care ; properly supervised rec reation; and special provision for education and vocational oppor tunities for all needy children. The responsibility for child care in the county is placed definitely in the hands o f the children’s committee o f the department. The San Bernardino Welfare Commission has a broad constructive policy in its work for children. In the#second year o f its existence it was -'successful in closing the county orphanage, which had not been a credit to the county. The children were placed in private homes under the general supervision o f a nurse and social worker. This not only saved money for the county taxpayers but was o f un told value to the children, who are now receiving home care and have a chance to develop normally. The Fresno County Welfare Department is working along the same modern lines in its children’s work. During its first year it, too, was instrumental in closing the county orphanage and placing the chil dren in private family homes. Many o f the children in the orphan age were not entirely dependent, and it was found possible to place these with their own relatives. The Humboldt County Welfare Department made a study o f the homeless children o f the county. It has developed a county dental clinic and a general children’s clinic, and it works closely with the public health nurse, who is employed by the American Bed Cross in the county seat. This department was also instrumental in the im provement o f public recreation facilities for young people in the county; the Young Women’s Christian Association assisted in estab lishing a recreation center in Eureka. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 71 CALIFORNIA. Each county welfare department has its own record o f progress in work for children and in family relief work. More and more chil dren are placed in well-supervised family boarding homes near at hand instead o f in distant institutions, and the community is coming to assume its responsibility in the actual care o f its less favored members. More and more are the welfare departments creating clinical opportunities for the medical care o f dependent children and families ; more and more are they availing themselves of the medical service offered by the universities of the State. The county welfare departments are giving more efficient service than was rendered under the old system, and are undertaking not only remedial service but preventive work for children as well. At the same time it has been demonstrated that the welfare department saves the county money. Reports o f county auditors show the fol lowing savings through the county welfare departments : County. Fresno__________ San Bernardino. San Mateo--------Sonoma_________ Humboldt---------- Period. Amount. $20, 129. 97 20, 613. 30 6, 476. 72 11, 245. 72 4, 848. 00 First First First First First year. two years. two years. two years. six months. These reports show that five counties, the first to organize welfare departments, have saved thereby in less than two years the sum o f $63,313.71. The supervisors are approving the county welfare department plan. Although the initiative for organization has never come from them, after a department is in operation thé supervisors have in all cases expressed themselves as pleased with the results. They are especially glad to be relieved o f the burden o f doling out relief ; they are also pleased with the saving in money and with the favorable reports on the work from State agencies. The community is satisfied because the social work o f the county is administered with standards as high as those o f private charitable organizations. As stated in the beginning of this paper, the various phases o f social work form parts o f one related problem. It seems logical and wise that the community, in attempting to solve this problem, should intrust it in its entirety to one representative agency. Such an agency is the welfare department. In its practical working it has jus tified the theory upon which it is founded. It originates in the com munity whence it derives administrative, financial, and social author ity; it acts for the community in behalf o f all those who need the community’s support. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis COUNTY ORGANIZATION FOR CHILD W ELFA R E IN TH E STATE OF N E W JER SEY.1 M b s . C o k n e l ia B . M e ytb o tt , Assistant Director, Division of Parole and Domestic Relations, New Jersey Department of Institutions and Agencies. CHARACTERISTICS OF THE STATE. A clear understanding o f the status o f the various counties o f New Jersey with respect to organization for social-welfare work requires a knowledge o f certain outstanding facts as to their general charac teristics. The counties, 21 in all, differ widely in respect to area, distribution o f population, and economic conditions. As a result there is considerable variation with respect to the type o f organiza tion most likely to function successfully on a county basis. General character of the counties. Three small urban counties and part o f a fourth are in the great metropolitan district adjacent to the city o f New York. Within their combined area o f approximately 400 square miles is gathered a population o f more than 1,500,000. Some o f the larger rural counties have about the same area and a population o f not more than 75,000, and sometimes o f only 25,000 to 40,000. Other counties, like Mon mouth and Mercer, are partly urban in character, with total popula tions o f 105,000 to 160,000, centered for the most part in one or more small cities and a number o f boroughs. The distinctly rural counties and the rural portions o f other coun ties vary widely in many respects. Some are prosperous agricul tural communities. Others embrace great stretches o f waste land, more or less inaccessible. In the northern counties are areas o f wooded or rugged hills. Near the lower border o f the State miles and miles o f pine swamp and sand follow the coast line and at some points extend far inland. In New Jersey, therefore, are found the social and economic problems o f remote, sparsely settled, unproduc tive districts, and also all o f the conditions ordinarily present in farm communities and in congested city districts. W ithin the bor d e r s o f certain counties, notably in Monmouth County, all o f these [ various conditions are present. 1 This manuscript was completed in April, 1922. 111532°— 22------ 6 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 73 74 C O U N T Y O R G A N IZ A T IO N FOR C H IL D CARE. Civic organization. Political and civic organization for the counties o f New Jersey centers in the county courts, the county board o f freeholders, and the county school administration. The political parties of the State and state-wide organizations o f more or less civic type, such as the war-time council of national defense, are grouped about county committees. The judges o f county courts are appointed by the governor. E x cept in counties of the first class—i. e., the two urban counties o f Essex and Hudson—the judge o f the court o f common pleas is the one representative o f legal authority in the county. The members o f the board o f freeholders are elected by the people to control the expenditure o f money raised by taxation for the benefit o f various county projects—such as county institutions, roads, and bridges. The county superintendent o f schools is appointed by the State board o f education for a three-year term. His chief functions are to ad minister school funds apportioned by the State from general school funds provided by revenues, and to maintain the educational stan dards which are required o f schools participating in these benefits. The actual conduct o f local school blatters is in the hands o f local boards o f education. These are elected in all townships and bor oughs, but are appointed in certain cities. The office o f county adjuster has recently been established by law for all counties, so that there will be in each a qualified person whose business it is to supervise all matters connected with the commitment o f the insane, the tubercular, the epileptic, and the feeble-minded to State, county, and private institutions; to establish the legal settle ment o f patients; to look after the guardianship o f patients; and to perform other related work as required. Any social project or problem involving the welfare or protection o f children should naturally be the common concern o f the judge, the superintendent o f schools, and the county adjuster. Through these officials and the welfare agency, when there is one, the contact o f State departments with local and county child problems is neces sarily established. In addition to the usual officers connected with the courts, the county board o f freeholders, and the school systems, there are in cer tain counties various special officers or boards appointed under per missive acts o f the legislature. The probation officer, the county at tendance officer, and the helping teacher represent this group. These offices are filled by special request, and usually upon the fulfillment o f certain conditions by the community. Appointments are made by the head o f the State department to which the office is most closely allied, except in the case of the probation office, which is under the https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis STEW JERSEY. 73 immediate jurisdiction o f the county court. Salaries are paid, how ever, from the general funds available to the county from State revenues. The work o f the “ county helping teachers” and o f the county attendance officer, for instance, is in close relation to the program o f the State department o f education fo r the development o f the rural schools. They are appointed, and the amount o f their salary is fixed by the State commissioner o f education; but they work •under the immediate direction o f the county superintendent, and are paid from the general school funds appropriated to the respec tive counties from State revenues. STATE AND LOCAL PROVISION FOR CHILD WELFARE. i n the State organization no one department is assigned to handle all the problems o f child welfare. Certain phases o f this work are primarily the interest o f the department o f education; others are the concern o f the department o f labor, the department o f institutions and agencies, or the department o f health. In the department o f institutions and agencies responsibility for child welfare is divided between the division o f parole and domestic relations and the State board o f children’s guardians. The most direct contact with local agencies and private institutions is through the division o f parole and domestic relations. The policy to which this division is committed is to encourage the highest stand ard possible for all juvenile court and probation work, to bring about an increase in the number o f separate juvenile courts, and to secure the very best kind o f cooperation between the courts, the community, and the fecal agencies on the one hand and the State institutions and agencies on the other. This is essential if duplication and waste o f effort are to be eMminated; fo r whatever the State may be able to do fo r an individual must be supplemented in the community to which he returns, i f the good result is to be permanent. Commitment o f a juvenile (boy under 16, girl under 18) to a State institution for delinquents is for the period o f minority, but the child may be released upon parole at the discretion o f the board of man agers. When so released he comes immediately under the supervision o f the central parole bureau o f the State department of institutions and agencies. No child is released by the board o f managers until the home environment has been investigated by the parole bureau. Em ployment considered suitable for the individual or, i f he is o f school age, adjustment of his school relations must be guaranteed by the parole bureau before he is released. A fter release he is carefully followed and, i f necessary, returned to the institution by the parole bureau. In a great many instances suitable placement in a foster home is made instead o f returning the child to the environment which caused his delinquencies. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 76 COUN TY ORGANIZATION FOR CHILD CARE, The most important points of contact between the State institutions and agencies and the county and local agencies are in the work o f investigation (which is begun on admission to an institution and continued at time o f parole) and in the problems o f placement and supervision on parole. The staff o f the central bureau is inadequate to carry on successfully all o f this field work. Through correspond ence and by coordinating the work o f the district field officer o f the parole bureau with that o f local agencies it may, however, be pos sible to meet the situation fairly well. Cooperation o f this type is found at its best in Essex, Monmouth, Atlantic, and Mercer Counties. A ll institutions and agencies, both public and private, which have to do with the care o f dependent, defective, or delinquent children are subject to inspection by the New Jersey Department o f Institutions and Agencies. A certificate o f indorsement is issued at the discre tion o f the State commissioner o f institutions and agencies. It is customary with the commissioner to refuse indorsement i f the general standard acceptable to the department is not met.1 Many city and county institutions and several state-wide child caring societies are doing good work in caring for neglected children. It is, perhaps, fair to say that the child whose need is brought to the 1 The State board, the commissioner, and one of the chiefs of the various divisions enumerated in section 109 hereof, from time to dime designated or created, and at such time so designated, in pursuance of powers vested in the State board by said section 109, which designation in form of resolution of the State board shall be filed with the secretary of state, and such designation when so filed shall be deemed to be due notice thereof, shall have full power to compel the attendance of witnesses, to administer oaths, to examine such persons as may be necessary or expedient, to investigate, or cause to be investigated, the record, health, ability, and character previous to admission or commit ment and during the period of treatment or imprisonment of each and every patient, ward, or inmate admitted, received or committed to any institution subject to the examination, supervision or jurisdiction of the State board, and on complaint of any person or upon its own initiative investigate the treatment or care of inmates and the conduct or management of any such institution. It shall also be the duty of the said State board to establish a uniform system of records, reports, statistics,, memoranda, data identifying and relating to persons admitted or received in any charitable institu tion and of persons convicted of crime and offenses punishable by imprisonment in any of the correctional institutions subject to the jurisdiction of the State board of institu tions and agencies, and to make recommendations from time to time to the courts having jurisdiction therein or with respect thereto, for the purpose of enabling the courts or judicial officers having jurisdiction to more uniformly and effectively admit or commit persons, or impose sentences upon persons subject thereto. All persons summoned by the State board, the commissioner of institutions and agencies, or one of the division chiefs appointed by the State board, as provided in this section, shall receive, for attendance before the board, or such officer issuing such summons, the like witness fees and mileage as are now allowed to persons summoned to testify in the courts of this State, and the treasurer of this State is hereby authorized and directed to pay, upon the warrant of the comptroller, such fees and compensation as may be certified as correct by the com missioner, out of the maintenance fund of such department. All persons refusing to obey any such summons may be, on application to the common pleas judge of the county in which such hearing is to be held, brought before any judge of such court of common pleas in such county, and required to answer for his refusal to obey such summons. Such hearing shall be conducted in a summary manner and, in the discretion of the said judge, the said person may be held in contempt of court for his refusal or willful neglect of such summons. The person may purge himself of any such contempt on such terms as the court or judge may impose to effectuate or accomplish the purpose of this act. (N. J. Acts 1918, ch. 147, 200 (6), as added by Acts 1919, ch. 139.) https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis N E W JERSEY. 77 attention o f public authorities or properly recognized agencies is very likely to receive suitable care. But. children whose fathers have deserted or have been divorced, children o f unemployed and desti tute parents too proud to apply for relief, children whose mothers are employed and those whose mothers are dead, are often placed by relatives or friends in unauthorized so-called boarding homes whose existence may not at once be discovered. Under such cir cumstances abuses may arise. Dependent children from other States may not be placed out in New Jersey except in compliance with section 646 of chapter 147 o f the Laws o f 1918, whieh provides for a license and bond, and for bids importation o f children who are incorrigible or o f unsound mind or body. The situation o f New Jersey between two great cities makes the problem o f controlling the importation o f children an important one. The child-welfare act passed in 1915 is a very comprehensive statute. In its definition o f “ abandonment, cruelty, neglect, and improper guardianship ” is covered every conceivable parental sin o f commission or omission. The statute provides penalties for the de linquent parent and suitable guardianship for the child. However, before the provisions o f this act can be brought to bear on a given case, a person willing to make the initial complaint must be found, and that is often very difficult, because the persons most likely to be in possession o f the facts—relatives or neighbors— are the least will ing to initiate action or give evidence. No public agency is charged with the enforcement of proceedings against neglectful and delin quent parents and guardians under the act; both public and private agencies do, however, avail themselves o f its provisions when fla grant cases are brought to their attention. Provision for the welfare o f widows and their children and for dependent children brought before the courts is in the hands o f the State board o f children’s guardians, under direction o f the State board o f control p f institutions and agencies. An “ act tc*, promote home life for dependent children ” was passed in 1913 and has been several times amended. The work o f this board in administering widows’ pensions, and in placing and supervising children who have been committed to its care by the courts because o f improper guar dianship in the home or for other reasons, has been the outstanding feature o f New Jersey’s welfare program. Over 10,000 children have been in the care o f the board. It maintains no institution. The law provides that children shall be kept only temporarily in “ receiving homes ” or in almshouses, and must be suitably placed in supervised boarding homes or with private families within a limited time. Applications for pensions are heard in the county courts; https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis t 8 C O U N T Y O R G A N IZ A T IO N FOR C H IL D CARE. when pensions are granted they are a charge upon the county but .are administered from the central office. There is need o f greater clearness as to the scope and functions-of the State board o f children’s guardians. It is the practice o f the board to receive children into its care upon commitment only. There is, however, great need for some agency to take the initiative in seeing that a dependent child is placed without delay under proper guar dianship. SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENTS IN CERTAIN COUNTIES. The urban counties have well-organized probation departments, and Essex, Hudson, Union, and Mercer do particularly effective pro bation work, though a large share o f the work in these counties is devoted to adults. Hudson and Essex have special officers assigned to juvenile cases. These two counties are already provided with parental schools, where juveniles awaiting hearing or held as wit nesses may be detained, or to which they may be committed for obser vation and examination or for temporary care and training. Camden County has begun to build a juvenile detention home, and will ad minister it according to the best modern standards. Burlington County has put forth special efforts to meet the problem o f poor attendance in rural schools-; so also have Monmouth and Ocean. Each has a county attendance officer. By virtue o f ^ per missive w legislation, such an officer may be appointed at public ex pense after demonstration has been made through private support for a certain period. In each instance a woman well trained in social work has been appointed. In Burlington County much has been ac complished toward the consolidation o f rural schools and the im provement o f family life as related to child welfare in isolated com munities. This county has also been especially successful in stimu lating interest in backward and subnormal children and in making special provision for them. The county colony for feeble-minded boys, started some years ago, has been taken over b y the State and is rapidly developing into a remarkably successful institution. In the extremely rural counties o f Hunterdon, Sussex, Warren, and Ocean, and in Morris, Somerset, und several o f the southern counties, the county-helping teachers are net only aiding to secure better standards o f teaching and o f health for country school chil dren, but are also creating a community consciousness in out-of-theway places, drawing together and interesting everyone— parents, teachers, children, and officials— in better conditions for the children. Bergen County has recently improved its county Children’s home. This county has four helping teachers. Morris County looks forward https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis F E W JERSEY. 79 to improving and developing its children’s home. It now has at the county seat a thoroughly experienced social worker and is preparing for organization on a county basis. In Middlesex, Warren, Cumberland, Ocean, and Atlantic Counties the local units o f the American Red Cross have been very helpful to the State department o f institutions and agencies in securing bet ter child care. Many counties have no other organized social agencies. Four counties have county vocational schools. Passaic County, largely urban in character, has good schools for subnormal children and also has a well-organized social agency—not, however, on a county basis. Salem and Somerset Counties are unorganized for local welfare work. The former, however, offers any number o f good foster homes, and is a favorite “ placing ground ” with several agencies; and the latter, which is populated largely by city com muters, contains many institutions for children o f New York City who are in need o f convalescent care. In Monmouth County the work o f the county organization for social service is unique for a number o f reasons. First, it is not a part o f any State or National organization for social work. It is affiliated with larger organizations, but is in no way dependent upon them for policy, direction, or finance, although it may cooperate with them in carrying out a demonstration or an experiment. Second, it is not subsidized from public funds, but is supported entirely by private contributions. Third, it has carried forward a work broader than that of most private organizations and more directly connected with public life and county government. This work has included surveys and research with respect to public offices ami institutions, and it has also included experiment and demonstration o f more ef fective methods o f public administration in the work o f public schools, health departments, courts, institutions, and relief agencies. The demonstration o f family social service has been on a county-wide basis-—this again is quite unusual. Finally, the organization has been successful in strengthening and multiplying local agencies and at the same time has established closer and more helpful relationships between local agencies and the larger organized bodies, State and National. THE WORE IN MONMOUTH COUNTY. Characteristics of the county. Monmouth County lies midway between north and south Jersey. It has a long coast line, part o f the “ summer playground ” district of the Atlantic seaboard. The shore has a large and shifting summer population, and both on the shore and inland are many beautiful summer homes. The county is also suburban in character. Fre https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 80 COUNTY ORGANIZATION FOR CHILD CARE. quent trains carry commuters daily between their country or sea side homes and the two great cities o f New York and Philadelphia. Back from the shore lie the rolling, fertile farm lands of what, according to Government reports, is one o f the richest and most productive agricultural counties in the United States. Fring ing the fine farming country are a number of townships where there are miles o f pine and sand and the farms are few and poor. The county extends inland in wedge shape almost across the State. It has an area o f 479 square miles and a permanent population o f about 105,000, including 22,U00 o f foreign or mixed parentage, 13,000 foreign born, and 9,000 negroes. There are 43 political units, namely, 2 cities, 25 boroughs, and 16 townships.2 In addition to the railways which cross the county in several directions there are extensive highways, so that transportation by automobile is convenient. In many districts almost every farmer has a car. The county seat, Freehold, is located in the prosperous rural section. Near Matawan and Keyport is a more barren district adjoining Raritan B ay; here, and in the extremely sandy southern district, are found Italian, Pole, or Hebrew, or the indigenous “ poor white,” who, because he believes that a few acres and “ liberty ” are better than working a farm for some one else, has rented for him self a small tract o f land. With no other visible assets than a hard working wife, a large family o f children, a spavined horse or two, and a few secondhand tools, he starts out to wrest a living from the land— and in some way or other does it. The permanent residents o f the two cities and the boroughs along the shore include, as one would expect, landlords, the professional groups, tradesmen, and servants (o f whom many are negroes). A ll o f these are to a great extent dependent upon the visitor and the commuter for an opportunity to earn a living. But there is one other group o f inhabitants so distinctive as to require special men tion, namely, the fisher folk and the oyster and clam diggers, many families o f whom inhabit the shores o f the numerous salty inlets and bays. Not a few o f these families cling to the more primitive modes o f life, and simple social standards naturally result from their isolated existence. Physical and mental deficiencies appear with greater frequency among individuals belonging to this group than among those in any other, unless it be the families o f the “ pine woods ” and desolate sandy stretches, whose condition is also isolated and whose mode o f life is similar. O f manufacturing establishments there are few in this county. A rug mill, a cannery, and small tool works at the county seat, one or 2 See Bulletin, Fourteenth. Census of the United States, 1920, Population, New Jersey: Composition and Characteristics of the Population, p. 10. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis N E W JERSEY. 81 two plants employing mechanical labor in the northern section, and the clothing factories located in larger or smaller units in various parts o f the county—these offer the only industrial opportunities. The schools o f the county represent every type from the one-room antique pattern o f district school to the well-equipped, modern city system. Their total seating capacity is about 25,000. In 1920 there were still in use 77 schools o f the one and two room type, in which were enrolled 3,435 boys and girls. The Monmouth County Organization for Social Service. History .— This organization, now so well established,3 was the out growth o f an investigation into conditions in the county made at the suggestion o f a resident, who was at the time (1912) actively interested in the State organization known as the New Jersey State Charities A id and Prison Reform Association. It was as a county branch o f this association that the Monmouth County society was originally organized. Later, when the State association went out o f existence, the local society changed its name to the present one., The original organization undertook to perform some o f the func tions o f a children’s agency, o f an antituberculosis association, and o f a county charity organization society. Its earliest efforts were put into a campaign for a county hospital for tuberculosis patients and for a county home and hospital for the aged and incurable. It endeavored also to help the overseers o f the poor and to study the problem o f dependency in the entire county. A paid secretary and a stenographer constituted its first staff. ' Following the passage o f the poor law by the New Jersey Legis lature o f 1911, the New Jersey State Charities A id and Prison Re form Association, a volunteer organization representing most o f the counties, met to discuss the application o f this law. The repre sentative from Monmouth County volunteered to finance an investi gation in her county to determine how far the law was really oper8 REPORT OF INSPECTION BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF INSTITUTIONS AND AGENCIES. Monmouth County Organization for Social Service, Second National Bank Building, Red Bank, N. J. D ate: December 7, 1921. Object: To provide a clearing house for social and health activities in Monmouth County. Source of maintenance: Voluntary contributions. Employees, 1 2 : Male, 2 ; female, 3 social workers, 2 nurses, 3 investigators, 2 clerks. Qualifications for assistance: No race, color, or creed distinctions. Child placement: None. Activities: General social service, psychiatric clinic for school children, health clinics, family relief, extensive health program, for children. Remarks : Probably the most active private welfare organization in the State, touching every phase of family and community life. It is well organized and efficiently con ducted. Recommendation: Indorsement upon receipt of financial report. New report to be pub lished early in 1922, https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 82 C O U N T Y O R G A N IZ A T IO N FOR C H IL D CARE. ative or could be made operative, and to present a survey of the general social conditions in the county. The paragraph which fol lows is quoted from the published report o f this survey: This investigation revealed many needs, and at the same time showed that those who were trying to aid the unfortunate and to better community con ditions were working without any thought o f coordinated effort. Private charity was practically unorganized. There were no trained or paid social workers. No work was being done for children, except at long range by two State societies of limited function. The only public institution was the county jail. Children were lodged in jail and tried in open court. There had been no school census for a number of years; truancy was common; poverty, de pendency, disease, and bad housing were all too prevalent. Neither public nor private charity was employing modern preventive or constructive measures. Disheartened groups here and there were ready to welcome some form of organ ization which promised better things. Most people were surprised at this report, but the promoter o f the investigation was by no means disheartened. She believed that most o f the wrong conditions could be remedied by intelligent, concerted action. Accordingly she went to work to secure concerted action. Small groups o f people, carefully selected, were asked to meet at her home and in the homes o f those who became interested. A few large gatherings were held to arouse public interest, Before long the funds necessary to employ a secretary was raised, and the Mon mouth County branch o f the New Jersey State Charities A id and Prison Reform Association was organized on June 24, 1912.4 Membership of the organization has grown from 150 in the first year to over 600 at the present time. Contributions vary from $1 to $1,000 or more. The society has always striven for the highest possible number o f dollar members in order to secure the interest o f the largest possible number of people. In 1918 the income o f the organization amounted to $12,966 and the disbursements to $11,956. Original' constitution,.— The original form o f organization pro vided for a president, four vice presidents, a secretary, and a treas urer. These officers, together with the chairmen o f standing com mittees, constituted the executive committee. The standing commit tees were organized for active work in the discretion o f the executive committee and were required to submit written reports at the monthly meetings o f that committee and at the annual meetings o f the asso ciation. The standing committees included those on (1) county insti tutions, (2) cooperation with churches and private charities, (3) tuberculosis, (4) finance, (5) education and publicity, (6) overseers o f poor, (7) children, (8) vagrants and mendicants, (9) housing, and (16) mental defectives. 4 At the annual meeting in 1917 the name of the organization was changed and, a new constitution adopted. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis NEW JERSEY. 83 The finance committee was required to secure the approval o f the executive committee on methods t© be employed by local committees in raising funds. The committee on education and publicity was charged with the task o f interesting people throughout the county in the objects o f the association and o f informing them concerning its methods, activities, and aims— through the press and by means o f public meetings * and. otherwise, as it seemed advisable, it was to acquire and disseminate general information on topics relating to the work. The committee on children defined its duties as follows : It shall study the condition and needs of the dependent and neglected children. <of Monmouth County. It shall inform itself o f the character and work o f insti tutions, both public and private, where children are maintained, and shall sug gest to the executive committee such changes or improvements as may tend to increase their efficiency in the care and education of these children. The com mittee shall cooperate with the New Jersey State board of Children’s Guardians and other child-placing and supervising agencies, and with the public schools o f the county, to the end that no child within this county shall be deprived of an •opportunity to develop the physical, mental, and moral qualities that make for good citizenship. The committee on mental defectives was enjoined to gather infor mation concerning the number, whereabouts, and condition o f feeble minded, epileptic, and insane persons in Monmouth County; to learn how many such unfortunate individuals from the county were being cared for in State institutions, and the cost per capita o f their com mitment and maintenance, and to study the causes producing such mental defectives, so far as they are ascertainable, and suggest meth ods o f alleviation and control. Provision was made for the “ Council o f Social Welfare,” an ad visory council including one or more representatives o f each o f the municipalities in the county, as follows.: The members o f th-is council shall be appointed by the president. They shall hold monthly meetings. It shall be the duty of the council o f social welfare t© consider and decide all questions relating to the external policy of the associa tion, and no new course o f action involving the outside relations o f the associa tion shall be entered upon without the knowledge and approval o f the council. No legislation shall be proposed by the council, nor any effort made to influence legislative action either by the association or by any member thereof, as such, unless with the approval o f the executive committee o f the State Charities Aid and Prison Reform Association of New Jersey. The work o f the organization progressed along many lines, repre senting in each successive year the thought and etfort o f a larger group o f citizens, particularly o f those who, whether in official or in private life, were sincerely interested in the betterment of social conditions. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 84 COUNTY ORGANIZATION FOR CHILD CARE. Policies.