1939: Child Welfare

The year 1939 was a period of notable progress in the field of child welfare in the United States. Certain outstanding events of the year:

January 16, 1939.

At the request of the President of the United States, the Secretary of Labor accepted the chairmanship of the Planning Committee to organize and conduct a White House Conference on Children in a Democracy, the fourth in a series of White House Conferences on children held at intervals of approximately 10 years since 1909.

January 16, 1939.

The President transmitted to Congress the report of the Social Security Board proposing amendments to the Social Security Act. These proposed amendments included survivors' benefits under the Federal old-age-insurance provisions for dependent children; increased Federal contribution and other liberalizing provisions for public assistance to needy dependent children; and provisions for a merit system for state and local employees under Federal-aided social-security plans.

January 23, 1939.

The President sent to Congress with recommendations the report on a national health program, with provision for expansion of maternal and child-health services and services for crippled children, prepared by the Interdepartmental Committee to Coordinate Health and Welfare Activities.

February 28, 1939.

The National Health Bill embodying many of the above recommendations was introduced in the Senate.

April 26, 1939.

The initial session of the White House Conference on Children in a Democracy was opened by the President at the White House with 410 members in attendance.

May 18, 1939.

The Chief of the Children's Bureau of the United States Department of Labor issued the first order under the hazardous-occupations provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. The order established a minimum age of 18 years for employment of young persons in all occupations in plants manufacturing explosives or articles containing explosive components.

June 5, 1939.

The United States Supreme Court in Coleman v. Miller and Chandler v. Wise decided that the child-labor amendment to the Constitution is still open to ratification.

August 10, 1939.

The President signed a bill amending the Social Security Act. As finally passed the amended act authorized increased appropriations for maternal and child-health services, services for crippled children, and general public-health services, and extended operation of these services, as well as child-welfare services, to Puerto Rico.

October 5, 1939.

The Planning Committee of the White House Conference on Children in a Democracy, meeting in Washington, declared that 'events in Europe must not be allowed to divert the attention of the American people from the task of strengthening our democracy from within.' The committee recommended that the President call the full conference into session in January 1940.

October 11, 1939.

The President approved the recommendation and requested the chairman of the Conference to proceed with arrangements for calling the Conference into session January 18-20, 1940, at which time the Report Committee would submit a brief report and program of action to meet the needs of children.

Births and Infant Mortality.

Provisional figures issued June 23, 1939, by the United States Bureau of the Census showed a birth rate for 1938 of 17.6 per 1,000 estimated population, continuing the slight upward trend registered since 1933. The infant mortality rate for 1937 was 54 per 1,000 live births, the lowest on record for the United States. Provisional figures for 1938 show an even lower rate — 51 per 1,000 live births. Provisional rates for 40 states for the first 6 months of 1939 published by the United States Public Health Service indicate a further drop of 2 per cent which, if favorable conditions continue until the end of 1939, may bring the rate to less than 50 per 1,000 live births for the first time in the history of the registration area. The maternal mortality rate for the United States in 1937 (the latest year for which final Census figures are available) was 49 per 10,000 live births, the lowest on record for the birth-registration area. Provisional reports for 1938, issued by the United States Public Health Service, indicate a decline of 10 per cent from 1937. Provisional figures for the first 6 months of 1939 released by the United States Public Health Service on the basis of reports from 40 states indicate a new low rate of 40 per 10,000 live births.

Maternal and Child-health Services.

