FIFTH SESSION

Thursday Evening, May 6

FAMILY PROBLEMS

MR. FRANCIS H. MCLEAN, SECRETARY OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF SOCIETIES FOR ORGANIZING CHARITY: I first want to draw your attention to the very close relationship which exists between three kinds of social work and the fact that it is well-nigh impossible to draw any line so far as the character of the work is concerned in those particular fields, though the approach is quite a different one in each one of them. I refer to the work and activities of the probation officer, of the school attendance or truant officer, and of the district worker in the Associated Charities.

Your approach to the family is through the fact that some one gets into trouble. The approach on the charity organization side is also trouble, though it is without any particular individual happening to get into serious trouble. Of necessity, it is essential that your hold upon the particular person in your care, your knowledge of his particular difficulties and your working with that person, should take precedence over everything else. That represents your primary responsibility. But in so far as you are able to get down into the family problems, you are in a very real and vital way effecting a permanent improvement. Under other conditions, if you are overpressed with work and cannot go very much beyond the individual who has gotten into trouble, your work is handicapped.

I want to illustrate the kind of working together which I feel should be brought about where it is not now present between the probation officer (whether it be the adult or juvenile probation officer) and the workers in the Charity Organization Society or any other society which is pretending to hold any ideals with reference to family rehabilitation. Of course, you have families not known to those societies and they have families which are not known to you. However, there come up questions in which you consider it absolutely necessary to advise with and consult those

societies. Wherever there is the knowledge that any other society has records or any previous history of the family to which you are going, you should not stop until you have every bit of that knowledge. That is the first point in co-operation and one that scarcely need be mentioned.

The second point is that where there are families which have been previously known to such societies, families which are under your care, or families which have never been known to those societies but in which questions of relief enter, that much depends upon the attitude of the workers in these two fields of activities, which have many characteristics in common. If one approaches these societies with the idea that they are simply relief agencies and that it is their duty of course to do a certain thing under given circumstances in the way in which you think it should be done, there is an entire misconception on your part as to their possible usefulness and helpfulness in connection with that particular family. On the other hand, if your activities in connection with the particular family are so little recognized that there are not openings for co-operation with you found in connection with any such family, there is distinct error on that side.

No one likes to be regarded as a grocery clerk or coal dealer, and those are sometimes the aspects in which charity organization societies are considered by other social workers. No more would it be right to call you simply police officers with the idea of the ordinary patrolman in view. It is not that the coal dealer or grocer and patrolman are not useful individuals in modern life, but they are not the social workers in an associated charities or in the probation office. Let me illustrate this lack of co-operation. I remember a family in which there had been tuberculosis. Three members of the family had died from it in years gone by. There were left three sisters and a boy, and the boy was the black sheep of the family. Two of the sisters were working in stores and the other sister was keeping house. The boy stole some money given to him by fellow employees in the place where he was working for lunches; he didn't go back, and yet the probation side of the whole matter was dropped. Later, after the Associated Charities (which was not in contact with the probation officer; they were both working separately) had knowl

edge that one of the girls was becoming tuberculous and there was fear that the disease would go right through the family, so a very large amount of money was expended in getting the family to the country in a place where they could sleep outdoors. After a short time the boy committed another theft which was much more serious in character than the previous offense. He was placed on probation with the result that the girls in the family attempted to repay what he had stolen. The final result was that their own income, plus what was coming through in the form of relief, was insufficient to keep up their stamina, and the tuberculosis spread to the second sister. If there had been a conference of the two agencies, and the boy had been treated with reference to the needs of the family, this disaster might have been avoided.

From this illustration you will see the need of co-operation and that you should see what the plan of the other person or organization is and then work out jointly a plan for the family in question.

