Evening star., 1940-02-14
Baby Adoption Agent Tells
How She Runs Business
Meanwhile, Citizens Group Drofts
Bill to Regulate Child Placing

the work because she "1oved It,"
since her husband makes an ample
income end she doesn't need the
money.
At the present time, she has one
baby to place and about 10 couples
on the waiting list to adopt an in
FAINT. She said she had often refused
to place infants with couples who
offered her any sum she would name
for the child and frequently waited
months before placing a child to be
sure it went to the right family.
-Four doctors, all prominent locally
as pediatricians or obstetricians,
were asked by The Star their opin-
ion Of Mrs. Growers work. Each had
sent expectant mothers to her or had
examined babies she was boarding
prior to adoption. They said that as
far as they knew the babies all had
gone to good families and that Mrs.
Grover had relieved people Of en-
barrassment"
They all agreed, however, that
some form of legislation to supervise
child-placing would be "advan-
tageous."
Mrs. Herbert N. Budlong, chair
man of the Council of Social Agen-
cies Subcommittee drafting the child
placing bill, explained that it was de-
signed to avoid the inherent evils
of a financial interest in child
placing rather than specifically
aimed at halting the business Of
any one person.
New Standards Provided.
In discussing the legislation pro-
posed by the council subcommittee,
Mrs. Budlong said that where no
financial interest was involved a
more thorough job Of investigation
could be done before the child was
placed. A public agency, she said,
could keep the child indefinitely
in a boarding home while deter
mining what was best for 1t, in
stead of placing it with adopting
parents and then making the in
vestigation after the couple had
grown to love the child. She pointed
out that the proposed bill provides
as much secrecy for the unwed
mother as Mrs. Growers arrange
ment.
She added that an important fea-
ture Of the proposed legislation was
the formulation Of new standards
so that public agencies-or those
financed through the Community
Chest-would meet the needs of the
community.
Provisions Of Bill.
Basic provisions Of the council
bill are:
l. That any person, firm or corpo-
ration receiving or accepting chill
dren under is and placing such
children for temporary or perma-
nent care in family homes other
than those of relatives shall be
deemed to be maintaining child
placing agency.
2. That the Board of Public We'll
fare in cooperation with commit
tee consisting of representatives
from the Health Department and
from each Of the recognized chart-
table organizations engaged in
child-placing in family homes shall
formulate standards of care and
services for children to which all
licensed child-placing agencies must
conform.
3. That all child-placing agencies
must be licensed. (Whether the
licensing would be done by the
Welfare Board or the Commits
sioners has not been finally settled.)
4. That licenses may be granted
only II the ofdcial granting the
license is satisfied as to "the good
character and intent of the appl-
cant and that the agency is ade-
quately financed and its staff, pro-
cedures and services conform to the
standards Of care prescribed by the
committee Of agency representatives.
Compensation Forbidden.
5. That no child-placing agency
shall in any case charge or receive
from the person legally adopting the
child any compensation therefor"
6. That the cnild-placing agency
Is vested with parental rights and
may consent to the adoption.
7. That the real parents Of the
child will not be called before the
court in the adoption action. In
stead. the mother will sign . re-
lincuishment, which will be q writ
ten statement signed before two
substantial witnesses, acknowledged
before . representative Of the child