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subject to the carrying out by the voluntary bodies of any improvements suggested
by the Council. The homes are registered or exempted from registration, under
Part XI of the Public Health (London) Act, 1936, as necessary. Some of the homes
are also registered under Section 29 of the Children Act, 1948. There are 24 grantaided
homes, and the approximate total grant for the financial year was £15,788.
The denominations responsible for the management of the homes are Church of
England 8, Roman Catholic 4, Salvation Army 3, Church Army 2, Jewish 1,
Methodist 1, undenominational 5, but all homes are undenominational where
admissions are concerned. The Council is represented by medical officers of the
department on the governing bodies of the homes which receive grants.
Social work, both pre-natal and post-natal is, in the main, done by moral
welfare associations whose trained workers attach the greatest importance to it.
The primary object is to re-establish the mother in her own life, together with her
baby if possible. In London 33 moral welfare workers are employed by five associations
which received grants anounting to £7,200 from the Council during the
financial year. The voluntary committees of the mother and baby homes give
valuable assistance in the work.
There is the closest co-operation between the health visitors and the moral
welfare workers. Unmarried mothers are put into touch with the moral welfare
workers and the health visitors see that the maternity and child welfare services
arc made available to them. Where necessary, financially necessitous cases are
referred to the Welfare Department. Women in need of residential accommodation
and considered unsuitable for admission to voluntary homes are cared for in the
homes maintained by that department.
Rccupcrativc Holidays
The demand for recuperative holidays increased during the year, and additional
recuperative holiday home accommodation was approved for the reception of al
categories of persons medically recommended for holiday.
The services of the Invalid Children's Aid Association continued to be used foi
the placing of unaccompanied children in recuperative holiday homes (4 weeks oi
more). In addition, the Council itself increased the accommodation available foi
children sent by it for shorter holiday periods (2-3 weeks). Direct arrangements
included the use of recuperative holiday homes maintained by the Jewish Board of
Guardians, the Wandsworth Peace Memorial Committee, the National Institute
for the Blind, and a successful experiment was carried out in sending selected children
to private hotel accommodation on the approved list of the School Journey Association
of London, in the care of holiday organising staff appointed by the Council. At
the end of the year discussions were taking place with the Children's Country
Holidays Fund for the use of further accommodation for children's recuperative
holidays. Arrangements were also made for the use of a holiday home owned by the
Women's Voluntary Services for a longer holiday of up to three months for children
with non-tuberculous chest infections. Full use was made of the Council's own
recuperative holiday home for children at Mayfield, Sussex, and it was decided to
acquire a further home for children aged 4-8 years old.
Use was made of the Family Welfare Association as a placing agency for adults
and accompanied children recommended for recuperative holidays. The approved
holiday accommodation for expectant and nursing mothers, with their young children,
and for other adults was, however, increased so considerably during the year
that the majority of persons in these categories recommended for recuperative
holidays should be able to be placed in future without recourse to the services of a
placing agency. Arrangements were made during the year with the Spero Fund for
the Welfare of Tuberculous Workers, for adults with non-active tuberculosis to be
sent for recuperative holidays.
Social
Work
Participation
of
Health
Visitors
Children
Expectant
and nursing
mothers and
young
children and
other adults