The county department of public welfare is hereby authorized to provide protective services for children as will conserve home life; assume responsibility for the care and support of dependent children needing public care away from their homes; place children found by the department to be dependent or without proper care in suitable institutions or private homes, and cooperate with public and private institutions and agencies in placing such children in suitable institutions or private homes; accept custody or guardianship, through one of its designated employees, of any child, when appointed as custodian or guardian in the manner provided by law.
The board of supervisors in each county is hereby empowered, in its discretion, to set aside and appropriate out of the tax levied and collected to support the poor of the county or out of the county general fund necessary monies to be administered by the county department of public welfare to carry out the provisions of this section.