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district in the Area could take advantage of these excellent facilities.
81 sessions were held during 1953, with an average attendance of
12. This average is steadily increasing.
Child Welfare Clinics were held at 13 premises throughout
the Area, special toddler sessions being a feature at most of these
premises. A total of 26 sessions on an average was held each week,
with an average attendance of 37.
During the earlier part of 1953, approval was given to provide
vaccination against smallpox at our clinics, where immunisation
against diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough) or diphtheria and
pertussis combined has been supplied for many years. Vaccination
facilities are now available at most clinics in the Area.
Graphs are kept of the quarterly figures relating to attendances
at each of our welfare centres. These graphs allow us to judge the
usefulness of our clinics, both on a geographical and numerical
basis, and enable us to formulate our policy in advance. The graphs
will be available for inspection by the Committee.
A feature of the work carried out at our Child Welfare Clinics
during the past few years has been the holding of special Birthday
Sessions. Approximately one Birthday Session is held each month at
all our Clinics. Birthday letters are sent to parents of children up
to the age of five, who have at any time attended the Clinic.
Special pre-school record cards are kept, so that an accurate record
can be maintained of progress. When a child reaches its fifth birthday,
these cards are attached to the routine school medical cards,
and are available throughout the child's school life. These clinics
are definitely appreciated by mothers, and allow us to pick up
stragglers whose attendances have been irregular.
Of the thirteen premises used as comprehensive clinics,
throughout the Area, four are church halls, two in Friern Barnet,
one in Wood Green and one in Potters Bar. It will readily be
understood that the use of church halls is not entirely satisfactory,
since they compare unfavourably with ad hoc premises. Within
recent years, we have transferred clinics from two church halls in
Southgate to our own premises, with advantage to the services and
to the mothers and children who take advantage of them.
Plans are now being prepared to erect two new comprehensive
centres, one in Friern Barnet and one in Potters Bar. It will presumably
be some time before these centres are available, but we
look forward eagerly to their inception.
With regard to the number of mothers who use our infant
welfare centres, we made a very careful check of approximately
half the Area, over a five year period from 1947 to the end of 1951.
This census was completed in 1952, but the Committee might be
interested to see the results, which are illuminating. The mothers
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