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13
Olio part-time Clinic Nurse was engaged on a sessional basis to assist the health
visitors in clinic duties.
Child Life Protection.

These figures show a decrease of 7 foster-mothers and 4 foster-children as
compared with the figures given at the end of 1946.
The number of foster-mothers is still inadequate causing hardship in emergencies,
especially in the case of an unmarried mother urgently needing to work and with
no one available to take on the care of her child.
Fifty-four w invn acted as foster-mothers during the year, some taking a child for
a short period only, and not wishing to be approved to continue as foster-mothers.
In these short term cases arrangements were generally made between a mother and
friend, and there appears still to be a widespread lack of knowledge of the need to
notify the Local Authority when a foster-child is about to be received, or is already
being cared for.
During the period under review 4 foster-mothers were removed from the Register,
and 12 new ones were approved.
The special scheme for assisting with the payment of fees to foster mothers in
respect of illegitimate children, was used in respect of two children during the year.
There were no deaths amongst foster children and no legal proceedings were
instituted.
The Child Protection Visitors continued to co-operate with various voluntary
organisations.
Mrs. V. M. Rennie and Miss R. Harding carried out the duties of Child Life
Protection Visitors, the latter replacing Miss M. Robinson, who was granted a year's
leave of absence to undertake additional training.
Illegitimate Children.
During 1947 there were 431 registered illegitimate births for this area. The
Special Health Visitors dealt with 474 cases, 323 of which were new during the
year. These mothers were helped in making arrangements for the confinement,
and other personal problems were dealt with.
In many cases the mother and child returned to relatives, and in a large number
the mother and father co-habited. In a few other cases the putative father
contributed towards the maintenance of the child.
Arrangements were made for the adoption of 22 children, 18 were admitted to
residential nurseries (Institutions), and 25 were placed with foster-parents.