MR. FRANK L. GRAVES, PROBATION OFFICER, MAGISTRATES' COURT, BROOKLYN: There are two classes of cases that are likely to be failures. One is where there is infidelity on the part of the husband or wife, and the other is that of the confirmed drunkard. Outside of these the probation officer has a fair chance of winning out if proper methods are used. It wouldn't be fair to probation. to say, here is a given state of facts, here are the conditions, now what should you do in those particular conditions? You would do this or the other thing, provided you had the time, but if the probation officer is burdened down with two or three hundred cases, he cannot do much work in each case. Do you expect with more than one hundred and even with a hundred cases to get the best results? That is one of the greatest problems and one for which the probation officer is criticized. Is it not the case that the probation officer doesn't know how to do the work, but he hasn't sufficient time; he is overburdened with cases; there is too much. work put upon him.

MRS. SALLIE A. HEINEMAN, PROBATION OFFICER, CHILDREN'S COURT: No law can be laid down for handling any two men. They are all constituted differently. One probably should be

handled with kindness, whereas another needs more severe treatment. It is my opinion, however, that with kindness very much can be accomplished.

Reconciliations between husband and wife should always be brought about very soon after any trouble. Never allow the chasm to grow too deep. Very often it is a matter of mere stubbornness on the part of one or the other; lack of knowledge of a mother's or father's duty in the home is often the cause of a great deal of trouble.

With regard to the question "How often and when should the probation officer visit the homes of probationers and how may such visits be made of the greatest practical value?" I would say that in the initial investigation in order to become thoroughly acquainted with all members of the family an evening visit should always be paid. It is most essential to meet the family group; you will hear things from the mother or from the wife that may be given you to shield some member of the family. As a rule, the mother will shield the child or the wife will shield her husband. For that reason it is necessary to meet the other members of the family.

Too much care and caution cannot be used in opening a case of relief for a family. Probation officers should try every other source before applying to the charitable agency. In most of my cases I have succeeded in interesting outside private agencies. I do not care to ever introduce a family into getting relief. It is always too easily opened but hard to close.

MR. DANIEL J. WHITE, PROBATION OFFICER, CHILDREN'S COURT: The frequency of visits to the home depends on the family, the reasons for probation and other circumstances in each case. The time should be determined by the purpose of the visit; to see the boy; to see mother and father, and see that the boy goes to school, or works, or to his church. There should be firmness and a certain authority shown at first. Visits will be most helpful. to probationers if a cordial spirit of team-work and co-operation between the probation officer and the family and boy can be secured. Visits should be suggestive in plans, stimulating to ambition, judicious in general counsel, and optimistic in spirit. In

order that a probation officer may help and advise regarding the management of household affairs and the expenditure of the family income, it is necessary to study the standards of living and the family budget, and to tactfully suggest remedies for economic weakness; to create interest in household administration by illus tration, instruction and definite assistance in solving special problems; give advice with reference to proportions of income to be spent on various items; encourage home accounts. Mere scolding or fault finding without fully understanding the difficulties families encounter will do little good. If the family feel that the probation officer really understands what he is talking about and really has better ways to suggest they will listen to him.

A probation officer can aid in making the home more attractive by really knowing how; by showing his own and the homes of others who have succeeded under similar conditions; by criticisms based upon hygiene; by indicating the value of attractive surroundings on the character of boys and girls; by pointing out attractive home decorations as in store windows; by suggesting elimination of unattractive articles and advising purchase of cheap though pleasing substitutes or new articles. Dr. Ira S. Wile's brief creed is, plenty of air, which includes sunshine, as sunshine always gets in with the air if it is anywhere around; plenty of rest; plenty of water within and without; moderate and nourishing food; moderate clothing. Ask yourself if the child is coolly enough dressed rather than warmly enough. Plenty of play; plenty of common sense, which means the wisdom and the initiative to adapt all rules to individual conditions.

We are asked: "Under what circumstances and with what precautions should the probation officer seek charitable aid for the family?" After he knows that relief is really needed and will be accepted. If there is danger that the family will be likely to slacken their own efforts and the family needs long continued guidance, agencies with long experience should be called in. Relief should be given when family and relatives cannot cope with immediate pressing economic problems, or when a larger amount of money is needed to institute a plan for betterment than can be provided by the family. Relief should be given preferably in such a way as to keep the family off charity records. Aid as a loan at