THE BEGINNING ~ 1809
The history of The Village is the history of the
child welfare movement in this country. Founded in 1809 as the
Female Beneficent Society of Hartford, it was one of the earliest,
if not the first preventive and protective agencies for neglected
children in the country. The Society was established by Hartford
women shocked by conditions surrounding 'poor females' of Hartford,
particularly young girls orphaned or deserted and whose parents
could not support them. In 1813, the Female Beneficent Society
obtained a charter from the Connecticut General Assembly to "take
to themselves young girls and educate and lead them into paths
of industry and virtue." At first boarded with families,
the children settled into an asylum established by the Society
in 1824.
Heartened by the success of the Female Beneficent
Society, the Hartford Orphan Asylum opened in 1831 to care for
orphaned boys. Obtaining funds was a constant struggle, but both
societies began to attract support. In 1836, a group committed
to helping children in need purchased an old school building on
Washington Street in Hartford and presented it to the two societies.
The building was only used for boys until the two societies merged
in 1865.
The union of the two societies, combined with the
drastic increase in orphans following the Civil War, resulted
in the need for a new building. In 1879, the Hartford Orphan Asylum
moved into its new home, a large brick building on Hartford's
Putnam Street, accommodating 150 boys and girls and, for the first
time, babies under three years old.
The plight of many neglected children motivated
Virginia Thrall Smith, one of the pioneers in the history of child
welfare. She began a crusade to remove all children from almshouses
and place them for care with private families, one of the first
programs of foster care placement anywhere.
Virginia Thrall Smith
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Mrs. Smith also successfully lobbied the General
Assembly in 1883, and a law passed preventing the placement of
children in almshouses. She also increased services to unmarried
mothers, including placement of their babies in temporary foster
care until permanent plans could be made. As she defended herself
in 1892 against critics who said she was encouraging illegitimacy
by running "baby farms," Mrs. Smith and her associates
formed a new society - the Connecticut Children's Aid Society.
Meanwhile, the Hartford Orphan Asylum continued
to expand its care and in 1911 built a special cottage for girls
on the Putnam Street grounds. The cottage, with its smaller groups
and less institutional feel, was such a success that cottages
became the design plan for a new home for the agency built at
1680 Albany Avenue in 1925. The result: the unique Children's
Village in Hartford.
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THE 1920S ~ A 'FINE BUNCH'
HELPING FAMILIES IN NEED
A 1925 annual report notes that "negligent
and oft-times cruel parents, crime and disease, all the rifts
in family relationships that make for unhappy home life - these
are the 'why' of many problem children." In 1923, the Hartley-Salmon
Child Guidance Clinic was founded to help these children. The
good news is that many more families were expressing an interest
in foster parenting, with over 500 applications received in 1925
alone. Most foster placements were made at the request of the
family. Also noted in a 1920s publication is a bit of wisdom which
still holds true today: From an economic point of view, it is
cheaper to guide children than to punish adults.
Take, for example, Mr. Serrano, who in 1926,
voiced his gratitude to the Connecticut Children's Aid Society:
'My Tony and Rosa, poor kids, I don' know what to do when their
mama die. Tony, he 17 months, and Rosa, she three years. My friends,
they help, but they got so many kids their own they couldn't keep
Tony and Rosa. So my boss call me in and say, 'Dick, call up Connecticut
Children's Aid. They help you.' So I call and a nice lady worker
came and clean Tony and Rosa and take them to a warm home. Next
week, when I go to see them, they no more sick and crying; they
singing and laughing because they got a good home and fine lady
to take care of them. I have my boss send money every month out
of my pay for their board. Now I feel good and don't worry no
more. That Children's Aid is a fine bunch.'
