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Damage to Nurseries.— Wesley Road damaged by blast; closed for 2 days. Chichester Road damaged
by blast; closed for 1 day, except for top floor, which was unsafe owing to ceiling damage. Repairs have now been
carried out.
Training of Students.—10 nurseries are affiliated to the National Society of Children's Nurseries. The students
attend for lectures at Hendon Polytechnic and Hammersmith School for Women. 3 students entered for the Diploma
in November ; 2 students obtained the Diploma, the third passing in the practical section only.
Training of Nursery Assistants.—There are now 14 Nursery Assistants attending lectures in preparation for
the Diploma; 1 candidate obtained the Diploma in May, 1944, and 7 are due to sit for the examination in May,
1945.
REGISTERED DAILY GUARDIANS.
The scheme of the Ministry of Labour and National Service for Registered Daily Guardians came into operation
in Willesden in May, 1942, and is operated from the Health Centres. Suitable guardians are registered at the Health
Centres and notified as to the number of daily children they may take and the Labour Exchange is informed.
Mothers are put in touch with Guardians if necessary. The mother makes her own arrangements with the Guardian
as regards the care and feeding of the children and the weekly sum payable. The Labour Exchange makes an additional
payment to the Guardian of 4s. in respect of each child under 5 years cared for on 4 or more days a week and
2s. for 1 to 3 days per week. The Exchange looks into the question of whether the mother's employment is war
work.
The Council's Health Visitors supervise the Registered Daily Guardians and pay not less than monthly visits
to them.
At the end of 1944 57 Daily Guardians were registered to take 87 children. Of these 57 guardians, 36 actually
had children in their care at the end of the year. These 36 had 43 children in their care, thereby releasing 40 mothers
for work. The guardians were not women who would have been out at work even if they had not taken daily children.
Their care of these children was therefore not detracting from the war effort.
The objections to this scheme are that the 4s. is an inadequate contribution from the Government and the
forms deter some people from making use of the scheme. If a mother can get her child into a War-time Nursery for
Is. per day or 6s. per week she is not likely to show much enthusiasm for a scheme under which she has to pay the
bulk of the daily guardian's fee. At a nursery all food is supplied and the full rations are still available for home use.
This is not so in the case of Daily Registered Guardians. Certain clothing is also supplied in the nurseries which saves
wear and tear of the children's own clothing and a considerable amount of laundry work is done for them at the
nursery.
APPENDIX A.
THE CARE OF ILLEGITIMATE CHILDREN.
Circular 2866 of the Ministry of Health.
REPORT OF MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH.
Circular 2866, dated October 1st, 1943, has been issued by the Minister of Health and deals with the care of
illegitimate children. The Minister asks that the welfare authority shall submit proposals to him within the next
few months in accordance with Section 204 (1) of the Public Health Act, 1936, which is as follows :—
" A welfare authority may, subject to the general approval of the Minister, make arrangements for the
care of expectant and nursing mothers and of children who have not attained the age of 5 years and are not
being educated in schools recognized by the Board of Education :
Provided that nothing in this section shall authorize the establishment by such an authority of a general
domiciliary service by medical practitioners."