Collection MCC/CH/CO - CHILDREN'S DEPARTMENT: CHILDRENS' OFFICER

2.83 linear metres

MCC/CH/CO 1947-1965 Collection 2.83 linear metres MCC , Middlesex County Council x Middlesex County Council

The Children's Department of the Middlesex County Council was set up under the Children Act 1948 which embodied the findings of the Curtis Report of 1945-1946. The Act took effect on 5 July 1948; the first meeting of the newly formed Children's Committee took place on the next day, taking over from the Interim Children's Committee, formed of the members of the thereafter defunct Children's Care Sub-Committee of the Education Committee. The first Children's Officer, Mr Ainscow, had in fact been appointed in anticipation, with effect from 1 May 1948. The duties of the Department had previously been distributed across several County Council departments (the Public Assistance, Public Health and Education Departments), as well as bodies (education authorities outside the MCC and the County Maternity and Child Welfare authorities) not part of the County Council at all.

The activities of the Children's Department may be summarised as follows:
i) Care and welfare: this comprised of the provision of care for a) children under the age of 17 if they had no parents or guardians; if they were abandoned or lost; of if their parents were unable to provide for their proper upbringing, provided that such care was in the child's best interests: and b) children committed by a court to the care of the County Council under a Fit Person order. This involved inter alia the running of homes and nurseries, the maintenance of the boarding out system for foster homes, and in some cases the assumption of full parental rights until the child should attain majority. The Department also undertook the care of children as delegated by the Welfare Department when dealing with problem or evicted families.

ii) Child Life Protection: this was a long standing local authority responsibility. After the passing of the Children Act 1948 its effect was to render it an offence for any person other than the parent, legal guardian or a relative to undertake for reward (whether or not for profit) the care of a child below school leaving age (15 in 1948) without notifying the County Council as a welfare authority. The Children's Department publicised the legal obligations upon such persons, supervised placements, inspected and regulated foster homes and so on. After the Adoption Act 1950, a similar duty to notify the Council rested upon anyone placing a child in another's care (with the same exceptions as above).

iii) Approved schools and remand homes: a child could be committed by the courts into the care of the Council either by a Fit Person Order, the effect of which was to put the child into the care of the Children's Department or by an Approved School Order, which placed the child under the care of managers at an Approved School. It should be noted that placements were made under the aegis of the Home Office nationwide, and that although the Council, through sub-committees of the Children's Committees, ran two approved schools, by no means all Middlesex children would be allocated places there. The Committee also ran two remand homes. The Children's Department were involved in briefing judges on cases: sometimes in bringing themselves in order to gain the powers by which to afford children under threat the care and protection they needed; and as the executive arm of the County Council on receipt of Fit Person Orders. Staff were also responsible for the supervision and after-care of "licensed" Middlesex children.

iv) Under the Adoption Act 1926, the County Council had since 1943 to oversee the compulsory registration of adoption societies in the county (not an onerous duty: two were registered in of which only one, the Homeless Children's Aid and Adoption Society, continued for any length of time). Compulsory notification to the County Council of all adoptions in the county was not introduced until the Adoption Act 1950. Also, from that point of view the Council had to supervise every prospective third party adoption in its area, whether or not involved in any other capacity. After the 1958 Act the Council had the power to place children for adoption even if those children were not in its care. Its powers of supervision were widened to include all adoptions in the county.

Health areas of the County of Middlesex, also used as administrative areas by the MCC Children's Department: Area 1 Enfield and Edmonton; Area 2 Southgate, Potters Bar, Wood Green and Friern Barnet; Area 3 Hornsey and Tottenham; Area 4 Finchley and Hendon; Area 5 Harrow; Area 6 Wembley and Willesden; Area 7 Ealing and Acton; Area 8 Ruislip-Northwood, Uxbridge, Hayes and Harlington, Yiewsley and West Drayton; Area 9 Heston and Isleworth, Southall and Area 10 Feltham, Staines, Twickenham, Sunbury

Children's Officer:

The Children's Act 1948 required the appointment of a Children's Officer to be the head of the Children's Department under the County Council. On 25th April 1948 the Council appointed Mr. E. Ainscow, then Assistant Education Officer in charge of the Children's Care Section of the Education Department, to be Children's Officer with effect from 1 May 1948. The Act itself took effect on 5 July 1948, and the appointment was in due course ratified by the Home Secretary.

