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The Girls' Aid Association deals with the Southern portion
of Chingford, the whole of Walthamstow and the Northern portion
of Leyton. The Council pays an annual grant of £25 towards the
work of the Association.
The Association provides a hostel in Walthamstow with a total
of 19 beds. Staff comprises, 3 whole-time workers. Expectant
mothers are taken in at any time during pregnancy and employment
is obtained for them until about 6 weeks before confinement.
Mother and baby usually return to the Hostel unless arrangements
have been made for the baby to be adopted or placed with a
suitable foster mother
The Superintendent of the Association reported that the chief
difficulties during 1944 were to secure accommodation for
confinements and suitable foster mothers. Although the local
Day Nurseries helped very- considerably there was need for a
residential nursery in the County area. Every possible step has,
as in previous years, been taken to ensure that the care of
illegitimate children does not fall below that given to children
who are legitimate and the figures quoted below reveal a very
satisfactory position: -

Only too often the illegitimate infant mortality is two or
three times that of the legitimate rate. In Waltharastow during
the past 11 years the illegitimate rate has been nil in 2 years and
the same or below the legitimate rate in 3 other years, in spite
of the considerable increase in the total number of illegitimate
births since 1940 and the very large increase in 1944.
CARE OF PREMATURE INFANTS.
The recommendations made in Ministry of Health Circular 20/44
issued in March 1944 have been carried out as far as possible
having regard to war-time conditions, and the various steps taken
are detailed below.
On receipt of the Circular a letter was sent to all Medical
Practitioners in the area requesting that where the birth weight
was 5½ lbs. or less this information be inserted On the
notification of birth card which has been provided with an
appropriate space. Attention was drawn to the availability of
accommodation at the Council's Maternity Hospitayor(if the baby was
to remain at home) to the conditions to be provided and the special
equipment which would be available as required from the
Council's Maternity Hospital.
All private maternity homes in the Borough and midwives in
domiciliary practice were similarly advised.
A rota of specialist paediatricians was arranged and a course
of lectures by a opecialist has been arranged during the current
year.
41.