Evening star., 1939-08-18
ChangesAsked
In Chi|d.Care
Procedure
D. G. Division Chief
Urges Plan Of
Home Conservation
By DON S. WARREN.

ton program under which the
Board of Public Welfare would be
authorized to accept children for
care without a court commitment,
when no question of legal custody
was involved, was recommended to-
day by Miss A. Patricia Morss, head
of the Districts Child Welfare
Division.
This was one of series of pro-
posals for reshaping and broad
ening of the child care program
which she included in her annual
report to the board, a document of
some 10000 words.
Legislation and changes in poll
cies concerning adoptions also were
suggested by Miss MorSS, this COM
ing as sequel to the recent criti-
cism voiced by Justice Goldsborough
as to activities of commercial adop-
ton agents. Miss Morss urged that
the Welfare Board be given some
authority to regulate parental trans
fer and placement of children and
she asked for Interpretation, or pos
sible revision, of the section of
the adoption statute dealing with
consents.
Would Shift Licensing.
In this connection, Miss Morss
proposed that the licensing of board
ing homes and child caring insti-
tutions be transferred from the
Health Department to the Welfare
Board, contending that this func-
ton should be placed on a social
work basis.
The report also discusses plans for
a revamping of Welfare Board ad-
ministration of public assistance
and child care services, urges elm
ination of existing differentialS in
payments between different assist
ance categories, proposes joint in
take unit to serve both child care
. and relief divisions, and suggests
establishment of central registra-
ton of all families served by all
units of the Welfare Department.
Finding shortcomings in the Dis
srict Welfare Act, adopted by Con-
gress 13 years ago, Miss Morss
declared a broader program for pro-
lection of children requires leglsla-
ton giving the board authority to
engage in services to children in
their own homes with view to pre-
venting disruption of family life, to
accept children for care without re-
course to the court when no ques-
ton of legal custody is involved, and
to permit greater f1eXibility in meth
ods of care"
She urged that there be embodied
into the law provisions to permit
"the seeking OUT of the neglected
child so that plans for care, treat
ment and supervision can be
mapped before emergencies force
the case into court.
Would Define Assistance.
A basic plan of general public as
eistance. she said, should carry
definition of public assistance as aid
given persons whose need is due to
any one of the following causes:
Illness or incapacities. physical or
mental, of the individual himself or
of a parent or legally responsible
relative; death or absence from the
home of one or both parents or neg
lect of children requiring care away
from home, unemployment when the
wage Garner cannot be assigned to
work project and when he or she is
registered at the District Employ
ment Center and has not refused a
bona fide offer of employment from
such agency. She said the board
plan also would authorize medical
care programs for the needy, even
for those not otherwise eligible for
public assistance.
Miss Morss proposed repeal of the
law providing home care for depend
ent children and adoption of new
law on the lines of the more liberal
provisions of the id-to-dependent-
children plan under the social Sc
curity system. Restrictions in law
which make the National Training
School for Girls available only to
girls committed to the school by the
Juvenile Court, she said, should be
removed
Relatives Postpone Decisions.
The relative who is interested in
giving care to children who qualify
under the id-to-dependent-c children
programs is inclined often to with
hold a decision to accept the chill
dren until care through commit
ment has become necessary, know
ing that it is possible to obtain
budgets more favorable to the needs
of the children, particularly If the
group is large, from the Division of
Child Welfare, under appropriations
for board and care of children
she said.
while the division has made the
effort to follow the principle of the
~tttal family's budget deficiency in
payments, it has been difficult to
gain the cooperation of the rela-
tive with a higher standard of
living in accepting this instead of
the well-known boarding rates. The
division may forfeit a good relatives
home if it withholds such payments"
The child welfare official saw
possibilities for an early start in the
projected protective service unit as
result of adoption of some of the
recommendations by the Citizens
Advisory Committee contained in
the report of Jacob Kepecs, consult
ant. An increase of 1900 was
granted under this plan.
Case Workers to Be Added.
Additional case workers will be
assigned to the home finding de-
partment, Miss Morss reporting that
her division had been often en-
barrassed' in the past year over
Its inability to provide a sufficient
number of foster homes, which ad-
ditional staff workers could have
developed.
Discussing the need for closer CO.
ordination of the public assistance
and the child care programs, with
elimination of overlapping func-
tions, Miss Morss suggested a plan
for executive control with a re-
alignment of responsibilities be-
tween a division of family u,elfou.