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35
Domiciliary
Confinement
Rate
Minders (and day nursery proprietors) to adjust their activities to this
new legislation. The essence of the Act is that every person looking
after a child, to whom she is not related, for gain, must register with the
Local Authority. In the past a woman was permitted to care for up to two
children without registration or supervision.
This change of legislation has involved this Department in a great
deal of extra work.
Every applicant is visited at home by a Senior Medical Officer and
an effort is made to create a sympathetic relationship with the childminder.
In cases where there appears to be a limited understanding of
the needs of young children these needs are discussed as fully as
possible and an invitation extended to attend a course on this subject
due to be held later this year.
I am convinced that our involvement in this field of child care
encourages high standards.
Certain other recommendations of the Ministry of Health as it was
then known, on the Day Care facilities for children under five have also
been implemented and altogether it can be said that the children who are
cared for by residents of the Borough, other than relatives, or attend
registered premises in the Borough receive the best supervision possible
as far as health standards are concerned.
At the end of the year 56 day nurseries and 29 childminders were
registered under the Act for the care of 2,572 children.
SECTION 23 - MIDWIFERY
There were 3,582 births (3,533 live and 49 stillbirths) to Redbridge
mothers in 1968 and of these 681 were born at home, making a hospital
confinement rate of 81% and a domiciliary confinement rate of 19%.There
were 5 domiciliary stillbirths, and no maternal deaths were recorded
among either hospital or domiciliary confinements.
Miss M.A. Potter, Superintendent of Midwives and District Nurses,
reports as follows on the Domiciliary Midwifery Service —
Training of Pupil Midwives:
During the year 38 completed their training on the district and all
passed the Central Midwives Board Part II Examination.