Maternity and Child Welfare Act 1918
| Year | 1918 |
Maternity and Child Welfare Act, 1918.
(8 & 9 Geo. 5.) CHAPTER 29.
An Act to make further provision for the Health of Mothers and Young Children.
[8th August 1918]
Be it enacted by the King's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
1 Powers of local authorities with respect to maternity and child welfare.
1. Any local authority within the meaning of the Notification of Births Act, 1907, may make such arrangements as may be sanctioned by the Local Government Board, for attending to the health of expectant mothers and nursing mothers, and of children who have not attained the age of five years and are not being educated in schools recognised by the Board of Education:
Provided that nothing in this Act shall authorise the establishment by any local authority of a general domiciliary service by medical practitioners.
2 Maternity and child welfare committees.
(1) Every council in England and Wales exercising powers under this Act or under section two of the Notification of Births (Extension) Act, 1915 , shall establish a maternity and child welfare committee, which may be an existing committee of the council or a sub-committee of an existing committee, and all matters relating to the exercise of the powers of the council under this Act or under the Notification of Births (Extension) Act, 1915 (except the power of raising a rate or of borrowing money), shall stand referred to such committee, and the council, before exercising any such powers, shall, unless in their opinion the matter is urgent, receive and consider the report of the maternity and child welfare committee with respect to the matter in question, and the council may also delegate to the maternity and child welfare committee, with or without restrictions or conditions as they think fit, any of their powers under that Act or this Act, except the power of raising a rate or of borrowing money.
(2) The council may appoint as members of the committee persons specially qualified by training or experience in subjects relating to health and maternity who are not members of the council, but not less than two-thirds of the members of every maternity and child welfare committee shall consist of members of the council, and at least...
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