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Health Committee approves their registration and imposes any requirements necessary
as to numbers and other conditions.
Mothers pay a mutually agreed amount to minders for the care of their children.
A small fee is paid by the Council to voluntary registered child-minders to encourage
them to bring the children to welfare centres regularly. At 31st December, 1965
there were 129 voluntary child-minders registered to mind 201 children and 46
statutory child-minders authorised to mind 276 children.
Council's Day Nurseries
The Council owns three day nurseries; one at Rushey Green, one at Perry Rise
(Shaftesbury House) and one at Amersham Road. The number of approved places
in these nurseries is 59, 35 and 58 respectively. Day nurseries are provided for children
under five years of age where the child has only one parent who has to go out to work,
where the mother is in ill-health and cannot care adequately, where home circumstances
are detrimental to health or where the mother is compelled to go out to work
as an economic necessity. With each application a report on family conditions and
necessity for admission to a day nursery is provided by the health visitor. A daily
charge is made to parents according to their financial circumstances. Unless their
circumstances change in the meantime, all cases are reviewed financially at least
every six months and fully at least annually.
Deaf, blind and partially sighted children are also admitted to the Council's
nurseries for a period of up to fifteen hours a week without charge, the numbers of
blind and partially sighted children being limited to four at each of Amersham Road
and Rushey Green day nurseries. There is a Special Unit at Shaftesbury House day
nursery for twelve severely sub-normal children, no charge is made for this service
except for 6d. a day in respect of a mid-day meal.
ADOPTION AND BOARDING-OUT
Before a child is placed for adoption or boarding-out a medical report is obtained
by the Council's Children's Officer. The report is usually made by a general practitioner,
visiting medical officer of a residential nursery or a hospital doctor. Although
these medical reports meet the statutory requirements it is the Council's practice for
such reports to be submitted to the Medical Officer of Health before a child is adopted
or boarded-out. The medical certificates in respect of the prospective adopting parents
are scrutinised before the children are placed with them. 47 adoption and boardingout
reports were examined and reports on 30 prospective parents were scrutinised
during 1965.
BOARDING-OUT OF CONTACTS OF TUBERCULOSIS
Boarding-out of child tuberculosis contacts is arranged by this Department on the
recommendation of Chest Physicians, for children exposed to infection in their own
homes or whose parents are receiving residential treatment for tuberculosis and
cannot arrange for the care of their children. Boarding-out is also arranged for
segregation during B.C.G. vaccination. The number of children Boarded-out during
1965 was six.
BLIND AND PARTIALLY SIGHTED PERSONS
During the year 205 examinations were arranged in connection with certification
under the National Assistance Act 1948 of blind or partially sighted persons. In
addition, certificates accepted from other local authorities and hospitals numbered 34.
This certification is necessary to facilitate the Council's scheme for providing welfare
services for the blind and partially sighted.
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