The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-11-01
CARE OF VERMONT'S
NEGLECTED CHILD
Children's Aid Society Has
Cases of 543 Children
Reported to 1t
FEW HAVE BEEN
TAKEN FROM HOMES
Keeps Families Together SO Far as
Possible - Homes Desired for Several
Promising Children Some Are
Still Bound Out"

BURLINGTON, Nov. 1.-The annual
report of the Vermont Children's Aid So
ciety, Inc, prepared by the secretary,
Miss L. Josephine Webster, of this city,
contains the following statements:
The Children's Aid society has had re-
ported to it PIG cases, involving 543 chill
dren. In each case we have tried to make
a thorough investigation before formu-
lating any permanent plan for the family
This has meant a considerable amount
both of travel and correspondence, l ,S53
letters have been written and 1886 miles
/ Travelled. Of this distance $500 miles
were Travelled by railroad and 5000 by
automobile. The generous gift of a Dodge
roadster by one of our directors, Mrs. G.
II. Eggleston, and the loan of a Ford by
the Thomas Thompson trust for the work
in the southern district have greatly fecili-
tated the work.
child's problem cannot be cnsidered
apart from the family problem. Where
possible, we have tried to solve the diff
Guilty without removing the child from
his own home by helping to raise the
homes to proper standard. Failing in
tins we try TO find a relative who can
offer the child a suitable home before we
seek to place him with strangers. 1t is
tragic that little children are ever forced
TO leave their parents simply because
those parents are poor, but this has hap
pened and is happening all the time in
| Vermont The mothers pension granted
by the state board of charities and pro-
| baton, which helps a widowed mother
to keep her children with her is a step in
the right direction. The present appro-
pflatlon is not large enough to begin to
meet the need, and the legislative enact
ment is restrictive.
More and more it has been borne upon
us that a large share of the care of de-
pendent children in Vermont is being car
RED on by the pOOrmasters. The problem
comes to their attention and in many in
stances is settled locally without the aid
OF either the state board of charities and
| PROBATION or of the childrenS aid society
Even though he may have the best of in
tentlonS, the oyerseer Of the poor is linn
Iled IN ms resources. Uusually his knowl-
edge of free and boarding homes is confined
TO his own town. The good people of that
town know too well the chld's family his
tory to be willing to offer him a home and
surfer the annoyance of interference or
even friendly visits from the child'q reIa-
yves. W hat happens is that such chill
uFeh are often placed sometimes bound
out for this old law still exists in Yer
mOnt) in homes inferior to what could he
found for them in other parts of the state
RealHng the difficulties of the moor
masters, the Vermont children's aid so
cIety wrote to all of these officials in An
gust, Offering to cooperate with them il
finding suitable homes for children who
were physically and mentally fit foI
adoption. Requests for help of this sort
have come IN from ali parts of the state
investigation has shown that the major
1ty OF these children are either mentally
unit for placement, or else their heredity
IS so bad that 1t is not fair to offer them
Tor free foster homes until we have sat
Ished ourselves that they are normal
children. In such cases we are willing to
find suitable boarding homes where the
| children may be tested and observed
Consequently We are working toward
three kinds of service to the poormaster:
~ placement of normal children in free
foster homes and supervision until the
child is adopted; O. finding of suitable
| boarding homes where children who
should not be placed for adoption may be
properly cared for under our supervision
(3l a special study of children of bad he
Tedlty to try to ascertain they are nor
NAL mentally and fit subjects for place
| ments in free foster homes.
The service of finding and supervising
boarding homes has in some instances,
been rendered to widowers or other rel
atives who were thus able to procure
proper care for motherless children. We