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The term usually infers a group of children between the ages of
three and five, meeting together under the supervision of at least one
trained leader who is helped by the mothers themselves, working on a
rota. The group is usually organised and managed by a voluntary body
or a committee of mothers and other interested persons, but a few are
run by private individuals. In several cases, the Council's health
visitors are members of the responsible voluntary committee.
The children meet in a park or garden where a hut is available, or
in a hall or basement of a house; play materials are provided and there
is usually some organised play and games supervised by the leader.
Attendance at a play group provides a much needed outlet for
children who live under cramped conditions or who have no other children
to play with, and it is considered to be a valuable preparation for
school life.
Most play groups meet for short periods and, therefore, are not
required to be registered by the Council under the Nurseries and ChildMinders
Regulation Act, 1948. Nevertheless, advice is frequently given
at the request of the organisers on suitability of premises, fire
precautions, etc., and, in many cases, informal supervision is exercised
by the health visitor of the area.
At least fourteen play groups are known to be functioning in this
borough, five are run by voluntary organisations,five by Committees of
mothers, three by private individuals and one by the Greater London
Council as a one-o'clock club.
Nine play groups meet in halls, one in a hostel and four in parks
and gardens.
Domiciliary Day Care of Children.
Arrangements for the day care of children throughout the borough
continued to be of great concern to ray medical and nursing staff and
to the Health Committee. Following reports on arrangements in the
Council's own day nurseries and premises, resulting from the receipt of
Ministry of Health circular No. 5/65, the Health Committee received in
January a comprehensive report dealing with the general situation in the
borough which indicated that certain elements of the population, and
particularly the immigrant population, were still ignorant of the
position notwithstanding the considerable efforts that had been made over
many years by local health authority staff to spread information as to
the legal position and the child care needs involved. Cases still
occurred of mothers who were unaware that child minding is regulated in
any way by law and have little or no appreciation of the standard of
care required. Some are illiterate, or speak and understand English
imperfectly, but this does not seem to be a major difficulty. It is
more that they appear unable to realise, or to accept, that so personal
and apparently simple a thing as the care (with or without payment) of
the children of friends or neighbours can be a matter of official
regulation or even concern. Some, of course who find the activity
profitable are unwilling to acquaint themselves with requirements
which, if they are observed, will limit the profit they derive from this
practice. The attention of the Minister of Health was drawn to the
need for national publicity about the requirements of the law on this
subject.
A meeting was held in February to which were invited representatives
of all the statutory and voluntary organisations active in the
borough in any way, which would bring them in touch with day care. It
was well attended and it is appropriate to record my gratitude to the
many busy people who gave up their time for this purpose and enabled
every aspect of the problem to be discussed in detail.