— The organization has not received subsidies from public funds; on the other hand, it has in many instances supplemented the public funds available for the salaries o f certain officials in order that persons o f unusual ability or special qualifications might be attracted to positions o f trust and responsibility. In each such case the work o f the official had to do with the welfare o f families or children, and the gift was made for the purpose o f carrying out an experiment involving some principle accepted by the organization as worthy o f demonstration. The county attendance officer, the county supervisor o f child study, and the county probation officer were first appointed in this way. As soon as the importance o f each type o f work was thoroughly established, the maintenance o f these officers was taken over by the county. From the beginning, finances have been handled on a budget basis and carefully audited each year. The success in securing memberships has undoubtedly been due to the public confidence resulting from this careful policy, as well as to the actual achievements o f the organization. Certain fundamental principles have never been lost sight o f: First, the true function o f the private agency is to experiment, to demonstrate, and to set standards, whereas permanent plans for child caring should be developed from these demonstrations and expanded under public control. Second, the development o f the local com munity must go hand in hand with that o f the county and the State, the work o f each o f the three being closely related to that o f the other. Third, an exact knowledge o f facts is the first essential to a sound program. Facts should be determined at first hand, whenever possible, by someone well trained for the work and provided with the necessary resources. The keeping o f careful, discriminating records in permanent form is indispensable to real service. Fourth, there must be sympathetic coordination o f effort, mutual understand ing, and cooperation between various private agencies, and again between these and public officials. The president of the organization in an annual address made this statement: I feel that we have always had a spirt of real fellowship with our officials and an appreciation of the services they render the county— our county super intendent of schools, our various school men, the representatives of the other State departments, our board of freeholders, and one of the best county courts in the State. W ith these officials we have labored, helping to make possible plans already laid down by them, and making new demonstrations through their leadership, always realizing that theirs is the official responsibilty and that in them official authority resides. W e have felt with them that experi ments, even in their departments, should properly be made out of voluntary funds, always accepting in advance as a principle that, should such demon strations prove to be a success, they shall be carried by public funds, thereby becoming a permanent service to society. W e have also felt that it is our function to be, for them, and under their direction, a means o f giving informa- https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 85 N E W JEESEY. tion to citizens of the county. program. Social education is part of a preventive Some of the activities of the organization.— In June, 1921, there were 736 families under the supervision o f the organization with respect to one or more family problems. Its executive secretary has been made county adjuster for Monmouth County, a fact which in sures a saving o f expense to the county in the support o f its wards in the State institutions, and more satisfactory service to the families who have relatives or friends in the State institutions. The organiza tion handles practically all the complaints brought under the “ childwelfare law ” ; it makes investigations in most such cases at the request o f the judge o f the juvenile court. The Monmouth County Organization for Social Service is the agent o f the State and national tuberculosis associations. In 1920, it raised a large amount o f money through the sale o f Christmas seals, portions o f which were spent for preventive health work, for the county tuberculosis nurse, for children’s clinics, and, in some places, for giving a small subsidy to boards o f education to make possible the employment o f a school nurse. In December, 1920, the Allenwood Hospital was opened, and with in two months’ time it was filled to capacity—27 beds. It now has a waiting list. Three tuberculosis clinics are held monthly— one at Freehold, one at Red Bank, and one at Asbury Park. The staff physician o f the organization is school medical examiner fo r six o f the townships, and the organization bears the cost o f the medical inspection, the money appropriated for that purpose by the townships being used for nursing follow-up work. The Red Cross cooperates with jt in employing a “ county advisory nurse.” Sixteen communities now have public-health nurses. The “ county tubercu losis nurse,” whose field service covers the county, works under the county advisory nurse. In cooperation with National and State agencies a comprehensive program for making careful studies througout the county o f the mental as well as the physical health o f school children has recently been inaugurated. This is the second time that a county-wide study o f school children has been undertaken. The first study, completed in 1915, revealed certain important facts with respect to the number o f public-school children who were in need o f special medical care, institutional treatment, special teaching, or changed environmental conditions. As a result o f this investigation, the county bureau o f child study was established with the following general purposes: (1) To stimulate interest in mental and physical hygiene in the schools and community; (2) to examine as to mental development and health all children who are seriously retarded in school or are atypical; (3) t.o detect early manifestations o f tendencies to nervous https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 86 COUNTY ORGANIZATION TOR CHILD CARE. or mental disorders among school children and to combat these tendencies by preventive work in the school and the home; (4) to keep a permanent register o f all who are mentally defective; (5) to plan for and encourage special provision for the training and supervision o f the mentally defective in school and community. The organization hoped so to educate public sentiment that means would eventually be provided for adequately taking care o f the neglected, backward, delinquent, and dependent children o f the county. It was necessary to secure special legislation in order to establish this bureau. The act creating it reads as follows : 4 1. When in any county a survey has been made setting forth facts and con ditions regarding juvenile delinquency and deficiency among children of school .age, the results of whieh shall, in the opinion of the commissioner o f educa tion, warrant the establishment of a department of child study, there, may be* appointed by the commissioner o f education, with the approval of the State board of education, a supervisor o f such department, who shall work under the authority of the county superintendent. The term of office of such super visor shall be for one year, and he or she shall receive an annual salary o f not more than $1,500. 2. The county superintendent o f the county in which a supervisor has been appointed, as provided herein, shall, before making his apportionment of school moneys, deduct from the amount o f railroad tax appropriated to his county the sum o f $1,500 for the salary o f such supervisor, and the further sum of $350 for traveling expenses, which sums shall remain in the hands o f the county collector and shall be available only for the payment o f the salary of such supervisor and the expenses incurred by said superviser in the perform ance of his official duties. The county organization gave practical assistance in training teachers for this work by granting scholarships fo r study at the Vineland Training School and elsewhere. Naturally, the rural prob lem was emphasized. At first the welfare o f the whole group o f retarded and mentally deficient children was sought, instead o f singling out the definitely feeble-minded who were in need o f cus todial care. It was felt to be important to establish continuity o f effort b y keeping careful records, so that change from grade to grade and from one school or community to another might not result in waste. This point is well emphasized by Dr. F. D. Porteus, when he says: I f we give some years o f training in carpentry to a boy who after leaving school follows the occupation of running errands or petty thieving— for which he requires no training— then a great deal o f patient, heartbreaking effort must be largely discounted in value, because the aptitude was never put to use. The crux of the whole problem— the provision for after care— lies outside the teacher’s province. This essential part of the problem requires legislative and social action, which the teacher can not initiate. é N. J. Acts, 1917, eh. 88, as amended by Acts, 192Q, ch. 102. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis "NMW ¿TBBSSftr. 87 Such a reeord will accomplish a very important purpose—the rela tion o f the school to the big social problems o f dependency, deficiency, and juvenile crime will be kept clearly in view. Am age-grade dis tribution table, with its very plain lesson, should be regarded by principals as a measuring chart o f their social responsibility and by boards o f education as a criterion o f how sincerely and wisely they have tried to make the schools the best possible training ground fo r the coming generation. In the beginning the teachers gave voluntary service, because they could not be released from regular work. T o do the special work, they made many personal sacrifices, working out o f hours and in all sorts o f corners. Later, the aid o f normal schools was enlisted. Several student teachers were assigned to practice under the teachers who wished to do this special work. I t was not long before the student teacher could relieve her critic teacher o f the regular class room work during part o f the day. Another o f the purposes o f the bureau o f child study was to pre vent the development o f delinquencies in schoolboys by getting hold o f the boys in time to win them away from habits o f truancy and disorderly conduct. A fter the bureau had been in operation for a time the allowance for the salary o f the supervisor was materially increased and he was granted an assistant. Special teachers have now been appointed whose duties are not only to teach and train the subnormal children but also to act as “ adjusters ” in any case o f particular difficulty, to assist the school principal in determining the special needs o f excep tional children, and to establish in each case relations o f greater help fulness between the parents and the school. In one district where “ there really wasn’t a comer ” fo r a special classroom for subnormal children, not only a com er but a goodsized room was secured by clearing out a basement storeroom. A long “ saw-buck ” table, a dozen stools, a movable blackboard, long and short ladders, ,a kindergarten circle on the floor, and a discarded bench or two constituted the new equipment. Decorations consisted o f new kafaomining, a red burlap display board, and a quantity o f flags. But the spirit o f work and o f pla,y, the childish eagerness and happiness which were magically put into that basement room, did not emanate from the equipment. Children begged to come for a part o f the day, because here was a teacher who could “ show you how to do things,” ¡and such interesting things. The work proved its value so quickly that the teacher was soon allowed to give full time to it and had the promise o f equipment in the coming year. Within two* months several groups had been organized, so that prac tically every child who needed it was receiving a share, at least, o f https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 88 COUNTY ORGANIZATION TOR CHILD CARE. the attention o f this special teacher. The personal daily contact af forded by this special work was one o f its principal advantages. In much the same way the work o f the county attendance officer was begun, proved its worth, and finally became a public responsi bility. In 1921 this officer was recognized by the judge o f the county as an assistant probation officer. The Monmouth County Organization fo r Social Service has not functioned as a placement office, since the New Jersey State Board o f Guardians and other well-established agencies are prepared to do that work effectively. It has, however, cooperated closely with all o f these child-placing agencies. Its chief emphasis has always been on constructive and preventive work bearing upon child care and protection, because it has felt strongly that the child is involved in all family social problems and in many community problems, since these largely determine the character o f his home. As a result, most o f the things achieved have related to provision for better health and education, for improved family and community life, and for suitable treatment or institutional care when either is necessary. THE RELATION OF THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF INSTITUTIONS AND AGENCIES TO COUNTY WELFARE ORGANIZATIONS. In its relationship to local groups, it is the function o f the State department to stimulate, cooperate, and coordinate rather than to interfere or attempt to direct arbitrarily. Plans o f organization drawn up in an office remote from the scene o f action and superim posed by a State authority upon any community are predestined for the scrap basket, or, at best, for a short-lived usefulness. The per manently successful organization is indigenous to the community. Though it develop slowly at first, it will continue to grow so long as there is need enough in the community to give it root hold. The function o f central bodies, such as the State department o f institutions and agencies represents, is not to govern by reason o f superior authority, but to stimulate and strengthen local endeavors and so to plan its own program o f social welfare that the work o f the State will be the natural complement o f that which is accom plished by the communities. It is often necessary, first o f all, to help a community to see that it has a social problem. The second step is to help in measuring the problem, and the third, to aid in making a plan to take care o f it. This always leads to the realization by the community that it is with out the necessary resources, or is without the organization which would use existing resources to the best advantage. A t this point the idea o f a community or county organization is likely to germi nate. There are, o f course, many ways in which the experienced https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis N E W JERSEY. 89 State leader may help to nurture it or to influence the direction of its growth* The following story will illustrate : In May, 1921, a boy o f 13 years was admitted to the State cor rectional institution from the county o f X . The records showed that he had spent three months in jail. A State worker, learning this fact, *decided that county X would be a good field for service. A visit was made to the county court, and friendly relations were established with the judge and county officials. When the boy’s case was mentioned, the judge showed that he had been sincerely desirous o f doing the right thing by him. On the boy’s first arrest, since there was some question as to the degree o f his mental responsibility, the judge had hesitated to send him to the State correctional institution and had instead kept him under observation in the county jail. On trial he was released; but he was again arrested, and for this second offense was committed to the institution. The reports o f the State psychologist and psychiatrist, who examined him soon after admission, confirmed the judge’s sur mise that he was not normal mentally, but stated that his condition was symptomatic o f a mental breakdown rather than of feeble mindedness. It was unfortunate that three months o f valuabe time had been lost before treatment was begun. Some weeks after the investigation o f this case by the State worker a group o f school officials met in Trenton, among whom were a num ber from the county from which the boy was committed. The State worker secured an opportunity to address this meeting on the neces sity o f early diagnosis and special teaching or care for pupils o f a defective or a delinquent type. A week later there came an urgent request that the State agent visit a certain school district o f the same county. Here was a school principal fully aware that his district had a gravely important social problem which involved a number o f families #and the safety o f little children. H e did not know what could be done about it, but the State department o f institutions and agencies, in its several divisions, afforded the special types o f service he needed. The ramifications o f this particular problem brought to light sev eral others. Plans for taking care o f the situation involved the ré adaptation o f a county institution, the cooperation o f a State institu tion in training a special teacher, and that o f the State department in providing custodial care for certain individuals. People in the com munity began to ask, “ W hy have things come to this pass ? ” The answer was, “ Nobody knew ; nobody cared.” They began to wonder i f it wasn’t somebody’s business to know and to help, and suddenly discovered that there were certain workers in the county who made it their business to know and to help, i f given the chance. It was learned 111532°—22----- 7 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 90 C O U N T Y O R G A N IZ A T IO N F O R C H I L D CA RE. that a social-service bureau had been started at the county seat, a good many miles away. Since the community could not*support an independent agency, it began to seek for some way o f combining its plan with the work o f the agency at the county seat and to wonder i f other districts might not be induced to do the same, thus building up a county work. The idea is still in the first stage o f development, but it is sure to take root, and the State worker will be there to see that it is firmly rooted in the right place. The incident just given illustrates the process o f ‘‘ stimulation” used in those counties which have little or no organized service for the welfare o f children. In other counties, notably the more urban counties where various local agencies are already established, the State department has promoted a plan o f cooperation; this amounts to a friendly exchange o f information, sometimes o f service, and occasionally o f advice. There is, however, no recognized relationship o f interdependence. In Monmouth County there has been a demonstration o f what can be accomplished by really coordinating the work o f the county or ganization with that o f the State. Interdependence arid responsi bility are recognized on both sides. It is understood at the State department that the county organization is to be notified at once o f every admission from the county to a State institution, and o f the anticipated parole from an institution o f every Monmouth County ward. The organization assumes responsibility for investigating the circumstances o f commitment and secures a history o f the sub ject. I f family problems are involved, it begins to work upon them, so that the improvement in conditions may be coincident with the improvement in the individual under State care, i f that is possible. The organization also receives the reports o f State examiners con cerning the subject under care. These reports often throw light on the family problem, just as the facts o f family and personal history, gleaned by the county, assist the State agent to underhand the patient. When a ward o f the State received from this county is released, the county organization takes up the burden o f placement and supervision, coordinating its plans with those o f the parole bu reau o f the State department, under whose authority the subject remains till the expiration o f the parole period. The executive secretary o f the county organization has been ap pointed county adjuster, so that all questions with respect to the cost o f maintenance and responsibility therefor are promptly taken up by the person most familiar with the facts. This, o f course, prevents great loss o f motion. In many other specific ways the effort o f State specialists is closely seconded by the local workers, to the greatest possible good o f the persons in their care. It is not necessary to say how large a saving https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis NEW JE R S E Y . 91 o f effort and expense is thereby accomplished. The important fact, is that this community recognizes that the commitment o f one o f its citizens to the care o f a State institution does not u forever roll the burden away,” but that community and State must share it. It is probable that the next few years will witness the develop ment o f similar organizations in several counties o f the State which are more or less comparable to Monmouth in general character. The State department o f institutions and agencies will continue to go back to the community with case after case, each time bringing home to the community conscience a real sense o f responsibility, and guid ing this awakened consciousness into helpful forms o f activity. The growth o f organizations qualified to undertake the highest type o f coordinated effort can not be accomplished in one year, or two, but every effort is bound to strengthen the tie between State* and com munity service. ■j In urban centers where social agencies are already active ^the desire for mutual helpfulness brings together State and local workers. The well-organized probation departments o f certain cities furnish the institutions with extremely valuable information from court and probation records. Investigating agencies are regularly called upon for family histories and other data concerning State wards, and they are glad to respond as far as their facilities for securing information permit. In these communities, councils o f agencies or bureaus for family service, already organized, function with considerable effec tiveness, so that it would seem unnecessary to attempt a separate or ganization on a county basis. In the face o f the complicated city problems, a single organization would be compelled to adopt a very cumbersome form in order to include the great variety o f functions which it would be called upon to fulfill. The president o f the Monmouth County Organization for Social Service is quoted in the following paragraphs: We are only a few steps away from the county council of agencies in which all the representatives of Federal and State departments and the county execu tives can cooperate, with a program agreed upon in advance and with every effort and every dollar working toward the same end. The field to be chosen for the demonstration of a principle of social welfare should be coextensive with a political unit. This is necessary if the funds to carry the program are to be appropriated as part of the official budget, and is equally necessary if proper stress is being laid on the value of educating the public to demand permanent service as the result of demonstration. Careful consideration should be given to the relation between needs and de mand, and to the reaction to be expected from the community; and much weight should be given to the advisability of meeting a social need to which the people are already awake. The smaller communities must be kept alive to the necessity of knowing and caring for their own well-being. With this policy accepted, an almost unconscious step is taken by the public from a program of remedy to a program of prevention. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis C O U N T Y O R G A N IZ A T IO N N EW YO RK T IE S A ID STATE B Y A S S O C IA T IO N FOR C H IL D -W E L F A R E TH E NEW YO R K W O RK STATE IN C H A R I .1 H . I da .C u r r y , Assistant Secretary and Superintendent of County Agencies for Dependent Children, New York State Charities Aid Association. T H E E A R L Y P R O G R A M F O R C H IL D C A R E A N D P R O T E C T IO N . In 1872 a group o f public-spirited citizens o f New York State were led by an interest in the welfare o f the destitute and the sick to organize a society to study their needs and to aid in improving the State (or public) charities in New York State. The organization adopted the name “ The State Charities A id Association.” Its inter ests were indicated by the appointment o f three committees on ( 1 ) children, ( 2 ) adult able-bodied paupers, and ( 3 ) inmates o f hospitals. It is interesting to look back 50 years to the time when children in need o f public support were cared for in county almshouses, and to note the duties o f the committee on children as defined in the con stitution o f that early d a y: It shall be the duty of the committee on children to inform itself of the number, present condition, plan of education, and ultimate disposition of the children in the reformatories of this State, and in the State [public] institu tions of public charities. It shall be the duty of this committee to urge upon the community the very great importance of enforcing such enlightened meas ures in the care and training of these children as may tend to effectually de stroy hereditary pauperism in this State, and to best enable them to become useful citizens and good men and women. In 1874 the following set of principles were adopted to guide the committee: 1. All children older than infants, whether sick or well, of sound mind or otherwise, should be removed from the poorhouses, and not be allowed to grow up exposed to the contaminating influence of adult paupers. 2. Healthy children who are orphans or abandoned should be placed in fami lies, either by adoption or indenture. There should be intelligent supervision of the children placed in these families, by which it can be ascertained whether the terms of the agreement are carried out, and whether the children are kindly treated. 3. No healthy child of sound mind should be allowed to remain and grow up in any institution, public or private, however well managed. We strongly advocate the so-called family system as opposed to the institution system, be1 This manuscript was completed in February, 1922. 93 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 94 C O U N T Y O R G A N IZ A T IO N F O R C H I L D CARE. lieving that the former is most conducive to the better development and ulti mate welfare of the child. 4. For sick, crippled, deformed, and otherwise physically afflicted children, hospital homes should be provided. Here they should be tenderly cared fox, educated if possible, and taught such light trades and household service as their condition permits. 5. An asylum for incurable idiot children is imperatively needed. The hope ful cases from the State generally are sent to the well-managed State Asylum at Syracuse, those from New York City to the excellent School for Idiots on Randall’s Island, but the condition of the more unfortunate little ones left in the county poorhouses is most pitiable. The New York State Charities A id Association from the begin ning has consisted o f a central association with headquarters in New York City, and o f county committees, each interesting itself in the problems o f its county and all working together for state-wide pro grams and reforms. Very soon after this association was organized a State law was secured, providing that children in need o f public support should be cared for by the superintendent or overseers o f the poor in “ fam ilies, orphan asylums, hospitals, or other appropriate institutions for the support and care o f children,” and that, with the exception o f infants under 3 years o f age, with their mothers, they should no longer be sent to almshouses. Later this age was changed to 9 years. The newly organized county committees rendered such assistance as they could to the poor-law officials in providing other care for the children when they were removed from almshouses. The placing o f children in free foster homes by the county committees was en couraged by the central association, and large numbers were so placed. In 1892 temporary boarding homes were recommended, as “ it was impossible to find free homes under careful supervision, because children were beyond the age when usually desired for adoption, or were too young to make their service o f value, or because o f some physical defeet, or because dependence was merely temporary during the period that parents or friends were unable to care for them.” It was not until 1898 that the association organized a central placing-out agency to unify and standardize the work o f its county committees. This central agency has gradually taken over the re sponsibility for placing suitable children from the various counties o f the State in free foster homes. T H E N E W B U R G H E X P E R IM E N T . In 1894, in the city o f Newburgh, was begun a work which proved to be the initiation of an effort by the association to secure a definite, https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis NEW IkOJEtK. #£ comprehensive public program for the care o f destitute, neglected, and delinquent children in New York State. While the county is the usual unit for poor-law administration in the State, by special act the city and town of Newburgh for many years has constituted a separate poor-law district, which, so far as the care o f its poor is concerned, is entirely independent o f Orange County, in which it lies. Newburgh in 1877 had built a children’s home, to which all children needing public support were sent. This home was overcrowded, and in 1894 the commissioners o f charities proposed to enlarge the building. The Newburgh committee o f the New York State Charities A id Association asked the opportunity to look into the circumstances o f the children, in order to see whether some o f them might not be better cared for elsewhere. An investi gating agent was employed by the committee, who was also to visit all children previously in the home who had been placed in free family homes by the city commissioners o f charities or by the local committee o f the State charities aid association. By painstaking inquiry it was found that some o f the children in the institution could be returned to their own homes, as their parents were then able to care for them; that others could be placed in free foster homes or in the homes o f relatives willing and able to provide for them; and that still others could be transferred to the State school for feeble-minded children, which was better suited to meet their needs. The population o f the children’s home was materially reduced, so that no enlargement was necessary. Visiting the children already placed out in free f amily homes dis closed that a number were living in undesirable surroundings, a fact which inadequate supervision had failed to discover. The wide range o f provisions, through what is now called case work, which it was found possible to make for children who had hitherto been cared for in the children’s home or other similar institution, was strikingly demonstrated. Investigations o f the family circumstances o f children for whom publie support was asked developed hidden resources, and frequently care was provided which obviated the necessity o f breaking up the family and o f the expenditure o f public funds to support the children either in the Newburgh Children’s Home or elsewhere. The investigating agent saved both children and money, and she was kept in the field. Thus the first “ agency for dependent children ” in New York State came into being. After a short period o f demonstration entirely at private expense, in recog nition o f the value o f the work the city agreed to pay part o f the cost o f the agency, and in 1896 a formal agreement was drawn up between the Newburgh committee o f the State charities aid associa tion and the commissioners o f charities o f the city and town o f New- https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 96 C O U N T Y O R G A N IZ A T IO N F O R C H I L D CARE. burgh which has continued to this day in almost exactly the same form. Although the success o f the Newburgh experiment was recognized, the limited staff o f the central association was so absorbed in other pressing duties that for many years no concentrated effort was made to secure the establishment o f children’s agencies elsewhere; but in 1901 the Columbia County committee o f the association and in 1905 the Rockland County committee organized such an agency. Both o f these county agencies further demonstrated the usefulness o f the Newburgh plan. TH E PLAN OF CO U N TY C O O P E R A T IO N . In 1908 the New Y ork State Charities A id Association organized a “ Department o f County Agencies,” with a superintendent, to fur ther the organization o f county agencies for dependent children throughout the State. Usually the work has been started under an agreement between the county board o f supervisors, the county su perintendent o f the poor, and a county committee o f the State chari ties aid association, in the following form : A greem en t between the board of supervisors and the superintendent of the poor 0f ______________________ County and the — --- ---------- county committee of the State charities aid association. The committee f o r ______________________ County of the State charities aid association of the State of New York, for the consideration hereinafter stated, agrees to perform as an assistant to the superintendent of the poor, and sub ject to his approval, the following duties through- an agent or agents in rela tion to dependent children in said county. 1. To investigate the circumstances of the families in said county having poor children who are public charges or for «whom application has been made for commitment as public charges; and to assist in returning said children to their homes, provided their families are financially able and morally fit to care for them. • 2. To investigate the circumstances of families willing to provide homes for such children or to provide good situations at domestic service for homeless women with young children who might otherwise become public charges, and to assist in procuring good homes or good situations in such families for such children or homeless women. 3. To investigate from time to time the condition of such children who have been placed out in family homes and the condition and circumstances of the homes themselves. 4. To assist in securing the transfer to State charitable institutions of de pendent children in the county who are feeble-minded or epileptic or otherwise in need of special care or treatment. 5. To report monthly to the county superintendent of the poor, or such other public official or officials as he may designate, the result of its investigations, and, in general, to perform such duties from time to time as the superintendent of the poor may require to assist him in the discharge of his duties with re spect to the poor children of families i n ------ ---------------------------County. