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49 1929
Welfare Centres
Towards the end of the year a new child welfare centre was
opened at premises rented from the authorities of the Wesleyan
mission in Steele Road.
The appointment of another Health Visitor necessitated a
re-arrangement of the districts, and a new centre was opened in
Steele Road.
It was found necessary to arrange for a weekly opening of
the Centre in East Acton School.
There are now six sessions held weekly, 2 each in Church
Road and Palmerston Road and one each in East Acton School
and Steele Road.
In connection with the new appointment of a HealthVisitor
the work is jointly school medical and infant welfare. Miss Sorlie
undertakes in addition to the visiting of infants under 5 years of
age, certain school medical work in Rothschild Road and Beaumont
Park Schools.
Miss Woosnam, in addition to her school medical services,
does the infant welfare work in the East Acton area and attends
the Infant Welfare Centre in the East Acton School.
This arrangement obviates overlapping in the visits . to the
homes, and I hope will tend to efficiency.
Day Nursery
The Nursery was open on 231 occasions, and 4,134 wholeday
and 94 half-day attendances were made. The Nursery is open
on 5 days of the week, but last year it was suggested that a Saturday
morning opening would prove a convenience to some of the
mothers. The experiment was tried, and the Nursery was opened
on a Saturday morning for 8 weeks. On 8 occasions 1 child
attended.
The reasons for the non-success of a Saturday morning
opening is not far to seek. Most of the mothers are occupied in
work which does not necessitate going away on the Saturday
morning. In the laundries, for instance, the married woman seldom
works on a Saturday morning, and even where the employment of
the mother necessitates her leaving her home on a Saturday, there
is frequently a school girl who looks after the baby. The trial, I
think, proved that at the present time there is no real necessity for
a Saturday morning opening of the Day Nursery. Conditions may
change and our procedure may have to change with the altered
conditions.