[Report 1964] / Medical Officer of Health, Middlesex County Council.

  • Middlesex (England). County Council. n 99020326.
Date:
1964
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1964] / Medical Officer of Health, Middlesex County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    27/132
    Admission of Handicapped Children to Day Nurseries.—In accordance with the scheme approved by the County Council, some 20 children with special needs were admitted without charge to day nurseries for part or all of the day. These were deaf and partially deaf children for whom a talking environment is desirable, children of deaf or dumb parents, for the same reason, and mal¬ adjusted children showing behaviour problems, for whom absence from their home environment for some part of each day is advisable. There have been instances of other children with mental or physical handicaps for whom this provision would appear to be equally necessary. In 1961, there were 16 physically handicapped children; the same number in 1962, and 9 in 1963, who were considered suitable and given places, but whose parents were assessed for payment in the usual way. At the end of the year, therefore, consideration was being given to the extension of the scheme for free admissions to day nurseries for suitable physically handicapped children under the age of two years, and for suitable mentally handicapped children under the age of three years. The Education Committee was asked to consider accepting financial responsibility for suitable physically handicapped children over the age of two years. (This was approved early in 1965-) Creches.—There were no new developments in the running of creches at the County Council’s clinic premises during the year. Only one creche was in operation, that at Pound Lane Clinic, Willesden. Daily Guardianship Scheme.—The arrangement which has been working in Area 3 for many years, whereby a register of suitable daily guardians is kept at the area health office and a small retaining fee paid to them, subject to their agreement to supervision, continued during 1964, and authority was obtained to extend it to other areas, if desired. By the end of the year, only four other areas had started the scheme, but the numbers participating were very small. In Area 3, there were 101 guardians caring for 135 children at the end of the year, an increase of 23 guardians and 37 children over those at the end of 1963. Training of Day Nursery Staff.—The training of nursery nurses was continued, as in former years, at Chiswick and Tottenham Polytechnics, the practical training being done in the Council’s training nurseries. A ten-day refresher course for day nursery matrons and deputy matrons was held at the Chiswick Polytechnic in November, at which seventeen appropriate members of the County Council’s staff attended. Nurseries and Child Minders Regulation Act.—The number of private day nurseries registered with the County Council increased by 17 over those in 1963 to a total of 117, the number of places provided being 3,108, an increase of 591. The number of registered child minders was also greater, 198 as against 163 in 1963. Visits of inspection are made by medical and health visiting staff in the areas, in order to see that the standards are kept at a sufficiently high level.