HISTORY OF THE CHILDREN'S BUREAU

115 YEARS OF SERVICE AND COUNTING

As one of the oldest United Way agencies in the Greater New Orleans Area, Children’s Bureau has a long and colorful history of growth and achievement over the years. Since our beginning, the community has developed a much deeper awareness of the importance of public and private agencies in meeting human welfare needs. One hundred years ago, few such agencies existed and young people were left to suffer an intolerable existence of toiling away in factories for just pennies a day. Incensed by these cruelties and the lack of child labor laws, New Orleans Clergyman Reverend Alfred E. Clay resolved to organize a reform movement. In a special ceremony on February 14, 1892, Reverend Clay founded the New Orleans Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, which we know today as The Children’s Bureau of Greater New Orleans.

Since that touching night on St. Valentine’s Day, Children’s Bureau has always strived to serve children of all races and religions as their needs and community resources have changed. We have accomplished a great deal over the years and invite you to share in some of our proudest moments.

1892-1902
The Society obtained an act to allow judges to remove children from the home “when their physical or moral welfare is endangered” and permit it to conduct any legal proceedings. Reverend Clay was commissioned as Superintendent of the Society.

1903-1913
The Society’s legal committee drafted the Orleans Parish Juvenile Court Act and introduced legislation to raise the marriage age and punish individuals for assault within the family.

1914-1924
The legislative committee obtained an amendment to the Juvenile Court Act, making it a punishable offense to employ minors in barrooms. Child welfare case recording standards were established as efforts to “professionalize” the agency began.

1925-1935
The Society (now known as Children’s Bureau) was recognized as a professional child welfare caseworker agency. The agency became a member of the Community Chest. The legislative committee advocated for modern child adoption regulations.

1936-1946
The Bureau began providing short and long-term foster care services. Through the Tulane and LSU Schools of Social Work, the Bureau supported this new profession by providing field placement experience for students interested in child welfare work.

1947-1957
Children’s Bureau gave child welfare casework service to Protestant Children’s Home on a demonstration basis and worked with the State’s Crippled Children’s Division to offer care to children leaving the hospital but unable to return home.

1958-1968
Breaking new ground for child welfare in New Orleans, the agency created the “homemaker” service, whereby an agency worker entered the home to participate in daily life and teach the skills necessary for a functional environment.

1969-1979
The clay Award was created to recognize outstanding contributors to child welfare. In a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case, local attorney Robert Rainold successfully represented the agency in protecting children’s rights to a secure adoptive home.

1980-1989
Counseling case loads increased as the stated focused mental health services on homicidal, suicidal, and gravely disabled children. With the Office of Public Health, the agency was funded to offer counseling to women with high-risk pregnancies.

1990-2000
United Way funded a full-time foster home for infants with special needs. Multi-family counseling groups began to reduce the period of time familys wait for counseling. The Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement awarded Children’s Bureau a grant to create Project LAST, a community and home-based counseling service for children and families in Orleans parish who are survivors of homicide victims. With additional grants from the Greater New Orleans Foundation, the Institute of Mental Hygiene, and United Way, LAST was able to move into the parishes of Jefferson and St. Tammany and offer consultation services. Children’s Bureau sponsored its first major conference entitled Working with Victims and Survivors: from Abuse to Homicide, attracting more than 200 human service professionals and victim advocates from around the state.

2001-2007
The Board of Directors of the Kemper and Leila Williams Foundation agreed to preserve and display the Children’s Bureau archives at The Historic New Orleans Collection. We opened our first satellite office in Jefferson Parish. The Children’s Bureau continued it's century-old commitment to work diligently on behalf of children and families in New Orleans through creative and innovative means.