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61
CARE OF THE UNMARRIED MOTHER.
The Croydon Association for Moral Welfare continued to act
for the Corporation and received payment on a capitation basis
for cases dealt with by their Social Worker. The Corporation
also paid hostel fees in respect of approved cases for whom such
accommodation was required.
During the year under review—
137 cases were dealt with by the Social Worker;
33 cases were admitted to Hostels;
15 cases were temporarily accommodated at Glazier
House (the Croydon Home of the Moral Welfare
Association).
INFANT WELFARE CENTRES
These have continued basically unchanged. The provision
of toddlers' rooms has been arranged wherever the premises
afforded the necessary accommodation and in smaller halls play
tables supplied. Such arrangements are nothing new, but have
been emphasised because of the efforts now being made to
encourage the attendance of the " toddler " group.
The critics of infant welfare centres have been prominent
during recent years. The record low infant mortality rates are
the latest reason put forward as indicating a need to transfer this
work from local authorities, but no unanimity exists amongst
those anxious for such a change. Some suggest transfer to the
hospital service and others to the general practitioners. As
regards the former, their bias is necessarily towards the treatment
of established illness, this being their primary statutory duty. It
is essential to have infant welfare centres wihin easy " pram
pushing " distance of the homes of mothers concerned so that
clinics outside hospital premises as at present would still be
needed. I have always wished that hospital medical officers
should give reciprocal sessions at infant welfare clinics and am
still hopeful that such arrangements may be made in Croydon.
This is surely the rational form that developments should take,
insofar as full correlation of hospital and local authority services