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 97 NEW YORK. The board of supervisors hereby agrees to pay said committee f o r ___________ ----------------- County of the State charities aid association the su m *of____________ dollars per month toward the expenses of said agency. For t h e ---------------------------------- County committee of the State charities aid association: --------- -------------------------------------„ --------------------------------------------------------- —-------- 1 ____ President. Secretary. For the board of supervisors o f ______________________ County. ---------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chairman. Clerk. Superintendent of the Poor. The county committees are composed o f public-spirited citizens, both men and women, selected to represent a diversity o f interests. The original committee is selected by the State charities aid associa tion. A fter organization the committees are self-governing, but con stitutions have been uniformly adopted which provide that : The ---------------------------------- County committee shall receive its appointment, as t h e ----------------------- :----------County committee of the State charities aid asso ciation, from the board of managers of the State charities aid association, and shall work under the general direction of the board of managers. In accordance with the by-laws of the State charities aid association the president and the secretary of the county committee are entitled to vote at the annual and other meetings of the State charities aid association. The initial public appropriation secured has generally been large enough to cover the salary o f an agent, private funds supplementing this amount to meet additional expenses. However, the public appro priations have varied. One county started the work with an appro priation from public funds o f but $60 toward a $8,000 budget, while in another the full cost was assumed by the county officials from the beginning. Appropriations are made to the county committee and disbursed by its treasurer. Usually an office with telephone has been arranged for in the county courthouse. It is to be noted that the agencies are organized primarily to deal with children receiving or in need o f public support. By the terms o f the agreement, county committees are assistants to the public officials charged with the duty o f caring for dependent children. The committees have only such power as is delegated to them by the officials, but they have an obligation to investigate and to report. The committees function through trained social workers who are generally appointed on the recommendation o f the central office o f the State charities aid association. Young women with college training or its equivalent, and with special case-work training or experience, are selected. To be successful an agent must have, in addition to techni cal training, the pioneer spirit and unlimited tact and resourceful ness. Frequently the agent is the only social worker in a county https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 98 COUNTY ORGANIZATION FOR CHILD CARE. where the usefulness of ease work is but little understood or appre ciated, and where there are but meager resources upon which to draw. Above all, she must be able to get along well with all kinds o f people— public officials, society leaders, and business men, as well as the families to be benefited. The work o f the agents is in the nature of public, not private, charitable relief, which means relief authorized by law and paid for through public appropriation. The support o f children found to need care is borne by the public treasury, as heretofore. Private funds occasionally provide for some special need o f a child, but the county committees o f the State charities aid association do not take over the responsibility for the support o f needy children, which rests on the different communities. The association aims to emphasize and to increase local official responsibility, not to carry the local burden. While the first interest o f the eounty agent is with destitute chil dren coming to the superintendent or overseers o f the poor for sup port, it devolves upon her to look after a wide variety o f child needs. In a few counties there are societies for the prevention o f cruelty to children which handle cases requiring court action, especially the neglect cases. In these counties., besides looking after children taken under care without court action, the children’s agents have taken up the welfare o f children where the work o f the societies for the pre vention o f cruelty to children ended and have continued oversight until the children are returned to their families, placed in free homes, or otherwise permanently provided for. In the majority o f counties no society for the prevention o f cruelty to children exists, and there the agents have looked after the neglect cases, prosecuting when necessary, as a part o f their every-day work. Gradually child pro tection has been accepted as a public responsibility. ¡Defective chil dren, and frequently defective adults, have claimed the special at tention o f the county agent, and securing their commitment to State institutions has become one o f her duties. She also deals with the problems o f the unmarried mother and the wayward girl. A variety o f other social problems come under the consideration o f the children’s agent. In some counties, at the request o f the over seers o f the poor, she makes investigations o f families receiving out door relief ; and in some counties, at the request o f local judges, she acts as probation officer for children and young women. In order that there may be a wider range in the choice o f homes for county children in need o f permanent free homes and that such children may be removed from neighborhoods where their unfortu nate circumstances are, or may become, known and so handicap them, the placing o f children in permanent free homes has been concen trated in the child-placing agency o f the New York State Charities A id Association, to which all cases o f children eligible for placement https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis KEW YORK. m are referred by the county agents, a full family history being sent m fo r each child. The State charities aid association, through its department o f county agencies, which is under the direction o f a superintendent (in later years the department has had two assistant superintendents) has by correspondence and by personal visits supervised and stand ardized the case work o f the agencies. It has helped solve the more difficult problems and has acted as a center o f information, of inspira tion, and o f help in all matters relating to the activities o f the agen cies, so that each of the agencies has benefited by the experiences o f all. Until some 18 or 20 counties had been organized, the cooperation o f the central association through its field service was limited t© agencies organized under formal agreements between county com mittees o f the association and county officials, such as that quoted above. This policy was adopted because it seemed likely that reason ably uniform methods and standards o f case work could be developed more rapidly through agencies controlled by committees o f the as sociation. From experience in many counties was gradually worked out a system o f child care which seemed the most satisfactory pos sible under existing laws. In recent years the association has ex tended its cooperation to counties in which no formal agreements are entered into by association committees, but in which some private organization other than the State charities aid association is sponsor for the work, or in which the agency is entirely public both as to direction and as to support. T H E N E E D F O R U N I F Y I N G C O U N T Y C H I L D -W E L F A R E W O R K . The association has been eager to develop a more satisfactory and practicable public county program o f child care than has heretofore existed in the State. In New Y ork each county has a superintend ent of the poor, but in addition the towns have overseers o f the poor and the cities have commissioners o f charity. Any one o f these officials, or o f the judicial officers, such as city judges and recorders, and four justices o f the peace in each town, may determine that a child is in need o f public protection or public support and designate the place in which the child shall be cared for. Altogether New York State contains more than 5,000 public officials who may be called upon at any time to render such decisions. Furthermore, there is no uniformity in the counties as to the source of support for the children, save that all children committed by magistrates as delinquents be come county charges— and even here there are a few exceptions. Each county, by a vote o f its board o f supervisors, may determine whether all children except delinquents who need public care shall https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 100 COUNTY ORGANIZATION TOR CHILD CARE. be supported by the county itself or by the towns o f the county in which they have legal settlement. I f the children are county charges the county superintendent o f the poor usually, but not always, be comes the committing officer; if they are town charges, the over seers o f the poor act in that capacity. Except in counties where agencies have developed boarding care for some children, those accepted by the poor-law officials or com mitted by the courts are sent to privately managed institutions, the county paying a certain amount per week for their care; the only exceptions are delinquent children committed to the State reforma tories. The institutions are often from 50 to 100 miles distant from the county. Lacking information concerning home conditions, the institutions are naturally slow to discharge children; at least until they reach the age o f 16, when public support usually ceases. Upon discharge the children very frequently return to the unfit homes from which they were previously taken, having no other place to> go. Occasionally a child is placed out by an institution when responsible relatives might have been found willing to give him a home. The elected public officials change frequently; and unless they have the assistance o f a children’s agent, there is no one to give continuous thought to the conditions on account o f which the children supported by the county were separated from Their families, or to the desir ability or undesirability of their being returned to their own homes. Nevertheless, the public officials alone are responsible for the welfare o f those children within the county who are “ poor persons ” within the meaning o f the law. Outdoor relief—that is, relief in the home— can be administered by overseers o f the poor, but usually the kind and amount o f relief so distributed bear little or no relation to the requirements o f the family, A new element was introduced into this confused situation o f pub lic child care in New York State when the mother’s allowance law was passed in 1915. This law created county boards o f child wel fare,' each composed o f the county superintendent o f the poor and six citizens appointed by the county judge. These boards were au thorized to grant allowances to widows with young children, under certain restrictions. Thus an entirely new channel o f relief was created to deal with a limited group o f children in their own homes. Later the law was amended to extend allowances to certain other groups o f mothers. In counties having children’s agencies, the agents were usually asked to make the investigations for these boards, so that all the child-caring work in these counties was co ordinated. Court facilities for the protection o f cMldren in the counties are too widely scattered to produce satisfactory results. Justices of the peace— 1 to each town and an average o f 75 or more to a county— https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis NEW YORK. 101 have neither the legal training nor the experience necessary for a wise determination of the many intricate questions which come to a juvenile court for decision. Outside the cities, only three counties in the State have juvenile courts.2 County probation officers handle both adult and juvenile offenders. County boards o f supervisors are viewing with displeasure the necessity for appropriating county money for child care in so many different directions—to an agency for children, to a board o f child welfare, to various private institutions for the support o f children, and sometimes to a humane society as well. As the State charities aid association learned more intimately through the county children’s agencies just how the needy children really fared, its desire for a better program for child care was greatly stimulated. At the National Conference o f Charities and Correction held in Baltimore in 1915, C. C. Carstens presented his memorable paper, “ A community plan in children’s work .” 3 In considering Mr. Car-^ stens’s plan in relation to l^ew York several things were apparent. The county system o f child care was so firmly established in New York State that a State board o f children’s guardians was not prac ticable. Centralized responsibility for child care within the county, however, was clearly desirable. County boards o.f child welfare had come into existence, although their activities were limited by law to the children o f a restricted group o f mothers. Supervision by the New York State Board o f Charities was assured by the constitution o f the State. These with other considerations led to the belief that a New York county program for child care should include: 1. A county board of children’s guardians, which would assume all the powers and duties of all the poor-law officials and of the board of child welfare that grants relief to mothers with young children. 2. A county juvenile court, which should have exclusive jurisdiction in all cases of children and in cases of adults charged with offenses against children, with the power to hold court in any part of the county and to appoint referees to hear cases. At least in the less populous counties this court should be a separate section of the county court. This plan would eliminate the hearing of children’s cases by the many justices of the peace. In 1917 Dutchess County secured the passage o f a special law putting into ‘effect the first part o f this program. In 1921 Suffolk County secured the passage o f a similar law. In 1918 Chautauqua County by special law put into effect the second half o f the program, but as yet in no county has the whole program been put into operation. 2 Sine© this was written, the 1922 session of the New York Legislature has passed an act establishing a children’s court in each county of the State— with certain exceptions to cover counties in which juvenile-court work had already been organized— and given such courts original, exclusive jurisdiction over children’s cases. s Proceedings, p. 92. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 102 COUNTY ORGANIZATION FOR CHILD CARE. Have the needy children in these counties been benefited by the special Jaws? In this connection it will be o f interest to examine somewhat in detail the work in Dutchess County ns it developed, first by cooperative effort o f private and public agencies, and later under purely public auspices. D U T C H E S S C O U N T Y C H I L D -W E L F A R E W O R K . According to the Federal census o f 1920, Dutchess County has a population o f 91,747. Its only cities are Poughkeepsie, with a popu lation o f 35,000, and Beacon, with 10,996. It contains 9 incorporated villages and is divided into 20 towns. In 1908 a group o f 12 interested citizens o f Dutchess County were organized as the Dutchess County committee o f the New Y ork State Charities A id Association. In November o f that year the com mittee asked the board o f supervisors to enter into an agreement under which the committee would establish an agency for dependent children to assist the superintendent o f the poor in looking after the children then supported by the county— all needy children were county charges in this county—-and those for whom public support would be asked in the future. The board of supervisors accepted the offer o f the committee, appropriating $720 toward the year’s expenses. The committee agreed to raise all other money needed to carry on the work. Local opinion strongly favored the appointment o f a person resident in the community to draw the local salary. Trained social workers were less known and less appreciated then than now, and a young woman with no professional training or ex perience in social case work was appointed. The work in the county began on January 1, 1909. Under the guidance o f the central office the agent accomplished some desirable results in the first month or two, but as she grasped the nature o f the work to be done she realized the needs and resigned, recommending the appointment of a trained and, if possible, experienced social worker. An office in the county courthouse was assigned to the new agent, and soon it became the center o f great activity in behalf o f Dutchess County’s needy chil dren. A t the end o f nine months the number o f children dependent upon the county had been reduced from 126 to 99, although during the period 28 children had been added to the list o f dependents. Forty-four children had been returned to responsible relatives, 6 placed in free foster homes, and 3 placed in State institutions for the feeble-minded. In addition, the agent had looked into the circum stances o f more than 400 children for whom public support was asked or who were reported as in need o f public protection or care. The children’s agent gradually became one o f the best-known and busiest persons in the county. B y personal report, through letters, https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis JSTE3P YORK. % 103 RJid by telephone, .she constantly learned o f children in situations which “ somebody should do something about.” The agent became the “ somebody.” The county committee grew to an organization o f several hundred members, with an executive committee in active charge o f the work. In three «or four of the centers o f population, ease committees were organized, with which the agent met monthly to discuss the needs o f children in each neighborhood. In the first nine months o f the work, the private organization raised $294 to supplement the public appropriation o f r$720. During the first full year— October 1,1909, to September 3 0 ,1910-^the publie appropriation was $900, and private funds amounting to $400 were raised, which completed the $1,300 budget. In 1915 (the year o f the largest budget) , the private funds collected amounted to $1,520, and the public appropriation to $2,600, the total budget being $4 ,120. In 1912 an additional agent was employed, and later a stenogra pher was added to the .staff. In the first year the agent collected $100 toward the cost o f maintaining children who had become public charges from relatives o f the children. In 1916 the two agents col lected $1,51.2.50 for .a like purpose. During the period in which the State charities aid association «committee was in charge— January, 1909, to March, 1917-—about one-third o f the ¡children who became public charges did so through court action, principally because o f having no proper guardians,; the other two-thirds were accepted as public charges by the county superintendent o f the poor, as provided by the poor law o f the State, the agent arranging for their care in boarding homes or in institutions. Unbelievably had conditions were found in the county, and the most revolting crimes against childhood were discovered. The .agents frequently secured evidence and be came prosecuting witnesses in proceedings, both to rescue children and to punish adult offenders. Less than half the children fo r whom public care was asked were accepted for public support. B y .case-work methods other ways o f meeting difficult family situations were devised in the cases o f the remaining number, so that the families could be kept together. O f the 105 children dependent at the close o f the period, 35 were in boarding homes; 53 were in institutions for destitute*¡children__ 26 under poor-law commitments ¡and 27 by court order ; 17 were in eorreetipnal -institutions, or in hospitals m other institutions for spe cial care. Individualized treatment o f dependent children after diag nosis had taken the place of uniform institutional care. The county superintendent o f the poor, the board o f supervisors, the district attorney, the city judge, and the town justices o f the peace had ac cepted the children’s agents as necessary county officials. Although ^ ie agents were officially assistants to the superintendent o f the poor, https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 104 COUNTY ORGANIZATION FOR CHILD CARE. it was their own judgment which determined where, how, and for how long children should be supported, and what should become o f them upon discharge from public support. When the board o f child welfare was created by law in 1915 to grant allowances to destitute widows with young children, several members o f the county committee were appointed on it, and the chil dren’s agents were asked to make the investigations. The considera tion of the children o f widows, therefore, was never entirely divorced from the consideration of other needy children in Dutchess County. A t the same time it was felt, both by the officials o f the county and by the county committee o f the State charities aid association, that the time had come for the county to adopt a broader and a centralized child-caring program. The State charities aid association accordingly presented for con sideration a plan for a county board o f children’s guardians and a county juvenile court to handle between them all the children’s cases in the county. The board o f supervisors asked the county judge to draft a suitable law establishing the board. A fter consul tation and at the request o f the county judge, the State charities aid association drafted the bill which, with one or two changes, was passed by the State legislature in 1917.4 This created a Dutchess County Board o f Child Welfare, to which were assigned all the powers and duties o f the poor-law officers as they related to children and all the powers and duties o f the then existing board o f child welfare (the mothers’ allowance board). The law also fixed upon the board other responsibilities not previously recognized as distinct public duties. The board was to consist o f 10 members, including the chairman o f the board u f supervisors, 2 other members o f the board o f supervisors selected by that body, the county superin tendent o f the poor, and 6 citizens appointed by the county judge and the county superintendent o f the poor. In brief outline the provisions o f the Dutchess County law in re lation to needy children are as follow s: POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE BOARD 1. As to destitute children: Administer aid to mothers with young children. Receive children as wards of county. Receive children without ~proper guardianship upon commitment by court. Place in boarding homes or institutions. Place in family homes. 2. As to neglected children: Investigate complaints as to neglect. Advise and warn when court action is not required. <■N. Y. Laws, 1917, cfc. 354. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis N E W YORK. 105 2. As to neglected children— Continued. Institute proceedings when necessary. Receive children as wards of county on court order. Place in homes or institutions. 3. As to delinquent children : Receive as wards of county on court order. Place in institutions or boardiing homes. 4. As to defective children: Obtain admission to suitable institutions for defectives when necessary. Obtain treatment and care in their own homes when feasible. Maintain supervision over those not in State institutions. 5. As to all classes of children : Provide for investigations. Provide for mental and physical examinations. Provide for medical care. Collect money from parents found able to pay. Collect such sums as parents are ordered by court to pay. Administer relief in the homes when necessary. Place in homes or institutions of religious faith of parents. . 6. As to children discharged from State institutions : Upon request, receive as wards of the county. A ll moneys appropriated for the children’s agency and for the allowances to mothers became by the law available to carry on this work. The agents who had been employed by the Dutchess County committee o f the State charities aid association were retained by the newly created board; several members o f the county committee were named by the county judge as members o f the new county board o f child welfare, and the work for children proceeded without the slightest interruption or inconvenience. The advantage o f centralized administration very soon became evident. Within the limits o f the public appropriation available the board was able without loss o f time or energy to administer home relief; to secure physical or mental examinations; to provide medi cal, surgical, or dental treatment; and to arrange for children in boarding homes or in institutions. As time proceeded members o f the board became familiar with the requirements and technique o f specialized treatment, so that consent for the expenditure o f public funds for such purposes as necessary orthopedic hospital care was voted as a matter o f course, whereas in former times the agent might only with difficulty have persuaded a public official to authorize a similar expenditure even for treatment urgently needed. Individual case-work treatment o f each child became a matter o f routine, whereas under the old system the consent o f the poor-law official had to be secured in each instance for the expenditure o f any money in the child’s behalf, while for any extraordinary expense it was necessary to obtain the consent o f one or more other officials and frequently even o f the town board or 111532°— 22----- 8 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 106 C O U N T Y O R G A N IZ A T IO N FO R. C H I L D o f the county board o f supervisors. difficult. Under the public board o f child director, three investigating agents, assistants are employed. In 1921 follows : CARE. This made treatment slow and welfare the staff has grown. A and two stenographers or office the total expenditures were as $86, 763. 86 Total cost to the county. 10, 429. 85 A d m in istr a tio n --------------------------------------------------- Salaries------------ --------------------------------------All other expenses, including traveling— Care of children-------------------------------- -------------Mothers’ allowances-------------------------------B o a rd o f child ren in fa m ily h om es---------- Board of children in institutions----------- $6,764.97 3, 724. 88 76, 334. 01 26,468. SO 11,630.57 38,234.94 The number o f children in the care o f the Dutchess County Board o f Child Welfare on November 1,1921, was as follow s: 400 Total under care— Under 16 years of age in 55 families receiving allowances----------------------------- 184 In hoarding homes-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------In institutions------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------- The amount collected during the year from parents or relatives toward the support o f children was $5,500.30. C E N T R A L IZ E D J U V E N IL E -C O U R T W O R K . I N COUNTY. CHAUTAUQUA So far, Dutchess County has not organized a county juvenile court, but in 1918 the Chautauqua County children’s agents and the local public officials concluded that the time had come for such a court in that county. Chautauqua County has a population o f 115,348, and within it are the cities o f Jamestown, with about 39,000 people, and Dunkirk, with 19,300. In addition there are 11 incorporated vil lages. There are 27 towns (called townships in some States), each having four justices of the peace. There were therefore in the county over 100 magistrates before whom a case involving a child’s future might be called. Monroe County, with the city o f Rochester, and Ontario County, without any large city, already had established county juvenile courts, and the Chautauqua County officials deter mined to secure a similar law. W ith the assistance o f the State probation commission and the State charities aid association a bill was drafted, and it was passed by the legislature o f 1918.« The court was established in May o f E N . ¥. Law« 1918, cfe. 464. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 3STEW YORK. 107 that year as a special session o f the county court. A separate court was considered too costly, and there would not have been sufficient business to occupy the full time o f a Juvenile-court judge. The court was empowered to sit in any part of the county and to appoint referees. The constitution o f New York made it impossible to confer chancery powers,6 but the criminal proceedings were made as simple as possible. Issuance o f summonses on petition was pro vided for, as was the appointment o f probation officers. The court was empowered to establish a place o f detention, if that was found necessary. Jurisdiction was given over any ch ild 7— (a) Who violates any penal law or any municipal ordinance or who commits any act or offense for which such child could be dealt with as for juvenile ■delinquency, or (b) Who engages in any occupation, calling, or exhibition, or is found iu any place for permitting which an adult may be punished by law, or who so deports itself or is in such condition or surroundings or under such improper or insufficient guardianship or control as to endanger the morals, health, or general welfare of such child, or .(c) Whose custody is the subject of controversy: Provided, That when the question of the custody of a child Is incidental to the determination of a cause pending before the supreme court or the surrogate’s court, such court shall not he deprived o f jurisdiction to determine such question but may, in its discretion, refer such question to the county court for hearing and determi nation. Jurisdiction over adult offenders against children was also con ferred in the following language : 8 Jurisdiction is hereby conferred upon the county court of Chautauqua County to hear, try, and determine all cases arising in said county under article 44 of the penal law, not otherwise provided for in this act or already included within the jurisdiction of the court. The powers of the court and the pro cedure in such cases, less than the grade of felony, shall be as now provided by law for the trial of such cases in courts of special sessions and police courts. The county judge shall have the same jurisdiction and authority as is now conferred upon justices of the peace and police justices to deal with any parent or other person responsible for the maintenance of a. child, as a dis orderly person, if, in the discretion of the county judge, in view of the facts and circumstances developing in the investigation or hearing of a child’s case, the protection and welfare of such child require that the parent be so dealt with. The powers of the county judge and the procedure in such cases shall be as now provided by law for such cases when brought before justices of the peace and police justices. This centralized consideration o f children who need the correction or protection o f a court has worked to great advantage. The county judge is a man o f wider experience than the majority o f justices o f 6 A constitutional amendment permitting the State legislature to confer chancery powers upon juvenile and domestic relations courts was carried in the election of No vember, 1921. 7 N. Y. Laws 1918, ch. 464, sec. 1. 8 Ibid., sec. 20. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 108 COUNTY ORGANIZATION FOR CHILD CARE. the peace in any county. He is a lawyer o f standing, while in New York justices o f the peace are not required to have legal training. The consideration o f a relatively large number o f cases develops an expertness in recognizing the difficulties o f individual children which can not be expected o f a justice hearing only an occasional complaint. The city judge o f Dunkirk has been appointed referee in nearly all cases arising in that city, but the county judge has personally heard practically all other cases. A small detention home has been opened at the direction o f the court. This has not been entirely satisfactory, but its drawbacks are recognized and improvement is expected. The State charities aid association has directed the attention o f its committee and o f the public officials in Chautauqua County to the desirability o f establishing a county board of child welfare similar to that o f Dutchess County and the people of the county seem favorably disposed toward this plan. Only when the combined experiments o f Dutchess and Chautau qua Counties are tried in the same county—which may be hoped for in the near future— can it be discovered just how adequately the pro gram outlined by the State charities aid association will insure the welfare o f all needy children in a given section o f New York State. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis TH E DEVELOPM ENT O F TH E D EPARTM EN T W E LFA R E OF W E STC H E STE R COUNTY, N EW OF C H IL D Y O R K .1 R u t h T a y lo r , Director, Westchester County Department of Child Welfare. Those who are familiar with New York State conditions with réf érence to the care o f the poor in general and o f children in particular will understand without preliminaries why various counties o f the State— chief among them Dutchess, Suffolk, Oneida, and Westches ter— have each begun an experiment in the centralized administration o f part or all o f their public charities, with the county as the unit o f administration. These four experiments all deal with children ; two include adults as well. They are all in a sense protests against the old method o f caring for dependent children. Westchester County, the first county o f the State to secure the passage o f special legisla tion permitting it to undertake such an experiment, is trying a differ ent form o f administration from the others, and one covering more branches o f work ; its experiment is interesting, partly for this reason and partly because o f the county’s prominence in the State. T H E D E P A R T M E N T ’S F I E L D O F W O R K . Westchester stands second in population among the 57 counties in New York State outside o f New Y ork City, its 344,000 being ex ceeded only by Erie County. Its location makes it possibly the most important o f these counties. Its population is very unevenly distributed, the southern part o f the county containing all four o f its cities— Yonkers with 100,000 , Mount Vernon with 43,000, New Rochelle with 36,000, and White Plains with 21 ,000 . In addition to the cities, the county has three villages o f over 10,000 population and five o f between 5,000 and 10,000 . The remainder o f its popu lation is scattered through some 72 small villages, in rural hamlets o f two or three houses, or on isolated farms, the northeastern hill country being very thinly settled, difficult o f access, and exceedingly rural in appearance. In spite o f its nearness to New Y ork City and the fact that five railroads run north into it, it has towns un touched by any railroad line, and in certain sections its roads become practically impassable in a bad winter. Like all New Y ork State 1 This manuscript was completed in. February, 1922. 