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7
ADOPTION OF CHILDREN (REGULATION) ACT, 1939.
This \ct came into force on June 1st, 1943. It makes it unlawful for any body of persons to make any
arrangements for the adoption of a child unless that body is a registered adoption society or a local authority.
Adoption Societies have to be registered by the Councils of Counties or County Boroughs, and on September 8th,
1943, the Secretary of State issued the Adoption Societies Regulations, 1943, made under Section 4 of the Act. In
carrying out the obligations placed upon them Adoption Societies make considerable demands on the services of
Local Authorities' Officers.
Section 7 of the Act is the section with which Willesden as the Welfare Authority is concerned. This section
makes it the duty of any person, other than the child's parents or guardian or the person with whom the child is placed,
who participates in the arrangements for the placing of the child, to notify in writing the Welfare Authority of the
area in which the child is to be placed. It is illegal for the adopter or any other person concerned to give or receive
any remuneration or reward. It is the duty of child protection visitors to visit and examine such children and the
premises in which they are kept and further to seek out any children in respect of whom a notice should have been
given. A child may be removed from the person with whom it is placed on the same grounds as a foster child. The
provisions of Section 7 do not apply if the other person participating is a registered Adoption Society or a Local
Authority or when the child is legally adopted or reaches 9 years of age. There are certain other exceptions.
If a child is placed in the care and possession of another person by its parents without any other person in any
way participating in the making of the arrangements it does not come within the provisions of Section 7 of the Act,
and the Health Visitor can then only exercise such superv ision as is possible without compulsory power in the course
of her maternity and child welfare work.
10 persons gave notice under Section 7 (3) in 1945 in respect of 15 children. There were 6 children under
supervision at the end of the year.
THE CARE OF ILLEGITIMATE CHILDREN.
The Ministry of Health issued Circular 2866 dealing with this matter on October 1st, 1943, and a revised
edition on November 16th, 1943. A report on the subject appeared in Appendix A of the 1944 Annual Health
Report. Suitable premises have now been secured and it is hoped that a Short Stay Home will be opened about
the middle of 1946, and a Hostel about the end of 1946. These would not be limited to illegitimate children.
NURSING HOMES.
No new homes were registered in 1945.
The total number of homes on the register at the end of 1945 was 3, providing accommodation for 4 maternity
patients and 15 other patients.
AGED AND INFIRM PERSONS.
The suitable care of aged and infirm persons was reported on in the 1943 Annual Report. The problem
continues to cause concern. A number of such persons have come to notice during the year and so far there is no
satisfactory way of dealing with them.
SOCIAL PROBLEMS GENERALLY.
This subject was dealt with last year. Progress has been made with the establishment of homes and hostels
and it is hoped to open them in 1946 as indicated above.
DOMESTIC HELP.
Here again the position remains unchanged and there is still no domestic help available.
THE SCHOOL MEDICAL SERVICE.
During 1945, 3,365 children were medically inspected at routine inspections and 16,339 at special inspections
and reinspections.