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86
Infant Life Protection.
By the Transfer of Powers (London) Order, 1933, certain duties were
transferred from the London County Council to Metropolitan Borough Councils.
Among such transferred functions were duties under Part I of the Children Act,
1908, as amended by Part V of the Children and Young Persons Act, 1932,
respecting infant life protection. These duties are concerned with the reception
of notices given by persons who undertake for reward the nursing and maintenance
in a dwelling of infants and the inspection of premises by Infant Life Protection
Visitors or other persons appointed by the local authority for the purpose; fixing
the number of infants to be kept in a dwelling in which any infant is received for
reward and application to a Court of Justice for an order directing the removal
of an infant to a place of safety.
To provide for the proper administration of the Acts and Order the Council
delegated its powers to the Maternity and Child Welfare Committee and appointed
the Medical Officer of Health, the Health Visitors, and the Sanitary Inspectors as
Infant Lifo Protection Visitors; the appointment of the male Sanitary Inspectors to
be limited to inspections or visits required in connection with penal cases. Also,
by advertisements in the local newspaper and the exhibition of posters, publicity
was given to the various requirements of the Acts.
The London County Council forwarded to the Medical Officer of Health
information respecting five children in the care of five foster mothers in Holborn.
During the year three other foster mothers were added to the register making a
total of eight receiving infants for reward. By the end of 1933, however, four of
these ceased to have the care of a foster child for the following reasons:—
Child removed to care of another foster mother 1
Child removed to the care of parent 1
Child removed to the care of Public Assistance Authority 1
Child removal to care of relative (uncle) 1
leaving four foster mothers on the register at the end of the year.
At the request of the London County Council arrangements have been, made
to notify the School Care Committee when a foster child reaches the age of nine
years, the age at which supervision under the Children Acts ceases.
The supervision of the home conditions of these children becomes part of the
routine work of the Health Visitors. In addition, a number of other visits and
enquiries become necessary in connection with the administration of the Acts. For
example, notices are frequently received of the return to their parents of children
who have for a time been boarded out with foster mothers; these need visiting for
verification and to ascertain whether the child is to be retained permanently with
its parents or again to be boarded out. In one such case reported during the year
information was given that at the parents' home there was no cot and the conditions
were not satisfactory. The Health Visitor secured the provision of a, cot and was
subsequently able to report that the child was being well cared for, In several