ABSTRACT
The system of institutional care is largely a legacy from the old Poor Law. There is a wealth of historical material in the reports of numerous official enquiries, but in this summary we shall only deal with the history of the institutions since 1900. The Poor Law Ordinance of 1902 laid on the Commissioner the duty of establishing and directing the management of "almshouses, workhouses, infirmaries and other asylums for the poor". It also provided a "workhouse test" for the payment of outdoor relief (see Chapter 8). The duties of the Poor Law Department regarding the care of children were laid down in sections 10 and 11 of the Ordinance:-
"10. The Commissioner shall provide for the protection and care, and for the instruction and employment of destitute orphans, and of children whose parents are paupers. "11. If any parent abandon, or otherwise neglect to take care of any of his children, and such child be under fifteen years of age, and be found destitute and in want of relief, the Poor Law Officer shall provide for the protection and relief of such child, and the expense so incurred shall be recoverable from such parent.
