Evening star., 1938-12-14
Child Welfare Needs
Are Outlined for
United Action
Program Of Many
Phases Discussed
Before Woman Voters

Phases Discussed
Before Woman Voters
1naugurating a program Of united
action to support the forthcoming
report of the Child Welfare Ad-
visory Committee, 18 women's or
CARNATIONS and social service groups
met yesterday with the Voteless
D. c. League Of Women Voters to
learn child-caring needs in the
District.
Preceded by skit which furnished
the background of the present child
welfare problem, the talks by four
experts in the field, the proposals
to the Budget Bureau which the
representatives of the organizations
present were urged to support were
listed by Mrs. Louis Gutenberg,
president of the local league.
The recommendations, made by
the league to the Budget Bureau
late last week, included 20 addi-
tional workers for the Board of
Public Welfare to take care of home
finding, child-placing, investigation
of adoption cases and commitment
of feeble minded children; four sub
sidized boarding homes for neglected
and dependent children and a de-
tention home for children awaiting
action by the Juvenile Court, a gen.
eral superintendent of the child
caring agencies and services of the
board and retention of the National
Training School for Girls at its
present location.
Sees Eventual Economy.
Admitting that increases in the
budget would be met by protests
from businessmens groups here,
Mrs. Gutenberg declared, by an in
telligent evaluation of child welfare
problems in the District we can save
the taxpayers money"
Women who are used to budgeting
want to get their moneys worth,
she said. She pointed to the
greater expense of keeping children.
in institutions rather than in foster
homes as an example of unnecessary
expense. If funds were appropriated
for additional case workers to find
suitable homes for children who are
now being housed in institutions for
lack of any place else to send them,
she said, less money would be spent
in the long run.
Elwood Street, director of the
Board of Public Walfare, discussing
the need for general superintend-
ent of child welfare services of
the board, said that such an ad-
ministrator could coordinate the
services of the boards IL institu-
tions and agencies, task which Is
not now being done.
He indicated that this recommen-
dation was in line with what is
expected to arise from the report of
Jacob Kepecs. the child welfare
expert called in to assist the Child
Welfare Advisory Committee in
making survey of child-caring
agencies.
"A superintendent, similar to the
official we now have for penal insti-
tutions," he added, would work for
more effective relationships between
the board and the courts and police"
Miss LenrOot Favors School.
Miss Katherine Lenroot, chief of
the Children's Bureau of the De-
partment of Labor, advocated the
retention of the National Training
School for Girls and also strength
ening of its staff for case work,
recreation and psychiatric study.
She reviewed the preliminary report
of Miss Dorothy Henry, which pre-
ceded the survey being made by Mr..
Kepecs, and said Miss Henry has
recommended the continued opera
ton OF the National Training School.
Mrs. Gordon Wagenet, former
chairman of the leagues department
of government and child welfare,
proposed more boarding homes for
children, more protective services, a
good intake service at the Children's
Receiving Home and an institution
OF this type which would not be
classed as a dumping ground"
She pointed out that only one
third Of the children at the Receiv-
ing Home ever go to the Juvenile
Court, that many of them are
brought there who shouldn't be and
that others are awaiting placement
by the Board Of Public Welfare.
With inmates so diversified, she said.
the need for an institution is only
half the problem. The intake serv.
ice would eliminate many of the
children unnecessarily sent to the
Receiving Home, while boarding
homes would take care of the boards
placement problem.
Cites Inadequacy Of Staff.
The need for more case workers
for home-finding was stressed bv
Miss Patricia Morse, head of the
boards child welfare department,
who said her division was so per
cent understaffed as far as home
finding and supervision OF children
IN foster homes were concerned.
The skit, showing the congressional
subcommittee on Appropriations for
the District in action at the last
session, was described as Chess
game" with the National Training
School for Girls, the Receiving Home
and other child-caring institutions
as the pawns.
1t was explained that the skit was
not criticism of the subcommittee
but was simply designed to show the
state OF confusion existing in the
minds OF the committee members
on the nature and services of the
institutions. Mrs. Gutenberg urged
the organization representatives to
educate the committee on the needs
OF the District.
The meeting, sponsored by the
leagues department of government
and child welfare, was held at the
Y. w. G. A.