View report page

- 35-
Unregistered play groups are visited by health visitors and other officers and
advice is given as to the suitability of the premises, provision of sanitary accommodation,
etc., and an attempt is made to bring the general standard of accommodation and child care
into line with what would be expected in a registered nursery.
RESIDENTIAL CARE OF CHILDREN
A residential nursery for young children taken "into care", maintained by the
Borough Council's Children's Department, is visited at regular intervals by a medical officer
and nursing officer who advise on matters concerning hygiene and the health of the children
generally.
Handicapped children and children "At Risk" are reviewed individually and their
progress is discussed with the visiting medical officer and senior nursery staff.
Advice is also given as required by the Council's medical staff on measures necessary
to prevent the spread of infection should this occur amongst children or members of the
staff.
ADOPTIONS AND BOARDING OUT OF CHILDREN
The scrutiny of medical records of children in care who are being considered
for adoption or boarding out by the Children's Department is undertaken by the Council's
medical officers. The children are medically examined by the doctor, who supplies a
written report of the examination and the Children's Officer is advised on the child's suitability
on medical grounds for boarding-out or adoption. Should a report reveal a medical
defect or handicap in the child, the Children's Officer is also advised on any particular
medical need. Where there is a history of inheritable disease in the natural parents, the
medical officer interviews the prospective adopters with whom he discusses the implications
of the probability of the child's inheritance of disease or defect.
The following is a summary of the cases dealt with in 1965:-
Adoption coses:
Suitable for adoption 17
Suitable for adoption subject to
certain conditions 9
Unsuitable for adoption 1
Boarding out cases:
Suitable for boarding out 3
In the same way, the health records of prospective adopters are investigated.
During the year, ten couples were considered suitable to adopt children.
HANDICAPPED CHILDREN AND CHILDREN "AT RISK"
The Council maintain a Handicap and Observation register which is a list of
children who already show some handicap or who may be "at risk" of developing a handicapping
condition.
The "at risk" factor may have been present before birth as, for example, rubella
in the mother, or a family history of deafness; it may occur during the process of birth if
there is a complicated delivery or it may appear after birth, e.g., jaundice or respiratory
distress. In some cases, the "at risk" factor or actual handicap may result from subsequent
illness or injury. There are several sources of information from which the register is compiled.
(a) Notifications of births on which are recorded all congenital defects apparent
at birth. Experience has proved that when one congenital abnormality has
been noted, others may later appear and the names of children showing such defects are
therefore entered automatically on the "observation register".