Children's Bureau Centennial
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Dr. Carol Wilson-Spigner
In keeping with this year’s theme, Celebrating the Past ~ Imagining the Future, the Opening Plenary Session offered a look back to the founding of the Children’s Bureau and sets the stage for reflecting on past successes with an eye toward future endeavors. The challenges facing children and families in those early days, advocacy efforts and strategies pursued to improve child welfare, the historical context in which these efforts occurred, and lessons learned over the decades were addressed by the three featured speakers.
Dr. Cecelia Tichi set the historical stage for the founding of the Children’s Bureau 100 years ago. At the time, a public suspicion of governmental intrusion into family life fueled a sharpening of political knives against the newly formed Bureau, despite a staggering U.S. infant mortality rate. Dr. Tichi presented the challenges the ladylike Julia Lathrop, a social worker from the Midwest, faced when she assumed the position of Chief of the first Federal agency devoted to the country’s most continuously vulnerable population.
Dr. Richard Krugman reviewed some of the highlights as well as low points in the Children’s Bureau’s 100-year history. He focused particularly on efforts to address child maltreatment in his self-described “highly opinionated” presentation.
Dr. Carol Wilson-Spigner identified infant mortality and child labor as two of the Children’s Bureau’s early initiatives. Focusing on strategies used and the impact of initial work, she addressed the lessons for the 21st century—emerging themes that include partnership and constituency building and creating linkages among issues and change strategies.
Photo Credit: Eddie Arrossi Photography
For use by the Children's Bureau only.
IMG_2633
Dr. Carol Wilson-Spigner
In keeping with this year’s theme, Celebrating the Past ~ Imagining the Future, the Opening Plenary Session offered a look back to the founding of the Children’s Bureau and sets the stage for reflecting on past successes with an eye toward future endeavors. The challenges facing children and families in those early days, advocacy efforts and strategies pursued to improve child welfare, the historical context in which these efforts occurred, and lessons learned over the decades were addressed by the three featured speakers.
Dr. Cecelia Tichi set the historical stage for the founding of the Children’s Bureau 100 years ago. At the time, a public suspicion of governmental intrusion into family life fueled a sharpening of political knives against the newly formed Bureau, despite a staggering U.S. infant mortality rate. Dr. Tichi presented the challenges the ladylike Julia Lathrop, a social worker from the Midwest, faced when she assumed the position of Chief of the first Federal agency devoted to the country’s most continuously vulnerable population.
Dr. Richard Krugman reviewed some of the highlights as well as low points in the Children’s Bureau’s 100-year history. He focused particularly on efforts to address child maltreatment in his self-described “highly opinionated” presentation.
Dr. Carol Wilson-Spigner identified infant mortality and child labor as two of the Children’s Bureau’s early initiatives. Focusing on strategies used and the impact of initial work, she addressed the lessons for the 21st century—emerging themes that include partnership and constituency building and creating linkages among issues and change strategies.
Photo Credit: Eddie Arrossi Photography
For use by the Children's Bureau only.