| AdminHistory | The Notification of Births [Act] Committee was appointed in November 1915, and consisted of eight members, including the Lord Mayor, from the Public Health and Housing Committee (later Public Health Committee, see BCC/1/BM) and the Maternity and Child Welfare Sub-Committee. Its function was to advise its main committee on implementing the Notification of Births Extension Act, 1915, which made it compulsory to notify the Medical Officer of Health of all births. In March 1919, the committee changed its name to the Maternity and Child Welfare Act Committee, after the passing of the Act the year before, the purpose of which was to reduce the rate of infant disease and mortality.
The committee's function was to assist expectant (maternity homes) and nursing mothers (convalescent homes) through Municipal Centres at Pype Hayes, Washwood Heath, Aston and in the City Centre, also to assist voluntary ones in Selly Oak, Stirchley, Edgbaston, Greet, Deritend and at Staniforth Hall. Other homes followed. The committee would take control of the Health Visitors, insofar as the work related to infant welfare. It was also to administer the Notification of Births Act, 1915, which made it compulsory to notify the Medical Officer of Health of all births. It controlled the Infant Consultation Clinics and administer the Midwives Act, 1902, which created the Central Midwives Board with responsibility for the registration of midwives, rules for their training and examination, and the regulation of their practice, and limited the use of the term 'midwife'. Finally, the committee made the councils of the counties and county boroughs the local supervising authorities (see BCC/1/BM Public Health Committee). The committee also ran the Children’s and Babies’ Hospitals.
The committee also dealt with its own staffing issues and the maintenance, renovation and extensions to any of the buildings. In 1927, the committee took on the registration of relevant nursing homes, under the Nursing Homes Registration Act of that year. In 1930, under the Local Government Act of 1929, although the poor law system continued until 1948, responsibility for poor relief fell onto the City Council. The Act also brought poor law infirmaries and fever hospitals into line with other municipal services, and the Maternity and Child Welfare Committee took over the Lordswood Nursery. In November 1933, the committee was merged with the Public Health Committee to form the Public Health and Maternity and Child Welfare Committee. |