The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1908-10-16
"E.ndr.ehs ...ks m. United Pun civ.s Power

dren's Home society are legally
adopted and so pass out from under
their guardianship. Children, unless
legally adopted, continue to be the
i wards of the societies until they be-
lcome Of age. Exact record is kept In
the superintendent Office OF each
child and placed out, and visits Of In
spection by agents Of the society are
made from time to time. Far more
care is taken in inspection than for
/ merly, the societies having come to
realize more fully the measure Of
their responsibility as protectors Of
the rights Of the children under their
charge. About fifty per cent of all
children placed out have to be re-
placed one or more times before the
proper home is found. The societies
welcome state inspection where that
is established by law, and cooperate
with the state officers in giving and
receiving information designed to
throw additional safeguards about
the children who are their wards.
While the chief work OF the Chill
dren.s Home Societies is the placing
and caring of children in family
homes, yet they necessarily come in
contact with great many cases in
which some other kind of help is
needed. In Illinois, Kentucky, New
Jersey and Idaho societies there are
aid departments organized as a
branch of the work, which deal with
large numbers Of children where only
temporary relief is required. The
Michigan society also does systematic
aid work. All the other societies,
especially outside of large cities, do
more or less aid work, although ii is
not distinctly organized.
Within the present year the Ma
| tional Society has assumed control OF
a new branch Of allied work known
! as the Kittie Smith Home for Grip
pied Children, located at South Whit
| ley, Ind. The founder of the home,
Miss Kittie Smith, was herself the
| victim of pitiful accident in. child
hood by which she lost both her
arms, and from that time until she
became Of age, in 1903, was a Chill
dren's Home Society ward. BY the
help of others and her patient efforts
she has gradually conquered her mis-
fortune and become capable, self
reliant woman, and now Is seeking to
| help other crippled children. The
National Society has adopted this un-
dertaking after most careful consid-
Grafton, being convinced that there
is real need for such homes for those
crippled children who would natural
| ly be rejected as 'unplaceable" by
home-fnding agencies. In the states
of Indiana and Kentucky a movement
| is now on foot for the establishment
of homes for crippled children, and
it is hoped that the National society
may be able in time to establish sim
liar homes in other parts or the coun-
try.
In the large cities thessocieties are
usually in cooperation with other
child-helping agencies, to whom they
refer cases outside their own proper
sphere. The ,Children's Home Socie-
ties, also, in the cities and everywhere
receive their guardianship children
from other charitable societies and
from public authorities. Thus, in
many states, the societies receive
children from orphanages and re-
formatory institutions, from aid soci-
cites and from county and town Off.
GERS. In most states the societies re-
ceive children into their care by com
mitment of the courts, while in ILL
nois, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Minneso-
ia and Idaho they have regular con-
nection with the courts as placing
out agencies for dependent children.
For assuming charge of children
from public authorities or other agen-
eies, the societies usually receive
compensation although frequently
only nominal amount. But it is the
rule of the societies never to refuse
to accept (from whatever source),
child needing their care, even if no
compensation is offered.
The fact of the magnitude and
generally successful character Of the
work of the National Childrens
Home Society was emphasized three,
years ago when at the Louisiana
Purchase Exposition it received the
highest award among the child help
ing organizations in the country. A
work covering so wide an area had
not been and even now is not gener-
oil oh H., tr Ar,