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78
Lancaster Road Infant Welfare Centre.
This Centre serves parts of the Golborne, St. Charles and Pembridge Wards. Infant
consultations are held three times a week and ante-natal clinics twice monthly. Dressmaking and
Sewing Classes are held weekly. Dinners are provided free of cost or at reduced prices for
necessitous expectant or nursing mothers and children. Dental treatment is provided at the Centre.
Various clubs are organised for the benefit of mothers.
A special feature of this Centre is the Father's Council, which was instituted in 1922, and was
the first of its kind to be formed in the Country. The objects of the Council are (1) to bring home
to fathers the responsibilities that rest upon them in giving the child a proper start in life, (2) to
advance the interests of the Centre, and (3) to raise funds for the Centre by means of entertainments,
etc. They are a most energetic body of men, and are taking a keen interest in the working
of the institution.
The daily number of infants received in the Day Nursery attached to this Centre averages 22.
Raymede Infant Welfare Centre.
This Centre serves parts of the St. Charles and Golborne Wards, and is one of the largest
institutions of its kind in Kensington The corner house, in which the Centre is established, is
particularly well adapted for the work to be carried out. Infant consultations are held on two
afternoons each week and ante-natal sessions every alternate Wednesday. A dental clinic is
attached to the Centre. Sewing Classes are held weekly. Various clubs for the benefit of mothers
are organised. In the early part of the year dinners were provided for necessitous mothers and
children.
In September, this Centre experienced financial difficulty and the Committee were obliged to
curtail certain phases of their work. One of the three weekly doctor's consultations was discontinued
and was replaced by a session for the weighing of infants by the Health Visitor. The weekly
ante-natal session was changed to a fortnightly one.
There is a Mothers' Council which does excellent work and a Fathers' Council has recently
been established. Those who have joined are exceptionally keen and have already been of assistance
to the institution. The objects of the Fathers' Council are identical with those of the Lancaster
Road Fathers' Council, with whom they work in unison and harmony.
In 1922, a Children's Massage, Medical Gymnastics, and Electrical Treatment Centre was
established on the premises at this Centre, but it is managed by a separate Committee.
Dental Treatment.—In 1921, five of the Infant Welfare Centres carried out dental work
but this work was extended and all the Centres now have satisfactory arrangements for giving
dental treatment.
Each Welfare Centre endeavours, as far as possible, to make the scheme of dental treatment,
practically self-supporting by charging such fees as the mothers can pay and by obtaining the
dentures at a very low rate.
Although the dentures are generally not more than £4 to £5 for a complete set, they are very
well made and give considerable satisfaction.