The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1920-03-09
VERMONT CHILDREN'S
AID SOCIETY WORK
Cooperation with tuberculosis Asso-
citation and State Board Brings
About Good Results.

l
How does a child welfare worker
| spend her time? What is the Vermont
Children's Aid society doingH These
questions are explicitly answered in 9
report made by Miss Josephine Web
ster, general secretary of the Vermont
| Children's Aid society, to the Marcel
| meeting of her board of directors re
Gently held in Montpelier. Miss Web
ster opened her report with few in
teresting statistical data, In January
she spent her time in the following
activities: ll6 personal interviews, l6s
letters written, three public addresses
six homes and two institutions inves
tigated, 81 new cases taken up in add
ton to old cases continued, III towns
visited, 900 miles travelled.
For February the data are; 1876 per
sonal interviews, l24 letters, one pub
lie address, four free homes and one
boarding home investigated, 10 new
cases, one court case, involving surren
der by parents of four children, sue
cessfully prosecuted, two children
placed in free homes, two children
placed in boarding homes, seven physi'
cal examinations of children, three
mental examinations of children, three
institutions visited, III towns visited
4S2 miles travelled.
The society has become the legal
guardian of six children and the vir'
tual guardian of four others.
One of the most interesting details
of Miss Webster's report was that de-
ranrIx-;,,e, hAnoa for tba 4.
porary care of destitute and neglected
children The home will meet long
felt need In its present form it IS eX.
perimental, but the directors, convinced
of the need of such a home, are deter
mined to maintain a place in which
children can be suitably cared for until
foster homes are found or the child Is
fit to be delivered to foster parents,
Miss Webster outlined the efficient
scheme of cooperation adopted by the
Athena club of Burlington. This club
secures needed clothing on demand ;
has sewing bees for the society; and
agrees to furnish big sisters ,and
friendly visitors for handicapped
children and tottering families, as
needed. Klifa club of Burlington has
also proffered its services. 1t is hoped
and expected that women's clubs gen
orally throughout the state will follow
these fine examples of social spirit and
efficient service.
DIR. C. X. johnson, child specialist
has given much time to the work OF
the society and has shown fine spirit
of cooperation.
Mention should be made of the many
ways in which the Vermont Children s
Aid society and the tuberculosis asso-
citation are able to help each other.
Secretary Slocum of the tuberculosis
association has referred numerous cases
to the Children's Aid society and Miss
Webster has sent several cases to the
Essex preyentorium, Praise should be
qiven to the fine care and upbuilding
enjoyed by the children at the proven
torium
The work for children is the more
successful because of the help given
by experienced volunteer assistants in
every county in the state. These as
sistants, too numerous to mention by
name secure information, visit cases,
assist in procuring needed relief, etc.
Finally, Miss Websters report dealt
with number of problem cases-some
solved, some still in the process Of
treatment. There were two young
brothers, for example, who were placed
IN neighboring homes so they can fire.
auently see one another; there was a
Young maiden taken from an immoral
home and placed in a boarding home;
there were four children in one i'm
moral family taken as wards by the
society; there were several children
from a number of families placed tenn
porarily either in the Essex prevento-
rum or in some boarding home await
ing placing in foster home.
Such are the demands upon the time,
the resourcefulness and the energy OF a
child welfare worker From all direc-
tions the president of the Vermont
Children's Aid society has received
words of highest commendation for
Miss Webster Her tact, her resource
fulness, her ability to put things
through, and her genial interest in the
handicapped as human individuals-all
these are mentioned.
The society is also fortunate in hay-
ing as directors two members of the
state board of charities and probation,
Philip T. H. Pierson of Bennington and
Charles Tuxbury of Windsor The dual
relation of these two public-spirited
men assures harmony and cooperation
between the Children's Aid society and
the official workers These two men
were among the very first to feel the
need of a volunteer society which could
pursue more flexible policy than a