Recommendation 1-A new definition of child welfare services.. Recommendation 2—Federal participation in total cost of child wel- Recommendation 3-Conditions of plan approval.. Recommendation 4-Grants for demonstration and research projects Recommendation 5-Grants for training of personnel in child welfare. Recommendation 6-Advisory Council on Child Welfare Services... Recommendation 7-Provision of means to examine basic causes of Recommendation 15-Expanding Children's Bureau services__. Part II-Background information: Framework for public and voluntary child welfare programs. Services in the child welfare program_-- Public and voluntary agencies work to develop standards.. Public and voluntary agencies join forces for sound legislation _ _ Part II-Background inform ation-Con. Unmet needs in child welfare___. Personnel.. Foster-care facilities. Specialized services Homemaker service. Day-care services.. Services to unmarried mothers. Other child welfare services. Goals for child welfare programs. Essential child welfare services- Requirements for adequate child welfare programs. Appendix: Tables and chart__. Page 35 36 36 36 37 37 37 37 38 38 39 41 42 44 REPORT OF THE ADVISORY COUNCIL ON CHILD WELFARE SERVICES INTRODUCTION The establishment of the Children's Bureau by the Congress in 1912 was an expression of the belief on the part of many people that children are the most important resource of the Nation and that the Federal Government should foster their development by setting up a center of research and information devoted to their health and welfare. During the several decades prior to 1935, many voluntary agencies and a growing number of public agencies in many urban areas and a few States developed services for the care and protection of children who were neglected, abused, or abandoned by their families or whose families were unable to provide for them for a variety of reasons— illness, death, desertion. Institutional care was giving way to foster family care in cities. Adoption programs, programs for the care of unmarried mothers, day-care centers-all these had developed in cities. But little of this kind of help existed in rural areas. The Federal Government took no part in financing child welfare services prior to 1935, although the Bureau had made studies of many of these services and, on a very limited basis, given consultation to the States and communities in developing them. During the depression years, existing child welfare services were sharply curtailed. This brought suffering to and endangered many children. In planning for the economic recovery of the Nation, the President and the Congress recognized that the heart of a program to meet human needs was the care and protection of children everywhere. As a result, under the Social Security Act of 1935, the first Federal grant-in-aid program was set up to assist the States in the development and improvement of local public child welfare services. Although these grants to States have increased over the years and, as a Nation, our attitudes and methods of helping children have advanced remarkably, our problems are so complex that a wide range of unmet needs still exists. Great changes in the lives of peopleincrease in size of families, in the mobility of the population, in the number of working mothers, in the complexity of living-have brought greater tensions to children and families. States and communities must cope with more cases of neglect and abuse of children, serious emotional problems, and with the impact of juvenile delinquency. More children are affected by desertion, divorce, or separation of parents. The number of children who are not living with both parents is high. More girls are giving birth to children out of wedlock. If present trends are to be reversed, our society must assume responsibility for the conditions that underlie these problems and take respon 80118 O-62-16 sibility for changing them. The causes of family instability and disruption should be studied and ways discovered for preventing infection resulting in family disintegration. Child welfare agencies share in society's responsibility in the prevention and treatment of social ills which affect children. In meeting the problems of today's children and families, specific services and facilities must be provided-social services to children in their own homes, homemaker programs, day care, services to unmarried mothers, adoption, foster homes, group homes, detention facilities, delinquency control and treatment, specialized institutions for the emotionally disturbed, as well as psychiatric and psychological counseling and help for the mentally retarded. A first requisite for the provision of these services is more qualified personnel. Current and up-to-date information on unmet needs in the child welfare field secured by the Children's Bureau at the request of the Advisory Council on Child Welfare Services underlines the importance of these services and the personnel so requisite for giving them. National voluntary agencies also supplied the Council with material that would make clear the role of these agencies in community planning and the importance of giving their role equal consideration in the broad program of child welfare services. Children's needs are so pressing and community resources for meeting them so few that the only hope for bridging the gap is in coordinating all efforts. PART I RECOMMENDATIONS The Advisory Council on Child Welfare Services makes the following recommendations to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare and to the Congress of the United States. RECOMMENDATION 1-A NEW DEFINITION OF CHILD WELFARE SERVICES Since the passage of the Social Security Act in 1935, Federal participation in child welfare services "for the protection and care of homeless, dependent, and neglected children, and children in danger of becoming delinquent" has been authorized by law. The Social Security Act also authorizes use of Federal funds for the return of runaway children who have not attained the age of 18 (originally added in 1950 and amended in 1958). The Council finds the present definition of child welfare services under the law inadequate. After considering various definitions, the Advisory Council on Child Welfare Services recommends the following definition as most nearly meeting present and future needs: Child welfare services are those social services that supplement, or substitute for, parental care and supervision for the purpose of: protecting and promoting the welfare of children and youth; preventing neglect, abuse and exploitation; helping overcome problems that result in dependency, neglect or delinquency; and, when needed, providing adequate care for children and youth away from their own homes, such care to be given in foster family homes, adoptive homes, child-caring institutions or other facilities. This definition avoids labeling or categorizing children. It is frequently difficult to classify children as neglected, dependent, in danger of becoming delinquent, etc. Often only a thin line exists between neglect and delinquency. The definition also recognizes the need of every child for parental care, protection, and supervision and emphasizes the need for services to achieve this for children. It provides greater latitude for inclusion of services dealing with any social problem affecting the well-being of children and eliminates the possibility of a narrow interpretation of the scope of services. In addition, it gives greater emphasis than the present definition to services for older children. The care of children outside their own homes is not limited by this definition to the types of facility listed, these are included only to show some of the ways children can be cared for away from home. The Council believes that the broad definition in this recommendation encourages State leadership to use all available social service resources for child welfare. The recommended definition has the added merit that it is specific enough to be readily understandable and administratively sound. |