Evening star., 1940-03-13

Vt WeITQIe Eases
Foster Homes Held Preferable
To Institutionolized Core
Of Dependent Children
To the Editor Of The Star:
The report of the examination Of the
inmates of the Home for the Aged at
Blue Plains and the recommendations
for their disposition and care brings the
matter one step nearer solution. How
ever, the fact that many Of the inmates
are to be transferred, not to one institu-
ton, but to several, shows how much the
action has been needed. The fact that
Mr.. Bondy, the welfare director, is de-
flning the group of people who may enter
Blue Plains hereafter gets to the root
of the problem-if the definition is cor
rect.
A fundamental rule Of institutional
management is segregation of the groups
which require different treatment-the
insane, mentally deficient, dennquents,
and all the various groups which Is years
ago could still be found herded into some
of the county almshouses of this country.
Today there are separate institutions in
enlightened communities for these diff
ferent groups and appropriate care pro-
vided for each.
There is another reason for segrega-
ton. That is segregation for the special
protection of some group. 1t was pointed
out by different persons that there were
in the Receiving Home boys and girls
that the police had taken there to be
held because of misbehavior or violation
OF some law, and that there were also
there children innocent so far as the
police were concerned. Sometimes a
child is brought there because he is lost
or the home is suddenly broken and there
Is no one to care for the child at home.
children in the Receiving Home was a
perfect example of the fable about mix
ing rotten and good apples. After all
that Mrs. Roosevelt had said and all the
inspections and consultations and the
testimony of experts before the commit
tee of the House, it would have seemed
reasonable to expect that such condi-
tions at the Receiving Home would have
been corrected.
However, on Sunday, March 3, 1910,
there were 3 children of the "a in the
Receiving Home on that date against
whom there was no complaint by the Po-
lice Department. Mr.. Leonard, the su-
perintendent stated that about Is per
cent of all admissions are dependents"
those that have no charge against
them. He stated that about two-thirds
of this group are from homes similar to
those of the group held there under
orders of the Police Department. The
remaining one-third of this group were
from homes of comparatively particular
people. Furthermore, Mr. Leonard stated
that while he had no definite figures on
the average length of stay of the nom
offenders he thought they would average
five or six days. That means that for
five or six days child who has been
protected all his life is living in close
contact with children who have been
neglected and are delinquent.
There was recently a conference at
the White House on children in a de-
mocracy, which set up decent standards
for care of children. In the District
there is Board of Public Welfare, the
Children's Bureau of the United States
Is few miles from the Receiving home,
the Commissioners of the District of Co.
lumbia, seat of the Nations Capital, are
still in power, SO how could this condition
continue SO long? I'm not ranting, I'm
| just provoked that we all can be so
stupid and careless. If the government
| gress of the United States, after the
weeks that have passed since the condi-
tions at the Receiving Home were de-
| nounced, have not solved the problem of
| few children whose condition shocked
most people of the District, what is the
| matter?
1t is no secret among social workers
| in the District that these dependent"
children, the Is per cent who have no
| charge against them, should be placed in
! foster homes in the District for the time
| being rather than in the Receiving
| Home. There is money available for
| their care in foster homes and it would
| cost less than for their care in the Re-
| ceiving Home.
This brings out another fundamental
rule of institutional management, which
| is that a suitable alternative to institu-
| tional care is preferable. A suitable
| foster home for children approaching
normal home life is considered prefer
able to an institution. So with Blue
| Plains. Some of those elderly people
might be able to stay with relatives or
be boarded out in suitable family homes
| for less cost than at Blue Plains.
| With the selected delinquent, proper
parole is preferable to prison. In the
case of the sick, a convalescent home is
preferable to a hospital Care in a con-
valescent home is about half the cost OF
that of hospital, is less depressing, and
hospital is for the acutely i'll. Suitable
| convalescent homes for colored children