The Children Act 1908, also known as the Children and Young Persons Act 1908, passed by the

Liberal government Liberal government may refer to: Australia In Australian politics, a Liberal government may refer to the following governments administered by the Liberal Party of Australia: * Menzies Government (1949–66), several Australian ministries under S ...

, as part of the British Liberal Party's

liberal reforms The Liberal welfare reforms (1906–1914) were a series of acts of social legislation passed by the Liberal Party after the 1906 general election. They represent the emergence of the modern welfare state in the United Kingdom. The reforms demons ...

package. The Act was informally known as the Children's Charter and largely superseded the

Industrial Schools Act 1868 The Industrial Schools Act 1868 was an Act of Parliament which created Industrial Schools in Ireland to care for neglected, orphaned and abandoned children. To prevent proselytism or changes in the religion of a child committed, Catholic and Prot ...

. It established

juvenile court A juvenile court, also known as young offender's court or children's court, is a tribunal having special authority to pass judgements for crimes that are committed by children who have not attained the age of majority. In most modern legal s ...

s and introduced the registration of

foster parents Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home (residential child care community, treatment center, etc.), or private home of a state-certified caregiver, referred to as a "foster parent" or with a family memb ...

, thus regulating

baby-farming Baby farming is the historical practice of accepting custody of an infant or child in exchange for payment in late-Victorian era, Victorian Britain and, less commonly, in Australia and the United States. If the infant was young, this usually in ...

and wet-nursing and trying to stamp out

infanticide Infanticide (or infant homicide) is the intentional killing of infants or offspring. Infanticide was a widespread practice throughout human history that was mainly used to dispose of unwanted children, its main purpose is the prevention of reso ...

. Local authorities were also granted powers to keep poor children out of the

poorhouse A poorhouse or workhouse is a government-run (usually by a county or municipality) facility to support and provide housing for the dependent or needy. Workhouses In England, Wales and Ireland (but not in Scotland), ‘workhouse’ has been the ...

workhouse In Britain, a workhouse () was an institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. (In Scotland, they were usually known as poorhouses.) The earliest known use of the term ''workhouse'' ...

and protect them from abuse. The act also prohibited children, under the age of 16, working in dangerous trades, purchasing cigarettes, entering

brothels A brothel, bordello, ranch, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in sexual activity with prostitutes. However, for legal or cultural reasons, establishments often describe themselves as massage parlors, bars, strip clubs, body rub pa ...

, or the bars of trading

pubs A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

. Additionally it prohibited the consumption of alcohol, for non medicinal purposes, before the age of five. The act also prohibited children from learning criminal "tricks of the trade" in adult prisons, where children were often sent to serve time if a crime had been committed. Instead the Children's Charter had allocated

Borstals A Borstal was a type of youth detention centre in the United Kingdom, several member states of the Commonwealth and the Republic of Ireland. In India, such a detention centre is known as a Borstal school. Borstals were run by HM Prison Service ...

. It eventually led to many councils setting up

social services Social services are a range of public services intended to provide support and assistance towards particular groups, which commonly include the disadvantaged. They may be provided by individuals, private and independent organisations, or administe ...

and

orphanages An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared for by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or a ...

References

External links

{{UK legislation Juvenile law United Kingdom Acts of Parliament 1908 Children's rights in the United Kingdom Youth in the United Kingdom Wet nursing