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66
Health Education
A very important part of the health visitor/school nurse's work is the
teaching of parentcraft and home making in schools, welfare centres, to individuals
in their own homes, and to local organisations. Class teaching in schools
(particularly secondary modern girls schools) in the Area has developed since
1950, until this year a total of 389 talks have been given in schools alone. This
is a heavy but worth-while programme. The aim is that as many girls as possible
shall take part in discussions and demonstrations on health and home making and
acquire a knowledge of the services available to the family before leaving school.
We have now reached the position where young mothers attending maternity
and child welfare centres renew their acquaintence with health visitors from whom
they have had guidance as adolescents.
All maternity and child welfare centres in the Area hold mothercraft classes
at weekly intervals at which health visitors lead the discussions among young
mothers or expectant mothers. Advance programmes of the subject to be discussed
are arranged at each centre. Film strips and other visual demonstrations
are used to illustrate the subject under discussion.
Home safety exhibitions were arranged at each maternity and child welfare
centre to coincide with the national campaign on "Accidents in the Home".
Tottenham Road and Home Safety Officer was very co-operative in supplying and
transporting models to the three main maternity and child welfare centres.
A number of health visitor/school nurses have also given talks to various
women's clubs and have acted as lecturers and examiners for the British Red
Cross Society's Cadets and young people s, mothercraft, first aid and home
nursing groups.
Daily Guardian Scheme
This well tried scheme for the daily minding of children who are not eligible
for admission to day nurseries has been in operation for eleven years.
The number of guardians registered has always exceeded the demand, but
this is useful providing they are well spread over the Area. It is essential from
the working mother s point of view that the daily guardian s home should be within
easy reach of the mother s home or work place. There are proper safeguards
to ensure that both parents and guardians understand their responsibilities under
the scheme and that a reasonably good standard of care is maintained. Health
visitors are responsible for the selection and approval of guardians for registration
and for periodic visits to the guardian's home after the child has been placed.
The majority of children minded by this means are placed for comparatively
short periods.