London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Harrow 1945
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Harrow]
This page requires JavaScript
Continued from previous page...
| Number of persons on the register who were receiving children for reward at the end of the year (Of these : 60 with children ; 63 without) | 123 | |
| Number of children on the register at the beginning of the year | 77 | |
| Number of children received during the year... | 58 | |
| Number of children removed from the register during the year | 67 | |
| Removed to care of parents | 35 | |
| Removed to care of another foster mother | 12 | |
| Legally adopted by foster parent | 1 | |
| Removed to charitable organisation, etc | 4 | |
| Removed to hospital | 1 | |
| At exempted premises | — | |
| Foster parent left the district taking the child with her | 13 | |
| Foster mother no longer receiving payment | — | |
| Child attained the age of nine years | — | |
| Died ... | — | |
| Number of children on the register at the end of the year | 68 | |
I here are 39 homes where only one child is received. In addition,
there are 20 homes where more than one child is accepted, the number of
children in all these being 64. One residential school receives children
under nine years of age. In addition, there are three schools exempted.
ADOPTION OF CHILDREN.
The purpose of the Adoption of Children (Regulation) Act, 1939, was
to regulate arrangements made by adoption societies and other persons
for the adoption of children, to provide for the supervision of adopted
children by welfare authorities in certain cases, and to restrict the making
and receipt of payments in connection with the adoption of children. Its
introduction was deferred to 1st June, 1943.
Welfare authorities are interested in the child under nine years of age
(that is until he attains the age of nine or is adopted) who is in the care of
a person not the parent or guardian, in respect of the placing of whom
arrangements have been made by any person not the parent or guardian,
unless these were made by a registered adoption society or local authority.
As regards such children, any person taking part in the arrangements,
is required to give at least seven days' notice to the welfare authority of
the area in which the adopter resides.
The Act seems to be little known and still less understood. In this
district, as it was felt that any of them might be concerned in the making
of arrangements for the adoption of new-born children, general medical
practitioners, midwives and persons in charge of local maternity homes,
had their attention drawn to the provisions of the Act relating to notification
to the welfare authority. During the year, only 14 notices were
received under section 7.38 children were at the end of the year under
supervision. It is unfortunate that the knowledge and experience of
health visitors was not made more use of, by their opinion being sought
on the suitability of homes. The well-known adoption societies do ask