Historical Presentation

A historical ANALYSIS of Child Welfare:

How schools became a place for intervention

By: Gabriella Menendez

Table of contents

1. Introduction

2. Important Figures

Charles Loring brace......... Jane Addams.......................... Florence Kelley.....................

3. Acts, Organizations, and Agencies

4. The Battered Child Syndrome

5. The Role of Mandated Reporters in Education

6. Conclusion

INTRODUCTION

Child welfare is a service that protects children who experienced child abuse, neglect, malnourishment, etc. Before child welfare services were founded social reformers such as Charles Loring Brace, Jane Addams, and Florence Kelley helped protect the children with proper living conditions and education. Brace created the Children's Aid Society in 1853, which helped neglected and abandoned children. Addams created the first settlement house called the Hull House in 1856, providing living and education for children and families. Kelly advocated for children in need, and she successfully helped in passing the bill creating the U.S. Children’s Bureau in 1912. After social reformers were encouraged to help these children, a series of acts and organizations were created to protect the children and provide educational support. Some of these were The Social Security Act in 1935, The U.S. Children's Bureau in 1912, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) in 1974, and Child Protective Services in 1976 (Schene, 1998). With the bill CAPTA being passed teachers, physicians, and educational workers became mandated reporters. This required educators to report if any child was suspected of abuse or if a child declared that they were experiencing abuse. Teachers, social workers, and administrators assisted these children. Schools became a place for intervention and teachers became mandatory reporters with the help of child welfare agencies. Teachers also cared for the child's well-being through academic achievement and social-emotional conversations.

Charles Loring Brace

• Brace was originally from Hartford Connecticut, but came to New York to study Theology in 1848.
• Brace was astonished by the number of homeless children who roamed the streets and wanted to help them.
• He established an organization called the Children's Aid Society that helped child abuse victims.
• The (CAS) assisted many children with academic instruction and established the first runaway shelter called "The Newboys' Lodging House"
• This lodging house provided boy children with housing, meals, and education.
• Many children were seeking assistance which became too much for the CAS, so Brace then created the "Orphan Train"
• The Orphan Train transported needy children to families who were interested in adoption. These children were mainly transported to the Midwest.
• This was known as "placing out" where the families would reach out to the organization if they were interested in adopting a child.

- Charles Loring Brace

Jane Addams

• Addams was a social reformer and peace activist who created the first settlement house called The Hull House with her former colleague Ellen Gates Starr.
• They rented this mansion from Charles Hull in 1856.
• This settlement house provided living conditions, food, and educational opportunities.
• Not only did Addams help these children, but she also influenced many other social reformers such as Florence Kelley, Lilian D Wald, and Julia Lathrop.

- Jane Addams

The Hull House

The Library

The Nursery

Florence Kelley

• Kelley was a social reformer and activist who helped women and children.
• Kelley worked at The Hull House as a librarian at night to assist the children with their education, she also wrote pieces to advocate for labor problems in women and children.
• She then moved to New York to the Henry Street settlement house founded by Lilian Wald to assist the National Consumers League.
• In 1902 Kelley and Wald established the National Child Labor Committee organization.
• In 1914 Kelley and Wald successfully convinced Congress to establish the Federal Children's Bureau.

- Florence Kelley

Acts, organizations and Agencies

U.S. Children's Bureau- This agency was formed to report and investigate the welfare of children.

English Poor Law- To protect needy children.

The Social Security Act supported and funded dependent children and assistance for the poor.

Children's Aid Society- An organization founded by Brace to help children who were victims of child abuse.

Children Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act- This act required all states to establish a system for reporting suspected child abuse and neglect to receive federal funds.

The New York Society for Prevention and Cruelty to Children- The first protection agency created to protect children.

Child Protective Services- This act was created under CAPTA to investigate reports of child abuse in children.

Timeline

1912

U.S. Children's Bureau

1601

English Poor Law

1935

Social Security Act

1853

Children's Aid Society

1974

Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act

1874

The New York Society for Prevention and Cruelty to Children.