However Mr Ainscow left the MCC in 1949 to take up the post of Children's Officer to the London County Council. His successor was Jane Rowell, previously Children's Officer to Durham County Council, who took over the post on 1 June 1949 and remained until the abolition of the MCC in 1965.

Acquired with the records of its parent authority, the Middlesex County Council, and with successor authorities.

Records of the Middlesex County Council Children's Department relating to the Children's Officer, 1947-1965, including the personal files of Jane Rowell regarding adoption policy, apprenticeship of children in care, approved schools, children neglected in their own homes, children ill treated, correspondence with children, correspondence requesting assistance or advice, attendance at conferences, the Family Help Service, health, including mental health, juvenile courts, juvenile delinquency, meeting minutes, press cuttings and publicity, Psychiatric Advisory Service, reports, foster homes, staffing, and voluntary organisations.

Also samples of monthly returns of children, submitted to the County Treasurer, and statistical returns submitted to the Home Office; and publications relevant to the work of the Department including "Report on the services administered by the Children's Department, MCC", 1952.

Archives have been arranged into three series: MCC/CH/CO/1 Jane Rowell's personal files; MCC/CH/CO/2 Statistics and returns; MCC/CH/CO/3 Publications.

These records are available for public inspection, although records containing personal information are subject to access restrictions under the UK Data Protection Act, 1998.

Copyright to these records rests with the Corporation of London.
English

Fit

Please see online catalogues at: http://search.lma.gov.uk/opac_lma/index.htm

For further information on the history of the Middlesex County Council please see Middlesex by Sir Clifford Radcliffe (2 editions, 1939 and 1953), LMA Library reference 97.09 MID; and The County Council of the Administrative County of Middlesex: 76 years of local government, 1 April 1889 to 31 March 1965, by Middlesex County Council (1965), LMA library reference S97.09 MID.

Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997. April to June 2009 Disadvantaged groups Disadvantaged children Foster care Educational sciences Educational psychology Child psychology Residential child care Courts Administration of justice Juvenile courts Child care services Social welfare Child welfare Adoption Health services Care Care of children Social problems Delinquency Juvenile delinquency Children in care Children Rowell , Jane , fl 1949-1965 , Children's Officer, Middlesex County Council MCC , Middlesex County Council x Middlesex County Council Children's Department , Middlesex County Council London England UK Western Europe Middlesex Childhood Europe Age groups Age distribution

Acquired with the records of its parent authority, the Middlesex County Council, and with successor authorities.

Records of the Middlesex County Council Children's Department relating to the Children's Officer, 1947-1965, including the personal files of Jane Rowell regarding adoption policy, apprenticeship of children in care, approved schools, children neglected in their own homes, children ill treated, correspondence with children, correspondence requesting assistance or advice, attendance at conferences, the Family Help Service, health, including mental health, juvenile courts, juvenile delinquency, meeting minutes, press cuttings and publicity, Psychiatric Advisory Service, reports, foster homes, staffing, and voluntary organisations.

Also samples of monthly returns of children, submitted to the County Treasurer, and statistical returns submitted to the Home Office; and publications relevant to the work of the Department including "Report on the services administered by the Children's Department, MCC", 1952.

Archives have been arranged into three series: MCC/CH/CO/1 Jane Rowell's personal files; MCC/CH/CO/2 Statistics and returns; MCC/CH/CO/3 Publications.

These records are available for public inspection, although records containing personal information are subject to access restrictions under the UK Data Protection Act, 1998.

Copyright to these records rests with the Corporation of London.

• English

• Latin

English

Please see online catalogues at: http://search.lma.gov.uk/opac_lma/index.htm

Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

• English