Evening star., 1939-03-19
Child Welfare
Continued from First Page.)

Child Welfare
Continued from First Page.)
q. siderably behind most other COM
munities Of equal size or larger"
Acute illness and crime are suffl-
ciently dramatic to attract attention
to their problems. the group held.
1.-The neglected child is inarticulate
and seems harmless, he attracts little
notice and is. therefore, treated in
differently" it said.
But the child is inarticulate and
helpless only for the time being; he
strikes back later"
Six Independent Units.
The Welfare Board now has under
its jurisdiction six independent units
for caring for children away from
their homes: The Child Welfare di-
vision, devoted principally to foster
home care: the Receiving Home,
Industrial Home School for White
Children, Industrial Home School
for Colored Children. National
Training School for Girls. and the
District Training School for Feeble
minded All would be brought under
central control.
The group and the expert found
that the heads of these units very
naturally" direct their efforts toward
"self- protection and continuation of
the existing regime-there is little
regard, under the present system,
for the needs and efficiency OF the
program as whole"
Due to lack of coordination, the
report continued. the result is "low
and unequal standards, differences
In practices and costs. low morale
In the service and inflexibility in the
program"
Findings Of Consultants.
Supporting its proposal for de-
velopment of a real protective serv-
ice, the group and the consultant
made the following findings:
That the present services of this
kind are but fraction of the total
required, causing child neglect and
juvenile delinquency and creating
an abnormal need for foster family
care and institutional facilities;
that there are too many children
receiving costly care away from
their own homes.
That most of the existing protec-
tive agencies are mainly referral
agencies having extremely limited
facilities for treatment of cases,
thus causing a waste of social effort.
That protective services, by public
and parochial schools, Fairgrounds,
the Health Department, the Public
Assistance Division and so forth,
should be available at the beginning
OF maladjustment. The group said
that the experiences of demon
stration program in one section Of
the District, in this regard, shows
the need for staff of social workers
to deal with children whose malad-
Justments manifest themselves in
the classroom.
That the Public Assistance Divi-
sion lacks the resources necessary
for prevention of family disintegra-
tlon which, the group said. results
from the transfer of responsibility
from one division to another.
Adequate assistance and reason
able case work services by the Pub
lie Assistance Division" the report
continued, very probably would re-
suit in a reduction of the number of
Children under foster care"
Personnel Inadequate.
The personnel of the various child
care services was found inadequate
In size and, "in many cases." as to
qualifications.
The group and the expert agreed
with Miss Dorothy Henry, a con-
sultant who made an earlier report
on the child care program, that
new receiving home should be pro-
vided, but recommended that the
home be restricted to the use of
children held as District wards pend
ing Juvenile Court disposition, and
that other facilities should be devel-
oped Tor emergency care of depend
ent and neglected children. They
suggested that police should he dis
couraged from sending children to
the Receiving Home who could be
returned to their own families with
safety to themselves and the COM
munity. They disagreed with q site
selected for the purpose, on Fair
mont street NV. near Georgia
avenue, insisting it should be closer
to Juvenile Court.
The group found that a permanent
plan for the National Training
School for Girls cannot be developed
at this time, since much would de-
pend upon other programs, partic-
ularly development of a psychiatric
service and the possible" creation
OF a scientific resident center for
treatment of seriously maladjusted
juveniles.
Staff Not Qualified.
AS to administration of this insti-
tuition, the report stated: Judged
BY the record of absconders and
by the ultimate results as revealed
In the case records, the present pro-
gram is seriously inadequate. The
present resident staff is not quail
fled to deal with the care of girls
committed to the school. A more
sctentif1c and sympathetic approach
Is necessary"
Tho ,,3<&>saa$> ~~~~~>-. - A.