Housemother

Housemother was a job in British children's homes from the 1940s onwards. ^{[1] [2]} Housemothers were responsible for small groups of children living in children's homes. ^[3] They lived in the same accommodation as the children, and in the first decades of the role were responsible for children during the night as well as the day. ^{[4] [5]} They carried out personal care tasks for children, and household chores. ^{[6] [7]}

The model of residential care managed by housemothers was established following the Curtis Report in 1946; the small group children's homes set up following this report were sometimes called cottage homes. ^{[1] [8]} From 1947, there were courses to qualify as a housemother in England and Wales, and in Scotland, such as the Certificate in the Residential Care of Children. ^[9] There were sometimes assistant housemothers too. ^[1] Following the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, housemothers were not always required to be on duty at night as well as in the day. ^[4]

References

1. Aymer, Cathy (2002). "Women in residential work: dilemmas and ambiguities". In Day, Lesley; Langan, Mary (eds.). Women, Oppression and Social Work: Issues in Anti-Discriminatory Practice. Routledge. p. 187. ISBN   978-1-134-90283-5 . Retrieved 16 April 2025.
2. King, Roy D.; Raynes, Norma V.; Tizard, Jack (27 October 2023). Patterns of Residential Care: Sociological Studies in Institutions for Handicapped Children. Taylor & Francis. p. 55. ISBN   978-1-000-96026-6 . Retrieved 16 April 2025.
3. Smith, Mark (25 February 2009). Rethinking Residential Child Care: Positive Perspectives. Policy Press. p. 9. ISBN   978-1-86134-908-8 . Retrieved 16 April 2025.
4. Elliott, Doreen (19 May 2014). "Some Current Issues in Residential Work: Implications for the Social Work Task". In Walton, Ronald G.; Elliott, Dorren (eds.). Residential Care: A Reader in Current Theory and Practice. Elsevier. p. 19. ISBN   978-1-4831-8926-0 . Retrieved 16 April 2025.
5. Kingdom, United States Educational Commission in the United (1956). Some Impressions of Social Services in Great Britain. Alcuin Press. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
6. Pugh, Elisabeth (1968). Social Work in Child Care. Taylor & Francis. pp. 80–81. ISBN   978-1-000-84599-0 . Retrieved 16 April 2025. The child care officer, as she drives into the night, carries with her a cosy image of the housemother feeding, washing, and putting to bed, and some part of her would like the satisfactions that come from these activities
7. Vincent, Ben (1968). Begone Dull Care: An Informal Guide to the Residential Care of Children. H.M. Stationery Office. p. 42. ISBN   978-0-11-340018-8 . Retrieved 16 April 2025.
8. Department, London County Council Local Government and Statistical (1960). London Statistics . Retrieved 16 April 2025.
9. Skinner, Angus; Scotland, Social Work Services Inspectorate for (1992). Another Kind of Home: A Review of Residential Child Care. H.M. Stationery Office. p. 114. ISBN   978-0-11-494235-9 . Retrieved 16 April 2025.