The Farmville herald and farmer-leader. (Farmville, Va.) 1934-1957, 1956-02-03
Child 3AsWelfare Services Outlined
In Talk By State Bureau Chief

ASSSAha NSA vANNo 1T SVAANN - 5AAA
ia children undeN local depart
mants Of public N2lfare were dis
cussed Friday by the Chief of the
Bureau of Children Services.
Miss Daisy S. Young. at a meet
Ing of the Buckingham County
.Woman's Club.
Miss Young. who has held va
rious supervisory positions in the
field OF social services for the past
20 years. covered foster care, ad
option and other Services offered
by public welfare offices in an
effort to present. a picture Of what
local departments can do for
children.
In outlining foster care serv-
ices Miss Young explained that
local boards of public welfare are
authorized under state law to &C
,cept children for care who have
been committed to it by a court of
competent jurisdiction or entrust-
ed to it by the parents.
State funds which are appro-
priated for the foster care of chill
dren are used TO reimburse, on a
$3.50 basis. the cost to the local
/ departments for providing board.
clothing, medical care and other
expenses
On December 81, there were
a total Of 4840 Virginia children
in foster care Of the local depart
ments OF that number 1904 were
placed in home of non-relativse
Over and above this u m b. I
there were 5l3 children who had
been placed for adoption by the
local departments but final orders
had not yet been granted.
Adoption Procedures
Petition for adoption expresses
the desire of a couple to make le-
gal the parent child relat -onship
between them apd one or more
children, Miss bung stated.
State law r4nires that the
Commissioner q ePublic Welfare
have made a til 'ough investiga-
ton of each 3 option situation
stnr which a q ~ition has been
-fiied and to resort the findings
and his recommendation to the
court.
During 1854 there were petit
lions filed for the adoption Of
1923 children. OF this number
s294 were situations in which tie
-csiild had been placed by public
Welfare departments, 204 by Ii
-cansed private agencies, 430 by
parents or relatives, and 1873 by
-nther persons.
THE doption decree. when
> Granted by the court, places re-
spOnsibilities ON and grants privi-
T1eres to both the child and his new
parents. II entities the adaptive
parents to the child'S custody and
guardianship, to his services and
earnings during his minority and
at the same time places with the
adaptive parents the same respon-
Sibilties for the child as for a child
born TO them. The child and adop-
tive parents may inherit from each
other.
= Other Services
Other services for h dren
which are specifically provided
for In Virginia law exclusive of
public assistance programs adj
miilistered by most of the local
departments Of public welfare are:
!. Probation services for the
children on probation to the juv- !,
chile courts.
2. Investigation, for the courts. |
Of those childreu's cases which are
pending adjudication by the
court.
;. Supervision of children re-
turned to the community follow
ing period Of care and treat
naent with the State Department |
Of Welfare and Institutions.
Miss Young was introduced by Il
Mrs. M. F. LeSueur. Woman's
Club Welfare Committee Chair
man. Mrs. Louise Schwartz, Buck
iiigham County Welfare Depart
mont worker. was a special guest
at the meeting.
ss