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93 1937
CHILD LIFE PROTECTION.
(Public Health (London) Act, 1936, Sections 256-272.)
The number of foster-children on the Register during the year 1937 shows a
diminution on the previous year to 401 from 427. The number between 5 and 9
years has increased from 57 to 61 so that the decrease is entirely among those fosterchildren
under 5 years of age. Of this decrease the chief proportion is due to a
diminution in the number of children with foster-mothers, children in Institutions
under 5 years of age being fewer by 5 only.
The number of satisfactory foster-mothers still continues to be rather smaller
than the actual demand for them. Many mothers who have to arrange for another
person to take care of their child or children are in poor circumstances and are not
in a position to offer adequate payment to a foster-mother. Mothers who go out
to work frequently arrange to have their children looked after during the day only,
and women who undertake "daily minding" are more difficult to control than fostermothers.
A good deal of this function of " daily minding " is of course undertaken
in another way for these mothers who go out to work by the Day Nurseries, Municipal
and Voluntary, in the Borough.
During the year 1937, 32 applications for foster-mothers were received but only
18 were recommended as suitable. The remaining 14 were advised to refrain from
taking a child and eventually alternative arrangements were made by co-operation
with the mother in respect of these children.
Legal proceedings were instituted in one case on account of the person being an
unregistered foster-mother. She was fined £7 and £4 4s. Od. costs.
There were 8 deaths of foster-children during the year as against Nil in the
previous year. Six of these deaths occurred in hospitals, one at home, and one in a
residential nursery. Of the six deaths occurring in hospital the following were
the certified causes:—Bronchial Pneumonia; Whooping Cough and Cerebral
Haemorrhage; Bronchial Pneumonia and Marasmus; Werdnig-Hoffman Myopathic
Dystrophy; Gastro Enteritis; Acute Bronchitis and Gastro Enteritis; all these
children were 6 months or under. An inquest was held in one of these cases. The
certified cause of death in the case of the foster-child aged 15 months dying at home
was Acute Tonsillitis and Toxaemia, and the 5 months' old infant at a residential
nursery died of Infective Enteritis. No inquests were required.
The Child Protection Visitor continued to co-operate with the National Society
for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children where the circumstances made this desirable.
Annual Return of Child Life Protection Work.
Number of foster-mothers on the Register who were receiving
children on the 1st January, 1937 192
Do. do. on the 31st December, 1937 185
Number of foster-mothers added to the Register during the year 18
Number of foster-mothers removed from the Register by the
Committee during the year Nil
Number of foster-mothers removed or lapsed 25
Number of foster-children on the Register at 31st December, 1937 170*
Number of foster-children attending Child Welfare Clinics 64
,, ,, under private medical practitioners, 7
* Includes those in institutions, etc.