1976

Child Protective Services

The Battered Child Syndrome

• The 1960s were a prime era where abuse reports were made, such as The Battered Child Syndrome.
• The (BCS) was one of the first mandated reports for child abuse.
• This case was reported by medical professionals, they examined the child and these examinations showed physical abuse and neglect.
• This case was so severe, it led to the passage of CAPTA in 1974.
• CAPTA enforced mandated reporters, such as educators, medical professionals, school counselors, and social workers.

Mandated reporters in education

Who is a mandated reporter?

• School teachers are in a great position to determine if a child is neglected and report because they are in contact with these children every day.
• Schools are the primary place where child abuse gets reported the most.
• Teachers play a vital role in students' lives, not only do they provide education for the child but they also care for their well-being.
• Building relationships with the child develops trust between one another and thus is why schools are the primary place for reporting abuse.
• If an educator or school professional suspects that the child is neglected or abused they must file a report.
• Most educators are scared of reporting because of a fear or false information.

Schools as a place for intervention

• Educators are reluctant to report child abuse and often just notify the administration to report child abuse cases to CPS.
• There weren't many training workshops and programs to assist knowledge to educators in reporting abuse.
• The U.S. Children’s Bureau declared that if any teacher failed to report a case of child abuse, there would be consequences.
• School counselors indicated that, in the past, they received different types of training on how to properly mandate reporting and it was very helpful; they stated they would like more training on reporting.
• The contact that teachers obtain with these children is significantly important because it can contribute to understanding different forms of child maltreatment impact development
• The first step in helping the child is to create an effective plan for these children in need.

Conclusion

Before acts and organizations were created, social reformers like Brace, Addams, and Kelley helped in providing for children's needs. The BCS was the first reported case of abuse. The U.S. Children's Bureau and CAPTA enforced mandated reporters. If educators failed to report a suspected case of abuse, they would be penalized. Schools are also a primary place for reporting abuse because children feel most comfortable telling their teachers about their abuse. These teachers protected children from harm by reporting abuse. Even though teachers were reluctant to report these cases of abuse, they were still obligated to report it themselves or contact an administrator.

Ellett, A. J., & Leighninger, L. (2006). What happened? Journal of Public Child Welfare, 1(1), 3–34.

references

Fantuzzo, J. W., Stevenson, H. C., Weiss, A. D., Hampton, V. R., & Noone, M. J. (1997). A partnership-directed school-based intervention for child physical abuse and neglect: Beyond mandatory reporting. School Psychology Review, 26(2), 298–313.

Brace, C. L. (1894). The life of Charles Loring Brace: Chiefly told in his own letters. New York: Scribner.

Bryant, J. K., & Baldwin, P. A. (2009). School counsellors’ perceptions of mandatory reporter training and mandatory reporting experiences. Child Abuse Review, 19(3), 172–186.

Kesner, J. E., & Robinson, M. (2002). Teachers as mandated reporters of child maltreatment: Comparison with legal, medical, and Social Services Reporters. Children & Schools, 24(4), 222–231.

Curtis, P. A. (1999). The beginnings of child welfare research in the United States. Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal, 16(2), 149–167.

Kidder, C. (2003). West by orphan train. The Wisconsin Magazine of History, 87(2), 30–39.

Dombrowski, S. C., Ahia, C. E., & McQuillan, K. (2003). Protecting children through mandated child-abuse reporting. The Educational Forum, 67(2), 119–128.

Lundbland, K. (1995). Jane Addams and social reform: A role model for the 1990s. Social Work.

O’Connor, S. (2004). Orphan trains: The story of Charles Loring Brace and the children he saved and failed. University of Chicago Press.

Dreier, P. (2012). Florence Kelley. New Labor Forum, 21(1), 71–76.

Schene, P. A. (1998). Past, present, and future roles of child protective services. The Future of Children, 1, 23.

Dunham, A. (1940). The development of child welfare programs. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 212(1), 216–222

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