Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-04-23
TELLS OF WORK OF
CHILDREN BUREAU
Annual Meeting Hears Of Opera
tions of Past Year Through
Report of Secretary:

At the annual meeting OF the 1nliuIeh
Bureau of Delaware, held yesterday alter
noon at st. Andrews parish house, the
secretary, Miss Ada L. Armstrong, sub
mitted her report. showing the work of
the bureau for the year. In part IT follows:
The Children's Bureau is still in the
stabe Of rapid growth. During the past
wears its work has seemed To resolve IT
self into three groups-responding To the
calls of the members OF the bureau; car
ing for special problems of children re-
ferred by societies and individuals out
side of the bureau and initiating or as
sisting movements to better the con-
dition Of children in the State. The bureau
has been incorporated, under the State
Laws, with the power TO perform any OF
these duties
From an organization representing
seven agencies. namely: Children Home
Juvenile Court, Peoples Settlement,
West End Reading Room, Delaware
Childrcn's Home Society Associated
Charities and Society for Prevention of
Cruelty TO Children, the Children S Bureau
~ the end Of this years work, represent
nine additional societies-Ferris Indus
trial school. Delaware Hospital. Florence
Grittenton Home. Girls Industrial School,
Babies Hospital. Consumers League,
Mothers Pension Commission, Delaware
Anti-Tuberculosis Society and Visiting
Nurses Association.
Children's : troubles were reported At
rapidly increasing rate from other mem
bers Of the Bureau and from individuals
ar societies who wanted advice regarding
nroblcms Of childhood. These problems
came from many agencies, including
the following School Nurse, Detective
Bureau. LAWYERS. Consumers League.
A n
tendent 81 Wilmington Schools, Child
Welfare. Hebrew Charities, Labor Com
mission. school Attendance Officers,
Traveller Md AmerIcanlzation ommltte
Judge of County Court Sheriff, Com
missioner of Education, Red Cross-Home
Service They were OF varying character.
Our work Is State wide, but as yet we
have done little'for children outside OF
Wilmington. other than those who are
placed IN foster homes. This IS partly
because the country folks do not know
us as vet. and partly because We have
too small force 10 cover State.
We did all in our power 10 initiate
and back program for the care of the
fceble-minded.
The Bureau was responsible for the
launching Of q bill creating a State
Board of Charities.
We have advised with that far-seeing
rroup who are establishing County
Boards Of Welfare.
We are assisting the dental association
and Interested citizens in their endeavor
To establish a dental clinic, and we are
gradually developing system of boarding
homes for children This last has been an
arduousf task. but % such homes have
been discovered and used dunng the year.
Because it is customary We are in
cludng IN this report the formal figures
for the wear. not that bulk of work means
q thing. il IL quality of work we mean
tn strive for. and quality cannot be put
upon paper.
April /. 1919 to April |, 1920. families
reported. 2S5: involving children, CPS:
Of these. there were placed in free homes
S. placed in boarding homes, 81; placed in
institutions, 2S Total removed from
own home, g.: Total cared for IN own
home, SOL: Children visited in foster
homes. So: Total children cared for. ia.
Service rendered included: Insane
mother taken to Farnhurst: New Castle
County school pension investigation, dis
pensarv treatment: hospital treatment:
blind child sent 70 blind school; families
reunited or difficulties adjusted relatives
discovered: in three instances these
relatives were in Great Britain; court
action--non-support. Juvenile court, Gus
tbdy of child before County Court, legal
adoptions, Christmas to Is boarding
children, families. children boarded
board paid for parent and child investiga-
ton for out of town societies. positions
secured for children. and mother with
child: vocational education arranged for:
children removed from unfit foster parents
and returned TO the society responsible.