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Because of pressure on places available, waiting lists for admission have to be
maintained. In the long term, the Council planned additional Nursery will help to
meet a growing need for this demand. In the meantime, steps must be taken to encourage
the establishment of high standard private day nurseries and child minders
and to seek ways of supporting the mother of very young children in providing care
in their own homes.
CONGENITAL MALFORMATIONS
Figures are supplied to the Registrar-General of all congenital malformations recorded
at birth. During the year the scheme was extended to congenital malformations
not reported at birth but observed within the child's first year. The co-operation of
hospitals and general practitioners in this arrangement is, of course, essential.
The Registrar-General's collation of these returns, which is published periodically,
enables changes in the national and regional patterns to be detected. Children are not
identified to the Registrar-General individually, but all such children are considered
for placing on the Health Department's register of handicapped and those at risk of
becoming handicapped. An intensive follow-up is now a routine procedure.
During the year a total of 156 malformations were reported. This figure represents
3.0 per cent, of the net male births and 1.9 per cent, of the net female births in the
Borough.
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The Council's Day Nurseries
There are three; Rushey Green, Perry Rise (Shaftesbury House) and Amersham
Road, and the number of approved places 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 need for admission 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, cases are normally reviewed financially
every six months and fully once a year.
Deaf, blind or partially sighted children may be admitted for a period of up to
fifteen hours a week without charge. The numbers are limited to four at Amersham
Road and Rushey Green day nurseries. There is a Special Unit at Shaftesbury House
for fifteen severely subnormal children, no charge being made, except for 6d. a day
in respect of a mid-day meal.
Day nurseries, playgroups and child minders are supervised by Health Visitors.
This surveillance is considered to be a most important aspect of their work, and it is
mainly due to their constant vigilance that many abuses of child minding are prevented.
However, there is an ever present danger of unofficial or unauthorised minding.
Whenever this is brought to notice an immediate investigation is made and action
taken.
Training for the Nursery Nurses Examination Board Certificate is undertaken at
all of the Council's day nurseries in conjunction with the Brixton and Southwark
Colleges of Further Education.
Creches are provided at four centres. Provision is made for autistic children and
those with social handicaps, e.g. speech difficulties in children from families whose
parents do not speak English. Creches are also used by mothers attending various
clinic sessions.