Continuation of White House Conferences

1940 - Fourth - "Children in a Democracy"

1950, 1960, 1970 - Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh - "Children and Youth"

1980 - Eighth - "Families"

1997 - Ninth - President Bill Clinton - focused on issues and problems of all children

US Children's Aid Bureau

The Children's Aid Bureau was a response to the First White House Conference. The bureau was established in 1912 and it was headed by Julia Lathrop. The first thing completed was the "Baby Saving Campaigns" due to the high infant mortality with a special focus on immigrants. From 1914-1920, the Bureau researched and explored issues surrounding child labor, maternal and child health, Mother's Pensions, illegitimacy, and disabled children.

The Bureau's view on foster home placements contained the following tenets: families should be screened, families should be supervised by social workers, and children are expected to attend school and work for their board.

IMPROVEMENTS TOWARDS CHILD CARE - PART 3

WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCES ON CHILDREN

The first White House Conference on Children was precipitated by a campaign in the women's Delineator Magazine. The 1907 campaign was aimed "to rescue children from orphanages and place them in foster care. The editor of the magazine wrote a letter to then president, Theodore Roosevelt, to request a conference due to the primary care of dependent children was provided by orphanages.

The first White House Conference occurred in 1909 by President Roosevelt and its aim was to focus on dependent children and to make recommendations. The conference was chaired by 185 men and 30 women. The question asked was, "Is private aid sufficient or is state aid needed to help 'worthy' poor people?". The participants did not feel poverty should result in removal of children from their parents. The Conference became the turning point for the history of child welfare in the United States.

The Second White House Conference, "Child Welfare Standards" was held in 1919 during the presidency of Woodrow Wilson. Child Care standards were more general, but similar to the first Conference. One outcome from this Conference was the Sheppard-Towner Maternity Act and Infancy Act of 1921. These Acts ordered the Federal government to provide individual states with aid in the form of grants to support child health and pre-natal programs aimed at poor, rural women. The programs were to be administered by the US Children's Bureau. The US Children's Bureau was also responsible for administering federal grants -in-aid. When the Act was up for renewal in 1929, it was denied by Congress in 1929, setting the stage for the Third White House Conference of 1930.

The Third White House Conference was held by President Herbert Hoover and was referred to as "Child Health and Protection". This Conference dealt with the controversy of child care in the late 1920s and the concern was, "Which government agency should administer the federal programs?". The Third White House Conference led to the Social Security Act of 1935.

States received matching federal grants to supplement the income of fatherless homes. Each state was to create a single state agency to administer the program in regard to eligibility requirements, levels of payments, and administrative procedures. The program also offered block grants. The first amendment in 1961 extended benefits to children in foster care. The benefits were to be temporary; but became permanent with further extension to children in private, non-profit institutions. The second amendment in 1967 increased the federal funding to foster care payments and required all states to establish AFDC Foster Care Programs by 1969.

Title V was aimed to help orphaned and dependent children. The federal government paid individual states to promote the development of child welfare services in rural areas. The program targeted homeless, dependent, neglected children (those who would be placed in public or private institutions of foster care. Survivor's benefits were provided to orphans as a form of "social insurance" for dependent orphans of deceased wage earners. Provisions were made by the Children's Bureau and funding was limited to $1.5 million per year. The funding could be utilized to hire social workers. Many grants were used to subsidize foster care payments. The first amendment in 1939 increased the spending level. The amendment in 1958 once again, increased spending levels and included all youths (not just rural). States were also required to match federal funds. The next amendment in 1962, increased the spending level and it was expanded to cover expenses to any social services necessary to promote the well-being of all children.