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9
The number of foster mothers is very inadequate as compared with the demand
and this leads often to children being placed with unsuitable or not entirely suitable
women. The number of foster mothers showed an increase of four over the previous
year, although four less children were being cared for at the end of 1946. Twenty-one
new cases were approved during the year. In some instances in spite of the Public
Health Act, a child may be found with a foster mother before application has been
made for approval, and if this occurs in an unsuitable home there may be great
difficulty in making alternative arrangements because of the scarcity of suitable
foster mothers.
The scheme inaugurated by the Council in 1945 for guaranteed payments to
foster mothers in respect of illegitimate children placed in their care was continued.
In 1946 weekly payments under the scheme were raised from 17s. 6d. for each child
dealt with not exceeding 12 months, and 15s. for children from 1-5 years, to 21s. for
each child. One child benefited under this scheme during the year.
There were no deaths amongst foster children and no legal proceedings were
instituted during the period under review.
The Child Protection Visitors continued in close touch where necessary with
Adoption Societies and various voluntary organisations who might be concerned.
Illegitimate Children.
The two Child Protection Visitors also act as Special Health Visitors supervising
illegitimate children who present special problems owing to their home circumstancesThat
this additional attention is required is shown by the fact that although the
infant mortality rate for illegitimate infants under 12 months of age has fallen quite
considerably over the past few years, it is still nearly twice the rate for children born
in a normal home. There were 442 registered illegitimate births to Islington mothers
during the year, which represents 8.36 per cent of the total births. As mentioned
previously, this compares with 5.08 per cent. pre-war. Not all illegitimate children,
of course, require special provision or supervision, but the need arises when the
unmarried mother has to return to work soon after confinement; where problems
of adoption may arise; and where there is no suitable alternative home for the
child, such as with a relative. A "short-stay" hostel or residential nursery would
greatly assist in tiding over temporary difficulties and might enable some mothers to
retain the care of their children where the solution now sought is adoption or perhaps
placing with an unsatisfactory foster mother.
Married women with an illegitimate child are often in a very difficult situation
with regard to the placing of their children; and with the scarcity of foster mothers
and possibly the frequent change of home, the outlook for the illegitimate child is
often much more unfavourable than it should be. 334 children in this group were
dealt with by the Special Visitors during the year, 242 of these being new cases.
Of the above total cases 18 children were adopted, 18 were admitted to institutions
without mothers, e.g., Dr. Barnardo's Homes, and 16 were placed with foster mothers.
With regard to the immediate arrangement made for mother and child the table
on page 10 gives the detail of the care and disposal of each infant visited. The majority
of mothers went with the baby to live with relatives; 55 were being cared for in
hostels or institutions, and in 22 cases the parents were living together and therefore
a special problem might not arise from the point of view of the infant. 293 interviews