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During the year the Council extended the scheme which it had introduced in
1968 for the placement at its expense of handicapped children with private day
nurseries and playgroups where it was considered that this would be of benefit to
them.
The extended scheme enables a child in any of the priority groups to be placed
in this way and it also authorises placement with suitable child minders where this is
appropriate. At the end of the year, 26 children were placed under the revised scheme
which provides that no charge be made to the parents for sessional care; but, for
all-day care, a charge is made using the assessment scale for admission to a local
authority day nursery, unless the child qualifies for free placement because of
handicap.
With regard to handicapped children, ten such children were placed in playgroups
under this scheme during 1969. Three were suffering from behaviour disorders,
four were retarded in their general development, two had retarded speech, and one
had congenital dislocation of the hip.
Four handicapped children who first attended playgroups in 1968 left during
1969, three to attend school; the other moved out of the borough. One child with
spina bifida who was placed with a playgroup in 1968 was still in attendance at the
end of 1969.
Most of the children have made good progress in the playgroups: mentally
retarded children in particular seem to do well in the playgroup environment. The
children were distributed among ten playgroups, eight of which are members of
the Enfield Branch of the Pre-School Playgroups Association.
Creches
No creches are provided by the Council but it is proposed to provide a creche
at the Health Centre being built in Hertford Road, Edmonton.
Nurseries and Child Minders
Under the Nurseries and Child Minders Regulation Act, 1948, as amended by
the Health Services and Public Health Act, 1968, a local health authority shall make
arrangements for the keeping of registers and the supervision of nurseries and child
minders.
During 1969 the number of registered premises (private day nurseries and
playgroups) increased from 48, with places for 1,440 children, to 60, with places for
1,675 children; and the number of registered child minders increased from 27,
approved to take 200 children, to 176, approved to take 387 children. The large
increase in the number of child minders arose from the new requirement that persons
minding only one or two children must also register. This requirement also meant
the discontinuation of the daily guardian scheme which had enabled persons caring
for less than three children to register voluntarily with the Council.
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