TheChildren Act 1908(8 Edw. 7. c. 67), also known as theChildren and Young Persons Act 1908, was anact of theParliament of the United Kingdom passed by theLiberal government, as part of theBritish Liberal Party'sliberal reforms package. The act was informally known as theChildren's Charter[1] and largely superseded theIndustrial Schools Act 1868.
It establishedjuvenile courts[2] and introduced the registration offoster parents, thus regulatingbaby-farming andwet-nursing and trying to stamp outinfanticide. Local authorities were also granted powers to keep poor children out of thepoorhouse/workhouse and protect them from abuse. The act also prohibited children, under the age of 16, from working in dangerous trades, purchasing cigarettes, enteringbrothels, or the bars of tradingpubs. It also established a minimum execution age of sixteen. It was raised to 18 in 1933, albeit no juvenile offenders had been executed since 1889.
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 allocatedBorstals. It eventually led to many councils setting upsocial services andorphanages.
