Desertion and Non-Support in Family Case Work

An examination of the existing literature on family desertion brings to light surprisingly little regarding the problems it presents to the social case worker.There have been several statistical stud- ies of its occurrence, and innumerable discussions of its treatment from the legal side, but the case worker in search of technical advice and direction browses over a wide field with comparatively small result.This is probably due to the fact that the rise of the domestic relations courts in late years has tended to turn the thoughts of those interested in the problem toward the legal and judicial reme- dies which are being developed.It may further be due to the fact that workers in the field of adult probation, who constitute the specialized group of case workers most directly interested in family desertion, are still breaking new ground and have not as yet been able to make the contribution to the literature of the case work movement that we may confidently expect to have from them in the course of the next few years.Whatev6r the cause or causes, it seems true that desertion is generally written about as a breach of the law, to be dealt with through the correctional agencies of the community.This is not so much an erroneous as a distorted view of the problem.It fails to take into account the loss and wastage in human life, and em- phasizes rather the financial burden of dependency which is laid upon society.Both elements of course exist, and must be recog- nized no less by lawyers and judges than by social workers in any effective program for the treatment and prevention of desertion

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