Under the Social Security Act, title V, part 1, administered by the Children's Bureau of the United States Department of Labor, all 48 states, Alaska, the District of Columbia, and Hawaii (51 jurisdictions) during 1939 received Federal grants for maternal and child-health services. (Total Federal payments to the states for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1939, were $3,724,362.29.) More than one-half of all maternal and child-health funds are spent for services of public-health nurses. The number of visits made by public-health nurses to or in behalf of maternity patients, infants, and pre-school children in the calendar year 1938 was 30 per cent greater than the number reported in 1937. The number of visits in school nursing service totaled 3,360,000, an increase of 13 per cent over 1937. In 30 states areas have been selected in which nursing assistance at home deliveries is provided. Such assistance was given at 19,222 home deliveries during the calendar year 1938, an increase of 69 per cent over 1937. More states are strengthening nutrition work as part of maternal and child-health programs. For the fiscal year ended June 30, 1939, 24 states budgeted funds for the employment of one or more nutrition consultants on the staffs of maternal and child-health divisions. State budgets showed approximately 3,000 local practicing physicians being paid from maternal and child-health funds to conduct prenatal clinics and child-health conferences. Reports from the states show that 69 per cent of the 1,207 permanent medical prenatal clinics and 61 per cent of the 3,735 permanent child-health conferences in existence Jan, 1, 1939, conducted or supervised by state health agencies had been established since social-security funds were made available.

Crippled Children's Services.

With the addition of Louisiana during 1939 all the states, the District of Columbia, Alaska, and Hawaii were receiving Federal grants for services for crippled children under part 2 of title V of the Social Security Act administered by the Children's Bureau. (Total Federal payments to the states for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1939, were $2,007,914.77.)

In 26 states the services for crippled children are administered by state health departments; in 14 states by state welfare departments; in 5 states by crippled children's commissions; in 5 states by state departments of education; and in one state by the university hospital. The state and territorial health officers, in conference with the Children's Bureau on April 20, 1939, recommended that services for crippled children be administered in the states by official state health agencies.

The state crippled children's agencies, with the aid of Federal grants and consultation service from the Children's Bureau, continued the program of locating crippled children and providing diagnostic, medical, surgical, hospital, and aftercare services. On June 30, 1939, the number of crippled children on the registers of 48 states, Alaska, Hawaii, and the District of Columbia was approximately 224,000. In 1938 about 40 per cent of the children on the register were under 10 years of age. Reports from state agencies for the fiscal year 1938 indicate that 296 permanent diagnostic clinics were in operation in 35 states. In addition, 572 itinerant diagnostic clinics were conducted in 38 states. Approximately 545 hospitals were used during 1938 for the care of crippled children by state agencies. The number of children in convalescent homes at the close of the calendar year 1938 was 45 per cent greater, and the number in convalescent foster homes was 100 per cent greater, than at the close of 1937.

Child-welfare Services.

With the addition of Wyoming in 1939, all the states, the District of Columbia, Alaska, and Hawaii received Federal grants for child-welfare services under part 3 of title V of the Social Security Act administered by the Children's Bureau. (Total Federal payments to the states for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1939, were $1,520,893.74.)

The program for child-welfare services on the basis of plans jointly made by the state public-welfare agencies and the Children's Bureau had developed by June 30, 1939, to the point where 585 full-time professional child-welfare workers were employed by state and local agencies. Of these, 459 were giving intensive case-work services in 478 county or local areas and more scattered services in 690 areas.

The greater proportion of service given by child-welfare workers is to children in their own homes; children in danger of becoming delinquent because of their environment; children who present conduct problems in the school, the home, or the community; children in need of treatment or special training because of physical handicaps; mentally defective children for whose care plans must be made; and children whose home conditions threaten their physical or social well-being. The provision of boarding-home and other foster care generally has not played a large part in the child-welfare-service program.

Aid to Dependent Children.

By October 1939, 40 states, the District of Columbia, and Hawaii were receiving Federal grants for aid to dependent children under the Social Security Act, title IV, administered by the Social Security Board. The report for October 1939 showed 299,080 families with 720,289 children to whom payments were made during the month. The average payment was $31.82 per family. The total amount of obligations incurred for payments to recipients in October was $9,517,258 as compared with $8,189,273 in the same month of 1938.

