[Report 1966] / Medical Officer of Health, Nottingham City.

  • Nottingham City Council
Date:
1966
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1966] / Medical Officer of Health, Nottingham City. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    54/196 (page 52)
    52 THE CARE OF ILLEGITIMATE CHILDREN There were 831 illegitimate births in 1966, 14*04 per cent of all births. The infant mortality rate for this group was 30* 08 per 1,000 illegitimate births. All expectant mothers applying on social grounds for admission to hospital for their confinements attended the Health Depart¬ ment when the unmarried ones among them were interviewed by a senior health visitor or a social worker for advice concerning ante-natal care, the confinement and arrangements for the care of the baby. Those requiring admission to mother and baby homes were referred to the Southwell Diocesan Board of Moral Welfare. An analysis of the ages of unmarried mothers interviewed showed that, of the total of 140, 69 were under 20 years of age and none was under 16. During the year, 267 city expectant unmarried mothers were interviewed by the moral welfare workers of the Southwell Diocesan Board and the Corporation accepted financial res¬ ponsibility for the maintenance in mother and baby homes of 29 of them, as well as two under the supervision of the Catholic Children’s Society. A grant was paid to the Board for the moral welfare work carried out on behalf of the Corporation. The table following gives the ages of mothers for whom vacancies were obtained at mother and baby homes:— AGE DISTRIBUTION Age Group 1966 1965 1964 1963 1962 1961 Under 15 .. _ 2 _ 1 3 1 15 and 16 .. 4 5 15 18 7 11 17 and 18 .. 4 11 25 15 17 12 19 and 20 .. 7 9 10 8 6 11