View report page

28
The Act also empowers a local health authority to refuse to register any
person who is not a fit person. The definition of a fit person has been more
clearly defined to bring it in line with the requirements of the Children Act,
1958, and the Adoption of Children Act, 1958. Every person so registered must
make a declaration and a person who makes a false statement in this respect is
liable to a fine of £100 and/or imprisonment for six months.
The only restriction that could be placed on a child-minder in the past
was in respect of the number of children to be minded, but requirements
regarding infectious disease could be imposed. Other restrictions were
placed on owners of private day nurseries and these have been extended by the
new Act to apply to child-minders as well. In this connection the requirement
that premises and equipment shall be adequately maintained has been extended
to include safety.
The amended Act has added a considerable burden to the work of the
Department in implementing its provisions and it will be necessary to
appoint a senior nursing officer specifically to undertake the visiting that
will be involved.
There were seven nursery groups registered by the Council at the end
of the year. A total of 142 places were available for children at these
nurseries which in the main are only open in the mornings. The Save the
Children Fund have a full-time nursery group in Shoreditch, but children may
only attend for one session a day.
The effect of the new legislation had not made itself felt at the end of
the year when there were only 22 registered child minders, but it had become
obvious that there would be a large increase in 1969.
NURSERY GROUPS
A challenging report was published by the late Dr. S. Yudkin in 1967 on
the need for more day care of children of 3-5 years particularly in densely
populated areas. In November the then Ministry of Health issued a Circular
dealing with the same subject, in which local authorities were asked to assess
the needs in their areas and to expand the facilities where they were not
being met. Emphasis was made in the Circular on the responsibility of local
health authorities being limited to arranging for the day care of those
children whose physical, mental and emotional health indicates deprivation and
inadequate stimulation in their homes. The number of such children in Hackney
is unknown, but the frequent reports being received from fieldworkers in the
Department shows that it is high.
The Circular suggested that in addition to the provision of day nurseries
and creches, more children should be helped by part-day care either by
admission to satisfactory privately-run pre-school nursery groups of which
there are at present 7 registered with and encouraged by this Authority, or by
groups run directly by the Authority.
An assessment of the demand for all types of provision requiring consultation
with the Children's Department is in preparation and is asked for by
the Department of Health and Social Security by the middle of 1969. Any such
assessment must necessarily be a rough one as it is not possible at any one
time to uncover all the needy families with children who would benefit by more
day care provision.
In November approval was received from the Department of Health and
Social Security to the Council's scheme to open sessional pre-school nursery
groups, and at the close of the year, urgent consideration was being given to
the detailed arrangements for the implementation of these proposals, including
the finding of suitable premises and staff. The provision of nursery groups
is one of the items included in projects submitted for the first phase of the
Urban Aid Programme.