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poor health of *an affectionate mother to dislike of the child and brutality, and
embracing other contributory factors, such as lack of help in the home, bad housing,
ignorance of home management, subnormality of parent or child, frequent pregnancies,
laziness and unhappy relations between parents. While in some cases prosecution
and the removal of the child from home may be the only possible course, in many
it will be feasible to remove or mitigate the causes of neglect by bringing into action
the various social services available. The Joint Circular is being considered by the
Council in relation to its many functions that bring it into touch with the homes of
the people of London through its health and other services.
Day nurseries, creches and nursery play centres
During the year five day nurseries were closed because the premises were no
longer available for day nursery purposes and two replacement day nurseries were
opened. The number of places provided in the Council's maintained and grant aided
day nurseries, including creches, was 6,462 on 31st December, 1950, compared with
6,615 on 31st December, 1949.
The charges for meals supplied in day nurseries were revised and a sliding scale,
varying with the number of children from each family attending a nursery, was
introduced. The charges were also made subject to abatement according to financial
needs, as opposed to the previous fixed charge. The priorities for admission were
reviewed during the year and were applied to all children in attendance in the day
nurseries, including those admitted before January, 1949, when the priorities were
first approved. Provision was also made for a six-monthly review of the circumstances
of parents whose children were attending day nurseries, and parents are
required to withdraw their children from nurseries as and when the cases no longer
fall within the approved priority classes. Reasonable notice of withdrawal is given
and, where possible, assistance is offered to the parent concerned in providing alternative
means of looking after the child, generally through a child-minder.
As a result of the first review in August, 1950, some 400 places were made
available for children on the priority waiting list, which, at the end of the year,
stood at 1,932 compared with 4,797 on 31st December, 1949.
The comparatively high cost of maintaining a child in a day nursery continued
to cause concern and a detailed survey of the day nursery service was carried out
during the latter part of the year. It is hoped that as a result of the findings some
saving in the cost of the service will be effected during next year.
Measures were taken to improve the precautions made in day nurseries against
burglaries and the number of unlawful entries, although still considerable, was lower
than in the previous year.
There was a small increase in nursery play centre facilities during the year.
Nurseries and Child-Minders Regulation Act, 1948
There was an increase in the number of private day nurseries statutorily registered
under the Nurseries and Child-Minders Regulation Act, 1948. The number of these
nurseries and the places provided on 31st December, 1950, compared with 31st
December, 1949, were as follow :—
At 31.12.49 At 31.12.50
Number of private day nurseries
statutorily registered 28 41
Number of places provided 972 1,294
Child minders
service
This service increased during the year, both as regards child-minders who are
statutorily registrable under the Nurseries and Child-Minders Regulation Act, 1948
(i.e., persons—other than relatives—who, for reward, look after during the day more
than two children under the age of five years from different households), and women