§ 53. Mr. John Wellsasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many residential homes for mentally-subnormal children are under the charge of his Department; where they are located; how many children were in them at the latest convenient date; and what number of staff, qualified and unqualified, were employed at that date.
§ Miss BaconThere are 1,500 residential homes with accommodation for 20,000 children provided by local authorities under Section 15 of the Children Act, 1948, for children deprived of a normal home life. Some subnormal children may be accommodated in these homes from time to time, but careful consideration is always given to the question of transfer to accommodation provided by the health authorities in which they might receive more appropriate treatment. The East Sussex children authority provide two special homes in Cuckfield for subnormal children. They at present have 17 children, four qualified staff and three unqualified staff.