Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 January 2009
The period from 1860 to 1870 saw the growth of a campaign to persuade the Poor Law Board to accept the practice of boarding-out pauper children. This paper examines the nature of the requests made to the board and the responses they elicited. The deterrent aspects of the New Poor Law and the difficulty of securing proper supervision of foster placements were the main objections raised in the board's office. Changes occurred through the direct intervention of George Goschen, appointed president in 1868. The campaign for boarding-out saw not only some success in their direct efforts, but increased the role played by women in poor law administration.