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Private Day Nurseries & Child-Minders
Thirteen private nurseries or play groups were registered by the Council under the
Nurseries & Child-Minders Regulation Act, 1948 during the year. At the end of the
year there were 39 registered nurseries or groups authorised to provide whole or part
day care for up to 1,013 children.
Section 60 of the Health Services and Public Health Act, 1968, which came into
force on 1st November extended the scope of the Nurseries & Child-Minders
Regulation Act and the Council's powers and responsibilities thereunder. It became
a requirement for women minding children other than relatives for reward for two
hours or more in any day to be registered, although a three-months period of grace
before unregistered minding of one or two children became an offence. At the end of
the year there were 66 statutorily registered minders of more than two children and
arrangements were in hand for the registration of some 150 other women who had
previously been registered as voluntary minders of one or two children.
To encourage the development of day care services following the receipt of Ministry
of Health Circular 37/68 the Health Committee approved the placing of priority
group children with approved private nurseries or child minders with payment of the
fees by the Council in necessitous cases and recovery of an assessed charge from the
parents. The giving of financial assistance to nurseries or play groups prepared to
accept priority group children was also approved and active consideration was being
given at the end of the year to the formulation of a suitable scheme. To help stimulate
the siting of new nurseries and groups and deal with other work resulting from the
implementation of the suggestions contained in the Ministry Circular and the Council's
increased responsibilities under the Nurseries & Child-Minders Regulation Act
additional central staff, including an extra Assistant Nursing Officer and an Organiser
of Play Groups and Child-Minders, were authorised.
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 144 malformation were reported. This figure represents
2.9% of total live births in the Borough.