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97
(ii) to refuse to register premises because of the condition of
the premises or equipment, or for any reason connected
with the situation, construction or size of the premises,
or with other persons in the premises;
(iii) to refuse to register a person on account of the condition
of the equipment in her premises, or of the situation,
construction or size of the premises;
(iv) in registering a person for the care of children in her own
home, to make requirements concerning the number,
qualifications and experience of the people who are to
look after the children, the safety and maintenance of the
premises where the children are received and the equipment
therein, the arrangements for feeding the children,
the diet they receive and the keeping of records of the
children; and
(v) to authorise officers to enter the homes of registered
persons (previously it was necessary to seek a warrant
authorising entry).
Section 60 also increases the maximum penalties for offences
(failure to register or breach of requirements). The maximum fine
for a first offence is raised to £50 and for a subsequent offence the
penalty is imprisonment for up to three months, a fine not exceeding
£100, or both such imprisonment and fine.
General
The work of the Child Health Centres, which have steadily
maintained their service to the community, still consists of supervision
of the normal development of young children and includes
early detection of abnormalities of development, provision of
facilities for immunisation and vaccination against infectious
disease, giving advice concerning the measures necessary for the
promotion of family health and specialised advice regarding the
management and feeding of infants and children.
Emphasis in recent years has been moving from the recognition
and treatment of gross physical defects to the more difficult skills
of recognising "at risk" situations and potential and impaired
development, particularly in the mental health field. Good
emotional development in the early stages of life are the main
preventive health aims of the present day. Breakdown in mental
health is the most costly item in the Health Service budget and
this reason alone is sufficient to make it one of our major priorities,
not to mention the priceless value of stable relationships and
emotional security in the sum total of human happiness. Some
3,174 children in the 0-5 age group made 68,656 attendances during
the year.