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31
Number of children removed from register during year :
Removed to care of parent or relative 50
Removed to another fostermother 8
Removed for adoption through a Society 7
Removed to a Children's Home or School 9
Legally adopted by fostermother 2
Died (Inquests held, None) 4
Fostermother left district 7
Attained nine years of age 7
Placed in care of Public Assistance Authority,
parent having disappeared 1
Removed from care of fostermother at request
of Medical Officer of Health 9
104
Number of children on register at end of year 121
(Number of fostermothers having care of the
above children, 92).
Number of visits made by Health Visitors 840
During the year a Memorandum was issued to the Health
Visitors regarding the supervision of the foster-children in their
respective areas, in which it was stated :
It is desirable that there should be a very strict standard to which
fostermothers should conform and if the home circumstances, the capabilities
of the fostermother, a large family, the presence of lodgers, or any other
point causes doubt you should not recommend registration. It is not desirable
that a woman should be allowed to receive a young baby for whom there
will not be adequate room later when the child is older.
Application for permission to have more than one child should receive
even stricter attention. It is easier to refuse registration at the onset than
to secure removal of the child later. Furthermore, no woman should be
allowed to continue as a fostermother if her circumstances deteriorate below
the standard and steps should be taken to cancel registration. Sometimes
this may be achieved by notifying the woman that another child will not
be allowed when the present child leaves her care.
Some slight relaxation of the requirements may be made in cases where
a child is to be received for a short period in an emergency. Where you
recommend registration to meet such an emergency please indicate this
in your report so that suitable communication may be sent to the applicant
permitting registration for the particular child only."
It is fortunately becoming a regular practice for persons
wishing to become fostermothers to make application for registration
previous to their making any arrangements to receive a
child. It would be much more satisfactory if all interested in
placing foster children made a point of advising prospective fostermothers
to apply for approval before steps are taken to receive a