Under title IV of the Social Security Act as amended in 1939 the basis on which Federal funds are matched with state funds for aid to needy dependent children is increased from one-third to one-half, and the age under which aid may be given is raised from 16 to 18 for children regularly attending school. It is estimated by the Social Security Board that not more than half of the children now in need of public assistance and eligible under the terms of the 1935 act are receiving such assistance.

Studies of Trends in Juvenile-Court Work.

In recent years it has been apparent that there is need for careful review of the functions of the juvenile court in relation to administrative public-welfare agencies, state and local, and to community services for the prevention and treatment of social problems of children. This need has been emphasized by the rapid development of child-welfare services on a county or district basis. The Children's Bureau of the United States Department of Labor is therefore closely following current trends in juvenile-court work. As a basis for the consultation and advisory work of the staff of the Children's Bureau, it will consider the relationship between child-welfare services and the court in rural areas, developments affecting the relationship between the court and other community agencies in cities, and special projects of juvenile courts.

A study of plans and programs of 3 state training schools for delinquent girls is also under way.

White House Conference on Children in a Democracy.

A comprehensive review of conditions surrounding child life in the United States was undertaken in 1939 by the White House Conference on Children in a Democracy which held its initial session at the White House April 26. Approximately 600 men and women representing many fields of professional and social activity are serving as members of the Conference. The Report Committee and the research staff, after several months of work, have prepared a preliminary report for presentation at a 3-day session of the conference scheduled for Jan. 18-20, 1940. A major purpose of the conference as outlined by the President in his address at the initial session is that of 'considering the relationship between a successful democracy and the children who form an integral part of that democracy.' Among the special subjects on which data have been assembled for inclusion in the conference report are: The Family as the Threshold to Democracy, Economic Resources of Families and Communities, Housing the Family, Economic Aid to Families, Social Services for Children, Children in Minority Groups, Religion and Children in a Democracy, Health and Medical Care for Children, Education Through the School, Child Labor and Youth Employment, and Child Development Through Play and Recreation.

Citizenship of Children.

See INTERNATIONAL LAW.

Events in Other Countries.

The International Labor Conference held in Geneva in June 1939 unanimously approved certain recommendations concerning vocational and technical education and apprenticeship.

The Advisory Committee on Social Questions of the League of Nations held its third meeting in Geneva, June 19 to July 1, 1939. The Social Questions Section has under way studies on the training of persons engaged in social work; children of illegitimate birth; principles adopted in the administration and organization of child-welfare work; measures of prevention of prostitution, especially with regard to minors; traffic in women and children; and family desertion.

A code for minors enacted in Ecuador in 1938 was expected to become fully operative in 1939. The National Council on Minors established under the code has general supervision over child-welfare work.

The Code for Minors of Venezuela, signed by the President on Jan. 10, 1939, proclaims the duty of the state to supervise the general care and upbringing of neglected and wayward children under 18 years of age.

The National Council of Education of Argentina decided to extend to the entire country a school health program which has been in operation in Buenos Aires and a few other large cities.

The Eighth Pan-American Child Congress, which was to have been held in San Jose, Costa Rica, Oct. 12-19, was indefinitely postponed following the outbreak of war in Europe.

Other Events.

The children of the United States and the children of the world sustained a great loss in the death on June 19, 1939, of Grace Abbott, Chief of the Children's Bureau from Aug. 17, 1921, to June 30, 1934. Through her administration of the first Federal Child-Labor Law and of the pioneer maternity and infancy act, through her organization of the research of the Children's Bureau, through her participation in international child-welfare work, and in countless other ways her leadership, courage, foresight, and breadth of outlook brought countless benefits into the lives of children.

Through the death of Dr. C. C. Carstens on July 4, 1939, children lost another valued friend. Dr. Carstens played an active part in each of the White House Conferences, and as Executive Director of the Child Welfare League of America since 1921 had devoted himself to the development of better services to dependent, neglected, and delinquent children on the part of private and public agencies. See also SOCIAL SERVICE, PUBLIC.