The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1922-04-12

Recently Miss Kennedy, superinten-
dent of the schools of Redwood Coun-
ty prepared at the request of the
President of the Redwood Falls Par
ent-Teachers Association, {. paper on
Child Welfare work, this paper to be
read before that organization. Since
many who were unable to attend the
meeting have regretted that they fail
ed to hear this paper, and because
the subject matter is of vital interest
and Importance to every person in the
county, the editor of the Gazette ask
ed Miss Kennedy's permission to pub
fish the article. 1t is reprinted here
in it's entirety.
"The topic given me tonight is
Child Welfare work. I am sorry that
you cannot hear this topic discussed
by some one from the State Board of
Control. Sometime perhaps Mr.. VIM.
Hodson, Director of the Children's
Bureau, at the state capitol can at
tend one of these meetings and adj
dress you. He is an attorney with a
thorough understanding of ways and
means of befriending children. His
him to give his message clearly and
forcibly.
First should like to recall to your
minds the organization of the County
Child Welfare Boards. In 1917 the
Minnesota Legislature adopted in part
the children's program as outlined by
the Children's Committee in the Ma
mol To,ofor1y,11 of yol
Several other states followed this
same plan. In the field of private
philanthropy legislation is not a pre-
requisite to effective social work. In
truth it is often the absence of good
law which creates the need for pri-
vate effort. For example private
societies have supported widowed
mothers of dependent children before
the so-called land Mr.. Hodson always
says-badly called) mothers pen
SION laws were passed. When we
want a state program started there
must be legislation behind it or else
we have nothing but an underlined du-
ty. For example-one may say that
the state should extend it's protecting
arm to the dependent child but it
takes more than that to insist that no
such child shall be placed permanent
ly in family home until the state is
assured that the home is such as will
afford proper care. The discharge of
such a public obligation requires adj
ministrative machinery which must
either be created anew or nodded out
of existing agencies.
s. 'It was such considerations that
moved a group of people to make re-
Communications to our Legislature in
1917. The law as passed by the leg
islature reads: can act to give the
State Board of Control general duties
for the protection of defective, illeg-
itimate, dependent, neglected, and de-
linquent children, with authority to
act as guardian of children; and to
provide for child welfare boards in
the several counties of the state to aid
in the performance of such duties.
The Children's Bureau is department
under the State Board of Control. The
work of the Children's Bureau is sup
plemented by the county child welfare !
boards whose personnel consists of
five persons appointed by the state
board of control, two of whom are wo-
men. and two ex-offcio members
member of the board of county COM
missioners, selected by that board,
and the county superintendent of
schools. You will realize the close
inter-relationship of the school sys-
tenn to the general problem of child
welfare. The county commissioners
I'D
asses there must be an appropriation
funds. A local county child well
are board is not appointed by the
state board of control until petition
has come from the board of county
commissioners requesting it.
members of county child welfare
boards do not receive any salary but