Evening star., 1950-06-13

Social Workers was meeting with
Judge Cockrill to urge that the
selection of candidate be held ur
pending completion of study ot
the court.
Miss Todd herself was more
interested in talking about chill.
dren than in discussing the con.
troversy that has boiled about the
court since the designations Of
Miss Clary and Miss Clare Fagrie
the chief probation officer.
In Court for Board.
II think I'd be presumptious tt
sit in judgment on anything in
the present situation" Miss Todc
explained. Il have not been there
I have not been a party to it."
BY coincidence, Miss Todd rep.
resented the Board of Public Wei.
fare In cases before the Juvenile
Court during Judge Cockrill's first
month in office last August. Al
the time she was senior super.
visor in child welfare in. charge
of the Districts foster home pro-
gram, but she went into Juvenile
Court while other workers were
on vacation.
She left the Board of Public
Welfare last September to serve
as an instructor in social case work
at the University of Pennsylvania
School of Social Work while work.
ing on her doctors degree anc
has returned here only for week
ends since then.
In her dealings with children
she operates on these theories:
1--WE talk about a child's re.
habilitation without including
him. After all, he's got something
to say about whether he wants
to be rehabilitated.
"I've got no recipe. It all de-
pends on how much a child is
willing to change. If he's in with
a gang and he thinks to be rough
and tough is his ideal in life. the
best social worker is up against
a stone wall.
Help for Majority.
But I truly believe for every
child for whom there can be nc
help, there are 10 to 20 children
for whom there is help, and that's
the positive social value of a Juve-
nile Court system. I'd quit being
a social worker if that weren't
being constantly proved"
Informed that Judge Cockril
said the director of social work
passes on who has access to the
courtroom, Miss Todd said she
wanted to work that out with the
judge and the staff. The question
OF access to the court came ur
when the Juvenile Court Advisory
Committee quoted the Judge as
saying members of the commit.
tee would be admitted to court
hearings.
Study Up to Judge.
On the question of a study of
the court by Federal experts, as
recommended by the Advisory
Committee, Miss Todd said that
is a matter for the Judge to set
tie as administrative head of the
court. Judge Cockrill has said
she would welcome an collective
evaluation" of the court, but Sc
far. she has not asked Federal
agencies to lend help for the
study.
The Advisory Committee sug.
geSted the Judge request person.
mel from the Children's Bureau
the administrative Office of thu
United States Courts and the Jus.
tice Department to make the
study.
Support for this recommended
tion came yesterday from the Dis
trlct Chapter Of the American AS
sociation Of Social Workers, with
the added proposal that the Study
Committee be broadened to inclue
represen n tatives of community
groups.
After the meeting with Judge
Cockrill, Philip Schiff, chairman
elect Of the chapter, and Mrs
Grethe Tobies, chairman of its
Juvenile Court Committee, made
public the letter listing the pro-
posed qualifications and method
OF selection.
I'VE were informed" they an
nounced, that in making her Sc