| AdminHistory | Under the Local Government Act of 1929 the Education Committee became responsible from 1 April 1930 for the management of hostels, the boarding out of children and cottage homes. It was resolved that the Juvenile Employment and Welfare Sub-Committee should become responsible for the management of hostels and the supervision and control of the boarding out and emigration of children and they appointed a Hostels and Boarding Out Sub-Committee which first met in May 1930 for the Working Boys’ Hostel, Vauxhall Road and the Riversdale Girls’ Hostel, Bristol Road. The Special Schools Sub-Committee became responsible for the children’s cottage homes (see BCC/1/BH/5/5). When boys and girls from the cottage homes left school and found employment, where the employment was not residential they were provided with hostel accommodation. All of these welfare responsibilities had previously been undertaken by the Boards of Guardians of the Poor, and the pre-1929 records are held amongst the Aston, Birmingham and Kings Norton Poor Law Union collections now held at Birmingham City Archives, and catalogued under the references GP AS, GP B and GP KN respectively.
The Hostels and Boarding Out Sub-Committee took responsibility for the management and maintenance of the hostels, supervision of the boarding out of children with foster parents both in and outside Birmingham and the emigration of children and young people; made recommendations to the Juvenile Employment and Welfare Sub-Committee on the appointment of staff to the Hostels and women visitors; made recommendations to the Sites and Buildings Sub-Committee on the maintenance of buildings and grounds under their responsibility; made recommendations to the Hygiene Sub-Committee on the provision of medical supplies; and supplemented boarding out allowances for extras such as clothing and medical expenses. With the passing of the Children Act in 1948 the newly created Children’s Committee became responsible for the management of the hostels and the boarding out of children (see BCC/1/CT). Other welfare responsibilities also transferred were the cottage homes, remand homes and the adoption of children. |