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1909. It consolidates and amends the Law relating to the Protection
of Children and Young Persons, Reformatory and Industrial Schools,
and Juvenile Offenders; and otherwise amends the Law with respect
to children and young persons. Part I. deals with Infant Life
Protection, and requires that anyone undertaking, for reward, the
nursing and maintenance, for more than 48 hours, of one or more
infants under the age of 7 years apart from their parents shall notify
(he local authority of the fact within 48 hours, and shall repeat the
notification on change of residence; notification must also be given
within 48 hours of the death of any such infant, and within 24 hours
a notification must be sent to the Coroner. Such person must have
no interest in any Life Assurance policy with reference to a child in
their charge. Every local authority must prosecute enquiries to
ascertain whether any persons liable to notification are residing
in the district, and if so, shall provide infant protection visitors;
local authorities may combine for the purpose of executing the above
provisions of the Act, and they may exempt any particular premises
from visitations; they may fix the number of infants which may be
kept in an dwelling, and may obtain the removal of any infant from
overcrowded, dangerous, or insanitary premises, or from the custody
of any negligent, ignorant, drunken, immoral, or criminal individual.
Off enders under this part of the Act are liable to six months' imprisonment
or a fine, and the above provisions do not extend to any relative
or legal guardian of an infant. The! local authority in London is the
County Council and elsewhere the Guardians of the Poor.
Part II. deals with the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and
Young Persons. When the death of an infant under 3 years of age
is caused by suffocation in a bed occupied by another person of
over 16 years of age, and the other person at the time of going to
bed was under the influence of drink, such other person is liable,
on conviction of neglect, to imprisonment or fine. It is an offence
to cause any child or young person to beg, or to fail to protect a
child under seven years of age against the risks from burning in a
room where there is an open fireplace grate; to allow children or