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MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE.
Health Visiting.
This year the Borough Council area which was previously divided into five sections
for health-visiting purposes, was re-divided into six. The appointment of the sixth health
visitor was made necessary because of the continual increase in the requirements of home
visiting, the establishment of the new Ultra-Violet Light Clinic; new requirements in
connection with Infant Life Protection and Moral Welfare, and the Ministry of Health's
request that more attention should be paid to the tracing of contacts of vermin-infested
children in the homes, and home instructions to mothers on feeding and hygiene of toddlers.
One health visitor is responsible in each of the six districts, for all the health-visiting
work, including infectious disease, visiting of expectant mothers, first visits to new-born
infants and re-visits to infants and children and the investigation of infectious disease in
schools.
Special work in child life protection in connection with the adoption of children
is carried out by the Senior Health Visitor as Child Life Protection Officer. The special
moral welfare work is carried out by a health visitor, who was appointed to deal with this
work in addition to her normal health-visiting duties.
The figure for no access is extremely high, even higher than last year. Most of this
is due to the fact that there are so many mothers working in the district and that shopping
difficulties cause those who are not working, to be out of their homes for a considerable
portion of the day.
To limit the number of no access visits, a scheme is being commenced whereby the
health visitor who cannot obtain access to the house, leaves a card to the effect that she
has called and suggesting times when the clinics may be visited and doctors or health visitors
consulted. This should prevent three or four visits being paid to the same house without
success.
Child Life Protection.
The Senior Health Visitor is specially appointed to deal with Child Life Protection
work. This work continued during 1944, and consists of visits monthly to foster mothers,
and the inspection of children under their care. Under the Adoption of Children
(Regulation) Act, 1939, the Child Life Protection Officer must now report on, and keep
under observation, all persons who wish to adopt children, and children who are to be
adopted, until such time as legal adoption has been carried out. See Appendix Table IX
for statistics of this work.
Consultant Aid in Difficult Labour.
A consultant obstetrician for difficult cases of labour is available to medical practitioners
practising in Southall. During the year the consultant was not called in. An
economic circumstance scale is in force and includes the payment of fees in these cases.
Institutional Provision for Unmarried Mothers, Illegitimate Infants and
Homeless Children in the District.
None.
Moral Welfare.
The increase in incidence of illegitimate children throughout the country led to a
recommendation by the Ministry of Health that special arrangements be made for the
supervision and care of the unmarried mothers and illegitimate children.
Following the Minister's circular, the Southall Borough Council decided that a
special health visitor should be appointed in the area to deal with these cases, and Miss M.
Fairbrass was appointed on 17.4.44. Arrangements were made for her to have a short
course of training in this work under the auspices of the London Diocesan Council for Moral
Welfare Work. All cases of unmarried expectant mothers are now referred from the other
members of the staff to this health visitor, who endeavours to obtain pre-natal accommodation,
hospital and post-natal accommodation for these mothers. Various other social aspects in these
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