109 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 110 COUNTY ORGANIZATION FOR CHILD CARE. counties, Westchester is divided into the usual city and town sub divisions, having in addition to the 4 cities mentioned 18 towns or townships. Foremost among the causes o f the county’s social problems may be mentioned its steadily increasing percentage of foreign-born population, a large commuting population, the num ber o f estates within its borders with their large employee class, its very slight farming and large manufacturing interests, and its nearness to New York City and to the States o f Connecticut and New Jersey, this latter fact much complicating the administration o f its poor law. C O N D IT IO N S B E F O R E T H E E X P E R I M E N T B E G A N . Child care in 1914. Such, briefly, was the field presented for Westchester’s experiment in the care o f its dependent classes, which may be said to date from January 1 , 1914, when a new superintendent o f the poor took office in the county. Although the work for dependent children is but one phase o f the experiment, it is the only one that can be discussed fere. The chaos existing in the eare o f dependent children in West chester in 1914 can be understood only by one who has had ex perience in similar fields. It is possible now to describe it with some accuracy, but at that time most o f its factors were unknown to the new official who was attempting to get a basis o f data upon which to begin work. The county was following the town and city system of caring for its poor, which is allowed by the New Y ork State poor law. About 700 children under the age o f 16 were being supported in institutions at the expense o f the various cities and -towns. The institutions caring for them were more than 20 -in number and were located throughout the county, in New York City, and in adjoining counties as far north as Albany. These children had been com mitted by poor-law officials on the general charge o f destitution, or by courts on the charge o f “ no proper guardianship,” o f juvenile delinquency, vagrancy, or truancy, or as disorderly, or ungovernable. Bills for their eare were being paid not directly through the officials who committed* them and who, therefore, would know whether or not the children were in the institutions and were proper charges but through the office o f the county superintendent o f the poor. The committing officials were required by law to notify the super intendent o f the poor o f their commitments in a few types o f cases on ly; seven this was rarely done. In addition to the children cared for in institutions, a few o f the officials boarded children directly with private families and paid for their care from their own relief funds. One official who did this most frequently kept no record even o f the homes in which he had boarded the children, and was https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis WESTCHESTER COUNTY. Ill reminded to pay for their care only as the boarding mothers came to his office to collect. No one except^ himself knew who his wards were or where they were, in spite o f attempts o f the State board o f charities to secure reports from him. There was no system o f written records o f children anywhere in the county, and there was no one county official, or group o f officials, who had any definite knowledge o f the county child-caring situation other than that gained from the cases o f the children that he himself committed or boarded out, Family relief existed only in the form o f the old-fashioned out door relief. There was as yet no “ board o f child welfare act ” pro viding for allowances to widowed mothers; overseers o f the poor and commissioners o f charities administered local funds largely in the form o f grocery orders, with occasional grants o f coal or cloth ing. Little or no investigating was done; few records were kept; and practically nowhere was any attempt made to work out a con structive plan for the unfortunate family or individual in need, or to estimate what would be adequate relief for a given family and to provide such relief. It was generally considered that $2.50 or $3 was a sufficient weekly grocery order for any family, whether its members numbered 3 or 10. Little or no attention was paid by the public to the workings o f the system, and for the most part it was just what similar outdoor relief systems have been in other parts o f the country. Machinery for handling the problem. As equipment for handling its needy children, Westchester had the usual machinery o f a New York State county. Many agencies had the authority to break up families. Approximately 94 police justices, justices o f the peace, and city court judges had the power to commit children to public support for juvenile delinquency or | “ no proper guardianship ” ; at least 32 town overseers o f the poor and city commissioners o f charities could commit children as public j charges for destitution. Thus, there were over 126 agencies in the county empowered to separate children from their parents. These petty officials were all elected or appointed through the workings o f a political system, and not because o f any special fitness or training for their general duties, much less for the delicate task o f planning care for children. Their methods o f work were on the whole as good as they knew how to make them, but were entirely inadequate. | For the most part, there was no investigation o f children’s cases and no study o f family 'situations. Children brought into court o n 1 charges o f delinquency were either committed or discharged on the evidence submitted at the time. The poor-law officials sometimes made a brief effort at investigation, o f which the chief result was an interview with the parent o f the child or with some interested https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 112 COUNTY ORGANIZATION FOR CHILD CARE. neighbor or relative. Rarely was any record kept either o f the com mitment or o f the child’s hisjtory; the slip o f admission to the in stitution generally constituted the entire written record of the trans action. Since the officials were in many cases men o f little educa tion or training, and since they were largely unconscious o f the importance o f such records to the human beings involved, mistakes in names, ages, and other important facts were the rule rather than the exception. Very seldom was the date o f birth entered on a com mitment slip, and many hundreds o f former Westchester County charges have no definite idea o f their exact ages. Little, i f any, intelligence was exercised in the selection o f the places to which children were committed. Protestant and Catholic children were usually, but not always, sent to institutions o f their own religious faith. Generally a child was committed to the nearest institution willing to receive him, regardless o f its fitness for his particular type. Likewise, comparatively little attention was paid to the manner in which a child was made a public charge. Children were committed by courts or poor-law officers with slight regard to the particular, circumstances in each case. In case o f court commit ment, children were charged with lacking proper guardianship or with juvenile delinquency, as seemed most convenient, with little thought o f the difference this made in the status and treatment o f the child. A fter commitment most officials paid no further attention to their wards. Here and there an official especially concerned with the tax rate in his district periodically interested himself in reducing the number o f its dependents, often with the result that parents were compelled, without investigation as to their fitness or ability, to take back children previously committed or that children were placed in foster homes with no investigation and without the keeping o f any record. As a result o f this situation and o f the general New York State system o f paying public funds to private institutions for the care o f children, the number o f dependent children in West chester— as elsewhere in New Y ork State— tended constantly to in crease. Not only were children unnecessarily committed as public charges, but children once committed were lost sight o f and often remained public charges for indefinite periods. Many years before, in an attempt to fight the increase in bills for child care, the county board o f supervisors had appointed two socalled placing-out agents, whose duty it was to secure free foster homes for Westchester County charges, and jvhose salaries and ex penses were paid from county funds. These agents were connected with the office o f the county superintendent o f the poor; they worked, however, with no supervision and with little relationship to each other. Both were untrained. They had no offices and worked en tirely independently, one handling Catholic cases only, the other https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 113 < Protestant. Each traveled about over the area o f the entire county« It often happened, therefore, that both made trips to the same dis tant part o f the territory during the same week, with corresponding loss o f time and money. Moreover, their duties were very unevenly divided, one worker having four or five times as many cases to handle as the other. Their actual work consisted largely in trying to place babies or very young children in free foster homes, and in securing working homes or positions at service for older children whom the institutions were ready to discharge. These agents represented the county’s single effort to give specialized attention to its child-caring problem. County superintendent o f the. poor. Over this decentralized, indefinite, and confused system stood the superintendent o f the poor in a position possibly more uncertain and indefinite than any other. His powers were largely negative and contradictory. According to the law he could, apparently, commit children, although he could not make them charges upon any unit except the county. He could discharge children from public care whether they had been committed by himself or by an overseer. He was required by law to pay bills for all children committed as juvenile delinquents, but he had no power whatever over either the commitment or the discharge o f such children. Neither had he any power over the commitment o f children for “ no proper guardian ship,” though he could refuse to pay bills for their care. In fact, all children committed by the courts passed into the control o f the institutions— generally private— to which they were committed, and these institutions alone had power to discharge them. Yet all bills for the care o f such children in institutions passed through the office o f the superintendent o f the poor and were paid by him from funds in his control. Moreover, the poor la w 2 stated that the county superintendents o f the poor had charge o f “ the general superintend ence and care o f poor persons who might be in their respective counties.” This responsibility seemed to cover the care of persons under 16 as well as o f adults. As a result o f the vagueness o f the whole situation, superintendents o f the poor in Westchester County previous to 1914 had done practically nothing in the child-caring field, merely paying bills when the institutions presented them and leaving all investigation and after care to be done by the local officials or the institutions at will. First steps toward improvement. The administration which came into power in 1914 saw in the needs o f the county’s dependent children its greatest responsibility 2 N. Y. Consol. Laws 1909, Vol. IV, p. 2862 (Art. II, sec. 3). https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Uà COUNTY ORGANIZATION TOR CHILD CARE. and opportunity. Although greatly occupied during his first year in office with immediate and pressing problems in the county alms house and hospitals, the new superintendent o f the poor instituted at once some simple and obvious reforms in the children’s field. The two placing-out agents were brought directly under the supervision o f his office, their work was coordinated and standardized, and its nature changed from that o f placing-out agent to much more needed work o f a general type. Obviously, the first duty o f the office o f the superintendent of the poor, with reference to children, was that o f auditing bills for the board o f children in institutions. There was no list or card index o f children duly committed as public charges upon the county and no possible way of checking bills accurately. In order to begin immediately to get this situation under control very simple admission and discharge cards were printed and distributed to all institutions receiving Westchester County charges, with the request that they fill out such cards for all Westchester County children admitted or discharged and mail them immediately to the superintendent’s office. Thus the beginning o f a record of the work o f local officials was secured. Admission cards, when received, were verified, and all new commitments were properly cardindexed and recorded. Up to this time institution bills had been paid in a few instances quarterly, but generally only once a year. Monthly payment o f all bills was now begun, and institutions were urged to send in bills promptly in order to secure prompt payment. This and the abolition o f the custom o f holding unpaid bills over indefinitely from one fiscal year into another greatly encouraged the institutions to cooperate with the new administration in reporting admissions and discharges. A monthly report o f all children charged against each poor-law district was instituted, and local supervisors and commissioners o f charities were thus kept informed o f the status o f charges against their localities. But this activity covered only children newly becoming dependent. The biggest single piece o f work immediately undertaken was the preparing o f an accurate census o f all children who were then public charges upon the county o f Westchester. This seemingly obvious need had never been recognized, although bills for children’s care had been audited and paid every year. A ll receipted institution bills for the previous year were studied, and a card index was made o f all children still remaining public charges on the date o f the latest bills. The children’s agents were then directed to visit each institution and to see personally every child reported to be dependent upon West chester County, verifying upon this visit as many facts as possible regarding him and his commitment. Mistakes without number were discovered. Children dead for some years were still being carried upon the bills, and many New York City charges were found to have https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis W ESl'CH RSTEiR 0©IUiMrY. 115 been charged against Westchester County by mistake. Difficulty was encountered in locating some o f the institutions having legal claims against the county for the support o f children. Six months after the new administration had begun the superintendent received a bifl dating back fo r six years from an institution in which he had not known that any Westchester County wards were being cared for. Investigation showed that the institution actually had at that time children who were charges against the county, and that the bill was a proper one. It was immediately evident that because o f the chaos in the ehild. caring work and the many needs o f this class o f dependents more and better trained workers were essential, and that county-wide in terest and cooperation must be aroused and maintained in order that the superintendent o f the poor might be assured o f the opportunity to handle the problem satisfactorily. Private funds were i^iised by the superintendent to furnish immediately two additional children’s workers, and with the help o f the county agencies department o f the New York State Charities A id Association a practically defunct sub committee o f that association was galvanized into action. The county official presented the needs o f his wards to this little group o f private citizens, took them into partnership, and asked their advice and assist ance. They organized the Westchester County Children’s Committee o f the New York State Charities A id Association, which was enlisted as assistant to the superintendent o f the poor in the care of dependent children, and which as a first step guaranteed to furnish the salary and expenses o f a children’s agent in addition to those already pro vided for. The best possible trained social workers were secured in the new positions,. The old custom of assigning cases on the ground o f religious faith was abolished, the county was divided into four dis tricts with a worker in charge o f each, and, after a fairly accurate census of the children already dependent had been built up, the be ginnings o f a ease-work system were made. Face sheets and record forms were printed, and .a system o f records was started. The only concrete case work to begin on was the investigation o f the eases o f children who were already public charges. Here only did the superintendent o f the poor have a reasonably clear field. The provision o f the poor law giving him the “ general superintendence and care ” o f all poor persons within his territory was deemed to be sufficient authorization fo r him to take an active interest in all de pendent children. Some o f the TOO children' already dependent had been public charges for over 10 years, yet in practically no eases did records exist o f them or o f their families. Here was challenge enough for anyone. The agents began the difficult task o f investi gating the histories o f these children and, so far as they could, o f doing whatever seemed necessary to improve their condition. Actual https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 116 COUNTY ORGANIZATION FOR CHILD CARE. case treatment, however, could be accomplished only through co operation, because o f the division o f responsibility for dependent children which has already been described. The entire power over Juvenile delinquents after commitment rested with the institutions, and it was only with their full consent that such cases could be worked with at all. The problem, therefore, was distinctly compli cated. However, almost from the first, the hearty cooperation o f all persons concerned was granted to the new department, and thus real progress was made in the work. Indications of need for preventive work. Complete investigations o f the cases o f children already separated from their families showed how unsatisfactory much o f this treat ment was and how essential to adequate care for children is complete investigation, at the beginning, o f their need. The inquiries showed that it would be not only more humane but much more economical to prevent the separation o f families by thorough case work rather than to try to bring them together again after they had been sepa rated. The investigation o f applications for commitment, therefore, was clearly indicated to be the fundamental point o f attack for the department. Here nothing but the complete cooperation o f local officials was o f use, since any one o f 126 men could separate children from, their parents without any investigation or any previous notice whatever to the county superintendent. The children’s agents were instructed to do all in their power to get acquainted with the commit ting officials in their districts, to offer their services and explain their aims, and, wherever opportunity was given, to investigate for these officials the cases o f children coming to their attention. From the first some slight headway in preventing family breakdown and dependency was made in this w ay; everything gained was an ad vance, but the method was very slow. Separation of child-caring work from work for adults. As the child-caring work unfolded from month to month it became increasingly difficult for the superintendent o f the poor and his assistant to carry the supervision of this branch o f the work, as well as the mass of detail and difficulties o f administration o f the alms house and hospitals. By 1915 it was evident that the children’s work must be handled separately and that some one especially equipped for the purpose was needed. Through private funds a trained social worker was employed to be the director o f a children’s department unofficially organized in the office o f the superintendent o f the poor, and a stenographer was employed to assist her. This department now took on a separate though unofficial existence apart from the almshouse and its problems. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis WESTCHESTEK COUNTY. m The need for increased attention to the children’s work had now been sufficiently demonstrated to make advisable an appeal for addi tional workers paid from public funds, and the superintendent of the poor urgently requested o f the county board o f supervisors at their annual meeting an appropriation to cover the salary and ex penses o f three additional workers. This was granted. Special effort was made to advise the civil service commission o f the needs o f the position, in order that the right type o f examination might be given, and great personal effort was put forth to interest promis ing social workers in taking it. As a result three satisfactory work ers were secured. One agent was assigned to at least half-time work in the main office o f the agency to help in developing its system o f reports and records, getting its card indexes and files in proper running order, and organizing its business methods generally. As no space was available in any other county building, the parlor o f the old almshouse was used as an office.' Monthly conferences o f the staff were begun, all members o f the volunteer children’s committee being welcome, at which case problems were carefully discussed. With its increase in staff and the publicity attending it, the work now developed very rapidly. This development revealed more and more the amazing lack in the past o f any kind o f proper social or business procedure in the management o f this branch o f the public’s affairs. To those who had the opportunity to work in the county at this time it remains a source of wonder that one o f the foremost counties in one o f the foremost States in the country could have handled an extensive and costly child-caring problem in so crude and inadequate a way. New developments in work for children. Lines o f activity opened up so rapidly that the staff was tempted to undertake too much and to spread its efforts over too wide a field. For a case-work organization its growth for several years was dangerously rapid. A fter the investigations o f the cases o f children who had been for some time dependent were well under way, it be came obvious that much should be done toward securing free foster homes for those who had no family or friends to whom they could ever return. According to the New York State poor law the county superintendent and the town overseers o f the poor have the right to place out children in free family homes within the limits o f the State. Former superintendents in Westchester County, aided by the placing-out agents, had exercised this power, and the new ad ministration succeeded in listing 44 children who were still under age and who should have been under its active supervision. In many cases it found that the placement o f the children had been unwise 5 on the whole, adequate records had not been kept, and an occasional https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 118 . COUNTY ORGANIZATION FOR CHILD CARE. child had been lost track o f entirely. ' So difficult was it for the county agency to place its children wisely and with a sufficient choice o f homes, while at the same time keeping them near enough its home territory to make adequate supervision practicable, and so poor did much o f its past free-home placement work seem, that the new administration decided to discontinue the practice o f placing its children and being directly responsible for their supervision. It determined instead to offer them for free-home placement to wellrecognized incorporated organizations which make a specialty o f this one type o f work, giving these associations service in the finding and investigating o f homes and even in the supervision o f the children after placement, but leaving with them the responsibility for main taining high standards for foster homes and for seeing that the children were adequately visited and supervised. The cooperation o f various placing-out agencies was asked and that o f the Child Placing Agency o f the New York State Charities A id Association was actively enlisted. The county department itself conducted a drive for free homes for its children and actively set about assisting in securing the placement with foster families o f as many o f its wards as possible. The work with children who had been previously committed dis closed the fact that little was being done anywhere throughout the country— nothing systematically—toward making parents and rela tives pay the board o f children for whom they were unable to care in their own homes. I t was the custom for a man to be entirely relieved o f his children’s support when they were committed to institutions, regardless o f his income, and even the local officials usually considered that this was a proper procedure and were loath to make any effort to disturb the man’s complacency. The children’s department realized the great injustice o f this, not only to the tax payers in the added burden it placed upon them, but also to the children in that it made possible the weakening o f parental responsi bility and family ties. The department adopted the policy o f ex pecting parents, when they were financially able, to support their children in whole or in part, whether or not they could provide homes for them. Then, too, it was evident that juvenile delinquents who had been supported for several years at the expense o f the taxpayers were often returned to the very families and environments in which they had been living when they got into trouble, without thorough in vestigation and with little or no provision against the recurrence o f the difficulty. This often resulted in its repetition and the recom mitment o f the child, who was thus started on the way to a life o f delinquency. Friendly relations were established with the two insti https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis WESTCHESTER COUNTY. - 119 tutions receiving most o f the county’s juvenile delinquents. Their cooperation was secured and, although the power of decision under the law rested with the institutions, the children’s agents undertook the investigation o f applications for the discharge o f juvenile delin quents and submitted to the institutions recommendations as to the disposition o f the cases. For the most part these recommendations were followed, and some little gain was made in the proper handling o f the children. In the field o f new commitments, where the vital interest o f the department lay, effort was now increased to secure the cooperation o f committing officials. W ith the larger staff the department felt better able to cope with additional work, and a letter was sent to every committing official in the county, both court and poor law, telling him o f the department and its workers, and offering assistance in the investigation o f any cases where commitment was sought. The results were immediate and gratifying. In one year officials referred to the agents for investigation the cases o f 435 children for whom commitment was sought by parents, relatives, or interested citizens. In only 107 o f these cases did the agents after investigation report back recommendations for commitment and hence for the public support o f the children. Thus the rate o f increase in the number o f child dependents in the county was materially checked. A ll this gave-courage to the new administration to press its points. Boarding-home and mothers’ allowance work begun. Most o f the institutions available to Westchester County fo r the care o f its children were congregate institutions, many o f them with populations o f 500 and over. Try as they might, these institutions could not conceivably meet the needs o f little children or growing boys and girls, whose problems could be solved only by individual treatment The urgency for more specialized care was evident, and the department began the search for suitable family boarding homes. These proved difficult to find. However, a start was made, and during the first year o f its existence as a separate agency 54 chil dren in need o f public support were placed in family boarding homes by the department. Important as the need fo r all these changes seemed, the depart ment found that the greatest need fo r change in its social treatment o f children was in the ease o f children with good mothers. The .superintendent o f the poor could legally incur bills to the amount o f $2 per day for the care o f a child in an institution, and this he was doing constantly for children committed to hospitals. H e could not, however, spend one cent to give the same children care with their own mothers. A few cases o f widows with large families o f children, whom it would have been not only humane but actually cheaper to https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 120 COUNTY ORGANIZATION FOR CHILD CARE. keep in their own homes, threw this situation into strong relief, and a way was sought out o f the difficulty o f either breaking up families or leaving them without adequate support. In the poor la w 3 was found a provision, which had been inserted at the time when the commitment o f children to almshouses in New York State had been prohibited, authorizing county boards o f supervisors to take such steps as were necessary to carry out that prohibition. The Westchester Board o f Supervisors was persuaded to interpret this section o f the law in its broadest sense, and to make a small appropriation to the county superintendent o f the poor for the granting o f regular monthly allowances to dependent mothers with young children. Fourteen such families were immediately granted allowances, and the beginning 4 o f the county mothers’ allowance system was made. Increase in work made possible by additional staff. The second year o f the work o f this unofficial department was one o f continuing rapid growth and development. The county board o f supervisors created two new positions upon the staff, and private funds were raised, largely through the Westchester County Chil dren’s Committee, for five additional workers. In the creation o f these positions and in the selection o f the workers two principles were involved which have throughout marked conspicuously the de velopment o f the department. In the first place, with the new posi tions, as with those created formerly, the administration took a firm stand for specialized trained service and for choice o f workers on the basis o f merit alone. W ith both publicly and privately paid positions it has always held firmly to this principle, resisting every attempt at political pressure; and, as its policy has become known, it has been increasingly free from any efforts to influence it. Second, this public agency has always encouraged and urged private citizens to share its responsibilities and opportunities. No study o f the de velopment o f the Westchester County Department o f Child Welfare should be made by anyone seriously interested in the Westchester system without a corresponding study o f the development o f the Westchester County Children’s Committee. From the beginning, the county superintendent of the poor did all in his power to stimu late and encourage the growth o f the private organization, acting definitely on the belief that dependent children supported by tax money are the responsibility o f the taxpayers and private citizens as well as o f the elected officials entrusted with their care, and that it is the obligation o f the citizens both to help the children directly and to aid and stimulate the officials to do their duty. 8 N. Y. Consol. Laws, ch. 42, Art. 4, sec. 56. * On March 1, 1915. See Report of the Children’s Department, by the Superintendent of the Poor of Westchester County, for Year Ending October 31, 1915, p. 10. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis WESTCHESTER COUN TY. 121 Indeed, the children’s department has from its start developed the private organization almost as a part o f itself, the director for several years serving as the unsalaried executive o f the Westchester County Children’s Committee. Public and private funds were thus combined to furnish a unified plan of child care for the county. While the effect o f this cooperation was perhaps most immediately obvious in the increased staff o f the public agency, this was only a part o f the help given, the less tangible influence o f public interest and moral support being a vital asset to the growing work. Much o f the value o f the work o f the department of child welfare and much o f the hope for its future rest with the Westchester County Children’s Associa tion, which has developed side by side with the public agency.5 The additions to the staff o f the children’s department made possi ble a redistricting o f the county for case-work purposes, and the orig inal four districts were redivided into six. With the added work rapidly placed upon the department, this new division was most ad vantageous. The acute epidemic o f poliomyelitis which affected many o f the Eastern States during 1916 was very disastrous in Westchester County, over 600 cases being reported. The department cooperated actively with the State department o f health and with a local group that organized fo r the purpose o f providing aftercare for afflicted children, and from that time undertook and carried on all socialservice and relief work needed by such cases. In order to make pos sible the use o f the department’s staff for work on cases not o f public dependents, the u aftercare committee ” from its funds furnished the salary and expenses for an additional member o f the department’s staff. Despite this new type o f work the boarding-out work was doubled during the year, more children thus being given the advantage o f BThe Westchester County Children’s Association is to-day an organization of 3,000 citizens of the county with a paid staff of six workers and with an annual budget of $35,000, of which $15,000 is expended in connection with the work of the department of child welfare. The avowed purpose of the association is “ to promote the welfare of children in Westchester County.” Its membership is open to any interested person, and the dues for its lowest class of membership are $2 a year. Its constitution provides for a number of standing committees which, among them, aim to cover the entire field of child care. Among these are the committees on education, child labor and school attendance, family and community problems, health and recreation, legislation, and publicity, and the committee on special care and relief, under whose particular charge comes the relation of the association to the department of child welfare. It is the business of each committee to plan, develop, and supervise the work of the association in its particular field. The association aims to interest and to hold its members through a system of district branches covering the territory of the entire county, each branch being an integral part of the association, assisting in all phases of its work and helping to formulate its policies, but being free within itself to carry on any special phase of work in which it has interest, provided only that it remains in harmony with the general interests of the organization. Among the developments of some of the local branches are case committees, which exist for the purpose of aiding the agents of the department of child welfare in their field work. Thus the public department has in ¿his private association a strong right hand without which it could not successfully carry on many of its present activities. 111532°—22----- 9 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 122 COUN TY ORGANIZATION FOR CHILD CARE. family home life. More striking yet was the growth o f the mothers’ allowance work. In 1915 the State o f New Y ork passed its so-called board o f child welfare act, providing in all the counties o f the State and in the city o f New Y ork for unsalaried boards which should have in charge the administering o f allowances to widowed mothers. The Westchester County board was appointed as provided by law, the superintendent o f the poor being an ex officio member. As his office had already been granting allowances to needy mothers, and as various cases were being covered by his funds which did not fall within the rather narrow limits o f the act, the new county board o f child welfare and the county superintendent o f the poor agreed to work as one in this field. The director o f the child welfare depart ment was made the unsalaried executive o f this board, and it was purposed to use the staff o f the department o f child welfare for the widows’ allowance work under the new act. However, the county board o f supervisors did not feel the need for a new piece o f ma chinery o f a different type to carry on the work already being con ducted to their satisfaction by the county superintendent o f the poor. As the act did not make appropriations mandatory, they determined to make no appropriation to the board o f child welfare, but instead to increase the funds in the control o f the superintendent o f the poor in order that he might do all the work contemplated for the board under the act. No appropriation, therefore, was made to the county board o f child welfare ,* it has never become active, and the mothers’ allowance work in Westchester County has never been carried on under the state-wide plan. The publicity given to “ widows’ pension ” work by the passage o f the act and by the attempt to apply it in Westchester greatly ad vertised the giving o f allowances, and the department o f child wel fare found itself flooded by applications for this form o f relief, its list at times numbering 200. This brought considerable pressure for immediate aid for families, and criticism o f the slower and more painstaking methods. The department stood firmly, however, for thorough investigation before allowances were granted, and refused to lower its standards. Nevertheless, with increased funds, its mothers’ allowance work increased in one year to over five times the amount o f the year before. T H E C R E A T IO N O F T H E D E P A R T M E N T O F C H IL D W E L F A R E . The passage o f the “ commissionership act.” 6 The most important single stepping-stone in the development o f the public child-caring agency in Westchester was the passage of the so-called commissionership bill in 1916. This act was a piece o f spe cial legislation for Westchester County. It was an outgrowth o f the 6 New York Law s 1916, ch. 242. