3.  A picture of the family and its individual members in their other social relationships—­with employers, medical agencies, teachers, their church, their friends, their relatives.  Knowledge of their habits, tastes, and characteristics, with special attention to period of first desertion.  Analysis of factors leading to the desertion.

4.  History of first reconciliation (unless the present is the first break).  History of subsequent desertions.  Court record, if any.

A prerequisite to some of the above information is an interview or interviews with the man.  Where this cannot be had as part of the first investigation, the investigation should leave the worker in possession of some good clues, at least, to the man’s whereabouts.

FOOTNOTES: 

[22] Bowen, Louise de K.:  A Study of Bastardy Cases.  Juvenile Protective Association of Chicago, 1914.

[23] It is the policy of the Bureau, when such a case is discovered, to help the wife get competent legal advice in the city where action is being brought, and either to contest the case or start a counter suit.  Where necessary the woman is sent on to appear in person.

[24] See p. 37 sq.

[25] J.C.  Colcord in The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, May, 1918, p. 97.

VI

THE DETAILS OF TREATMENT

As in all other problems faced by the case worker, it is impossible to lay down general rules for the treatment of desertion.  There may be general considerations, however, which it is well to keep in mind, some of which have been advanced in the last chapter.[26]

On questions of investigation there is closer agreement among social workers than on questions of treatment.  Personal factors here play a much larger part, and it may very well be that two case workers who differ in personality but are of equal ability, will choose very different plans of treatment in a given case and yet each bring it to a successful issue.  It is with a good deal of hesitancy, therefore, that a case worker ventures upon the discussion of anything so flexible as treatment.  In preparation for this study many consultations were had with practising social case workers in the fields of family work, probation, medical-social service, and child welfare.  Differences of opinion were found and this chapter will attempt to express the composite opinion on how to treat the deserter and his family in the different situations which confront them.