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114
APPENDIX H.
February 9th, 1937.
MEMORANDUM ON INFANT LIFE PROTECTION.
By THE MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH.
Powers.
The Children and Young Persons Acts, 1908-32, make certain provisions for the care of Foster
Children.
The Maternity and Child Welfare Act, 1918, gives power to any local authority within the
meaning of the Notification of Births Act, 1907, to make such arrangements as may be sanctioned
by the Ministry of Health for attending to the health of expectant and nursing mothers and of children
who have not attained the age of five years and are not being educated in schools recognised by the
Board of Education.
Failure.
Notwithstanding this, there were two cases before the Health Committee at its meeting on the
8th December, 1936, in which the arrangements in force in Willesden under the above provisions
failed to ensure suitable care for the children.
In the case of the foster child, K.C., aged 5 months, the child's mother, although reported to
be earning 38s. 6d. a week, failed to keep up her payments to the foster mother. The foster mother,
finding it impossible to keep the child without money and being unable to find the mother, applied
to the Public Assistance Officer to take the child into the Institution. This was not done but as a result
of instructions received, the foster mother left the child at its mother's address with the result that
the child was subsequently found abandoned in a church porch.
In the case of Mrs. E., without contravening the law she has succeeded in getting a child aged
6 months into her care although the home conditions are unsuitable.
Problems.
Even apart from such cases as these the care of foster children is not all that could be desired.
The majority of foster children are illegitimate.
Their mothers are frequently in employment and may work up to a month before the
confinement.
During this last month when they are not employed, they must keep themselves and make
some provision for the child.
They are confined for the most part in hospital.
At the end of 10 days or a fortnight they are discharged.
They have no money left.
They have nowhere to go.
They are handicapped by the child.
It is important that they get work at once.
What often happens seems to be that such a mother finds some woman who, perhaps out of
kindness or perhaps in hope of money later on, takes the child whilst the mother searches for work.
The child may be well cared for or not, but in any case the mother probably in the circumstances
does not enquire too closely. She is glad to get anybody to take the child. If she gets work and pays
the woman, it may be that the child stays on for a time but if the payments are small and irregular,
the child may be passed from one woman to another, finding no stability in life at all.
Shortage of Foster Mothers.
At present there is a shortage of foster mothers and requests are constantly received from
rescue workers, hospital almoners and others for addresses of possible foster mothers. It is not unusual
for them to state when they ring up Willesden that they have already tried London and neighbouring
districts.
Suitable women are chary of becoming foster mothers on account of—
1. The small payments.
2. The irregularity of the payments.
3. The possible or even probable lapse of payments altogether.
4. The difficulty and delay in getting help from the Public Assistance Departments when
foster children are left on their hands.
5. The knowledge that at any time a child whom they may have grown to love may have
to be parted with for lack of money.