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119
Child-Minders and Private Day Nurseries
Voluntary
Under the National Health Service Act, the Council provides a
service of approved child-minders who, in return for their willingness
to submit to supervision and the Council's requirements.
receive a registration fee of 6s. 0d. per week whilst minding a child.
Children under the age of 5 years who do not attend school can
be accepted into a minder's home for daily care, the charges for
which are matters for agreement between the minder and the child's
parents. Under existing arrangements no child-minder is permitted
to care for more than two children at any one time and those who
desire to take more than this number are required to register as
statutory child-minders under the Nurseries and Child-Minders
Regulation Act, 1948, and are not eligible for registration fee.
Statutory
Any person who intends to undertake, for payment, the care in
her own home of more than two children under 5 years of age from
more than one household and to whom she is not closely related, or
to open a private day nursery must apply beforehand to the local
health authority for registration under the Nurseries and ChildMinders
Regulation Act, 1948. Registration is only necessary when
payment is made for these services.
Such applicants are visited in their own homes by a Medical
Officer and Nursing Officer in order that the suitability of the
minder and the premises may be assessed before any recommendation
for registration is made to the Council.
At the end of 1967 the following child-minders and premises
were registered for these purposes :—
National Health Service Act, 1946
No. of Child-Minders Registered 85
No. of Places or Children Minded 116
Nurseries and Child-Minders Regulation Act, 1948
No. of Premises Registered :
Factories — Places —
Other 8 Places 180
No. of Child-Minders Registered : 27 Places 150
Compared with 1966, there were more places with voluntary and
registered child-minders during 1967 and more places in private day
nurseries. Altogether, 446 places were available throughout the
Borough for children who needed day care for various reasons
(excluding the 10 places allocated to this Council at a Lewisham
Day Nursery).