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DAY NURSERIES AND CHILD MINDERS
Private Day Nurseries
There are twenty-six private nurseries and play groups registered with the Council
under the Nurseries and Child Minders Regulation Act 1948. The Act regulates
premises which are not wholly or mainly private dwellings in which children under
the upper limit of compulsory school age are received to be looked after for the day
or part of the day, in order to secure their safety and well-being. At the end of the
year places for 668 children were available.
So far as possible formal application is discouraged until the Council's officers
have had an opportunity to visit and discuss the project with the applicant. A report
is then made on the suitability of the premises for use as a day nursery. On receipt
of the completed application the appropriate Public Health Inspector deals with fire
precautions. In certain defined cases Town Planning approval must be obtained.
The application is finally placed before the Health Committee before the Council
issues a certificate of registration.
Child Minders
There are two types of child minders, i.e. voluntary and statutory. The voluntary
scheme applies to daily minding of one or two children under the age of five and not
attending school. The statutory scheme is applied to those minding three or more
children who register under the Nurseries and Child Minders Regulation Act 1948.
Under both schemes registrations are considered on their merits after the applicants
are visited and interviewed at their homes. In the case of statutory child minders the
Health Committee must approve their registration and impose any necessary requirements.
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 on the understanding
that they bring the children to health centres regularly. At the year end
there were 147 voluntary child minders registered to mind 258 children and 55 statutory
child minders authorised to mind 258 children.
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CERVICAL CYTOLOGY
This service is conducted at Health Centres by doctors assisted by Health Visitors
and Clinic Nurses. The number of sessions held at Flower House Health Centre and
at the Goldsmiths' Community Health Centre, Boundfield Road has increased.
Stores and factories employing female labour are to be approached with a view to
offering facilities for cervical cytology coupled with talks on health education at the
firms' premises.
A cervical cytology service is necessarily dependent on the existence of sufficient
trained laboratory technicians to undertake the microscopic examination of the
smears taken. Special acknowledgement must be made to Dr. H. Barnett,
Consultant Pathologist to Lewisham Hospital, and Doctor Graham Thomas, Consultant
Pathologist to the Greenwich District Hospital, for their co-operation and
help in this service.
The table below gives the findings from all clinics during the year.