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis WESTCHESTER CO U N TY. 123 many difficulties met by the county. superintendent o f the poor in trying to carry on his work and o f the fact that a county so large as Westchester, with its complicated problems, had needs not provided for by the regular New Y ork State laws. The commissionership act, with a few amendments since passed, is still in force in Westchester County and is the law under which the child-caring work is carried on. Attention, therefore, must be given to the theory upon which it is based and to its provisions. The theory o f the act is that, in order to' secure a competent person fo r the work o f caring for the dependent and delinquent classes in an area as small as a county, the office must be made an important one. For this reason the act abolished the old office o f superintendent o f the poor and created in its place a new office, that o f county commis sioner o f charities and corrections, later called county commissioner o f public welfare. This official has all the powers o f the superintend ent o f the poor under the New Y ork State law, and many others in addition. He is an elected official, his term o f office being three years. As was intended by the framers o f the bill, he is one o f the highersalaried officers o f the county. T o aid the commissioner in the dis charge o f his numerous duties the law provided for a deputy commis sioner to be appointed by the commissioner and to act as directed by him. It created six county departments, all directly responsible to the commissioner and with heads appointed by him. Thus power and responsibility for the conduct o f the public-welfare work o f the county are definitely centered in the one elected official. The six de partments are: The county home (or almshouse) department; the de partment o f corrections, which includes the management of the county penitentiary and workhouse; the department o f hospitals and health, which includes the management o f the general and tuberculosis hos pitals; the farm department, which furnishes food supplies for the institutions and labor for the penitentiary inmates; the steward’s department, which is the purchasing agency for the entire organi zation; and the department o f child welfare. The framers o f the bill intended that the heads o f these six departments should be ex perts in their particular lines and should furnish to the commis sioner— who is the general administrative officer— the specialized knowledge he needs. The powers o f the commissioner are very gen eral and are broadly defined. B y this act the department o f child welfare came into being as an official branch o f the county service, th e 1 first county department o f this nature to be established in the State., Sections relating to children. Under the law as it stands to-day the powers o f the commissioner with regard to child care are liberal, as liberal probably as they can 1 be made so long as the county operates under the city and town sys—1 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis j 124 COUN TY ORGANIZATION FOR CHILD CARE. tem o f charging for the poor. The following are the specific pro visions for child and family relief : The commissioner may also appoint an advisory board of not more than seven members to assist in the management o f the department of child welfare. The members o f such advisory board shall also serve without pay and during the pleasure o f the commissioner.7 Commitments to institutions by overseers o f the poor or by commissioners o f charities o f any city in Westchester County shall hereafter be limited to com mitments to almshouses, and all such commitments shall be subject to the approval o f the commissioner o f charities and corrections, who shall commit to such institutions as to him may seem proper, subject to the general require ments for the commitment o f children as now provided by law.8 The commissioner shall have the power to make such arrangements for the care of needy children as may be authorized by the board o f supervisors, but no child chargeable to any town or city in the county o f Westchester shall be committed to any institution or placed in any home, nor shall any expense be incurred in behalf o f the care o f said child without first having obtained the approval of the supervisor, or overseer o f the poor, of the town, or of the com missioner o f charities, or deputy or other deputized official o f the city charge able therewith, as the case may be. The commissioner shall perform, under such rules and regulations as the board o f supervisors may adopt, all the duties prescribed for local boards o f child welfare as provided by the provisions of the general municipal law or any other law, in so fa r as the same shall apply to the county of Westchester.® To anyone unfamiliar with New York State law these sections do not seem as significant as they really are. Under the State poor law children between the ages o f 2 and 16 may not be committed to alms houses, and children under 2 may be committed there only when accompanied by their own mothers. Therefore the restricting o f overseers and commissioners o f charities to commitments to alms houses deprives these officials o f any power to place children in in stitutions and centers the commitment o f all children for destitu tion in the county commissioner o f public welfare. This official is given practically unlimited power to care for needy children, with the one important restriction that no expense may be incurred for any child chargeable to any subdivision o f the county unless the consent o f the proper local official has first been secured. This restriction is made necessary by the fact that the county still follows the system o f charging back the care o f its poor upon the localities in which they have legal settlement, and because it is unconstitutional for a county official to fix a charge upon a subdivision o f the county. Finally, to the commissioner are given all the duties o f a board o f child welfare empowered to administer allowances to widowed moth7 New York Laws 1916, ch. 242, sec. 3, as amended by Laws 1921, ch. 457, sec. 3. is a recent amendment and has not yet been put in operation. 8 Ibid., sec. 5. 9 Ibid., sec. 6, as amended by Laws 1921, ch. 458, sec. 6. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis This W ESTCH ESTER C O U N T Y . 125 ers, and this provision nullifies the effect o f the board o f child welfare act, so far as it applied to Westchester County. Powers, duties, and methods o f work o f county department of child welfare. The powers and duties o f the newly created county department o f child welfare can best be described by a statement o f its methods o f work under the act in the various types o f cases handled. In gen eral, however, it may be said that the immediate effects o f the act were official recognition on the part o f the county o f its child-welfare work, the establishing o f a child-caring and family-relief agency as a part o f the county’s necessary business, and the centralizing o f the commitment o f destitute children in one county official. The prac tical result o f the act was to increase at once, and very materially, the work o f the department—first, by advertising it among officials and private citizens; second, by placing upon it the duties o f in vestigating the cases o f all destitute children before their commit ment and o f arranging for their commitment. Thanks to the co operation o f local poor-law officials and o f members o f the county board o f supervisors, the restrictive provisions governing commit ment have not operated as disastrously as it was at first feared they might, and the passage o f the bill immediately improved greatly the handling o f children in need o f care because o f destitution and kindred conditions. The staff o f the department to-day numbers 40 and consists o f a director, 3 assistant directors, a supervisor o f district work, a super visor o f boarding homes, an office secretary, 16 district and field agents, 6 stenographers, a bookkeeper, a filing clerk, a secretary to the director, and a clinic staff comprised o f a psychiatrist, 5 psy chiatric social workers, and 2 stenographers. It has 11 offices— a central executive office in the courthouse at Wliite Plains, a separate office for its clinic immediately adjoining the courthouse, and 9 offices at the larger centers o f population in its eight case-work dis tricts. The office in the city o f Yonkers has a staff o f 4 agents and a stenographer, three districts have 2 agents each, and each o f the remaining districts has 1 agent in charge. Yonkers is the only district office with a stenographer; the others are given as much stenographic service as possible from the central office— an arrange ment which is far from satisfactory. As noted before, private funds give much assistance, and by no means all the staff o f the department is furnished from public funds. Since 1914 the county has increased its paid staff from 2 to IT— an admirable increase. The director, 1 assistant director, the secretary to the director, the bookkeeper, 11 field agents, and 2 stenographers are now supported at public ex- https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 126 COUNTY organization for child care. pense. A ll these positions except that of the director are in the competititve civil service. The 23 other members o f the staff are fur nished through private funds. The Westchester County Children’s Association— the private organization which has grown out o f the former Westchester County Children’s Committee— pays the salary and expenses o f six. The remaining members o f the staff are fur nished by private individuals, the entire clinic work being a gift to the department from one person. Private funds granted to the department for salaries are given merely by agreement to pay the salary—o f a specified amount— and the expenses o f any individual chosen and designated by the department. The department makes the selection and has the sole control o f the workers, whose only con nection with the children’s association and private donors is that they receive checks from those, sources. Moreover, the department is free to transfer a person from one pay roll to another at any time without notice. In thus expending private funds for its work, the department has kept definite policies in mind and is clearly conscious o f certain dangers which should be avoided. Westchester County needed an efficient child-caring agency, and it has seemed proper that private philanthropy and public charity should create one well-equipped, unified organization rather than several scattered ones. Because o f the greater flexibility o f private philanthropy, it can increase the efficiency o f public moneys and render supplementary assistance out o f all proportion to their amount o f expenditure. Also, the department believes that it is absolutely essential to high standards of public work that the continued inter est in it o f large numbers o f citizens be maintained, and that this interest can be more easily aroused and held when private citizens have a very direct and concrete part in the public work. F or this reason, from the beginning o f the present administration every effort has been made to encourage this participation o f private citi zens in the development o f the public department. The effect is clearly evident in the penitentiary, hospital, and county home (the three institutional divisions o f the commissioner’ s w ork), but it is possibly most marked in the relations o f the department o f child welfare to the Westchester County Children’s Association. Much o f the rapid growth o f the department has been due to the fact that a large number o f the county’s most philanthropieally minded citizens have been watching its work, and have discerned needs that ought to be met, aroused public opinion regarding them, and often raised funds to meet the needs. Most o f the positions provided by the Westchester County Children’s Association have been contributed because o f the desire o f some o f its members to have the department extend its work in some particular field. As an offset to these advan- https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis W ESTCHESTER COUN TY. 127 tages the department faces squarely the danger that the private funds may at some time influence its management. It believes that the danger has thus far been avoided by the plan o f permitting no per sonal contact whatever o f the association or individual giving funds with the direct use made o f the funds. It is also the purpose o f the department to secure the transfer o f positions from the private to the public pay roll as rapidly as the positions justify their existence and the taxpayers can be brought to understand the need for them. Administrative policies. In its general administrative policies the department aims to be truly democratic and to have its management one o f the entire group rather than o f an individual or individuals. In general, the executive staff has the supervision and management o f the department. It is the policy to allow every member o f the staff as much freedom as is compatible with reasonably efficient team play, and the district agents are left to organize, plan, and develop the work in their own districts according to their own best judgment. No attempt is made to control absolutely their method o f work or distribution o f time unless they fall markedly below departmental standards. An effort is made to familiarize new workers coming on the staff with the department’s general*policies and methods by giving them a course o f training under the central office staff. Except in unusual instances new workers are attached first to the central office as agents at large and are given a field training o f from three to six months in the actual handling o f all the various kinds o f case work done by the department. In addi tion, the new worker has a series o f discussions with the director covering all phases of the department’s work, the various branches o f county government, the relation o f the department to different public officials and agencies and to other county organizations and outside social agencies, and kindred subjects. These discussions cover two-hour periods, and are given once a week, so far as possible, over a number o f months. The department thus aims to equip its workers for the independence o f district work and then leaves them practically free to use their own initiative and to contribute the best that is in them in their own way. The department has a system o f conferences which aim to secure the opinions o f the whole group upon different subjects. The entire staff meets regularly once a month in all-day conference. Here prac tically all the policies o f the department and its methods o f work o f any importance are determined after discussion by a majority vote. In the past these conferences have often done much of their work through subcommittees, which have brought in reports for group action. Recently a representative committee o f the staff has con- | sidered the entire subject o f staff control o f the department, and its J https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 128 COUNTY ORGANIZATION TOR CHILD CARE. report to the staff conference has resulted in the establishment o f a permanent committee on staff conference, with full power to deter mine the subject matter for discussion by the conference, independent of any executive control. This committee, therefore, now has full power to place any matter it wishes before the conference fo r action. In case of disagreement at any time between the executive and the staff, appeal is open to the commissioner himself. The members o i the executive staff meet three or four times a month, or as often as is necessary, for the discussion o f matters o f immediate concern or of a nature not fitted for discussion in the larger group. The weekly clinic conference, which is described later, forms a means for intensive group discussion o f a number o f cases. A central office conference o f the entire executive and stenographic staff is in process o f organiza tion, and will be under way in the near future. T H E W O R K O F T H E D E P A R T M E N T T O -D A Y . The primary work o f the department may be roughly classified as the supervision and care of all children supported in whole or in part by public funds away from their families and the administration o f the county mothers’ allowance system. However, as its aim is pre ventive as well as remedial work there is practically no kind*of social problem* that does not fall within its field. In all its case work its object is to preserve family home life wherever possible,-and it always considers the family as the unit even when its members are widely scattered. Where family home life can not be preserved and the family must be broken up it stands for the shortest possible separation o f parents and children, for the responsibility of the parent for his child’s support at all times whether or not he is able to have the child with him, for the return o f children to relatives at the earliest moment consistent with the children’s welfare, for boarding-home care whénever possible for children who must be removed from their own homes and are not suitable for free foster homes, for cottage-plan institutional care as against congregate, and for free foster-home care for such physically and mentally normal children as have no family or friends to whom they can ever return. In all aspects o f the work, the department o f child welfare aims to study most carefully the personality o f each individual child and to provide for him upon this basis. These general principles govern its case work. Mothers’ allowances. Children are always kept with their own mothers provided these mothers are capable, with assistance, o f giving them adequate care; hence the mothers’ allowance work is perhaps the most important phase o f the department’s activities. As has been previously men tioned, Westchester is granting allowances not under the general https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 129 State law but under the special provisions o f the “ commissionership a ct” and resolutions o f the county board o f supervisors. The origi nal “ board o f child welfare act” permitted the granting o f allow ances only to widowed mothers who fulfilled certain residence re quirements, and whose husbands had been citizens; it has since been amended but still covers limited classes only. The Westchester sys tem permits the granting o f an allowance, at the discretion o f the commissioner, to any needy mother with young children who is deprived o f the earnings o f the breadwinner, whether by death, imprisonment, mental or physical illness, or long-time or permanent disability. Moreover, the former law does not coincide with the poor law in regard to settlement requirements but makes it neceSsary for a woman to have lived two years in a county before she may receive an allowance. This means that a family may have proper poor-law settlement in a county and be legally entitled to county poor relief, yet may not be eligible for relief in the form o f a mother’s allowance. Westchester County determines the grant ing o f mothers’ allowances on the same basis o f settlement as the granting o f other forms o f relief. Its system allows considerably more freedom in the treatment o f individual families than is per mitted under the state-wide law. It has the added advantage o f combining in one agency the care o f needy children with their own mothers and those away from their mothers. Children are often transferred from the technical class o f mothers’ allowance cases to that o f dependent children and back again, sometimes repeatedly, according to family vicissitudes, without any knowledge on the part o f the families that their status before the law is changing and that aid is coming from different funds. Moreover, since it is the policy to have the same worker handle the family from its first contact with the department, the family is saved the many new adjustments which the other system requires, and there is no chance o f failure to give adequate care because o f lack o f cooperation between different agencies. In the state-wide system, the decisions on the granting o f mothers’ allowances are made by an unpaid, board. In West chester County the power and responsibility rest with the commis sioner’s department, which, however, is required to secure the con sent o f the proper local official i f an allowance is to be granted. Although the department of child welfare has by law the greatest freedom in the granting o f allowances, it has established for itself general principles which it uses as guides in making decisions upon cases. These have been approved by a committee o f the county board of supervisors and by an advisory committee o f the Westchester Cbunty Children’s Association. On the whole, they follow closely the general standards o f agencies doing similar work, though they have been adapted with the special need o f public agencies in mind. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 130 COUN TY ORGANIZATION FOR CHILD CARE. The growth o f the mothers’ allowance work in Westchester has been exceedingly rapid. In 1915, the year in which it was started, 14 families, with 58 children under 16 years o f age, were the recipients o f this new form o f relief. In 1920, mothers’ allowances were granted to a total o f 334 families, with 1,132 children under the age o f 16 and living at home, and the relief administered amounted to $123,871.21. On December 31, 1920, allowances were being received in the county by 278 families, with 942 children. The increase in the county budget which this has involved has not escaped the notice o f the taxpayer. The initial application for an allowance may be made in practically any way, but before an investigation of her case is made each mother must fill out an application blank furnished by the department and execute an affidavit as to its accuracy. Each case is investigated thoroughly, and a complete written report, including recommenda tions, is submitted to the central office for review. No decision is made without the concurrence o f at least three persons working inde pendently, and whenever disagreement occurs conferences are held upon the case. I f it is decided that an allowance should be granted, the signed consent o f the local supervisor or the commissioner o f charities is required. A fter the allowance is granted comes the ques tion o f the amount o f relief to be given. Here the department uses a budget schedule, which is revised from time to time by the staff committee on budget after consideration o f the various standard budgets in use by leading public and private agencies. The present budget schedule is a composite o f the Chicago Standard Budget and the schedule o f the New York State Charity Organization Society, with some ideas o f the department’s own. By resolution o f the county board o f supervisors the department is at present limited to an allowance not to exceed $4.50 per week per child. This amount has proved adequate in the cases o f large families, but is often inadequate with smaller ones. Since it is the department’s policy to assure each o f its wards an adequate income, effort is made to raise private funds where public fail to meet the needs. The amount o f allowance to each family is determined in the usual way by a study o f its estimated monthly income in rela tion to the budget estimate o f what it should have to maintain a reasonable standard o f living. The amount is granted-for no fixed period and is changed as often as is advisable—monthly if necessary. Allowances are given in the form o f monthly drafts. These are de livered to the department by the county comptroller’s office and are taken personally by the agents to the mothers in their own homes. Supervision o f families is on the whole a very regular and friendly matter, agents visiting those in their care at least once a month, and in the more difficult cases much oftener. The health o f the mothers https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis W ESTCH ESTER C O U N T Y . 131 and children is a matter o f concern. The school records o f the children are watched; a school report blank is used in some cases, but it is not required. Through the aid o f private individuals and organizations—notably the Westchester County Children’s Associa tion— scholarships are raised to continue older children in school, and vacations, memberships in the Boy and Girl Scouts o f America, and other recreation facilities are provided for. A t present, with the cooperation o f 75 families, a simple study is being made— covering a period o f six months—o f their actual in relation to their estimated expenditures. The department considers that the money furnished is the smallest part o f the service rendered to its families, and it aims in every way to aid them to make the most o f their opportunities. The child under care away from his mother. Not all children, however, are so fortunate as to find care with their own mothers. The year 1920 saw 1,212 children in Westchester County receiving care at public expense away from their own fami lies. O f these, 365 were children newly committed during the year. Since the department o f child welfare now has the sole power to commit a child for destitution, it has opportunity to make a thorough investigation before commitment. This is done with the utmost care, and full record is made o f each case, so that children are no longer separated from parents and relatives and committed to public support without assurance to the public that this radical action is necessary. O f the 365 children committed in Westchester during 1920, 230, or slightly less than two-thirds, were poor-law commit ments, and they therefore received adequate attention before separa tion from their families was decided upon. In each case, i f the child was properly a city or town charge, the consent o f the local official was necessary before the child’s commitment could be secured. While consent is practically always obtained without difficulty, and the actual power o f commitment rests solely with the county com missioner, the necessity^ for obtaining the local official’s sanction often holds up the progress o f the case. It is to be hoped that this difficulty will eventually be solved by making all dependent children county charges. This step could easily be taken, if it were not for the slight changes in the tax rates as between cities and rural districts which such an arrangement would involve. The department still has practically no control over children’s cases brought before the courts, and although it is sometimes consulted and given an opportunity to investigate and make recommendations prior to the commitment o f a child for “ no proper guardianship ’’ or for juvenile delinquency, in a majority o f the cases children are committed to institutions by courts without any adequate inquiry into their circumstances. Only an adequate county juvenile court https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 132 COUN TY ORGANIZATION FOR CHILD CARE. system, whereby all children’s cases are handled by a trained and competent judge, will remedy this situation.10 As has been pre viously stated,. the department pays from its funds for all children committed by the courts; but it has no control whatever over juvenile delinquency commitments, and only such control over commitments for “ no proper guardianship ” as is given by the right to disapprove them and to refuse payment o f bills for them. In spite of these diffi culties, the department, so far as is possible, treats all new com mitments in the same way. In all poor-law commitments a thorough investigation o f each case is made before the child is actually sepa rated from his family. In court commitments such an investigation is made following the commitment if it can not be made before. In every case, court and poor law alike, and whether or not the depart ment has any form o f guardianship over the child, a thorough physi cal and mental-examination through the department’s clinic is given each child as soon as possible after he becomes a public charge, and recommendations are made to the proper agency. Thus, in spite o f the difficulties o f the system, the department is attempting to give the children committed by the court the same opportunities that it is able to furnish to the children who are directly within its control. But at best, and even with all forces working together, the system is very inefficient; children committed by courts, like those who come under the control o f the department, should have the advantage of careful study and examination before action is taken upon their cases. Reinvestigation of children’s cases. Once a child has become a public charge, the rules o f the State board o f charities and corrections require that an annual reinvesti gation be made into his family circumstances. The department endeavors to make this reinvestigation something more than a per functory procedure to determine whether or not bills for his care should still be paid. It strives to review thoroughly the child’s case, in order to determine whether the plan made for him is the best pos sible one, and whether it is working as was intended. More emphasis is placed upon the thoroughness of the reinvestigation than upon its frequency. As already indicated, the department considers that it is by no means helpful for children to remain public charges for any length o f time in a county no better equipped to meet their needs than is Westchester. Many of its children, however, receive care' during their period o f dependency in large congregate institutions, where despite the efforts o f the institution, specialization is practically 10 Since this was written the 1922 session of the New York Legislature has passed an act establishing a children’s court in each county of the State— with certain exceptions to cover counties in which juvenile court work had already been organized—-and giving such courts original, exclusive jurisdiction over children’s cases. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 133 impossible and little individual education and training can be given, to them. In 1920, of nearly 44,0Q0 weeks o f care at .public expense given to children away from their families, only 14 per cent was furnished in family boarding homes, 12 per cent in cottage-plan institutions, and 4 per cent in hospitals and institutions for defec tives, as against 70 per cent in large congregate institutions, several o f which had over 1,000 children under care. Boarding children in private families. The department’s boarding-out system has developed very slowly. From its beginning in 1915 it has increased only to the point where boarding-home care is being furnished to about 125 children at a time. Even in 1920 the number o f children under such care at times dropped as low as 75. This part o f the work has not grown, primarily because the department has been unable to give to it the undivided at tention o f a sufficient number o f its staff, this being partly due to the pressure, for years, o f the mothers’ allowance work. When through public or private funds enough trained workers can be set at the task, the boarding-home work will undoubtedly increase rapidly, though it is probably more difficult to carry on this work in West chester County than in some other parts o f the State. Since the department can not board all its children, it aims in gen eral to give preference to babies under 2 years o f age, children in need of special attention because o f their physical or mental condi tion, children whom the clinic wishes to keep under observation, children that have been for a long time in institutions, children in preparation for placement in free foster homes, and children who should be kept near their relatives, especially widowed fathers. Since January 1,1921, special effort has also been made to place in boarding homes all children newly committed, until such time as the clinic has completed its work upon their cases, and a careful plan for their future has been made. The State department o f health requires that all family homes in which children are boarded shall be licensed each year by the local board o f health, and such homes are subject to monthly inspection by the local health officer. The prescribed license requires that each child shall sleep in a room having one or more windows opening into the outer air, that ventilation shall be adequate, and that each child shall have a separate bed. In addition to these requirements, the de partment o f child welfare has formulated a number o f standards, for its boarding homes by which it aims to keep this branch o f its work at a high level. Westchester County is not yet sufficiently convinced o f the value of' boarding-home care to be willing to pay extra amounts to secure it for its children, and the department’s boarding-home work is made https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 134 COUN TY ORGANIZATION TOR CHILD CARE. possible only through the use o f private funds. It uses directly for the board o f the children all the weekly per capita amount allowed by the county; and from the Westchester County Children’s Association and other private sources it secures clothing and funds for clothing and for the payment o f all bills for the medical, dental, and other incidental needs o f the children. Private funds are used for relief in connection with the boarding-home work more than in any other branch o f the department’s activities except the clinic. On the whole, the main difficulties encountered in the boarding-home work—those o f home finding, o f adequate supervision, and of raising funds with which to finance it—will all, the department believes, be solved when the staff can devote sufficient time to them. Until its boarding-home system is enlarged, Westchester will have little to be proud o f in the actual type o f care furnished its dependents, and much o f the clinic’s most valuable work will be o f little practical avail. The department has continued its early policy o f placing children in free foster homes through other agencies rather than through its own organization. The technique o f placing in foster homes has been highly developed, and the work is already in the hands o f ex perts. It would seem, therefore, that for an agency placing at most only about 30 children a year more expert service can be secured through specialized agencies than through its own staff. Moreover, with the possibility o f changing administrations in a public agency, the department feels that the future supervision o f children placed at some distance from the county is better safeguarded in the hands o f an incorporated and reasonably permanent organization. A much wider choice o f homes is secured by a state-wide organization than by one operating chiefly within the limits o f one county, and the wider the choice o f homes the better may the individual child’s peculiarities be met. In the cases o f many children, especially those who have been taken from their relatives by court action for cruelty or neglect, placement at a distance, where their histories are not known to the entire community, is much to be desired. And, finally, it is doubtful whether an average county will pay the expenses and furnish the staff fo r careful enough supervision o f children placed far outside its own boundaries. It is the policy o f the department, however, to help the private agencies in finding as many free homes as possible, whether for its own or for other children; and it does the actual placing o f many o f its children, keeping them under its own supervision, in such cases acting rather as agent for the private organization than as its own representative. Thus far, it is reason ably well satisfied with this method. More o f Westchester County’s children would be placed opt in free foster homes, were it not for the difficulty o f securing the good Roman Catholic homes which are needed for the placement o f most o f its wards. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis WESTCHESTER C O UN TY. 135 The clinic. The clinic has been from its creation one o f the most distinctive and most valuable features o f the department’s work. Both in its concrete work for individual wards o f the public and in its general educational influence upon the community its value can not be esti mated. The clinic originated in the effort o f the staff o f the depart ment to do good case work for dependent children and in the interest o f the county commissioner in that work. From the beginning o f his administration he had been troubled by the fact that the members o f the children’s staff usually had to base their plans for the care o f their wards on guesswork. Its nearness to New York City had made available to Westchester County more advantages in the way o f free clinics than were available to more remote districts; but these clinics were so overcrowded, their staffs so overburdened, they were so difficult to reach, and so much time was wasted in using: them that very few o f the county’s wards were able to secure the ad vantages seemingly so freely offered. I f the department was to do intelligent work with its children, it must surely know a great deal about them. I f the community was to spend its money in treating dependent children it should know what they ought to be treated for before setting about the work. Therefore, in March, 1917, through private funds, the commissioner established a clinic for the" examination o f wards o f the department o f child welfare, with a specially trained staff consisting o f a psychiatrist and two psychi atric social workers. The purpose o f the clinic was to give depend ent children complete physical and mental examinations based upon careful investigation o f their personal and family histories, to diag nose their cases, and to recommend treatment. The clinic was not to treat in any way, but was to furnish the basis for intelligent planning o f care and directing methods o f treatment. It was espe cially fitted to study the problems o f unadjusted children. In 1917 the department dealt with 1,214 children away from their own families, and with an additional 506 children supported in their own homes with their own mothers. So inspiring was the oppor tunity for constructive work presented and so great was the enthu siasm o f the clinic’s staff, that at first too much was attempted. It was planned that practically every child becoming dependent, whether kept with his own mother or placed away from her, should be given a complete examination. This proved impossible, because o f the number o f children involved and the clinic’s standard o f thoroughnesa An informal system o f selection was therefore fo l lowed, and the more pressing cases thought for one reason or another to present the biggest problems were singled out for attention. Examinations based upon two types o f investigations were given. