Evening star., 1959-12-07

S-~~~NA VIZ NoAC Va MC4aIC
agencies, the Health and We'll
fare Council of the National
Capital Area has reported.
More than three e-fifths-2,79l
ARE dependent and neglected
children whose own homes are
unsuitable.
Less than one-fourth Of these
dependent children come from
a normal home where there are
two parents married to each
other, HWC reports.
Broken Homes Blamed
"In the District this propor-
ton is as low as 20 per cent"
it declared. ''lower than the
average for the suburbs. More
than one third (37 per cent? of
the children had been born IL
legitimate, the others were from
broken homes"
The report. made public over
the week end, notes, "a broken
home, whether in the city or
the suburbs, is the source of
the dependent child"
About 3 per cent Of children
from broken homes in both the
District and the suburbs are
under agency care, it notes.
While the total number Of
children under agency care is
just under l per cent Of all
children under 1S in the city.
The figures represent prelim-
mary findings from an HWC
study Of Children Away From
Home. They reflect q census of
children from the area living
away from home under agency
care taken on October /, 1858.
Sidney 2. Mensh, a realty man,
is chairman of the 24-member
citizen committee making the
study.
Delinquency High
With 50 per cent Of the
children classified as depend
ent, the remaining two-flfths
were classified as follows:
Delinquent children in State
training schools, 962
Mentally retarded children in
State schools for the feeble
minded. 546,
Emotionally disturbed chill
dren in institutions or foster
homes, 210.
The average age Of the
dependent children is S1s years.
Seventy per cent are in foster
homes. The proportion varied,
from So per cent in the District
to an average Of "a per cent for
suburban children.
Junior Villagers Numerous
One-fourth were in institu-
tions. Eleven per cent Of the
total, and slightly under so per
cent Of the number institu-
tionalized, were in Junior VIII
lage. Twelve per cent were in
non-public institutions.
Junior Village Is the only
publicly operated institution for
dependent children in the area.
Located at Blue Plains in
Southwest Washington, it is a
facility of the District Public
Welfare Department.
A study of dependency in the
District inspired by a survey of
overcrowding at Junior Village
was released last week end by
the Junior Village Committee
Of the D. c. Health and We'll
fare Council, which Is a part
Of the Health and Welfare
Council Of the National Capital
Area.
Public agencies were carrying
responsibility for 81 per cent of
the dependent children, the
survey notes. Variations ran
from 81 per cent in the District
to IS per cent in Alexandria,
88 per cent in Prince Georges
County, 81 per cent in Mont
gomery County, and IS per cent
in Fairfax County. Adequate
data for Arlington County was
not available.
20 Per Cent NOn-White
The dependent child On the
average requires 31a years of
care away from home, the re-
port states, a longer period of
care than that for most de-
linquentS.
Dependent children, repre-.
senting 81 per cent of all chill
dren living away from home,
account for SO per cent of days
Of care required. :
While delinquent children
represent 81 per cent of chill
dren removed from home, but
take only IL per cent of the
days of care.
In the District, where an
estimated 81 per cent of the
population under 10 is nom
white, the proportion of non
white children among the de-
pendent children was 70 per
cent.
In the suburbs, with 6 per
cent of the population under
18 non-white, 81 per cent of
the dependent children were
non-white.
The reliance of one jurisdic-
ton on another is revealed, the
report declared, by the fact
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