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Not unnaturally, mothers come much less frequently to the clinic
when the child is getting older. While such a child might be brought to
the centre at the same time as a younger member of the family, the only
child is not brought. To encourage their attendance and to enable them
to be kept under regular supervision, special sessions for toddlers have
been established. Under these arrangements, about twenty children are
summoned by appointment to a regular session, the same child being
invited every quarter. A weekly session can, in this way, keep about 250
children under observation. Staffing difficulties necessitated the closing
of a number of toddlers' sessions during the war, and not all have been
re-opened by the end of the year, when the equivalent of five weekly
toddlers' sessions were held at eight premises.
The following is a summary of the attendances at the infant welfare
centres during the year :
Total attendances at all centres:
(1) By children under one year of age 44,546
(2) By children between the ages of one and five years 17,337
Total number of children who first attended at the centres during
the year and who, on the date of their first attendance were :
(1) Under one year of age 2,764
(2) Between the ages of one and five years 759
Total number of children under 5 years of age who attended at the
centres during the year and who, at the end of the year were :
(1) Under one year of age 2,274
(2) Over one year of age 6,019
TREATMENT.
While treatment of the ill child brought to the infant welfare centre
was banned, authorities were empowered to provide certain forms of
treatment similar to those made available for school children under the
school medical services. These in this district embrace dental treatment,
physio-therapeutic treatment, treatment of orthopaedic conditions,
ophthalmic treatment and operative treatment of tonsils and adenoids.
The machinery by which welfare authorities have provided these
services is far from uniform, some providing them all themselves, some
providing part themselves and contracting for others, others such as this
district contracting almost entirely. Patients requiring dental treatment
and ophthalmic treatment are treated by the staff of the Middlesex
Education Committee. Patients requiring physio-therapeutic treatment
or attention to orthopaedic conditions are treated by the staff of the
Harrow Hospital at the clinic at 76, Marlborough Hill. Patients requiring
operative treatment of tonsils and adenoids are referred either to the
Redhill County Hospital or to the Harrow Hospital. By arrangement
with the Middlesex Education Committee patients suitable for such
treatment can attend the County Council's Child Guidance Clinic or
Speech Therapy Clinic. Apart from these conditions there are some which
are suitable for treatment by the nurses of the District Nursing Association
with whom the Council has an agreement. Arrangements were