Child Welfare History and Development Notes

History

• Historically, children were at the mercy of caregivers and subjected to abortion, infanticide, abandonment, and child labor.
• Indenture was an early form of child labor where children worked as apprentices.

Pioneers & Organizations

• Reformers like Jane Addams, Homer Folks, Grace Abbott, and Julia Lathrop sought reform in child labor laws during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
• Agencies such as the U.S. Children’s Bureau (founded in 1912), Family Welfare Association, and CDF advocated for children's wellbeing.

Group Setting to Family Setting

• Initially, child responsibility rested with parents, later shifting to orphanages for orphaned or uncared-for children.
• Charles Loring Brace introduced "placing out" in the late 19th century, sending children to live with farm families in the Midwest.
• Minority children faced exclusion, with African American children sent to reform schools and Native American children to boarding schools for assimilation.

Family Settings

• Advances in child development research emphasized the need for a family environment, prioritizing foster and adoptive homes.
• The case of Mary Ellen Wilson in 1874 led to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.

Advances

• Since the early 1900s, there have been advances in providing services for children, including family preservation and permanency planning.
• Recognition of attachment importance in children's lives.

Challenges

• Funding remains a major concern in child welfare services.
• There are concerns about potential service cuts due to collapsing funds into block grants.
• Critics argue that a personal touch is lacking in current agency efforts.