View report page

28
Section I of the Act requires a local health authority to keep registers
of premises or persons where children are looked after "for the day or
substantial part thereof or for any longer period not exceeding six
days". In play.groups the children normally attend for a few hours
only at a time, and it is a matter for the local authority to decide whether
a particular play.group as such needs to be registered. There is no
precise interpretation of the words "or a substantial part" of the day and
the Minister has advised that it rests with the Council to decide whether
or not a particular group requires to be registered.
The Health Committee have now agreed that all regular child
minders (including play-groups) in the Borough should be registered
under the Act and supervised by the Council.
The numbers registered at the end of the year were as follows:—
(i) Child Minders 23
(ii) Private Day Nurseries 14
Priority Dental Service
In addition to the inspection and treatment of expectant and nursing
mothers, and pre-school children, during March and April arrangements
were made for Mr. M. A. Young, Lecturer in Children's Dentistry at the
Royal Dental Hospital, London, to carry out a dental survey of 3 and
4 year old children in our three nursery schools. One of his findings was
that 67.7% of the 3 year old children examined were caries.free, but in
the 4 year old group this figure dropped to 49.5%. A system has now
been introduced whereby all pre-school children attending the dental
clinics are recalled at four monthly intervals until they enter an infants
school and become eligible for the routine dental inspections.
Marriage Guidance
The Marriage Guidance Council have a local office in the Borough.
This is at 36 College Road, Harrow, Tel.: Harrow 8694.
Family Planning
Previous arrangements made by the former Middlesex County Council
with the Family Planning Association, whereby certain clinics were
made available, without charge, to the Association to hold family planning
sessions, were honoured by the Borough.
The present sessions are as follows:
Elmwood Avenue Clinic: Monday evening
2nd and 4th Wednesday evening
Thursday afternoon
Alexandra Avenue Clinic: Tuesday morning
A grant is paid by the Borough for each patient referred by the
Council's Medical Officer for contraceptive advice on medical grounds.