255134 100th Anniversary of the Children's Bureau: Looking Back at Successes and Failures

Monday, October 29, 2012 : 10:35 AM - 10:55 AM

Janet Golden, PhD , History Department, Rutgers University, Camden, NJ
I will examine the 100 year history of the United States Children's Bureau, the first federal agency to promote the welfare of children. I will discuss how from 1912 to 1946 the Children's Bureau engaged in efforts to limit child labor, attack infant and child mortality, improve the juvenile justice system, assess the needs of children living in poverty, and protect the interests of children with special needs. I will describe how Children's Bureau programs were attacked by organized medicine and how the agency was eviscerated in the post World War II years. I will note the irony of current calls for a coordinated programs on behalf of children's health and welfare.

Learning Areas:
Public health or related public policy
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Identify the critical historical factors leading to the successes and failures of the United States Children's Bureau over its 100 year history.

Keywords: Infant Mortality, Policy/Policy Development

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am an expert in the history of maternal and child health and have published extensively on these topics.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 3176.0: Critical histories of social justice and health activism across the generations