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 136 COUN TY ORGANIZATION FOR CHILD CARE. So far as possible, the two specially trained clinic investigators studied and supplemented the regular field agents’ investigations o f all problem cases, making exhaustive psychiatric studies. Such studies could not.be made by two workers rapidly enough to furnish the psychiatrist all the work she could do. Other examinations, therefore, were frequently made upon thorough social-service investi gations by the regular field agents. In order to bridge the difference in point o f view between agents trained for social service in schools or in fields having no direct contact with psychiatric work and the specialized viewpoint o f the clinic workers, it was arranged to send agents, one at a time, from the field staff o f the department to the clinic for three months’ intensive training in,the clinic’s methods. It was hoped that these agents would bring back to their regular work a new point o f view, which would not only be. helpful in the indi vidual cases they handled, but would gradually permeate the staff and improve its entire service. After a time it became perfectly obvious that the original undertaking was entirely too great. The clinic definitely gave up attempting to examine all the mothers’ allowance and dependent child cases and devoted itself to as many as possible o f the most pressing problem cases presented by the de partment. For special research purposes a group o f 50 cases, taken chronologically, were made the subject o f particular study. From the beginning the clinic could not possibly do much work for the general public; in fact, it realized that to do so would retard the development o f the public mental clinics, which were so badly needed. But the pressure from schools, courts, private citizens, and private agencies became acute, and in its desire to serve the clinic often found itself going far afield to help with especially difficult problems of maladjustment; a persistent attempt has been made, however, to limit strictly this outside work. The clinic remains one o f the most conspicuous parts o f the de partment’s work. Its purpose, as formerly, is to diagnose only, not to treat, and the limitation o f its work to wards o f the department has been found even more necessary than at first. The type o f case examined has changed materially .during the past year. A review o f the first four years’ work has made the department realize that, examining only such children as were thought by the social-service agents to be problem cases, it has passed by many o f those most in need o f skillful treatment. Moreover, by this hit-or-miss selection, no facts were being collected which were of any permanent value ex-' pept in relation to individual cases. It seemed clear to the depart ment that the clinic’s efforts should be expended primarily on one type of work, and that this should be done with such uniformity over a two-year period that the results would be worthy o f careful analysis and study. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 137 As the child in need o f public support away from his family seemed to present more o f a problem o f social maladjustment than the child in need in the home o f his own mother who was still able to take physical care of him, it was determined to center the clinic’s chief interest from January 1, 1921, upon children becoming public charges away from their families, whether through court or poorlaw commitment. Since that date, therefore, a complete investiga tion o f the family and personal history o f every child becoming a public dependent away from his own family, regardless o f the charge upon which he is committed, is made as quickly as possible by the clinic agents; this is followed by a complete clinical exami nation o f the child. Whenever possible, this entire study precedes his commitment. Wherever boarding-home space permits, the de partment aims to place children becoming public charges in board ing homes until the clinic examination has been completed, a confer ence upon the case held, and treatment planned. The child is then transferred to whatever form o f available care seems best fitted to his needs. In many instances, because o f scarcity o f boardinghome space or o f the type o f children involved, immediate institu tional commitment has been necessary, involving great difficulty in arranging for subsequent transfers. The department hopes within the near future to secure sufficient private or public funds to make possible the building up o f a system o f subsidized boarding homes which may be used as temporary shelters or receiving stations. Careful records are being made o f all work done on new commit ments. In order to make possible painstaking, uniform work with all cases, and the maintenance o f an adequate system o f records for both present and future use, the staff o f the clinic has been increased until it now includes a psychiatrist, five psychiatric social workers, two full-time stenographers, and extra stenographic service. So far as the psychiatrist’s time is not fully taken up with her work on the cases of children newly committed, she examines for the department its problem cases, including its oldest commitments under special study and its cases o f children about to be placed in free homes or in need o f special care because o f their mental or physical condition. In the first 11 months o f 1921, 275 examinations were made; o f the children examined, 132 were newly becoming pub lic charges, 109 were committed in previous years, 18 were wards o f the department who were not public charges, and 16 were outside cases. A ll cases for examination are referred to the clinic through the central office o f the department. A social-service agent makes as complete an investigation of a case as is possible and necessary for the practical and immediate handling o f the problem presented. In 111532°— 22-----10 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 138 COUNTY ORGANIZATION NOR CHILD CARE. the cases o f children committed for destitution, these investigations are thorough and complete. In many of the cases o f court commit ment, however, the department does not know o f the commitment until after it has taken place. Because o f the pressure o f work upon the social-service agents— each o f whom has from 54 to 170 families under care, according to the territory covered-—they can not con ceivably make as complete and exhaustive investigations o f certain phases o f the child’s history as the psychiatrist needs. Moreover, they are not specially trained for personality study. Each socialservice investigation, therefore, is studied by a psychiatric worker on the clinic staff, additional work is put upon the case as needed, and special attention is given to interviews with the child’s parents and to the study o f his personal and developmental history. The study having been completed to the satisfaction o f the clinic agent, it is then submitted to. the psychiatrist, who schedules the examina tion and carries it out at the earliest possible time. Whenever pos sible examinations are given in the clinic’s office. In many cases this is not practicable, either because the child has been committed to an institution as a juvenile delinquent and is in the custody o f the insti tution, or because the two weeks’ quarantine regulation o f institu tions makes it inadvisable, or because it would be a serious interrup tion to a child’s school work to remove him even fo r a few hours. In such cases the psychiatrist, with the hearty cooperation o f every institution now receiving Westchester charges, makes her exami nation at the institution. The time required for an examination varies from a short period for young babies to several hours for older children. The type o f examination given may best be explained in the words o f the present psychiatrist, Dr. Elizabeth I. Adamson: The type o f examination given is uniform in character, the purpose being to determine what kind o f child we are dealing with and, once knowing our material, to form an opinion regarding his future possibilities. It would be unfair to him and deluding ourselves, therefore, t<\ regard him solely as a physical being or a group o f mental reactions. W e feel that the child should be studied as a unit, considering all the components that serve to make him what he is, whether they are physical, mental, or social. W e try to think o f him as an integrated personality. For this reason he must be studied from many angles by various methods. Practically considered, the study comprises a mental examination (consist ing o f a psychological and psychiatric) and a physical examination. The psy chological includes a complete examination by the Sanford revision of the Binet-Simon scale. The basal age is found in a routine manner, and the tests are continued through the group corresponding to the child’s chronological age, even though he has failed on a lower age group. In this way*' he is given every possible opportunity to show his intellectual capability and perhaps latent aptitudes. This less plastic type o f test is always supplemented by various performance tests, such as the Goddard-Seguin form hoard, and Healy’ s mare https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 139 fmd foal and pictorial completion tests. The Porteus maze test has been used with partial success. W hen considered advisable, the foregoing tests are sup plemented by the Haggerty school test and by others which serve to test fo r special functions, such as association, learning ability, or memory. W e always try to use those tests which have been satisfactorily standardized by various psychologists and psychiatrists over a long period o f time and with large numbers o f children. The other part o f the mental examination, though not so easily definable, is oftentimes o f much more importance than that testing for intellectual ability alone. B y talking with the child and allowing him to say what he wishes with out any regard for the tim e element, we attempt to discover his personality traits and the motive fo r his actions, thereby uncovering the causes for his emotional conflicts and antisocial behavior, if there are any. I f h e is disin clined to express his thoughts he is not forced to, and i f the examination is considered unsuccessful because o f the child’s resistiveness he is asked to return a t some future time. The physical examination requires that the child fee stripped, except in the case o f the older boys. It is a much more thorough examination than that given in the schools; no laboratory tests are made, however, unless symptoms, physical findings, or fam ily or personal history point to a necessity for them. For example, Wassermann tests and smears are taken, or urine analysis recom mended, i f the history or findings point to syphilis, gonorrhea, or some disturb ance o f the urinary system. I f the chest examination reveals adventitious breath or heart sounds, the child is sent to a suitable clinic for more complete study and necessary treatment. This procedure also applies in the case of other abnormalities, such as sensory defects, skin and orthopedic conditions. In recommendations, advantage is taken o f the resources o f the county and o f New York City. The clinic conference continues to be a most important part o f the work o f the clinic, and in fact o f the whole department. It is held regularly once a week, oftener i f necessary. I t is distinctly a case conference, and for the discussion o f each case to be submitted there are present the district agent in whose territory the case has arisen, the clinic agent who has been in contact with it, the psychiatrist who has made the examination, a member o f the executive staff who is in a position to state to what extent funds—either public or pri vate may be expended upon the case, and any official or private citizen who may have special and legitimate interest in it. Discus sion is most frank and confidential. The cases presented are those that the psychiatrist has examined during the preceding week. The district agent states how the case came to the attention o f the depart ment and tells briefly o f her initial contact with it; the clinic agent gives a synopsis o f the family and personal history o f the child; and the psychiatrist reports her findings, concluding with tentative recommendations as to the proper treatment for the child. There is then open discussion upon these recommendations, and a plan is worked out for the treatment o f the case. Each point o f view— psychiatric, social service, and business—has an opportunity fo r ex pression. I f the psychiatrist’s recommendations seem to the district https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 140 COUN TY ORGANIZATION FOR CHILD CARE. agent to be impracticable, she has full opportunity to say so at this time before a plan is made. I f the district agent’s point o f view has conceded too much to pressure of work and conventional methods o f case treatment, the psychiatrist and clinic agent have an opportunity to urge more specialized attention for the child. The plan agreed upon, therefore, is a group affair, undertaken after all points o f view have been considered. From the beginning the conference has been a most valuable influence. As the staff through its agency became more and more familiar with the psychiatric viewpoint, the plan of having district agents in training with the clinic seemed no longer necessary and was gradually abandoned. The conference is a gen eral forum for discussion o f the different points o f view on each case and for securing the thoughtful and consistent treatment o f each child presented. It is, moreover, generally educative, in that it in fluences and broadens both sides by giving each the viewpoint o f the other. It is also a constant incentive to the whole department to do better case work. In spite o f the conference’s careful planning of the treatment to be given each child, the department has had every year a high per centage o f failure in carrying out the plans agreed upon. This has been due in large part to lack o f sufficient community resources; however, in cases involving especially difficult problems it has been somewhat due to lack of the psychiatric viewpoint on the part o f many o f the field agents; in other cases the pressure o f work upon the field agents—whose , duties comprise much more than case work— has made impossible the spending o f the necessary time upon certain difficult problems o f personal adjustment or family en tanglement. To avoid such failures, so far as lies within its power, the department has this year tried the experiment o f referring occa sional cases to the clinic agents for follow-up treatment. This method assures special attention to individual children and tests out more accurately than the old method the exact resources o f this American community for the proper treatment o f dependent children. The transfer o f this small group o f especially chosen cases from one worker to another is not so serious a matter as would at first seem, because the cases thus transferred are those o f chil dren newly committed, who in many instances have but recently come to the attention o f the district agent, and when committed by the courts may never have been in her hands even for investiga tion. It is too early yet to give an opinion on the success o f this plan. The practical results o f the clinic’s work are, o f course, most marked in the treatment o f individual cases. The department’s understanding o f its children and its handling o f individual prob https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 141 lems o f maladjustment— whether physical, mental, or sogial—have been improved beyond measure by the clinic’s work. Moreover, the effect o f the clinic’s thorough and painstaking analysis o f each case has been to improve the entire standard o f the department’s work, including even its record keeping. The value to the depart ment o f contact with the clinic’s staff is very great. The psychi atrist gives lectures and informal talks to the staff from time to time and serves as advisor in medical and all other fields connected with her training. Constant use is made throughout the case work o f her knowledge and experience, and much has been done toward training the entire staff into a modern, scientific viewpoint with regard to psychology and mental hygiene. There seems no doubt that the influence o f the clinic’s work has spread beyond the bound aries o f the department, and that it is contributing materially to a more intelligent atitude on the part o f the general public toward problems o f maladjustment in children and adults. Additional private funds were provided to be spent on the clinic’s work in the years 1921 and 1922, in the hope that the material as-' sembled might later on be o f some value for research purposes. It would be a great satisfaction to the department if some small part o f its labors should prove to yield information o f interest to other child-caring agencies. It is also the department’s earnest hope that it may be able in the near future to convince the county that the work o f such a clinic is essential to the fulfilling o f the public’s responsibility toward its dependent'children, and that as a result the county will assure the permanency o f the clinic by taking over the expense o f maintaining it. Miscellaneous tasks undertaken by the department. A department with a large staff working over a whole county, and covering in at least a part o f its territory area untouched by any other social-work organization, naturally draws to itself a miscel laneous assortment of problems that no other agency is prepared to handle. This the Westchester County Department o f Child Welfare has done. Its social-service exchange, covering more than 5,600 fami lies known to its workers, present and past, throughout the county, is frequently called upon by other organizations. It is on the list o f at least two nation-wide associations as a cooperating agency, and it is called upon constantly by outside organizations for investiga tions or other assistance. It does considerable work o f a socialservice nature for the county hospital and occasionally for the county penitentiary. It has definite official connections with a number o f private organizations, such as the Westchester County Children’s As sociation, the Westchester County Council o f Social Agencies, the American Red Cross Home Service, the American Red Cross Disas https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 142 COUN TY ORGANIZATION TOR CHILD CARE. ter Relief Committee, and the ^Westchester County Council for Pub-?' lic-Health Nursing. Because it has a psychiatrist on its staff and the only staff o f field agents in any o f the county offices or departments, the department o f child welfare has become a clearing house for mental defectives and epileptics, both children and adults, throughout the county. The passage in 1919 o f the mental deficiency act,11 which made the county superintendent o f the poor or his successor a possible petitioner for the bringing o f court proceedings in cases o f mental deficiency, in creased the need fo r the department’s services in this respect. I t is now involved in arranging fo r the examination and commitment o f most o f the defectives needing care in Westchester County each year. It keeps a card index o f all mental defectives known to it within the county, with a brief record o f the salient facts about each case. It arranges for examinations and for both poor law and, i f necessary, court commitments o f defectives. Its agents also make the trans fers o f most o f the defectives, excepting adult males, to the various State institutions. In the course o f the year this adds considerably to the department’s work. In 1920 alone, it investigated applica tions fo r the care o f 72 defectives and epileptics, secured the com mitment o f 31 o f these to institutions, and made temporary or other arrangements for many others. During 1921 the department has ventured also into the field o f tem porary outdoor relief. According to the New Y ork State poor law, those persons who do not have a city or town settlement within a county’s limits become county charges. In Westchester each year a few thousand dollars have been expended fo r relief for such newly arrived families. This year, because o f its field staff, this very diffi cult bit o f family relief work has been taken over by the department, and although the number o f cases thus cared fo r and the amount o f money expended in the first 11 months o f 1921 were not great, the families generally presented either involved legal questions o f settle ment, difficult social problems, or both. The department is therefore in many ways more o f a general county-wide social welfare agency than its title would necessarily imply. Distinctive features and future needs. No space is afforded in .this discussion for a consideration o f the relative value o f the Westchester County system and other methods o f administering public relief, nor o f the strong and weak points in the department’s w ork The distinctive points in the system, how ever, would seem to be that the Westchester County Department o f Child W elfare furnishes an example o f : (1 ) A unified child-caring and family-relief agency organized on a county basis and under tbe N. Y. Laws 1919, eh. -633, see. 27. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis WESTCHESTER C O UN TY. 143 control o f one public official; (2) the use o f a staff o f trained social workers in a public organization; (3) the use o f private funds to sup plement the work o f a public organization; (4) a marked degree o f cooperation between public and private agencies, fostered from its inception by the public administration; and (5) an organized effort on the part o f a public official to educate taxpayers and private citi zens in methods o f child care. The future success o f the Westchester work obviously depends largely upon the development o f a strong public sentiment in favor o f keeping the care o f dependent children out o f politics. And to assure successful case work the department decidedly needs to foster the establishment o f a county children’s cou rt12; to promote the development o f an effective central council o f social agencies, thereby bringing about a more perfect articulation o f all organizations in the county affecting child life; to develop a boarding-out system; and to encourage radical improvements in institutional provision and care for various classes o f dependent children. 12 See note 10, p. 132, with reference to the session of the New York Legislature. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis children’s court act ” passed by the 1922 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis A P P E N D IX A. LAWS AND BILLS RELATING TO COUNTY BOARDS OF CHILD WELFARE OR PUBLIC WELFARE. A R IZ O N A . I Laws 1921, ch. 53.] C O U N T Y C H I L D -W E L F A R E B O A R D S . , S e c . 10. Th e superior court o f each county of this State, within 30 days after this act becomes effective, shall appoint four persons, at least two o f whom shall be women, and all of whom shall be experienced as to the requirements for the support and maintenance of children. They shall be appointed for terms o f one, two, three, and four years, respectively, so that the terms of no two mem bers shall expire during the same year. In case o f death or resignation, the appointment shall be made only for the unexpired term. Records o f all ap pointments so made shall be entered upon the jo u r n a l'o f such court. The members so appointed shall serve without compensation other than that each member shall be entitled to his actual necessary traveling expenses incurred by him when acting under the directions of the court, or acting under the direc tions of the county child welfare board, or of the State child welfare board in the discharge of their duties connected with this a c t S ec . 11. The court, in making the first appointment of members o f such board, shall designate a time and place where, within 10 days after such appointment, the persons so appointed shall meet and organize by the election of a chairman and by the election o f a secretary o f the board. A t such meetings the board shall fix and establish days for regular monthly meetings o f the board, and in addition to the regular meetings for which provisions are so made, meetings of the board may be called by the chairman or secretary at any time by actual notice to the members. The board shall have power to establish rules and regulations for the conduct o f its meetings, for the conduct o f its hearings, and shall establish form s upon which to make reports upon any subject referred to it by the State child w elfare board, or for applications for relief to mothers for providing support and maintenance for their children, and other forms deemed necessary a*s a basis for action o f the board as to matters referred to in this act. The forms so adopted may be used by such boards, subject to such changes, alterations, and amendments thereto as may be required by the judge of the superior court, or by the State child welfare board. S e c . 12. It shall be the duty o f the members o f the county board to provide for the investigation of, and to investigate the conditions surrounding any child within the county reported to it as being an orphan, waif, neglected or abandoned child; and upon the forms adopted for such purpose report the results of each investigation to the judge of the superior court and to the State child welfare board, duplicating the same report to each. Any person within this State may call to the attention o f the county child welfare board any case o f any orphan, waif, abandoned or neglected child appearing to be a 147 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 148 COUN TY ORGANIZATION FOR CHILD CARE. proper case for further action by the board under the provisions of this law. And it shall be the duty of the county board, or individual members thereof acting under the direction of that board, to investigate such cases and report thereon. A R K AN SAS. [Digest of the Statutes (Crawford and Moses) 1921, sec. 1024 : Acts of 1917, Act 297, sec. 6.] C O U N T Y B O A R D S O F P U B L IC W E L F A R E . The [Arkansas] Charities and Correction Commission may appoint five per sons from each county, two o f whom shall be women, who shall constitute a county board of public welfare for that county. The members of each county board shall serve for terms of five (5) years, the term of one member expiring each year. The initial appointments to such board shall be for terms of one ( 1 ) , two ( 2 ) , three ( 3 ) , four ( 4 ) , and five (5 ) years respectively. Vacancies shall be filed [filled] by the said commission. Each county board shall organize according to the instructions of the charities and correction commission. County boards of public welfare shah have similar powers and duties of inspec tion regarding institutions and agencies within their respective counties to those of the said commission, and they shall work under the direction of the said commission and shall report to said commission as the commission may direct. MINNESOTA. [Statutes Supplement of 1917, secs. 4053—4 to 4053—7, inçl.] C O U N T Y C H I L D -W E L F A R E B O A R D S . Sec. 4. County child w elfare boards— Ai)povntment of agents.— The State Board of Control may, when requested so to do by the county board, appoint in each county three persons resident therein, at least two of whom shall be women, who shall serve without compensation and hold office during the pleasure of the board, and who, together with a member to be designated by the county board from their own number and the county superintendent o f schools, shall constitute a child-welfare board for the county, which shall select its own chairman: Provided, That in any county containing a city of the first class five members shall be appointed by the State Board o f Control. The childwelfare board shall perform such duties as may be required of it by the said board o f control in furtherance of the purposes of this act, and may appoint a secretary and all necessary assistants, who shall receive from the county such salaries as may be fixed by the child welfare board with the approval of the county board. Persons thus appointed shall be the executive agents of the child-welfare board. [1917, ch. 194, sec. 4.] S ec . 5. A gents w here no child w elfare board.— In counties where no childwelfare board exists the judge of the juvenile court may appoint a local agent to cooperate with the State board of control in furtherance of the purpose of this act, who shall receive from the county such salary as may be fixed by the judge with the approval of the county board. [1917, ch. 194, sec. 5.] S ec . 6. Additional duties of agents.— Agents appointed pursuant to sections 4 and 5 may also, when so directed by the county board, perform the duties of probation and school attendance officers and may aid in the investigation and supervision of county allowances to mothers. [1917, ch. 194, sec. 6.] https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis LAW S AND BILLS. 149 S ec. 7. Expenses of members and agents— The traveling and other necessaryexpense of the several members o f the child-welfare board, while acting officially as members of such board* and of the executive agents while exclusively em ployed in the business of the board, shall be paid, so far as approved by the county board, out of the general revenue fund of the county in the same manner as other claims against the county. [1917, ch. 194, sec. 7.] Sec. 8. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after the 1st day o f January, 1918. [1917, ch. 194, sec. 8.] MISSOURI. [Laws 1921, pp. 586—589.] C O U N T Y S U P E R IN T E N D E N T S O F P U B L IC W E L F A R E . , Public Welfare, -Superintendent of.— Authorizing county courts in counties of less than fifty thousand to appoint superintendent and assistants. A n A c t to a u th o rize th e co u n ty cou rts o f th e several cou nties h a v in g a p op u la tion o f less th a n 50,000 to ap po int a superin ten dent o f p u b lic w e lfa r e an d a ssis ta n ts thereto, p re scrib in g th e q u a lifica tio n s th e re o f an d fix in g th e s a la r y o f su ch su perin ten dent, and p re scrib in g th e p ow ers a n d d u ties o f su ch officers, and rep ea lin g con flictin g a c ts a n d p a rts o f a cts. Sec. 1. County court may appoint county superintendent of public welfare and assistants.— The county court in each county m ay in its discretion appoint a county superintendent o f public welfare and such assistants as it may deem necessary. Whenever the county court o f any county has appointed a superin tendent o f public welfare such officer shall assume all the powers and duties now conferred by law upon the probation or parole officer o f such county and shall assume all the powers and duties o f the attendance officer in said county and all the powers and duties of the attendance officer in any incorporated town or village having a population o f more than 1,000 inhabitants, and no other or different probation or parole officer or attendance officer or officers, shall be appointed by the judge o f the juvenile court, by the county superintendent of public schools, or by the school board or any incorporated city, town, or village school district or consolidated school district, providing, however, that the provision of this section shall not apply to counties which now have or which shall hereafter have a population of more than 50,000 inhabitants. Sec. 2. Compensation to be fixed by county court.— The county court shall fix the salary o f the county superintendent o f public welfare and of his assist ants in its county. Sec. 3. Shall administer funds devoted to outdoor relief and allowances to needy mothers.— It shall be the duty o f the county superintendent of public welfare to administer all of the funds o f the county devoted to outdoor relief and allowances to needy mothers. H e shall seek to discover any cases o f neglect, dependent, defective, or delinquent children in the county and take all reasonable action in his power to secure for them the full benefit o f the laws enacted for their benefit. Assistants to the county superintendents o f public welfare shall perform such o f the duties o f the county superintendent o f public welfare as he may assign to them. S ec. 4. May be authorized and required to act as agent.— The county superin tendents of public welfare may be deputized or authorized and required by the State board o f charities and corrections to act as its agent in relation to any https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 150 COUN TY ORGANIZATION FOR CHILD CARE. work to be done by said board within the county, and when said county superin tendent is so authorized as the agent o f the State board of charities and cor rections, he shall have the same powers and authority a s are given to the State board o f charities and corrections. T h e county superintendent o f public welfare may at any time call on the State board o f charities and corrections for advice and assistance in the performance o f his duties. S ec . 5. County superintendent to give special attention— W hen— To w hom .— The county superintendent o f public welfare in each county shall, upon the re quest o f the State board of charities and corrections, and in accordance with its direction, give special 'care and attention to the needs of any patient re cently discharged from the State hospital for the insane who resides in his county, either on parole or permanent discharge, to the end that such patients m ay be established in such favorable circumstances as shall tend to prevent their relapse into insanity, and shall report on the progress of such former patients to the State board of charities and corrections, and under its direc tion, to the institution from which they have been paroled or discharged. Sec. 6. Shall give oversight and supervision to paroled persons.— The county superintendent o f public welfare shall give such oversight and supervision to prisoners who are on parole from the State penitentiary and are residing in his county, and to persons who are on parole from the Missouri reformatory, and Missouri training school for boys and to girls on parole from the State indus trial home for girls, or from the State industrial home for negro girls, as may be requested by the State prison board, and shall report upon the progress of said paroled prisoners to the State prison hoard as often as it m ay request. The county superintendent o f public welfare in each county shall give oversight and supervision to prisoners on parole or probation b y any court in the State o f Missouri, and shall investigate applications for clemency when requested to do so by said courts, and shall report in regard to each person placed under his supervision to the court placing said persons under his supervision. The county superintendent o f public welfare shall also give oversight and supervi sion to children placed on parole or probation by the juvenile court o r tbe court having jurisdiction o f children’ s cases in M s county when requested to do so by said eourt, and shall report to said court upon progress o f persons thus placed on parole or probation. S ec. 7. Shall act as representative o f children's bureau— Required to report.— The county superintendent o f public welfare in each county shall act as local representative o f the children’ s bureau o f the State board o f charities and cor rections, and shall, upon the request o f said bureau, assist in finding suitable foster homes and shall report to said State board o f charities and corrections upon the progress and welfare of children who have been placed in foster homes by said bureau. Sec . 8. ShaM cooperate w ith S tate em ploym ent bureaus.— Th e eounty super intendent of public welfare in each county shall cooperate with the State employment bureaus and. shall, upon request of the head o f such bureaus, fu r nish data with regard to the opportunities for employment in their respective counties and shall aid and assist in any practical way in securing employment for the unemployed in h is county. Sec. 9. M ay be deputized b y State fa ctory inspector as agent— pow ers, au th ority.— The county superintendent o f public welfare and his assistants may be deputized by the State factory inspector as M s agent or agents, and when they are so deputized by the State factory inspector they shall have the same powers and authority as deputy factory inspectors, https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 151 LAW S AND BILLS. S ec . 10. D itty to investigate condition o f poor, sick, and delinquent in county.— I t shall be the duty of the county superintendent o f public welfare to investigate the conditions of living among the poor, sick, and delinquent in the county and to examine thoroughly into causes o f crime and poverty in the county and to make recommendations fsom time to time to the State board of charities and corrections and to proper local authorities as to any change in conditions or in legislation necessary to prevent or reduce poverty, crime, or distress in the State. The superintendent of public welfare and his assistants may be deputized as agents o f the State bureau o f labor statistics, and when they are so deputized as agents o f the State bureau of labor statistics they shall exercise all the authority to make investigations which is granted the State bureau o f labor statistics. S ec . 11. Shall have pow ers and du ties o f an attendance officer.— The county superintendent o f public welfare, upon the request of any board having charge of a public school in any district in the county, shall act as. attendance officer to enforce the provisions of sections 11323 to 11331, inclusive, o f the Revised' Statutes o f Missouri, 1919, and in any such case shall have all the powers and duties o f an attendance officer, as provided by the aforesaid sections or other similar acts. S ec . 