Evening star., 1935-07-14
S5OO,ODO IS SPENT
IN CHILD WELFARE
Board of Public Welfare Re-
stores Happiness to Thou.
sands Annually.


Thousands Of unfortunate chill
dren-delinquents, orphans, sons and
daughters of criminal or disagreeing
parents, and feeble minded, underfed,
mistreated and Ill boys and girls-are
cared for annually by the District
Board of Public Welfare at a yearly
cost of more than a half million
dollars.
This public attempt to restore hap
piness to crushed and blighted young
lives is carried on through host of
agencies, all under the general super
vision of Elwood Street-National
Training School for Girls, Children's
tuberculosis Sanitarium, District
Training School, Division of Child
Welfare, Industrial Home School, In
dustrial Home School for Colored
Children and the Receiving Home
for Children.
The board, whose work for chill
dren is only a small item in its total
sum of duties, also acts as an advisor
regarding the National Training
School for Boys, which is under the
control of the Department of Justice.
The Child Welfare Division, which
superviSes the care and training of
dependent, neglected and delinquent
children committed to the guardian
ship of the board, is the clearing
house for the juvenile work.
Daily Average 1876.
This division cared for daily av-
erage of BIG boys and girls in 1884,
$40 of whom were committed by the
Juvenile Court, the lowest number in
this category since 1925.
1T is probable that the large ex-
penditure for relief has tended to de-
crease the number of commitments.
enabling families at the border line
of dependency to retain their chill
dren," the board comments in its lat
est annual report.
The report urges a change in the
procedure of requiring court commit
ments of children whom poverty rem
ders handicap to penniless parents.
The court commitment is drastic
procedure for parents whose only Of
fense is that they are poor" the board
thinks, and adds that this court ac-
ton undoubtedly has, in most in
stances, an undesirable psychological
effect both on the parents and on the
children"
In putting out children ito board"
the Welfare Division sets up a strict
standard, so that of 529 applications
last year received from people who
declared their anxiety to provide fos-
ter homes for children, only % were
finally approved.
"A splendid spirit has been mani
Tested on the part of these homes"
Street declares. Their devotion was
particularly evidenced during the year
when spontaneously and unanimously
those in a certain area appeared be-
fore public authorities in defense of
the school opportunities of their chill
dren.'"
Medical Supervision.
All wards of the District are given
expert dental and medical supervision,
and among all the children under care
during 1884 only six deaths were noted,
three of them accidental
Street and Miss A. Patricia Morss,
head of the Child Welfare Division,
make four recommendations to en-
large and better their work in this
important branch Of public social en-
deavor.
They urge:
l. More intensive case work in the
homes of children where there is
economic pressure before commitment.
This would not only make unneces-
sary many commitments, but would
also make possible constructive sery-
ice in homes of children temporarily
committed to the board"
2. More satisfactory institutional
program for older colored girls.
3. Provision for emergency insti-
tutional placement, particularly in
asmuch as about so per cent of the
children are placed outside the District
Of Columbia, where importation laws
and requirements of boards of edu-
cation necessarily cause delay in their
fulfillment.
4. Immediate increase in the num-
Der of case workers.
Work Increases.
While during the nine years since
1926. the average number of children
under care has increased by 381, only
two case workers have been added to
the boards staff.
1T is imperative that the case load
of workers be decreased, particularly
as the foster home area gradually in
creaSes," Street urges. There should
be also more service in the home
finding division"
The members of the Board of Public
Welfare are:
Frederick W. McReynolds, chairman;
M. M. Doyle, vice chairman; Mrs.
Charles Goldsmith, secretary; Mrs.
Hugh S. Cumming, John Joy Edison,
DR.. Frederic w. Perkins, Mrs. Coralie
r. Cook, DR.. H. ]. Crosson, DR.. Worth
3. Daniels.
(This is the eighth of a series of
articles on social service work in the
District of Columbia A ninth will
appear here next week.