London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Greenwich 1966

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Greenwich Borough]

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116
Foster Parents—In accordance with the Boarding Out of
Children Regulations, 1955, the department's observations are also
sought with regard to foster homes listed by the Children's Department
into which children have been placed by the Children's Officer
in the course of his duties.
Boarding Out—On the recommendation of the Chest Physician,
arrangements can be made for the boarding-out of children exposed
to infection in their own homes or whose parent or parents are
receiving residential treatment for tuberculosis and cannot arrange
for the care of their children. Similar arrangements can be made to
enable segregation to be achieved during immunisation with B.C.G.
Unsupported Mothers
Unsupported mothers were put in touch with Moral Welfare
Workers who, in most cases, arranged for admission to a Mother
and Baby Home during the antenatal period.
Following confinement, most mothers returned to the Mother
and Baby Homes, some rejoined their families while others preferred
to find lodgings. Occasionally, mothers requested the Children's
Department to arrange for the adoption of their babies. However,
where the mother wished to rear her child, every assistance was given
by the health visitors with priority admission to a Day Nursery or
recommendation to known child minders.
During 1966, 169 women contacted the undermentioned
Moral Welfare Organisations in Greenwich:—
Southwark Catholic Children's Society 26
Southwark Diocesan Association 143
Compiled from information supplied by the Registrar General
and the G.L.C., the following table gives the total number of
illegitimate births in the Borough during the current year and
indicates

the numbers and ages of mothers seeking advice and assistance:—

Illegitimate BirthsAges of MothersNumber Seeking Help
1Under 15 years
10815—19 years82
11320—24 years69
5725—29 years11
3030—34 years3
2235 years and over3
Not known1
331Totals169

Of the total of 169 women seeking help, some 21 or 12.4% were
already pregnant on their arrival in London.