The Government have agreed to provide, by means of annual grants to be distributed by the Board, one-half the cost of the whole or any part of schemes for maternity and child welfare approved by the Board. The regulations under which these grants will be paid, together with forms of application for grants, have already been distributed to local authorities. A further copy of the regulations is enclosed.
Interim Schemes.
Many local authorities have already prepared and submitted to the Board schemes for Maternity and Infant Welfare, embracing some or all of the items included in the Board’s memorandum of 30th July, 1914. The initiation of a complete scheme, however, involves time, and the Board do not desire that work should be delayed until a complete scheme can be formulated. They trust that those local authorities who have not already taken steps in this matter will do so before the onset of the hot weather, which brings with it special dangers to infants and children. The Board are of opinion that the local authority should in the first instance carefully consider whether the existing arrangements for home visitation are adequate. After the provision of health visitors the next step should be to arrange in populous centres for a Maternity Centre at which medical advice and treatment may be provided for mothers, including expectant mothers, and for children, whether ailing or not. Arrangements should also be made for defraying in necessitous cases the cost of providing the services of a midwife and of a doctor. The Board will be prepared to sanction such provision under Section 133 of the Public Health Act, 1875.
Present Need for Maternity and Infant Welfare Work.
The importance of conserving the infant life of the population makes it desirable that steps should be taken in the directions indicated even at the present time when strict economy is required in the expenditure both of public bodies and of private individuals. It is not, however, intended that any large outlay should be involved in the provision of the services mentioned. No capital expenditure is needed, and the maintenance expenditure need not be heavy. The health visitors and many of the doctors required to work such a scheme will be women, and no labour need be employed which is required for the more direct purposes of the war.
Committees.
The Act provides that the powers of a local authority may be exercised in such manner as the authority direct by a committee or committees, which shall include women, and may comprise, if it is thought fit, persons who are not members of the authority.
In any such committee it will be desirable to include working women, who might with advantage be representative of women’s organisations. Where no local women’s organisation exists, some central organisation might possibly assist by suggesting suitable women.
The Board consider that on any committee appointed for the purposes of the Act there should be a majority of direct representatives of the Council.
I am, Sir,
Your obedient Servant,
H. C. MONRO,
Secretary.