12. Shall act as probation officer o f his county.— The county superin tendent of public welfare shall act as probation officer for his county without additional compensation. Sec. 13. Shall investigate requests fo r charity and applications for blind per sons.— The county superintendent o f public welfare shall be agent o f the county court in his county in investigating all requests for charity and applications of blind persons for pensions in his county. S ec . 14. R ecords o f cases handled to be kept.— The records o f cases handled and business transacted by the county superintendent o f public welfare shall be kept in such manner and form as may be prescribed by the State board o f charities and corrections. S ec . 15. Record o f w ork and proceedings to be kept.— The county superin tendent o f public welfare shall each year prepare and keep on file a full report of his work and proceedings during the year and shall file a copy with the county court and with the secretary o f the State board o f charities and corrections. S ec . 16. Repealing acts and parts o f acts in conflict w ith this act.— A ll acts and parts o f acts inconsistent or in conflict with this aet are hereby repealed, provided that this act shall not be construed to repeal or amend Chapter II I , article 2, Revised Statutes, 1919, which provides for social welfare boards in certain counties. Approved March 31, 1921. NORTH »CAROLINA. [Consolidated Statutes 1919, ch. 88, Art 2, seds. 5014-5018, as amended by Laws 1921, ch. 128.] C O U N T Y B O A R D S O F C H A R IT IE S A N D P U B L IC W E L F A R E . S ec , 5014. County board o f charities, e t c .; A p p oin tm en t; D u ty.— The State board shall appoint in each county three persons to be known as the county board o f charities and public welfare, whose duty shall be to advise with and assist the State board in the work in the county, to make such visitations and https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 152 COUNTY ORGANIZATION FOR CHILD CARE. reports as the State board may request, and to act in a general advisory capacity to the county and municipal authorities in dealing with questions of dependency and delinquency, distribution of the poor funds, and social conditions generally. The members of the county board of charities and public welfare shall serve without p a y.* The State board shall have the power at any time to remove any member of the county board. [1917, ch. 170, sec. 1 ; 1919, ch. 46, sec. 3.] S ec . 5015. Term of office and meetings of board.— The county board of chari ties and public welfare shall be appointed one for one year, one for two years, and one for three years, and subsequent appointments shall be for a term of three years. The persons so appointed shall meet immediately after their appointment and organize by electing a chairman, and the county superin tendent o f public welfare shall act as secretary. The county board shall meet at least once a month with the county superintendent o f public welfare, and advise with him in regard to problems pertaining to his office. [1917, ch. 170, sec. 1 ; 1919, ch. 46, sec. 4.] S ec . 5016. County superintendents of public welfare.— On the second Mon day in July, nineteen hundred and twenty-one, and on the second Monday in July every two years thereafter, the county board of education and the board of county commissioners o f every county in North Carolina shall meet in joint session for the purpose o f electing a county superintendent o f public welfare, who shall serve for the ensuing two years, and until his successor is elected and qualified. The county superintendent o f public instruction shall serve as secretary of the joint meeting, make permanent record o f the proceedings, and issue all notices and reports necessary previous and subsequent to the meeting. The person elected county superintendent of public welfare shall, be qualified by character, fitness, and experience to well discharge the duties thereof. No one so elected shall begin the work o f this position until he shall have received a certificate o f approval o f his fitness from the State board of charities and public w elfare; and in case such approval is not received, the two boards shall, upon receiving notice thereof, proceed immediately in like manner to elect another person. In case of a tie vote, the matter may be referred for'decision to the State commissioner o f public welfare. A joint session o f the two boards may be held at any time on the call o f the chairman o f either board for the purpose of discussing the work relating to the office; and a superintendent may be dismissed by joint action for proven unfitness or failure in the per formance of duty, and his successor elected. It is hereby declared to be the purpose of this section that the board o f education and the board of county commissioners shall act in a spirit o f mutual cooperation for the purpose of obtaining the best possible results in carrying out the intention o f this act. The joint meeting shall fix the salary o f the county superintendent of public welfare, which sum shall be sufficient to secure the services of a well-qualified person, and one-half o f which shall be paid from the funds o f each board, and a reasonable expense fund shall be provided by each board for carrying on the work, which sum shall be separate from that allowed as salary for the county superintendent. • In counties having a population o f less than thirtytwo thousand (32,000), by the census of nineteen hundred and twenty, and in counties where, on January first, nineteen hundred and twenty-one, the superin tendent o f education was performing the functions o f county superintendent o f public welfare, the board o f county commissioners shall have the option of taking part or o f not taking part in the election of a county superintendent of public welfare as provided above, In any county of less than thirty-two https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis LAWS AND BILLS. 153 thousand (32,000) population, where the county commissioners do not desire to so participate, the county superintendent of public instruction shall become ex officio county superintendent o f public welfare. Whenever by such action a county superintendent of public instruction becomes ex officio county super intendent of public welfare, he shall receive no salary in addition to that re ceived as county superintendent o f schools, but the board o f education, by and with the approval o f the board of commissioners, shall furnish him such cleri cal or other assistance as it deems necessary to have the compulsory school attendance law fully enforced in accordance with the rules and policy laid down by the State board o f education, and the board of county commissioners shall furnish a reasonable expense fund for carrying out the other duties at tached by law to the office of county superintendent of public welfare. A ll such duties shall be as binding upon the county superintendent of public wel fare as they would be in case he were not county superintendent o f schools. Every county superintendent of public welfare shall make such reports o f his work to the county board o f education and the board of county commissioners as said boards may require. [1917, ch. 170, sec. 1 ; 1919, ch. 46, secs. 3 and 4 • 1921, ch. 128.] Sec. 5017. Powers and duties of county superintendent.— The county super intendent of public welfare shall be the chief school attendance officer of the county, and shall have other duties and powers, as follow s: 1. To have, under control o f the county commissioners, the care and super vision of the poor and to administer the poor funds. 2. To act as agent of the State board in relation to any work to be done by the State board within the county. 3. Under the direction of the State board, to look after and keep up with the condition of persons discharged from hospitals for the insane and from other State institutions. 4. To have oversight of prisoners in the county on parole from penitentiaries, reformatories, and all parole prisoners in the county. 5. To have oversight o f dependent and delinquent children, and especially those on parole or probation. 6. To have oversight o f all prisoners in the county on probation. 7. To promote wholesome recreation in the county and to enforce such laws as regulate commercial amusement. 8. Under the direction of the State board, to have oversight of dependent children placed in the county by the State board. 9. To assist the State board in finding employment for the unemployed. 10. To investigate into the cause o f distress, under the direction o f the State board, and to make such other investigations in the interest of social welfare as the State board may direct. [1917, ch. 170, sec. 1 ; 1919, ch. 46, sec. 3.] Sec. 5018. Joint city and county welfare worh.— In counties where there are cities which already have a local board o f welfare or other social agencies, or which may wish to establish such, the governing bodies o f such cities may make such arrangements with the county commissioners to consolidate the work under the authority and supervision o f the county board o f charities and public welfare as may be mutually agreed upon with such division of expenses as may be equitable. The governing bodies of such cities and the county com missioners are authorized to make such provision for the expense o f carrying on the work as they may deem advisable, and may delegate to the county board of charities and public welfare all necessary power. [1919, ch. 46, sec. 4.] 111532°— 22------ 11 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 154 C O U N T Y O R G A N IZ A T IO N FO R C H IL D CARE. O H IO . (L aw s 1919, p. 533.] An Act to amend, sections 3092, 3109, 3112, 3113, 3118, and 3119 o f the General Code; and to enact supplemental section 3 0 9 2 -1 , relative to the abandon ment and sale of children’s homes and the custody of dependent children in such cases and authorizing the use of such homes by adjoining counties. S e c . 1. That sections 3092, 3109, 3112, 3113, 3118, and 3119 o f the General Code be amended and supplemental section 3092-1 be enacted, to read as fo l low s; S ec . 3092. Commissioners m ay contract for care o f dependent children in certain institutions, w h e n ; when county welfare hoard m ay he appointed; powers and duties o f such hoard.— In any county where such home has not already been provided, or where such home has been abandoned by the county commissioners as provided by law, the board o f county commissioners m ay enter into a contract for the care o f its neglected or dependendent children with a county children’s home in another county, or with any institution or asso ciation in the State which has for one o f its objects the care of dependent or neglected children, provided such institution or association has been duly certified by the board o f State charities; or the board o f county commissioners! may pay reasonable board and provide suitable clothing and personal neces sities as well as medical, dental, and optical examination and treatment o f dependent or neglected children who may be placed in the care of private families within the county. Provided, T h at in any such ease such dependent or neglected children shall be duly committed to the aforesaid institution or association or placed in the care o f a private fam ily b y the juvenile court as provided by law. Provided, Th at with the approval o f the board of State charities, when in the judgment of the county commissioners the best interests o f the dependent wards o f the county w ill be subserved thereby, they may appoint a county child-welfare board o f four, two members of which shall be women, to serve without compensation, such appointments to be subject, as fa r as applicable, to the provisions of sections 3081 and 3082 o f the General Code. Such board shall have the same powers and duties relative to de pendent children as. are now given to trustees of county children’ s homes, so far as applicable, particularly relating to the appointment of a visitor for the finding and supervision o f fam ily homes for such children. V IR G IN IA . CActs 1922. ] C O U N T Y A N D C IT Y B O A R D S O F P U B L IC W E L F A R E . S ec . 12. Th e circuit court o f each county o f the State, or the judge thereof in vacation, shall, and the corporation or hustings court, or the judge thereof in vacation, of each city of the first elass, may, appoint, from a list o f eligibles submitted by the State board o f public welfare, a county or city board of publie welfare consisting o f not less than three nor more than seven members, prefer ably the latter number. T b e first appointments under this section, except in cities o f the first class, shall be made not later than two years from the date o f the passage of this act. Each member o f a county or city board o f publie wel fare shall be a resident of the county or city for whieh the particular board is appointed, and the terms of the members o f each board shall be so arranged that one or more (but not all) shall expire annually, No appointments shall be https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis LAWS AND BILLS. 155 made for a term longer than four years. Upon the expiration o f the term of a member his successor shall be appointed upon the recommendation o f the State board o f public welfare for a term o f four years. Any member o f a county or city board may be removed at any time for cause by the State board o f publie welfare, by and with the approval, entered o f record, o f the court or judge making the appointment. B ut this section is subject to the following qualification: In cities o f the first class having departments o f public welfare or like departments, at the passage o f this act, [a ] city board o f welfare shall not be appointed; but the councils or other governing bodies o f such cities shall, by ordinance, apportion the powers and duties by this act conferred and imposed upon county and city boards and superintendents o f public welfare among the officers or departments o f the particular city government in such manner as they may deem wise. For the purposes o f this act cities o f the sec ond class shall in all respects be deemed to be parts o f the counties in which the same are situated, and residents of any such city shall for the purposes of this act be deemed to be residents o f the county in which the city is situated. S ec. 13. The clerk o f the court shall immediately notify the members of the county or city board o f their appointment, and such members shall, within 15 days after their notification, meet at some convenient place and organize by electing a chairman from among their number. The county or city board shall thereafter meet bimonthly on the second Tuesday o f the month, and on other occasions on call o f the chairman or in pursuance o f action by the board. Min utes of the attendance and o f the transactions o f all meetings o f the board shall be kept on file by the secretary o f the board, and copies thereof shall be transmitted to the State board of public welfare within 3 days after each meet ing. The State board may declare the place o f any county or city member va cant upon three consecutive absences without reasonable excuse by such mem ber from the meetings o f his board, and the court shall appoint a successor upon the request of, and from an eligibility list submitted by, the State board. The county or city superintendent of public welfare, if one has been appointed as hereinafter provided, shall act as secretary of his board. In counties and cities where no such superintendent has been appointed the local board shall elect a secretary from among their number. The secretary shall file a report o f such organization signed by him self and the chairman, with the clerk o f the circuit court o f the county or the corporation court o f the city, and with the State board o f public welfare. The members o f each o f the aforesaid eounty and city boards shall serve without pay. But no member shall enter upon the dis charge o f his duties unless and until he shall have taken the usual oaths o f office before the court or judge which appointed him, or the clerk thereof in va cation. Such court or judge may, in its or his discretion, require each o f the members o f the board appointed by it or him to enter into a bond, with surety to be approved by the court or judge, in such sum as the court or judge may fix, conditioned upon the faithful discharge o f his duties. S ec. 14. It shall be the duty of each county or city board o f public welfare, by personal visitation or otherwise, to keep itself fully advised of the con ditions and management of all institutions o f a charitable or penal nature in its county or city, and to that end [it] shall have fu ll authority to inspect such institutions and shall be given fu ll access to the accounts and records thereof; to interest itself in all matters pertaining to the social welfare o f the people o f its county or city and to direct the activities o f the superintendent o f public welfare, where there is one, and to cooperate with the juvenile and domestic relations’ courts and a ll other agencies operating for the social bet terment o f the county or city, The county or city board o f publie welfare gbali, https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 156 C O U N T Y O R G A N IZ A T IO N F O R C H I L D CARE. when it may deem it advisable and expedient, elect from a list of eligibles sub mitted. by the State board, a county or city superintendent of public welfare and such assistants as the local board may deem necessary who shall hold office at the pleasure of the local board or until their successors are appointed and qualified. The county or city board shall, upon the request o f the State board, officially consider the discharge and replacement o f any county or city superintendent. The salaries of the said officer and his assistants shall be fixed by the county board of supervisors, or the governing body of the city, if in their discretion such officers are necessary, and shall be paid out of the county or city treasury. Two or more counties, or a city of the first class and a county, may unite in providing for a local superintendent of public welfare, and the expenses incident to such employment may be divided in Such manner as they may agree upon. -> S e c . 15. Each county and city superintendent of public welfare shall be the executive officer of the board appointing him. Before entering upon the dis charge of his duties every such superintendent shall take the usual oaths of office before the court which appointed his board, or the judge thereof in vacation, and shall also enter into bonds with surety to be approved by the court or judge, in such sum as the court or judge may fix, conditioned upon the faithful discharge o f his duties. Every such superintendent is hereby vested with the powers of a police officer or constable. Under the supervision, control, and direction o f such local board and in cooperation with other public and private agencies he shall have power and it shall be his duty : (a.) To have the care and supervision o f the poor and to administer, the funds now administered by the overseers o f the poor. (6 ) To administer mothers’ aid funds, if any, in accordance with the provi sions o f State law. (c) Under -direction of the State board o f public welfare, to look after and supervise the conditions of persons discharged' o f paroled from hospitals for the insane and colonies for the epileptic and feeble-minded and from other State institutions. (d) To act as the agent of the State board in relation to any work to be done by said board within the county or city. (e) To have oversight o f persons in the county or city released on probation or on parole from the penitentiary, reformatories, industrial schools, and all paroled prisoners in the county or city. ( f ) Under direction of the State board to have supervision of dependent children placed in the county or city by the State board. (ff) To assist the State board in finding employment for the unemployed. (h) To investigate the causes of distress, under the direction o f the State board, and to make such other investigations as the State board may direct. (i) To act as chief probation officer for the county or city, and as such to enforce and administer the probation laws within the county or city. (j) To foster cooperation and intelligent division of work between all public and private charitable and social agencies in the county or city to the end that public resources and charitable donations may be conserved and the needs of the county or city be adequately cared for. The records of the cases handled and business transacted by the local superintendent shall be kept in such manner and form as may be prescribed by the State board of public welfare. H e shall each year prepare and keep on file a full report o f his work and proceedings during the year, and shall file one copy of such report with the county clerk, or the clerk of his corporation or hustings court, and another with the State board of public welfare, https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 157 LA W S A N D B IL L S . BILL RECOMMENDED B Y THE K AN SAS CODE COMMISSION, 1921.1 CHILDREN’S C O U N T Y D E P A R T M E N T S O F P U B L IC W E L F A R E . An Act To authorize a county department o f public welfare in each county, composed of a board of public welfare and county superintendent and con solidate under its administration the various humanitarian and social activi ties of the county. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas: Sec. 1. That the county commissioners o f each county in the State o f Kansas are hereby authorized to establish a county department of public welfare, which shall consist of a county board composed o f five persons, two or three o f whom . shall be women, and not more than three shall have the same political affilia tion ; one of whom shall be designated to serve for one year, two for two years, and two for three years, and upon the expiration o f the term of each his or her place and that of his or her successor shall in like manner be filled for three years; and the said county commissioners are further authorized to appoint, on the recommendation o f the county board o f public welfare, a county superin tendent o f public welfare and such assistants as may be deemed necessary for the carrying out of the provisions of this act. Sec. 2. That it shall be the duty of the county board of public welfare to recommend to the board o f county commissioners the appointment o f the county superintendent of public welfare ; to inspect all penal and charitable institu tions in the county ; to visit commercialized amusements, places where chil dren are employed, all playgrounds and parks ; and to make a monthly report of the results of observations and inspections to the said board of county com missioners, and an annual report of the operation o f the board to the State board of administration for each preceding fiscal year. It shall be the further duty o f the county board-of the department o f public welfare to advise with the county superintendent of public welfare and to direct and support the work of the said superintendent of public welfare. S ec. 3. That it shall be the duty o f the county superintendent o f public welfare to act as executive secretary o f the board o f public welfare, and also to perform the services o f the county poor commissioner or other agencies for administering public funds voted to the care of the poor in the county, to determine the number and to classify all defective, dependent, and delinquent persons, and to carry on investigations relating to the welfare o f all children of the county with the object to determine their social needs. H e shall take all reasonable action within his power to secure for the children of the county the full benefits of laws enacted in their behalf, including the child-labor laws, truancy laws, laws aimed to protect the moral standards of the community. H e shall investigate and report to the county commissioners all applications for mothers’ aid or mothers’ pensions, and shall perform all of the services for the public welfare which may be indicated by the county department o f public w elfare; he shall act as probation and parole officer for the judge o f the juvenile court, and in special cases for the judge of the district court whenever he shall request this service of the superintendent of public w elfare: he shall be the chief truancy officer for the county. Sec . 4. That no person shall be eligible to appointment as county superin- tendent of public welfare or shall be entitled to be paid as such unless the 1 House Bill No. 311, 1921. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 158 COUNTY ORGANIZATION FOR CHILD CARE. person has a certificate of qualification from the State board o f administration. The State board of administration shall devise a method o f determining who are properly qualified for the position of county superintendent o f public wel fare, and may at its discretion cause such certificates to be classified and to expire periodically after the manner of teachers’ certificates. Sec . 5. That the members of the board of public welfare in the county depart ment of public welfare shall serve without compensation, but a reasonable allowance may be made by the county commissioners for expenses for the said board, the same to be paid in manner like other similar bills of expense presented for payment to the said board of county commissioners. The salaries o f the county superintendents o f public welfare throughout the State shall be on a uniform basis and in proportion to the population o f their respective counties, and shall be fixed by the board of county commissioners as follow s: Counties with 100,000 population or over, $2,500 ; 50,000 to 100,000 population, $2,000; 20,000 to 50,000 population, $1,500 ; under 20,000 population, $1,200. Sec. 6. That the State board of administration is hereby authorized to ap point a State superintendent of public welfare, who shall serve at the pleasure o f the board, at a salary of $3,500 a year and traveling expenses. H is duties shall be to assist in the organization o f county boards of public welfare and direct and supervise their work. The person appointed to fill the position of State superintendent o f public welfare shall have had special training and expert knowledge in all phases of charitable and penal education and all forms o f social welfare. No one except a scientific expert of this nature shall be appointed to said office o f the State superintendent o f public welfare. Sec . 7. That the county superintendent of public welfare in each county shall report in such manner and form as may be requested by the State board o f administration in regard to the nature and extent of his activities in his county and in regard to those social conditions which affect poverty, crime, and distress. Sec, 8. That all acts and parts o f acts which are in conflict with the provi sions o f this act are hereby repealed. Sec . 9. That this act shall take effect and be in force from'. and after its publication in the statute book. BILL RECOMMENDED B Y TH E N EBRASK A CHILDREN’S CODE COMMISSION, 1921.2 C O U N T Y B O A R D S O F C H IL D W E L F A R E . A B ill for an act to consolidate the child-welfare work in each county of the S ta te; to establish county boards o f child w elfare; to provide for county superintendents of child welfare, to prescribe their powers and duties, and to fix their compensation. Be it enacted by the people of the State of Nebraska: S ec. 1. W ithin thirty days after this act goes into effect, the judge o f the juvenile court of each county shall appoint three electors resident therein, at least one of whom shall be a woman, who, together with the county superin tendent of schools and one member of the board o f county commissioners or county supervisors who shall be designated by such board o f commissioners or supervisors for that purpose, Shall constitute the county board of child welfare. Upon the appointment o f the above-named board and regularly thereafter 2 Report of the Nebraska Children’s Code Commission, pp. 230-234. Public Welfare, Lincoln, Nebr, https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Department of LAW S AND BILLS. 159 the judge shall file the name, address, and dates of term of office with the State bureau of clpild welfare. • Sec . 2. The members of the county board o f child welfare shall serve with out compensation. The appointive members shall hold office as follow s: The term of one shall expire January 1, 1922; o f the second, January 1, 1923; and of the third, January 1, 1924, said term o f office to be designated to each appointee by the appointing judge, and all succeeding appointees shall hold office for a regular term o f three years. Appointments to fill vacancies shall be for the unexpired term. S e c . 3. It shall be the duty o f the county board of child welfare to advise with and to assist the State child welfare bureau in its work in the county, to make such visitations and reports and to perform such duties as may be re quired of it by the State child welfare bureau, and to act in a general advisory capacity to the county and municipal authorities in dealing with questions involving the administration o f laws relating to children, and the amelioration of conditions affecting children generally. It shall be the duty o f the counity board of child welfare to cooperate with all social agencies in the county, and upon request o f any public social agency it may, in the interests o f economy and efficiency, assume the duties of that agency in the county. Sec. 4. The county board o f child welfare shall have power to appoint an executive agent, to be known as the county superintendent of child welfare, who shall serve at the pleasure of the board, and whose salary shall be fixed by said board by and with the consent of the county board o f commissioners or supervisors, and paid from the public funds of the county upon warrants signed by the chairman o f the county b oard : Provided, That no person shall be appointed to the office of county superintendent of child welfare who has not been duly certified by the State child welfare bureau as qualified by training and character to serve in such capacity. Sec. 5. The county superintendent of child welfare shall have power and it shall be his d u ty : (1 ) To act as county attendance officer when so ordered by the county board of child welfare and to enforce all laws relating to compulsory education and child labor. (2 ) To act as county probation officer upon appointment by the judge o f the juvenile court. (3 ) To investigate all applicants for mothers’ pensions, and for poor relief where children are involved, to make recommendations to the proper authorities for or against such assistance, and to keep complete records o f all such investi gations and recommendations. (4) To promote wholesome recreation in the county and to aid in the enforce ment o f laws for the regulation o f commercialized amusements. (5) To furnish information to and cooperate with all officials in securing the enforcement o f the laws relating to children. (6) To act as the agent o f the State child welfare bureau in relation to any work done by the said bureau within the county. S ec. 6. W ithin thirty days after their appointment the members of the county board o f child welfare shall meet and organize by electing a chairman, who shall serve until the first meeting o f the board in January, and thereafter the chair man shall be elected annually at the first meeting in January. S e c . 7. The county board o f child welfare sh all'm eet.at least monthly with the county superintendent o f child welfare, who shall act as secretary of the b oard : Provided, That in counties in which there is no county superintendent of child welfare one member of the county board of child welfare shall be desig- https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 160 COUNTY O R G A N IZ A T IO N F O R C H I L D CARE. nated to serve as secretary. The county board of child welfare shall have general oversight and supervision o f all of the work o f the county superintendent of child welfare. Sec . 8. The county board o f child welfare shall have power to supervise, regu late, and license or suppress public dance halls, pool halls, motion-picture houses, traveling shows, and all forms of commercialized amusements in the county, outside of incorporated cities and villages, and it may define commercialized amusements and may by rule establish standards for such amusements and provide a process for issuing and revoking licenses. S ec . 9. The county board o f child welfare shall visit at least annually, and as often as may be necessary, all reformatory, correctional, or charitable insti tutions or agencies within the county caring for, receiving, or handling children. It shall report annually to the board o f county commissioners or other officers having jurisdiction over such institutions, and shall make recommendations regarding the improvement of such institutions and regardng any measures to be taken for the relief of distress or the protection of children or the prevention of pauperism. It shall also report annually to the State child welfare bureau upon such blanks and in such form as the bureau shall require. S ec . 10. The county board of child welfare may appoint assistants as may be necessary, due to the size o f the county or the growth of the w ork; and certain o f the duties of the county superintendent of child welfare may be delegated to the assistants of the county superintendent of child welfare. Such assistants shall be paid such salaries as shall be allowed by the county board upon recom mendation o f the county board o f child welfare. S ec . 11. In counties where there are cities which already have a local board o f public or child welfare, or which may wish to establish such, the governing bodies of such cities may make arrangements with the county board o f child welfare to consolidate or coordinate the work as may be mutually agreed upon with such division of expenses as may be equitable. BILL SUGGESTED B Y N EW YO R K STATE 1922.3 A GROUP REPRESENTING THE CH AR ITIES A ID ASSOCIATION, C O U N T Y B O A R D S O F C H IL D W E L F A R E . An Act To define certain classes of children eligible for public care and protec tion ; to provide for the establishment of county boards of child welfare and for their support and supervision; to define the powers and duties of such boards; and to make inapplicable to casies arising under this act all provisions of law inconsistent with this act. The people of the State of New York, represented in senate and assembly, do . enact as follows: S ec . 1. Definition of dependent, defective, neglected, abandoned, and delin quent children, of juvenile delinquency, and of family free and boarding homes.— A dependent child is a child actually or apparently under the age of 16 years who, through no neglect on the part o f its parents, guardian, or person having its custody, is destitute or homeless, or in a state of want or suffering due to lack of sufficient suitable food, clothing, shelter, supervision, or medical or surgical care. a This proposed form of an act for the establishment of county boards of child welfare is included here because of its special interest as the product of much study and experi ence in promoting the type of county organization recommended. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis LAW S AND BILLS. 