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10
Home Visiting.
The Health Visitors made a total of 7,282 home visits during
the year. Of these 537 were ante-natal visits to expectant mothers,
3,260 to babies under one year and 3,485 to children of from one
to five years.
The Health Visitors also continue to act as Infant Life Protection
Visitors, visiting registered foster-mothers and foster-children
at regular intervals. There were 8 foster-mothers and 10 fosterchildren
on the Register at the end of the year.
In their work the Health Visitors from time to time have to
deal with unsatisfactory conditions in which negligence on the part
of the parents fails to yield to the ordinary methods of advice and
persuasion, and it is necessary to call in the assistance of the
National Society for the Protection and Care of Children. The
help readily given by Inspector Martin, the officer of the Society for
this district is much appreciated by the staff.
Care of the Unmarried Mother and her Child.
For many years there has been co-operation between the health
visitors and the social welfare worker of the Tottenham Deanery
Association for Moral Welfare, in dealing with the unmarried
mother and her child. Every effort is made where it is necessary
to obtain the admission of the mother to a hostel, and later to
induce the mother to retain her baby with her. In the majority
of cases this is possible and the mother and baby can then be under
the care of the health visitor, but when this is not possible, assistance
is given in finding suitable foster-mothers or advising as to
adoption.
Free Food.
Free food, consisting of dried milk and cod-liver oil emulsion
was issued to necessitous expectant and nursing mothers attending
the centres, at a cost of £10 1s. 8d.
Home Help.
The services of four home helps were made use of during the
year, the number of confinements in which help was given being 21.