The Caledonian-record. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1920-current, 1920-10-30
RECEIVING HOME
Is URGED BY
SEC. JEFFREY
Summary of Recent Address
ct Social Work Confer
ence at Windsor

At The recent conference of social
work at Windsor Secretary Jeffrey Of
the State Board of Charities and Pro-
baton gave an address which outlin-
ed in detail the work of tie boord and
how the work can be enlarged by leg
islative aid. Secretary Jeffrey said in
part:
"The department rec ived for the
year closing June 80, 1920, SS.829.8
Of this amount $2,411.13 came from
Liability The remainder $6,41S.79
came through order of the various
courts for child care and family sup
port involving in nearly every instance
the care of dependent CHI ldren.
"Whl'e this is for the year ending
June 80, the probable income of the
department for the next II months,
from these sources will exceed "25,-
600, making the total available APP
preparation for the maintenance of
the department from the s ate $25,-
600 with an equal amount from III,
various cities and towns and persons
unoer order Of the court
THE time has come when the leg s.
lature should make suitable provision
for the care T dependents and neg
lected children for the period inter
vening between the time of commit
ment to the board and placing them
IN temporary or permanent home. 1t
Is necessary, if this work is to be CIR
red out in a satisfactory way, to
have receiving home to which chill
dren can be taken directly from tee
courts and held for a short time b.
fore placing them in private home.
The children very freque ntly are COW
cred with vormin or suffer ng from
communicable skin infection, nal
nutrition or various diseases. They
need observat on, both mental and
physical, and it is not fair ether to
the child or to the proposed foster
home to place these children until
sufficient time has elapsed and they
have been made physically fit to enter
the new surroundings.
1--WE have recommended that IS
children be sent to the state school
for the feeble minded at Brandon.
This has been done, but, owing to the
crowded condition which prevails
at thai institution, we now have near
~ so on our waiting list.
"Probably considerable number of
mental detectives have ben COM
mitted as delinquent children to the
state school at Nergennes, and we
find among those comm tied to the
board not a few who are eble
minded to degree that renders them
for the present at least, unplacable.
vermont must face this problem
not that it is alarming, in proper
ton, but nevertheless it is serious.
The legislature of 1921 can give its
greatest relief to child caring agen-
cies by making a reasonable provs-
ion for the reception and care of the
feeble minded and the unplacable
child, especially the feeble minded
female Of child bearin age.
THE board has granted aid TO IS
mothers. These mothers had at the
time of the granting of aid SIS chill
dren under IS years of age. For the
year ending June 80, 1920 we gave
mothers aid to the amount of S3,070.
1--WE have carefully Investigated
and closely noted the working of the
mothers aid law, and it should not
only be continued, but its field of
reasonably extended. To
grant aid to widowed or deserted
mothers and exclude the mother
whose husband is suffering from an
incurable disease, or who is insane, or
who is confined in a hospital, sana-
forum of other institution, is mani
festly unjust.
The following case is illustrative of
the work being done with the commit
ted defective child:
"Lila-Everyone who saw this child
before she was operated on felt that
she was even more than feeble mind
ad-that she was an imbecile. The
doctors at the hospital said that she
was feeble minded. They would make
a quick move towards her and she
would SIMPLY stare at them blankly.
If she were put down in pace she
would stay there indefinitely. She
never asked for anything to eat. Her
ldenoids and tonsils were removed,
md today Lila is walking and talking
nd is interested in everything going
m. She is apparently perfectly
formal child, with the exception of
icing retarded in development, and
would probably pass as six months
'ounger than her age; but in view Of
he fact that she was simply living
lmp of flesh up to that time, the