Hans Cohn interview, 1990

Cohn, Hans - Audio Oral History Interview - CSWA ❧ Interviewed by Elizabeth McBroom on November 7, 1990. An interview with Hans Cohn as he discusses the beginning his of career in social work; beginning of work at Rosemary Cottage; pioneer as man as director of girls' foster home; state of Rosemary Cottage; changes in program philosophy; change in psychiatric consultants; changes in program philosophy; present size of group home care; inadequacies of foster home care; infant care; professional mores of child foster care; role of social workers at Cottage; social policy issues; history of funding for Cottage; present funding; placement of foster children outside the state; state bills regarding foster care; funding and services; volunteers in foster care; use of medication for Cottage children; social workers vs. volunteers; conversation regarding personal matters; attitudes about institutional care. ❧ Hans Cohn came as a child from Nazi Germany and lived with a foster family, where some of his ideas took seed about children in out-of-home care. After obtaining an MSW from USC, he worked for Jewish Big Brothers in Los Angeles, and with their Camp Max Strauss. He was recruited by the board of Rosemary Cottage, then a facility for troubled teenage girls, the board believing that the girls would be more positively responsible to a man. At the time of this interview, he had been director of the program for twenty-five years, during which he had innovated a number of changes in ways of working with the girls, as well as developing group homes for the care of children of all ages, particularly runaways and abused children. He was instrumental in the establishment of a state association of child-care agencies, which has been important in helping agencies state-wide in carrying out their goal of providing shelter and care to runaways and other children who have fallen out of the child care system. ❧ Hans Cohn. Interviewed by Elizabeth McBroom. Date of interview: 11-7-90. Length of interview: 1 hour 16 minutes. 1 cassette (1 duplicate tape). Transcript of interview: 22 pp. ❧ INTERVIEW TOPICS: Beginning his of career in social work; beginning of work at Rosemary Cottage; pioneer as man as director of girls' foster home; state of Rosemary Cottage; changes in program philosophy; change in psychiatric consultants; changes in program philosophy; present size of group home care; inadequacies of foster home care; infant care; professional mores of child foster care; role of social workers at Cottage; social policy issues; history of funding for Cottage; present funding; placement of foster children outside the state; state bills regarding foster care; funding and services; volunteers in foster care; use of medication for Cottage children; social workers vs. volunteers; conversation regarding personal matters; attitudes about institutional care. ❧ ADDITIONAL MATERIAL: 1. Brochure for Rosemary Cottage Retirement Dinner Dance in Honor of Hans Cohn (9-18-92). 2. "An Evening with Star Chefs" Menu. 3. Chronology of program development at Rosemary Cottage.