THE 1930S ~ WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY
The 1930s saw a rise in addressing not only the
basic needs of children [food, clothing, shelter], but expanded,
with a greater emphasis on dealing with each child's emotional
state. An annual report from that time notes that 'during the
friendly visits which social workers paid in foster homes, more
care was taken to study the children's emotional lives and for
this reason, four times as many were taken to child guidance clinics
in 1935 as in 1934.' On a professional level, outside institutions
turned to the Connecticut Children's Aid Society for help in developing
more comprehensive social work methods within their respective
organizations. New services for older children also exceeded that
of all other groups. In terms of funding, parents continued to
contribute to their children's board, and although there were
no state or federal funds, area towns increased their reimbursement
for care of dependent wards referred by them.
The
town police departments and juvenile courts increasingly referred
children to the Connecticut Children's Aid Society: A year ago,
the police of a nearby city refused to tolerate a certain nine-year-old
in their midst any longer and gave the ultimatum that either the
boy must be put in the care of some child-placing agency or they
would place him in reform school. He had made himself a nuisance
to the community by oft-repeated truancy, thieving and by generally
stirring up trouble. The case was laid before the probation officer
of the local juvenile court, who felt there were possibilities
for better things for the boy. Application was made to The Connecticut
Children's Aid Society. The case was carefully considered, the
right sort of foster home seemed to be available and plans for
placement were made. That was a year ago. Today, although Fred
has kept in touch with his family, he considers himself an integral
part of the foster family. He has not once given any serious trouble,
and he has skipped a grade in school.
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THE 1940S ~ INCREASED NEED FOR SERVICES
The referrals by the juvenile justice system
continued to grow in the 1940s. Foster care placements still were
most often at the request of the family and the children often
returned home. Families continued to pay for part of their children's
care, with a total of $40,000, approximately 23% of the total
expenditures for 1943 paid directly by parents. A 1945 report
describes a three-year-old whose mother deserted him soon after
his father was inducted into the military. He was placed in a
foster home, where he received letters from his father and eagerly
awaited his return so that they could live together once again.
As many reports from the 1940s noted, parents "come to us
through no compulsion other than their own need. Parents voluntarily
decide whether they will entrust their children to the Society
for foster home placement or will make another plan." One
of the goals noted in 1943 was desired expansion into more rural
areas and continuation of the work being done with the juvenile
justice system. The year 1946 marked a drastic rise in the volume
of children needing services. The Society experienced a 67% increase
in requests for help. Each year between 1938 and 1945, an average
of 454 children and families received Society services. In 1946,
759 requests for help came in.
THE 1950S ~ MERGERS & EMERGENCY PLACEMENTS
UP
During
the late 1940s and into the 50s, the number of children needing
immediate emergency placement began to increase. A 1947 annual
report notes that "since these parents seldom follow through
with any planning, we would have to place the children and without
any real participation by the parents."
These demands resulted in more children being placed
at The Children's Village - 212 children during 1948.
In 1950, the Hartford Orphan Asylum began a merger
with the Connecticut Children's Aid Society. A second merger occurred
with the Family Service Bureau of Norwalk. The children were still
being referred for the most part by parents and lived at Children's
Village between six months and two years.
A 1951 publication notes "the children
at the Village are those youngsters whose relationships with their
parents or other people have been so unsatisfactory that they
are not able to live in their own homes or in the intimacy of
a foster home." The children who lived in the cottages received
an education, belonged to the Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts, and when
they were not in school or participating in youth groups, could
often be seen playing in a recreational area on the grounds. Each
cottage had house parents and its own dining room. Social workers
met often with the children and their families, who were allowed
to visit as often as once a week or by appointment.
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THE 1960S ~ COMMUNITY OUTREACH & RESEARCH
ON THE RISE
The 1960s saw the beginning of a shift in referrals.
Staff still consulted with parents who called in, but with increasing
frequency, placement of children into foster homes was at the
request of public welfare agencies. Children were either cared
for at Children's Village, in foster homes or in two group homes
designed for older boys. At the time, Children's Services of Connecticut
continued serving referrals from the juvenile courts through several
of its programs, along with providing day care for working parents,
as well as homemaker/home health aide services. In 1960, the Hartford
Orphan Asylum finalized its merger started in the 1950s with the
Connecticut Children's Aid Society and was renamed Children's
Services of Connecticut. The Hartley Salmon Child Guidance Clinic
and the Woman's Aid Society also merged into Children's Services
of Connecticut. In 1968, Children's Services of Connecticut changed
its name to Child and Family Services of Connecticut.
