The Orphan Guardian Society of Philadelphia

Publication Date: May 1902

Publisher: C.J. Krehbiel & Co.; Jewish Communal Service Association of North America

Author(s): Dr. Bernheimer

Research Area: Social conditions

Keywords: Communal Organization; Youth; Social Services

Type: Report

Coverage: United States

Abstract:

The author describes the work, organization, and clientele of Philadelphia's Orphan Guardian Society. The majority of dependent children under the society's care continue to live with their mother, who receives support and oversight from the Society. Others are cared for under a complex guardianship structure that aims to include relatives and interested parties in the child's care while still maintaining accountability. Finally, the Society has begun to investigate the possibility of boarding out, or family foster care, for dependent children, a method that non-Jewish agencies have adopted and consider to be preferable to institutionalization.