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officers of the public health, welfare and children's departments of the Council have
been held at County Hall.
Mother and Baby Homes—With the exception of one mother and baby home, under
the direct control of the welfare department, homes have been run by voluntary
organisations which received annual deficiency grants from the Council. Expectant
mothers are admitted two months before and may remain for two months after confinement.
The post-natal period has, in many cases, become shorter than this following a
change in public opinion which has led to girls being received back more frequently
into the parental home. Demand for places in mother and baby homes has declined
with increased national maternity grants and allowances despite a rise in the proportion
of illegitimate live births in the County from 6.9 per cent. to 9.9 per cent. of total hve
births. The number of homes in the County has fallen from 24 at the beginning of 1949
to 16 at the end of 1958; in terms of accommodation provision for mothers has fallen
from about 460 to 300 and for babies from 300 to 190.
The provision of adequate ante-natal care for unmarried mothers has remained a
problem. Many young expectant mothers have their first real ante-natal care after
admission to these homes in spite of pressure by moral welfare workers. It is difficult
for the unmarried mother, booked tor hospital confinement, to attend out-patient
departments for ante-natal care during the day when she must be working. Because of
this in some divisions ante-natal clinics for working mothers have been held in the
evenings. One voluntary home has helped almost exclusively young mothers under
18 years of age. Visiting teachers have been provided for this home by the education
department.
Health visitors call regularly at mother and baby homes. Mothers from some
voluntary homes who intend to keep the baby may attend child welfare centres in the
final weeks of their stay.
Experience in the last ten years has shown that on an average about 50 per cent. of
babies from mother and baby homes are offered for adoption. Until some five years
ago every effort was made by moral welfare workers to keep mother and child together
at all costs, but it has become clear that this policy is not necessarily in the best interests
of the baby in every case. The welfare department of the Council in 1948 opened a
hostel for unmarried mothers in work. Mothers are admitted to the hostel on leaving the
mother and baby home and remain there for a maximum period of 18 months, by which
time it is expected that the individual mother will have overcome her difficulties. In the
hostel babies are cared for by resident and non-resident staff while the mother is at work.
This hostel was considerably enlarged in 1955 and now provides accommodation for
29 mothers and babies.
A second hostel run on similar lines was opened in 1953. The main difference between
the two hostels has been in the care of the children. At the second hostel the mother has
been expected to take her baby to a local day nursery. She has assumed at once full
responsibility for her baby and has been introduced early to the pattern of living which
in the future she must adopt if she is to keep the child.
In these hostels the mother has the opportunity to try out her own strength and will
to face the hardships which a decision to bring up her child herself must entail.
There is little doubt that improved maternity benefits, together with a change in
public opinion, have reduced the demand for accommodation for first cases. The
problem of the care of mother in her second or subsequent pregnancy yet remains to
be tackled realistically by those voluntary organisations which undertake the residential
care of the unmarried mother and her child.
So far the day-to-day services for the care of mothers and young children have been
discussed. A number of special problems have also received attention and are discussed
below.
(a) Problem families—In 1955 a survey was carried out to estimate the number of
problem families in London, which was reported in my annual report of 1956 and in the
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