Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-08-17
632. Manual of Home Serv.
ice" Continued from yester-
day.
Ill
METHOD

METHOD
When does family properly come
under the care of the Home Service
Section?'
Home Service. as has been indicated
In the Introduction to this Manual,
applies to the families of men in all
branches of the service-regular army,
national guard and national army; to
the families of sailors, marines, and
men of the engineering and aviation
CORPS; and to the families of men and
women attached to hospital units as
nurses, doctors. orderlies, ambulance
drivers. 1t also has to do with the
families of the soldiers going from this
country to join the Allies and with
families OF civilians who have been
wounded or killed as the direct result
of war activities as, for example, from
the torpedoing of merchantmen by a
submarine.
What 10 a Home Service FamiIy'7
If family belongs to any one of
these groups it obviously may claim
the care of the Red Cross. All that is
necessary is that the fact of the en-
listment of one or more of the men,
bers of the family be established.
Evidence to this effect must be pro-
duced or must be obtained before the
question. Is this Home Service fam
lily? can be intellgently considered.
J. is not necessary to depend upon the
family to produce this evidence. The
fact of enlistment is a matter of
record. 1t is obvious, also, that some
evidence of the relationship of the ap-
plicant to the enlisted man should be
available. A marriage record, il the
person applying is the wife, or a birth
record of the enlisted man. if the ap-
plicant Is the mother or some other
relative. will be helpful documentary
proof. If documents are not accessi-
BILE, the relationship of the family to
the enlisted man can usually be estab-
lished through consultation with the
family's clergyman, doctor. or some
ether person Of responsibility ac-
quainted with 1t. The Home Service
Section should be careful to make GER
tain that even during the brief time
which the obtaining of this informa =
ton will require. no family suffers
from lack of prompt assistance.
1t may be evident that enlistment
las been contrary to present regula-
tons. For example, maEried mar
may have claimed to be single at the
time of enlistment. Here the Red
Cross. as a patriotic body, will not
urge or even ask for his discharge
from the service, but will furnish the
commanding officer with such addi-
tonal facts as he may request, and
will leave further action to the proper
military authorities. This same policy
may well be followed in dealing with a
boy who has entered the service under
the age of enlistment.
No Procedure lnvariabie
The Home Service Section, how
ever. should not regard any procedure
as invariable. There will, undoubted
~, often arise particular situations
which will require departures from
any set of regulations which might be
formulated. The purpose of the Man
Lal here, as throughout it's pages. is
merely TO indicate principles which, in
general. can most satisfactorily be OBJ
served.
Inquiry may reveal that family is
already under the care of a public or
private social agency. A widow. for
example, Is found to be visited regu-
larry by public officer and to be re-
ceiving an allowance from the widows
pension board. But her oldest boy
upon a portion of whose wages she
had counted, and with due regard to
whose payments the boards allowance
rad been figured. has just enlisted
In such instances it is recommended
that the agency already visiting con-
tinue to do so, and that the Home
Service Section consider the advisable
ity of filling the unexpected gap in the
widows resources until assignment of
ray or the governments separe ton al
lovance can replace the Red Cross
payments. If such an arrangement Is
made. the public officer, in this illus
tration, should be willing to agree to
keep the Section informed of any
changes In home conditions, and to as
eume responsibility for demonstrating
the need of both allowances-that of
his board and that of the Red Cross.
This policy may appropriately be pur-
sued whenever thoroughly we'll ac-
credited agency is paying regular
allowance to the family, or is carrying
cut plans for its welfare which de-
mand continued oversight. Usually
however, this course should not be
followed when an agency has once
known or had dealings with family
hut does not at the time have 1t under
care.
Avoid Duplication
To ascertain just what the relations
between a family and a social agency
have been will always greatly facili-
tate the work of the Home Service
Section. In some cities a systematic
exchange of information has already
been organized among the social
agencies. If so, it will protect the
homes of soldiers and sailors from
multiplied and unnecessary visitation
&c consult this exchange and learn
there what hospital or what child-sav-
ing station. for example, is acquainted
with the family. or is now trying to
serve them. Home Service can go for
ward without fear of duplication when
II finds that a family is unknown to
the other agencies. and that these will
net take action later without confer
ring with the Red Cross.
Many families will be unknown ia
any of the social agencies and will re-
rsin so If prompt and intelligent aid
Is rendered by the Home Service See
ton. Most families are already
known to certain residents Of the