Relief and Family (a circular of 1875):

1. That each case should be considered, not in relation only to the child who is unable to attend school, and has indirectly been the cause of appliction to the Committee, but in relation to the position of the parents and family.
2. That since each case has to be dealt with in its relation to the whole family, District Committees should consider the nature of assistance asked for (e.g. boots or shoes) only in the second place, and should strive, in the first place, to give or obtain such judicious and adequate relief as may permanently improve the condition of the family, and prevent, if possible, a second application to charity.

Annual Report [1875]:
[...] the results already shouw that but for the thorough system of investigation adopted by the society, relief might often have been given to undeserving and worthless persons whose earnings, if they had not been wasted through intemperate habits, would have enabled them to provide for the wants of their families.

View of School Board:
In 1877 the superintendents of the school board's visitors wrote to Peek:

[...] each case should be considered solely upon its merits and ... the amount needed for relief should be decided with reference to the interests of the child in the first place and secondly with a view to the general benefit of the family [Letter from the Superintendents of Visitors to Mr Francis Peek, dated 20 October 1877, Charity Organisation Reporter, 11 July 1878, p.132]

They also requested that special consideration be given deserted wives and widows, the able-bodied who were temporarily out of work and families with large numbers of young children, expressing the opinion that boots (always a major item of expenditure for poor families) and clothing would make particularly appropriate gifts in the majority of cases [L 53].