Housemother
Caring occupation in British children's homes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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]
