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The Liberals introduced three acts to help children:

• Education (Provision of Meals) Act, 1906
• Education (Administrative Provisions) Act, 1907
• Children’s Act (The Children’s Charter), 1908

Education (Provision of Meals) Act, 1906

Details and successes

• free school meals were to be provided by local authorities for all
• this publically funded welfare service replaced charity involvement
• local authorities were given grants from Treasury to fund 50% of cost of meals
• school meals rose from 9 million to 14 million in 1914

Limitations

• by 1914, many local authorities were still not providing school meals
• it was not made compulsory until this date
• researchers found the growth of children slowed and body weight often declined during school holidays
• this reform was costly for the government

Education (Administrative Provisions) Act, 1907

Details and successes

• medical inspections introduced for school children
• school boards could act against parents who sent children to school in ‘verminous condition’
• free medical treatment given to school children after 1912

Limitations

• medical inspections did little to solve any problems they uncovered
• it was not until free medical treatment became available in 1912 that the situation could get better
• education authorities largely ignored the provision of free medical treatment for school children

Children’s Act (The Children’s Charter), 1908

Details and successes

• child begging was outlawed
• penalties imposed on shops for selling tobacco or alcohol to children
• juvenile courts and borstals were set up
• this helped to separate juvenile and adult offenders
• death sentence abolished for children

Limitations

• limited success with alcohol and tobacco
• did little to deal with causes of juvenile crime