Factors related to social work services for mothers of babies born out of wedlock.

Abstract

Types of contacts with social agencies that out-of-wedlock mothers had in 1962 are documented, based on birth certificates and data from a study conducted by the United Community Services [UCS] of Boston in 1962, the number and type of social agency contacts. The UCS study includes reports of patients and clients of health and social service agencies in the UCS area. It was determined for each of the 1,335 unmarried mothers found on the birth certificate list how many had had contact with one or more of 5 types of agencies: hospital social service; child care service; maternity home; family service; and public welfare. Forty-eight percent (597) of the women were not reported by the agencies in the UCS study to be in contact with any social service agency[long dash] including hospital social service; the agencies did not report a substantially greater percent of girls under 20 years of age served than older women; non-white women were less likely than white women to be known by more than one agency; a spot check with the Social Service Exchange of a sample reported by social agencies indicated that the public welfare agencies were virtually the only type of social agency which utilized the Exchange in the case of out-of-wedlock births. Many women who apparently need social services do not receive them. This is discussed in terms of the need for review and possible revision of agencies'' policies and practices.