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Unfitness by reason of old age, infirmity or ill-health has been added to the class of persons
unfit to have care of foster children.
Detrimental environment, as well as unsuitable premises or foster parents, is recognised as a
ground for action both before and after reception.
(11) Legal action.—The Authority, in place of the visitor, is made directly responsible for
applying to a Court of Summary Jurisdiction for an order for the removal of a child to a place of
safety and the Authority's power to issue an order on the application of a visitor is rescinded—
there are, however, provisions for emergency.
(12) Prohibition of anonymous advertisements for children.—It is made an offence to publish
any advertisement, whether of a person or a society, for children within the scope of the Acts which
does not truly state the name and the residence or office of the person or society—arrangements
should be made for the scrutiny of local newspapers and for investigating relevant advertisements.
(13) Exemptions.—The exemption of hospitals, convalescent homes and institutions is
limited to certain establishments.
The Minister of Health issued Memorandum 165/M.C.W. setting out the effect of the new
provisions and Memorandum 165a/M.C.W. containing a summary of the law relating to infant life
protection for the guidance of infant protection visitors. These memoranda have received the
careful attention of the Council and of the officers concerned with Infant Life Protection.
Advertisements relative to the new Act were put in the local press, posters were displayed
and handbills distributed. Possible boarding schools, institutions, nursing homes and hospitals were
circularised, and leaflets of advice to foster mothers, including the new provisions, were sent to all
women who at any time since 1st April, 1930, had been registered as foster mothers.
4 certificates of exemption were granted under Section 69 (b) of the Children and Young
Persons Act, 1932.
Under Section 2 (4) of the Children Act, 1908, all registered nursing homes were granted
exemption from the liability to be visited for the purposes of the Act so long as the children are on
their registers as patients in the Home.
In the case of two foster mothers the Council refused to allow them to continue as foster
mothers as the conditions had become unsatisfactory. One of these gave up the children, the other
arranged for the foster child's mother to take a room in her house and have the child at night. The
child thus ceased to come within the provisions of the Infant Life Protection Acts.
In the case of two other foster mothers the Council reduced the number of children previously
permitted to be kept.
Proceedings were taken in one case for failure to give notice of reception of child and failure
to give notice of removal of child from foster mother's care. The foster mother was fined 40s. on each
summons and 15s. expenses, amounting in all to £4 15s.
Two foster children died during the year. In both cases the deaths were sudden and postmortems
were held. In one case the death was found to be due to syncope from enlarged thymus,
and in the other to syncope from mitral valvular disease and tumour of the brain.
Nine foster mothers were discovered by Health Visitors on the district or at the Health
Centres who pleaded ignorance of the law of notification.