| Administrative History | The Maternity and Child Welfare Act, 1918 "gave wide and comprehensive powers to local authorities, acting with the approval of the government, to establish services designed to safeguard maternity and to preserve the health of children under 5 years of age, after which they enter school and come within the jurisdiction of the school medical service. ... In 1919 there were in England and Wales 1,550 infant welfare centers, of which 660 were conducted by voluntary agencies. In 1930 the number had grown to 2,893, of which 913 were conducted by voluntary bodies. The provision of antenatal clinics was not started until after the war,-but by 1930 these had been established at 971 of the infant welfare centers; there were also 75 special antenatal clinics, while others had been established at hospitals". |
| Administrative History Sources | James Fenton* (Dec 1931) 'Maternity and Infant Welfare Service in England and Wales', in American Journal of Public Health and the Nation's Health, Volume 21 Part 12, p. 1340.
With thanks to the National Library of Medicine, Maryland, USA for making this article freely available online - doi: 10.2105/ajph.21.12.1339. PMID: 18013404; PMCID: PMC1556730.
* JAMES FENTON, M. D., D. P. H., HON. F. A. P. H. A., Medical Officer of Health of the Royal Borough of Kensington, London |
| Custodial History | These records were transferred to Derbyshire Record Office by the County Council's Modern Records Section in April 2008. |