161 A defective child is a child under the age o f 16 years who' is blind; or a deaf-m ute; or so physically crippled or deformed as to make advisable special treatment or training; or insane; or epileptic; or feeble-minded or a mental defective as defined by law,* or an imbecile or an idiot. A neglected child is a child under the age of 16 years (1 ) who is an aban doned child; or (2 ) whose parents are or whose parent having the right o f guardianship, is by reason of improvidence, immorality, depravity, incompetency, mental incapacity, cruelty or gross lack o f interest in his welfare, unfit to have such right, whether or not the child be in the custody o f such parents or parent; or (3 ) whose parents, guardian, or lawful custodian fail without good reason to supply him with the necessaries of life or to provide for his proper care and training; or (4 ) who is suffering from any abnormal physical or mental condition requiring treatment or training in a hospital, institution, or elsewhere and whose parents, guardians, or lawful custodian refuse or fail to provide for such treatment or training; or (5 ) who wanders about any city, town, village, or elsewhere without proper or lawful occupation; or (6 ) who lives with or innocently frequents the company o f vicious, disreputable, immoral, or criminal person or persons whether related to him or n ot; or (7 ) who innocently frequents any resort of questionable character or any place to which the admittance of persons o f his age is prohibited, either owlth or without his parent, guardian, or custodian; or (8 ) who, without committing juvenile delinquency, forms associations or commits acts for the permitting which a parent, guardian, custodian, or other person may be punishable by la w ; or (9 ) who is employed, shown, or used in any task, exhibition, or practice for permitting his engagement in which a person may be guilty of a misdemeanor, or who is disposed o f or trained for participation in any such task, exhibition, or practice; or (10) who is in a situation or engages in an occupation where his life or limb is endangered or his health is likely to be injured or his morals are likely to be depraved. An abandoned child is a child under the age o f 16 years who is deserted in any place by both parents or by the parent having his custody; or by other person charged with his care, and left (1 ) in destitute circumstances; or (2) without adequate means o f support; or (3 ) without reasonable arrangements having been made for supplying him with necessary and proper food, clothing, shelter, education, and medical care until he shall have become 16 years of a g e ; or (4 ) without being visited or having payments made toward his support by his parent, guardian, or lawful custodian, without good reason, for the period o f one y ea r; or (5 ) in danger o f becoming a burden upon the public. A delinquent child is a child under the age o f 16 years who (1 ) without com mitting a felony violates any law or any local ordinance; or (2) commits any offense which, if committed by an adult, would be a crime not punishable by death or life imprisonment; or (3) engages in any occupation unlaw fully; or (4 ) has in his possession any dangerous weapon or instrument the manu facture or sale of which, or the disposal of which to such child, is forbidden by la w ; or (5 ) deserts his home without good and sufficient cause; or (6 ) keeps company with a vicious, immoral, or criminal person or persons against the commands o f his parents, guardians, or custodian; or (7 ) is not susceptible o f proper restraint or control by his parents, guardian, or custodian, or by the public officer or board responsible for his care, and habitually disobeys their reasonable and lawful commands; or (8 ) habitually uses profane or indecent language; or (9 ) gambles or knowingly enters any place where gambling is permitted or where his presence is in violation of la w ; or (10) habitually uses tobacco, intoxicating liquor, injurious or narcotic drugs, or other substance https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 162 C O U N T Y O R G A N IZ A T IO N F O R C H I L D CARE. likely to interfere with his normal growth and development ; or ( I I ) so deports him self as to endanger the morals, health, or general welfare of him self or of others. Juvenile delinquency is the commitment by a child under the age of 16 years of any of the offenses enumerated in the foregoing definition of a delinquent child. A fam ily free home is the home o f a private fam ily or individual wherein a child, not a relative o f or within the third degree, is placed for its maintenance and nurture without the payment to such fam ily or individual of any considera tion therefor. The words “ relatives o f or within the third degree ” shall, for the purposes o f this act, mean parents and children, grandparents, grandchil dren, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, nephews, and nieces. A fam ily boarding home is the home of a private fam ily or individual in which there reside not more than five children not related to such fam ily or individual, placed therein for maintenance and nurture in return for a con sideration periodically paid to such fam ily or individual therefor. The words “ the board ” when used in this act shall mean the county board of child welfare whose establishment is hereby authorized. The words ** child ” or “ children ” when used in this act, unless otherwise indicated, shall mean, respectively, a person or persons under the age o f 16 years. Sec. 2. Establishment of county board of child welfare.— Th e board of super visors of any county outside o f the city o f New York may, by a m ajority vote of its members, establish under the provisions o f this act a county board o f child welfare, which shall have the powers and duties hereinafter specified in respect to children dependent for support upon public funds or in need o f public care or protection: Provided, however, That in any city o f the first or second class situated within such county the mayor and common council thereof may jointly determine that the provisions of this act shall be administered in such city by a municipal agency instead of by the county board o f child welfare, and in the event o f such determination the county board herein provided for shall have no authority within such city except in the case of children whose care is chargeable to the county, and the powers and duties herein conferred upon the county board shall be exercised and discharged within such city by the munici pal agency designated for such service by the mayor and common council. S ec. 3. Members of the board.— The county board of child welfare shall con sist of seven members, o f whom the county official charged with the relief o f the poor and either the chairman o f the board o f supervisors or other member thereof as may be designated by the board o f supervisors, shall be ex officio members. I f any county has more than one superintendent o f the poor, the county judge shall designate the superintendent who shall serve as a member of the board. The five other members, at least two o f whom shall be women, shall be residents o f the county and shall be appointed by the county judge,one for one year, two for two years, two for three years. Such designation shall be in writing and shall be filed with the county clerk. The first appoint ments shall be made within 30 days after the board of supervisors has officially notified the county judge that it has established the board. Immediately upon the expiration of the term o f office of any appointive member his successor shall be appointed by the county judge for a full term of three years. In case o f the failure of an appointive member to attend at least one meeting during a period of three months, it shall be the duty of the secretary of the board at once to certify such fact to the county judge. Unless the county judge shall, in writing addressed to the board within 30 days after receipt of such notice, excuse such absence for illness or other sufficient reason, the term o f office of https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis LA W S A N D B IL L S . 163 the member shall terminate at the end o f such period. Such excuse shall be filed with and made part of the records o f the board. I f a vacancy among the appointive members oeeur otherwise than by expiration o f term, it shall within 30 days be filled by the county judge for the unexpired term. S ec. 4. Removal of members.— Members o f the board shall be subject to removal by the county judge or by the State board o f charities for reasons stated in writing and after having been given an opportunity to be heard. S ec.. 5. Expenses of members.— The members o f the board shall receive no compensation for their services as members thereof, but shall be entitled to reimbursement for the actual and necessary expense incurred by them in dis charging their duties under this act. Sec. 6. Organization— Officers and employees— Rules and regulations— Reports and estimates.— The eounty board of child welfare shall (a ) meet within 10 days after appointment at the time and place designated by the county judge, organize, and fix the time o f its regular meetings which shall be held at least m onthly; (b) elect a chairman and a viee chairman from among its members, who shall hold office for one year or until their successors are elected; (e ) establish an office; (d ) make rules and regulations for the conduct of its business; and duly enter upon the minutes o f each meeting all action taken thereat. Four or more members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction o f business; (e) appoint as secretary a person certified as qualified by the State civil service commission, who shall be the executive officer of the board and who shall perform under its general supervision the functions necessary for carrying out the purposes o f this act. Such secretary may be removed by the board o f child welfare or by the State board o f charities for reasons stated in writing and after having been given an opportunity to be heard; (f) authorize the appointment by the secretary of such number of assistants and other employees as it may deem neeessary for carrying out the purposes of this act ; and their compensations, together with that o f the secretary, shall be within the limits of the appropriation made therefor by the board of super visors. Such assistants and other employees may be removed by the secretary with the approval o f the board; (g) as soon as it is ready to function, notify in writing the county treasurer, all officials within the county charged with the care and relief o f the poor, the local board of child welfare established by article 7a o f chapter 228 o f the laws o f New York, 1915, and all courts in the county authorized to hear children’s cases, that it is organized and prepared to exercise its powers and to perform its duties under this a c t ; and give public notiee to this effeef; (h ) render to the board o f supervisors at such times as it may require, a verified account o f all moneys received and expended by it or under its direction; (i) submit annually to the proper fiscal authorities o f the county an estimate o f the funds required to carry out the purposes of this act, such estimate to be furnished at such time before its annual meeting for ap propriating moneys and levying taxes as may be specified by the board o f super visors; ( / ) submit annually to the board o f supervisors a report o f its work during the year. Sec . 7. General responsibilities of the board.— Th e board shall be responsible, as hereinafter provided, for the welfare of children within the county in need of public care, support, or protection. It shall administer publie aid to de pendent children living with their mothers in their own homes, as hereinafter provided. It shall be responsible for the control, relief, and care o f children received by it as public charges or committed to it by courts or m agistrates; and shall administer such control, relief, and care either directly or through child-caring societies or institutions which are duly incorporated and ap- https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 164 COUNTY ORGANIZATION FOR CHILD CARE. proved for such service by the State Board of Charities. The responsibility of the board for children so received or committed shall continue during their minority or, until they are discharged to their own parents, to relatives o f or within the third degree, or to guardians, or are adopted by foster parents, or, in the case of delinquent children, are returned by it to the court by which they were committed. Sec. 8. Powers and duties o f the board.— The county board o f child welfare (a ) shall investigate the family conditions and circumstances of children alleged to be in need of public care or protection, in order to ascertain what care, supervision, treatment, or other attention, if any, they require; (b) may administer and supervise such relief for a dependent child as the board deems necessary to enable it to remain in its own home with its mother, when such mother is physically, mentally, or morally fit to care for such child, and is entitled to relief as a poor person: Provided, however, That nothing in this section shall be interpreted as limiting the power or duty o f any poor law official to administer relief to persons eligible therefor, in their own homes who are not beneficiaries under the provisions of this paragraph; (c) shall assume charge of and provide support for all dependent children for whom it is not possible, in the opinion of the board, to provide proper care in their own homes and who are legally entitled to public support in said county; (d) shall receive, when committed to it, any child adjudged by a court or magistrate o f competent jursdiction to be a neglected c h ild ; and such court or' magistrate shall have power to commit such child to the board; (e) shall receive any child adjudged by a court or magistrate o f competent jurisdiction to be a delinquent child, when such child is committed to it by such court or .m agistrate; and such court or magistrate shall have power to commit such child to the b oard; ( f) shall re port to the appropriate State agency the presence of every defective child known to be in the county. When in the opinion o f the board the welfare of any such child requires it, the board shall take steps in accordance with the provisions o f law to obtain his admittance to some State or other suitable school, hospital or other institution if he is in need of institutional care; or to obtain treatment and care in his own home or elsewhere for him if not in need o f institutional care, or if institutional care cannot be obtained; (g ) shall reinvestigate, at least once every year, the circumstances of the parents or o f the person having the right of guardianship o f each child who is in the care of the board outside its own home, and if advisable inquire into the willingness of relatives to care for i t ; and reinvestigate, at least once every six months, the fam ily conditions and circumstances of each child who is left in its own home under the care or supervision of the board; ( h ) shall, on order of court or magistrate,, collect from parents or guardians whose children have been committed to the board by such court or magistrate, such sums as the parents or guardians are ordered to p a y ; and in the case o f any children who are in the- care o f the board, collect or, if necessary, bring proceedings against their parents or guardians to collect, such sums for the support, care, examination, or treatment o f such children as their parents or guardians are able to pay or as the court shall order; (i ) shall provide for mental or physical examination o f any child under its care or supervision whom the board has reason to suspect of mental or physical defect or disease, such examination to be paid for when necessary from moneys appropriated for the use o f the board; (j) shall provide for necessary medical or surgical treatment in its own home or in a hospital, institution, or other suitable place, for any child under the care or supervision o f the board, such treatment to be paid for when necessary from moneys appropriated for the use o f the board; (fc) may place any child who is in its care in a family boarding https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis LAW S AND BILLS. 165 home, or in a family free home, or in an institution or in its own home subject to the supervision of the board, according to the needs of the child, such board ing or free home or such institution to be governed by persons o f the religious faith o f the child whenever practicable. Placements in family homes may be made either directly or through child-earing societies or institutions duly in corporated and approved for such services by the State Board of Charities; (l) may transfer from one place to another any child in its care; (m ) may discharge to parents, relatives of or within the third degree, o r guardians, any child in its care, when such discharge seems to the board to be for the welfare o f the ch ild; (n ) may institute proceedings in a court o f competent jurisdiction to have a child declared to be an abandoned child, or a neglected child whenever in its opinion such action would be for the child’s best interests: Provided, how ever, that nothing in this act shall be construed as impairing the powers hereto fore conferred by law upon any incorporated humane society or society for the prevention o f cruelty to children; (o) may investigate the alleged neglect or arbuse o f an apparently neglected child, and when necessary institute proceed ings in a court o f competent jurisdiction against a parent or other adult for any offense committed against such child; (p) may institute proceedings in a court o f competent jurisdiction to have a guardian appointed for any child for whose care it is responsible and whose interests in its opinion would be promoted- by such action; (q) shall act as guardian of the person, or of the person and property, of any child for whose care it is responsible when so appointed by a court authorized by law to appoint guardians fo r m in ors; and any such court shall have the power to appoint the board o f child welfare as guardian of a ch ild ; (r ) shall give or withhold its consent to the adoption o f any child cared for by the board as a public charge apart from its own fa m ily ; and such consent shall be necessary to such adoption; (s ) shall exercise supervision over all neglected and delinquent children committed by any court or magistrate within the county to any institution under private management, and may, with the approval of such court or magistrate, make such provision for the care of any such children as the board is herein empowered to make in the case o f children committed to its care. Sec. 9. State supervision of hoard.— The board o f child welfare shall be subject to the general supervision and to the rules and regulations o f the State board of -charities and shall make to the State board of charities such reports and shall keep such records and use such forms as it may require. The State board o f charities shall have power to investigate the work of the board o f child welfare and to make such orders concerning such work as it may deem just and equitable; and such orders shall be complied with by the county board of child welfare. The State board o f charities may visit children for whose care the board of child welfare is responsible, and may order such board to remove any child found to be unsuitably cared for, and such order shall be complied with by such board within 10 days of its issuance. Sec.' 10. Contracts with private agencies.— The board o f child welfare may enter into contracts with child-caring institutions, associations, or societies duly incorporated and approved for such service by the State board of chari ties to receive and care for children entrusted to them by said board; and the bills presented by such institutions, associations, or societies for such service, in accordance with the terms of such contracts, shall be paid by the county treasurer when approved by the board o f child welfare and audited as in the case o f other bills against the county. S ec. 11. Appropriation and determination of charges.— The board of super visors shall annually appropriate and make available for the board of child welfare Such sum as such board o f supervisors may deem necessary for car- https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 166 C O U N T Y O R G A N IZ A T IO N F O E - C H IL D CARR. rying out the provisions o f this act, and shall include the sum so appropriated^ in fixing the t a x %levy for the- county. Should the sum so appropriated be] exhausted during the year by reason o f unanticipated conditions, the board of supervisors may appropriate -such additional sums as in its judgment may be I necessary to meet such conditions, and such additional appropriations shall j be paid from available funds in the county treasury; but should there be no , funds available therefor, the county treasurer shall, upon order of the board ' of supervisors, borrow a sufficient sum to pay such appropriation in anticipa tion of taxes to be collected. No board o f child welfare shall expend or contract to expend any public moneys not specifically appropriated as herein provided. The board of supervisors o f any county may determine, as provided in sec tion 138 o f the poor law, whether the actual expenses for the relief o f de pendent and neglected children under this act shall be a charge upon the county or upon the respective towns or cities thereof. Delinquent children committed to the board by any court or magistrate shall be charged upon the county. Sec . 12. Fraud and misapplication of funds.— A person who shall procure or attempt to procure directly or indirectly any allowance for relief or other benefit under this act for or on account o f a person not entitled thereto, or who shall knowingly or willfully pay or permit to be paid any relief or other benefit to a person not entitled thereto shall be guilty o f a misdemeanor. Sec . 13. Transfer of funds.— A s soon as the board shall notify the county treasurer in writing that it is organized he shall transfer to an account subject to its order all unexpended balances o f any moneys theretofore appropriated for the fiscal year then current by the board o f supervisors for the care o f depend ent, neglected, and delinquent children, or for the relief o f mothers with chil dren ; and such moneys so transferred shall be used by the board for the pur pose for which they were appropriated. S ec. 14. Transfer of powers and duties.— Upon the establishment of the board and the giving of public notice by it that it is organized and prepared to exercise its powers and to discharge its duties, all the powers and duties in relation to children under 16 years of age theretofore vested in the county superintendent o f the poor, in any county official by whatever title known who is charged with the relief o f the poor o f the county, in town overseers o f the poor, or in the city commissioner o f charities or other official or agency performing like duties, if any there be, of any city subject to the provisions o f this act, shall thereupon be vested solely in the board o f child welfare established under the provisions o f this ,act. A s soon as the board shall in writing inform the public officials named above in this section that it is organized and prepared to exercise its powers and to discharge its duties, such officials shall thereupon deliver to such County Board o f Child W elfare records of children under their care. A s soon as the board shall officially inform any "board of child welfare existing in the county, established either by article 7a o f chapter 228 of the laws of New York, 1915, or by any special act o f the legislature, that it is organized and prepared to exer cise its powers and to discharge its duties, such board so established shall at once transfer all moneys, books, papers, property and other belongings in its possession to the county board of child welfare established under this act, and shall thereupon cease to e x ist; and the act creating such board or under which such board performed its functions shall be superseded by the provision o f this act. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis LAWS AND BILLS. 167 Upon the giving o f public notice by the board that it has begun to exercise the powers and to discharge the duties vested in it by this act, all children then in private institutions or family homes, through commitment or placement by any poor law official, court, or magistrate or other public authority within the jurisdiction of the board, except children who have been committed as juvenile delinquents, shall have the status o f children accepted by or committed to the board. S ec. 15. All acts or parts of acts inconsistent with or repugnant to this act or any provision thereof shall be held inapplicable to any case arising under this act. This act shall be construed liberally, and its purpose shall be the conserva tion and development of the child. .S ec . 16. This act shall take effect on the first day of September, 1922. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis A P P E N D IX B. LIST OF REFERENCES ON COUNTY ORGANIZATIONS FOR CHILD W E L F A R E OR PUBLIC W ELFA R E . Alabama. Alabama Childhood: The official bulletin of the State Child W elfare D e partment of Alabama, April—May—June number, 1921. “ County organiza tion,” pp. 28—33, 35—36. Montgomery. ' California. County Outdoor Relief in California, published by the State Board of Charities and Corrections. “ Counties using constructive methods in outdoor relief administration,” pp. 24-31. Sacramento, 1918. State Board of Charities and Corrections. Eighth Biennial Report, July 1, 1916-June 30, 1918. “ The county welfare boards and the outdoor care o f dependents,” pp. 72-80. Sacramento. ----------- Ninth Biennial Report, July 1, 1918-June 30, 1920. the county committee,” pp. 120-134. Sacramento. “ Report of Indiana. Board of State Charities of Indiana. Twenty-ninth Annual Report, for the Fiscal Year Ending September 30, 1918. “ Boards of children’s guard ians,” p. 136. Indianapolis. Thirty-first Annual Report, for the Fiscal Year Ending September 30, 1920. “ Placement of. children by orphans’ homes and boards of guardians,” pp. 192-194. Indiana Bulletin of Charities and Correction. Proceedings o f the Twentyseventh State Conference of Charities and Correction, 1918.- “ Board of children’s guardians,” pp. 55-56. Indianapolis, March, 1919. -----------“ The board o f children’s guardians,” by Donald Du Shane, pp. 2 2 2 224. June, 1919. Kansas. Kansas Children’s Code Commission. Report, January, 1921. “ County departments o f public welfare,” p. 10. Topeka. Public W elfare (organ o f the National W elfare League, Kansas City, M o .), July, 1920. “ Progress o f the county welfare campaign in Kansas,” pp. 597-599. Minnesota. Minnesota Child W elfare Commission. St. Paul. Report, 1917, pp. 10-11, 17, 23-24. First State Conference o f Child W elfare Boards with the Board of Control, May, 1919.' Proceedings (Special edition, Quarterly Conference Bulletin o f the Executive Officers of State Institutions and the State Board o f Control). Papers and discussions on the functions o f State agencies and institutions and child-welfare conditions, pp. 3 -1 0 7 ; “ W h at is expected o f our child welfare b o a rd ?” by Otto W . Davis, pp. 1 0 8-11 5; “ Sympo sium on work of child welfare b oa rd s” (Ramsey, Hennepin, and St. Louis Counties), pp. 116-119. St. Paul. 111532°— 22------12 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 169 170 COUNTY ORGANIZATION FOR CHILD CARE. Minnesota— Continued. Quarterly Representing the Minnesota Educational, Philanthropic, Cor rectional, and Penal Institutions under the State Board of Control, August, 1917. “ The new child-welfare laws— their relation to the State Board o f Control,” by Charles E. Yasaly, pp. 4-17. St. Paul. State Conference of Social W ork. Proceedings, Twenty-eighth Annual Ses sion, 1920 (Special edition, Quarterly Conference Bulletin of the Execu tive Officers of State Institutions and the State Board o f Control). “ Publicity for child-welfare work,” by E. C. Garrigues, pp. 8 6 -9 0 ; “ D is cussion of child welfare board problems,” pp. 91—9 4 ; “ Cooperation of child welfare boards with educational forces,” by Mrs. S. D. Brown, pp. 109-111. St. Paul. State Conference of Charities and Correction. Proceedings, Twenty-sixth Conference, 1917 (Special edition o f the Quarterly Bulletin, State Board of Control, August 5, 1918). “ W h y each county should have a child welfare board,” by Charles E. Yasaly, pp. 9 9 -1 0 4 ; “ How can juvenile court make use o f county child welfare boards? ” pp. 182-191. St. Paul. ------- . Proceedings, Twenty-seventh Annual Session, 1919 (Special edition, Quarterly Conference Bulletin of the Executive Officers of State Insti tutions and the State Board of Control). “ County child-welfare work,” pp. 155-162. St. Paul. Children’s Bureau, State Board o f Control. Report, 1918. “ Child welfare boards,” p. 15. St. Paul. ■---------- Directory o f County Child W elfare Boards, County Nurses, and Proba tion Officers in Minnesota, 1921. St. Paul. Hennepin County Child-W elfare Board. Annual Reports. Minneapolis. Ramsey County Child-W elfare Board. Annual Reports. * St. Paul. St. Louis County Child-W elfare Board. Annual Reports. Duluth. Missouri. Children’s Code Commission. Report. A complete revision of the laws for the welfare of Missouri children. Second edition, January, 1917. “ Meth ods of administration proposed in the Children’s Code,” pp. 20-24, 2 8 ; “ County boards of public welfare,” pp. 99-111. Jefferson City. ----------- Report, 1918. “Appointment of county superintendent of public wel fare,” pp. 35, 1 1 1-11 6; “ County boards o f public welfare,” pp. 34, 36, 116-118. Jefferson City. State Board of Charities and Corrections. City. December, 1920. Monthly Bulletin. Jefferson “ B ills presented by Children’s Code Commission to the General Assembly of 1921,” pp. 14—19. February, 1921. Outlines of Children’s Code Bills Passed by the Fiftyfirst General Assembly. “ County superintendent of public wel fare,” p. 8. April, 1921. Public W elfare Projects for Counties of M issouri; neces sary steps to make effective our social legislation. “ Act to authorize appointment o f county superintendents of public welfare,” pp. 13-15. Nebraska. Nebraska Children’s Code Commission. Report, 1920. “ County Boards of Child W elfare,” pp. 55-57, 230-234. Department of Public W elfare, Lincoln. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis REFERENCES. 171 New Jersey. Monmouth County Branch o f the State Charities Aid and Prison Reform Association o f New Jersey. Constitution, adopted June 25, 1912. Redbank. -----------First Report, 1912-1915. -----------Second Report, July 1, 1915-July 1, 1916. New Jersey Conference of Charities and Correction. Proceedings, Six teenth Annual Meeting, 1917. “ Report o f Monmouth County work,” by Miss G. L. Button, pp. 53-56. New York. National Conference o f Social W ork. Proceedings, 1918. “ The county as a unit in charity adm inistration; actual experience,” by H . Ida Curry, pp. 241-244. ----------- Proceedings, 1919. “ Child-welfare work in a rural community [Rockland County],” by Gladys Mendum, pp. 2 0 -2 6 ; “ Child W elfare in Westchester County,” by Ruth Taylor, pp. 36-41. New York State Conference o f Charities and Correction. Proceedings, 16th Annual Meeting,*1915. “ The problems o f Westchester County and how a public agency is meeting them,” by RuthvTaylor, pp. 132-143. ----------- Proceedings, Seventeenth Conference, 1916. “ An adequate sys tem for the care of destitute, neglected, and delinquent children in a community,” by Judge C. W . H . Arnold, pp. 10 9 -1 2 2 ; Discussion by H . Ida Curry, pp. 122-125. • State Charities Aid Association, New York City. Annual Reports, 19171919. “ Subcommittee on county agencies for dependent children ” : 1917, pp. 4 0 -4 3 ; 1918, pp. 7 5 -8 0 ; 1919, pp. 17-21. ----------- A Survey o f Child W elfa re Progress in New York State. (A paper presented by H . Ida Curry at the Forty-seventh Convention of the New York State Superintendents o f the Poor, June 28, 1917.) 12 pp. -----------Community Plan in Children’s W ork for the Counties in New York State. 8 pp. — — — Dependent Children in the State o f New York, and W h at the State Charities Aid Association is Doing for Them (Revised Oct. 1, 1916). “ County agencies for dependent children,” pp. 35—47. -----------County Agencies for Dependent Children. 4 pp. -----------Is Your County Building or Patching Children’s Lives? 8 pp. -----------Making the State Safe for Childhood. 7 pp. ---------- - The County Agent for Dependent Children, by Mabel Easton. 8 pp. State Charities Aid Association News. September, 1917. “ The county agent for dependent children,” p. 9. Dutchess County Board o f Child W elfare. Reports, 1917 and 1918. Poughkeepsie. Westchester County. First Annual Report of the Commissioner o f Char ities and corrections, 1917. “ The Department of Child W elfare,” by Ruth Taylor, pp. 119-176. W hite Plains. ----------- Second Annual Report of the Commissioner o f Charities and Cor rections, 1918. “ Report o f the Department of Child W elfare,” by Ruth Taylor, pp. 81-108. W h ite Plains. ----------- Report o f the Children’s Department, November 1, 1915-December 31, 1916, by Ruth Taylor. 36 pp. W h ite Plains. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 172 COUNTY ORGANIZATION FOR CHILD CARE. New York — Continued. Westchester County. Report of the Superintendent o f Poor for Year Ending October 31, 1915. “ Children’s Department,” pp. 40-56. W hite Plains. “ W estchester: W h a t an American county can do,” by W inthrop D . Lane, in the Survey, November 22, 1919, pp. 140-143. ■ “ W estchester: W h a t an American county can do in organized social work,” in Public W elfare, July, 1920, pp. 600-603. North Carolina. North Carolina’s Child W elfare Program for the Care and Protection of Dependent, Neglected, and Delinquent Children, through Superintendents of Public W elfare, Juvenile Courts, and Child-Caring Institutions. “ County unit o f public welfare,” pp. 7-11. Issued by the State Board of Charities and Public W elfare, Raleigh, 1921. State Board o f Charities and Public W elfare. Bulletin. Raleigh. January-March, 1918. “ A general statement of the duties o f a county superintendent o f Public W elfare,” pp. 3-4. April-June, 1918. “ County responsibility for public welfare,” by E. C. Branson, pp. 7-12. January-April, 1919. “ County boards of charities and public welfare and county superintendents,” pp. 3-7. April-June, 1919. “ Year’s work done by county superintendent of public welfare in Forsyth,” by A . S. Macfarlane, pp. 5 - 7 ; “ Develop ment of work in city and county of Durham,” by H . A . Forrester, p. 8. July-September, 1919. “ Letter to county superintendents o f public welfare,” by Mrs. Clarence A. Johnson, p. 1 8 ; “ The work of the county superintendent of pubic w elfare,” p. 15. ^ October-December, 1919. “ The duties of the county superintendent,” pp. 3—4 ; “ The county board of public welfare, records, and reports, pp. 5 - 6 ; “A county superintendent’s work in school attendance,” by D . R . Parker, pp. 19-23. January-M arch, 1920. “ County boards of charities and public wel fa r e ; the county superintendent o f public welfare,” pp. 5-7 . April-June, 1920. “ Public welfare, by R. F . Beasley, pp. 23-27. October-December, 1920. Biennial report to the legislature, 19191920, pp. 6 -8 , 10-12, 19, 21. Program of W ork for County Superintendents o f Public W elfa re Including Instructions in Method and Procedure of Keeping Records, by R . F. Beasley, 41 pp. Issued by the State Board o f Charities and Public W e l fare. Raleigh, 1919. Th e Principle and Machinery of Social Construction. An address by^ K. F. Beasley at the North Carolina Social Service Conference, Raleigh, 1918. 30 pp. __ Q(7 Children’s Bureau of the U. S. Department o f Labor. Publication No. 97. Proceedings o f the Conference on Juvenile-Court Standards. T e or ganization o f county juvenile courts in a rural State,” by Mrs. Clarence A . Johnson, State Commissioner o f Public W elfare o f North Carolina, pp. 75-87. Washington, 1921. National, Conference of Social W ork. Proceedings, 1920. “ Lessons from North Carolina,” by- W iley H . Swift, pp. 133-135. Quarterly Bulletin o f the South Carolna State Board o f Public W elfare, Columbia. South Carolina Conference o f Social W ork, 1921. The promotion o f public welfare in North Carolina, by Howard . 0 pp. 1 8 -2 2 , https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis REFERENCES. 17^ North Carolina— Continued. Mecklenburg County. Annual Reports of the County Superintendent o f Pub lic W elfare for the Fiscal Years Ended June 30 ,192 0 and 1921. Charlotte. South Carolina. State Board o f Public W elfare o f South Carolina, Second Annual Report, 1921. “ County committees,” pp. 27-29. Columbia. * General. t National Conference o f Charities and Correction. Proceedings, 1915. “ A community plan in children’s work,” by C. C. Carstens, pp. 92-106. National Conference of Social Work. Proceedings, 1917. “ A County unit for social service,” by Sara A . Brown, pp. 645-647. ----------- Proceedings, 1918. “ Boards o f public w elfare; a system o f government social work,” by L. A. Halbert, pp. 220-229. “ The county as a unit in social work,” by Homer W . Borst, pp. 245-249. “ The county as a unit o f charity administration,” by W illiam H . Davenport, pp. 249-250. “ The county as a unit in charity adm inistration: Outdoor relief,” by George A. Warfield, pp. 250-252. “ County organization o f welfare agencies,” by Bessie A . McClenahan, pp. 595-604. —-------- Proceedings, 1921. “ Relationship between State and local govern ments in the development o f public-welfare service,” by W illiam Hodson, pp. 218-222. The Survey. New York City. March 22, 1919. “ The county a s a welfare unit,” p. 901. July 19, 1919. “ 2 by 5 county relief,” by Esther D e Turbeville, pp. 604-605. Public W elfare (organ o f the National Public W elfare League). K ansas City, Mo. May, 1918. “ State and county boards o f public welfare,” pp. 25-26. January, 1920. “ Outline o f the provisions' of a law to establish a county department o f public welfare,” pp. 539-540. March, 1920. “ Official endorsements o f the county board of public wel fare idea,” pp. 576-577. Potter, Ellen C., M. D. Community measures to conserve child life. Annals of the American Academy o f Political and Social Science. Child W elfare. Yol. X C V I I I (November, 1921), pp. 16-27. McClenahan, B . A. Organizing the Com m unity; a review of practical prin ciples. The Century Co., New York, 1922, o * https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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