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85
ity to such institutions as schools, and a number of boarding schools
receiving children under the age of nine have been so exempted.
Before the war many women—usually mothers with their own small
children—were prepared to accept foster children for the sum of about
12s. 6d. weekly. Usually there would be no agreement or understanding
as to whether for this payment the foster parent was required to pay for
medical treatment, clothing, etc.
There are many unsatisfactory features in to-day's legislative powers.
Collusion between parents and foster parents can render it difficult to
prove a child is received for reward ; failing proof, no action can be taken
under the provisions relating to foster children. A foster parent is merely
obliged to give notice of the receipt of the child, the authority then limiting
the numbers as it thinks fit or taking steps to remove the child if conditions
are unsatisfactory. In the latter event, though, there are conditions
which, while making it undesirable the child should remain in the home,
are not so serious as to justify an application for removal being made. It
would be far more satisfactory if a foster home had to be licensed before
any child is received. The financial aspects, too, are unsatisfactory. The
reward of the foster mother is small and is uncertain. Higher charges
might be more than the mother could afford. It would be helpful if
approved foster mothers received their payments from the authority,
who would in return recover from the parent, the proportion received
depending on her financial circumstances. Presumably any such arrangement
would apply only to those cases where the child's parent was
entitled to the help of the authority, and help would not be provided to
mothers living outside the area, but whose children were fostered here.
On a prospective foster mother making application, she is visited by
the health visitor, each of whom is appointed child protection visitor for
her area, and the premises are inspected by the sanitary inspector. In
most cases the applicant wishes to foster only the one child. There are
in the district a certain number of homes in which a number of children
are cared for. In this case the number is determined by the area of the
sleeping room, each child being allowed 40 square feet. In addition
whenever there are more than three children a separate day nursery is
required. The foster mother undertakes to keep the child under the
supervision of her own medical attendant or attend the nearest infant
welfare centre. The homes are visited by the health visitor once a month
so that the older of these children receive much more attention from the
health visitors than the other children in the district.