The agency broadened its services in two areas.
In partnership with the Community Renewal Team, Child & Family
Services managed a neighborhood-based program providing educational,
medical and social services to young, unmarried mothers. A Day
Treatment Program for children with emotional problems between
six and 12 years also opened, offering services five days a week
which included school and therapy. One of its main goals from
the start was to prevent institutionalization.
In 1964, the organization inaugurated a Research
Department which specialized in the field of child and family
welfare. Studies completed by the department during the 1960s
included Early Life Experiences and Adoptive Parenting, a study
funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. This study
was an evaluation of the developmental tasks faced by adoptive
parents, their skill levels and the resources they used. The research
branch also completed a study entitled Training For Foster Parenting
of Emotionally Disturbed Children. Research staff also collected
data for any new service project undertaken by the agency, and
increasingly contracted with outside organizations to do studies.
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THE 1970S ~ CHANGES IN SERVICES DURING TUMULTUOUS
TIMES
The 1970s were a challenging time for the agency.
Leadership noted at the time that 'only to the extent that the
Agency adapts to the future will our future be beneficial to the
children and families for whom we have such concern.' Another
annual report from the 1970s notes that 'there is much to be done.
The American family is increasingly threatened by the economic,
social and political ravages of contemporary life. As separation
and divorce disrupt nearly a third of all marriages, as the incidence
of child abuse rises to an all-time high, as high unemployment
and inadequate AFDC assistance brings chaos to many families,
and as indifference dulls society's conscience, the task of agencies
like ours becomes more crucial than before.'
The need to change services to keep them up to the
times motivated the Board of Directors, staff and volunteers to
conduct an 18 month self-study. From this introspection, they
concluded that the organization needed to focus on providing services
of the highest standards which respond to the social problems
of poverty, race, youth and the inner city. They also committed
themselves to becoming more of a resource and providing leadership
in the development of social policy.
Prior to the arrival of managed care, Child &
Family Services was actively involved in cost-saving measures.
The day treatment program prevented many potential psychiatric
hospitalizations. Once children who required emergency psychiatric
treatment at Hartford Hospital, were discharged, they received
immediate follow-up from our crisis team. Even the Children's
Village cottages changed. No longer did children remain for years
as they did in the early days; the emphasis became strengthening
their homes so that children could either remain there or return
as soon as possible. Research projects (many with an emphasis
on quality assurance and cost effectiveness) continued and the
American Medical Association approved the agency as a child psychiatry
training site.
The agency also moved away from serving the
whole state, as they had done for years, instead concentrating
on Greater Hartford. The Eastern, Fairfield and Litchfield district
offices once associated with Child & Family Services became
autonomous. In terms of adoption services, there was a shift from
adoption of babies to placement of children who were older and
had special needs, often related to the abuse or neglect they
had experienced.
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THE 1980S ~ A RISE IN
CHILD ABUSE & VIOLENCE
William Baker took the helm of Child & Family
Services in 1981. During the 1980s, the National Institute of
Mental Health selected the agency for a social work training grant,
one of very few awarded to direct service organizations. The early
1980s also saw a shift in priorities from residences to outpatient
counseling services and a need for more services coinciding with
drastic cuts in funding for social service programs. The mergers
continued, with the Family Service Society and the Albany Avenue
Child Guidance Clinic (now known as the Dr. Isaiah Clark Family
& Youth Clinic) merging in the early 1980s.
Due to a marked increase in requests for counseling
services following sexual abuse, staff in 1985 developed a formal
program to deal with sexual abuse issues.
Twelve-year-old
Mariah makes clear the need for structured, well-planned follow-up
services for these children: I still don't know why my mother
didn't believe me... Mother's boyfriend, Charles, said he would
stay with my older sister, Sadie, and me while Mother worked.
He took us in the bedroom one at a time. I was scared. I screamed
but no one came. He hit me. He said he would hurt me worse if
I told. My teacher asked me about my bruises.
