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Care of the unmarried mother and her child
Moral welfare associations—Financial assistance totalling £18,760 was given during the
year 1964/65 to the five large moral welfare associations of the major religious denominations:
£
London Diocesan Council for Moral Welfare 10,450
Southwark Diocesan Association for Moral Welfare 7,000
Westminster Catholic Social Welfare Committee 660
Southwark Catholic Rescue Society 500
Jewish Board of Guardians 150
Mother and baby homes—Voluntary organisations provide most of the mother and baby
homes in London, supported by grants in aid from the Council under the National Health
Service Act, 1946. A total of £13,214 was paid during the year to the 17 homes receiving
grant and the number of expectant and nursing mothers admitted to these homes was 1,558.
One mother and baby home is maintained by the Welfare department together with two
other units within their larger homes.The following table shows grants and number of girls
admitted to the voluntary homes during the last five years.
1960 1961 1962 1963 1964
Total grants £8,865 £9,998 £11,743 £15,647 £13,214
Number of expectant and nursing
mothers admitted 1,136 1,171 1,599 1,545 1,558
Child protection
Child protection work under Part 1 of the Children Act, 1958 and Part IV of the
Adoption Act, 1958 continued to be undertaken on behalf of the Children's Officer in six
of the health divisions, visits being made mainly by health visitors. During 1964, however,
the Children's Officer took over direct control in three areas and made arrangements to
take over the direct control of the three remaining areas early in 1965.
Marriage guidance
The Council has made financial grants to the London Marriage Guidance Council, the
Catholic Marriage Advisory Council and the Family Discussion Bureau. The latter was
formerly a branch of the Family Welfare Association; since 1950 the Bureau has been
associated with the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations and through it functions as an
independent body. The London Marriage Guidance Council holds many of its weekly
counselling sessions free of charge in the Council's maternity and child welfare centres.
Monthly talks are given to groups of engaged or newly married couples and a rapidly
expanding side of the work is visits to secondary schools, colleges and youth centres for
talks and informal discussions with young people. The Catholic Marriage Advisory Council
holds weekly sessions in its own headquarters but in some cases sessions are held free of
charge in the Council's maternity and child welfare centres. Grants totalling £10,500 were
made to the three marriage guidance bodies in 1964.
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