Review of THE NEGLECTED

Reviews the film, The Neglected written and directed by Irving Jacoby (1965). Any effort to bridge the gap between disadvantaged families and the child protective services is timely, and the latest film from the Mental Health Film Board will be welcomed for its training and public relations contributions because it is unique in the field. Introducing children in four homes who are being neglected in ways typical of urban welfare problems, the film shows a range of casework skills in the workers who try to reach the parents. The participants are residents of Reading, Pennsylvania and have been chosen for their parts with such skill that it is difficult to tell whether they are acting or demonstrating their own life situations. Although the film generally supports helping the parents to maintain the home, it acknowledges that some children can best be helped by removal from the home. In the Barrett case the decision to place the children in a foster home was arrived at in such a cold, arbitrary, and inflexible manner that the otherwise clear case material becomes cloudy. Excellent photography and direction are evident and not intrusive, which is not true of the jazz background, unfortunately. In spite of the drawbacks in this film, it makes a lively and pertinent contribution. Jacoby again has succeeded in combining his film-making skills with his dedication to dispelling social problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)