She said it was safe to tell her everything. I was
scared, but I did. Sadie and I now live with foster families because
mom can't take care of us. It's probably because of the drugs.
She is getting some help, but we'll probably never be like a family
again. She is real sick. Charles went to jail... I go to the ...
group every week. Sadie goes too. There are other girls there
who talk to the counselor about what happened to them. Some of
us have bad dreams.... I want to make good grades but my teacher
says that I daydream too much. It's hard to concentrate when there's
so much to think about.
Along with designing programs to more effectively
deal with the rise in sexual abuse, leadership also recognized
the need for counseling services related to the increasing violence
in society and began a service specifically for families affected
by homicides. Referrals from the State Department of Children
and Families and social service agencies continued to increase,
while direct calls from parents declined. With increasing frequency,
the organization opened prevention-oriented services, like counseling
services at Quirk Middle School.
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THE 1990S ~ A GROWING COMMUNITY PRESENCE WITH
FOCUS ON PREVENTION
In
1993, Child & Family Services changed its name to the Village
for Families & Children. Its mission statement also changed:
To reverse the increase in child abuse and violence affecting
families in this generation. During the 1990s, the agency's school-based
presence also skyrocketed.
In 1993, the North Hartford Family Resource Center
opened at Martin Luther King School in Hartford.
By 1995, there were four more family resource centers
serving both children and their parents. By 1999, family resource
centers affiliated with the Village were in 10 Hartford schools.
Counseling sites also opened throughout the community, including
the Franklin Avenue site in the South End and the Main Street
office in Hartford's North End.
The types of issues children were referred for had
been becoming increasingly complex over the years. No longer was
a dad dropping off his orphan son after mom died and he prepared
to go to war. Children like the following were being seen with
increasing frequency: A nine-year-old goes to Clark Clinic each
week for a group for children affected by HIV/AIDS. Both of his
parents contracted HIV through substance abuse and later developed
full blown AIDS. After mom died, dad was on the streets, using,
so the boy went into foster care. Eventually, his father kicked
his habit and regained custody. They did well for a while, with
dad receiving parenting training as he tried his best. But time
doesn't wait for someone with AIDS, nor does it wait for children
to grow up. Dad's condition deteriorated and he died. The boy
moved in with his grandmother; a few aunts and uncles visit and
spend time with him. But he misses his parents; especially his
mom. She taught him to read and tie his shoes and be good to other
people and... The youth in that group -- some with family members
who are HIV positive or have full blown AIDS; some of the children
themselves being HIV positive or with AIDS --talk about their
anger, their fears, their losses. But they also are given the
opportunity to remember some gifts left behind -- that holiday,
that trip to Riverside Park with dad, those home-from-school hugs....
The needs of children and their numbers continued
to grow throughout the 1990s. The year 1999 saw a refurbishing
of the cottages for residences as the number of children removed
from their homes was near 7,000 and foster parents dropped out
of the system much faster than they could be replaced. The residences
provide an opportunity to assess a child and prevent the temporary
(and sometimes multiple) placements and the emotional havoc they
reap on an already distraught child who has been removed from
home due to abuse/neglect. The juvenile court system increasingly
has turned to the Village to divert youth from inappropriate placement
in a detention center, not unlike Virginia Thrall Smith's efforts
to prevent placement of children into almshouses.
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2000 AND BEYOND
As the Village approaches its 200-year anniversary,
it is still the leadership, professionalism and dedication of
our staff which remains the driving force of our agency. There
is, however, a more compelling force behind our efforts, and that
is the urgency and magnitude of our mission, the hope and betterment
behind our vision. Publications throughout the years have reiterated
that the original "charge' as given in 1809 was basically
the same - to help children and families under stress. With increasing
frequency, however, the causes of that stress are related to abuse
and/or violence. As this report illustrates, the needs of children
and their families have changed drastically over the decades.
The Village's commitment to providing services which meet the
continually changing needs of children and families remains as
strong today as it was in the early 1800s.
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