In 1930, the Boards of Guardians, who had administered the poor relief system in England and Wales since 1834, were abolished and their responsibilities were taken over by county and county borough councils. Each council set up a Public Assistance Committee to oversee its new duties, which included the operation of the various children's establishments previously run by the poor law unions in each area. Westmorland County Council took over just one institution, The Abbey home at Staveley, formerly run by the Kendal Union, where 60 children could be accommodated.

The Abbey, Staveley, 2010. © Peter Higginbotham

In around 1946, the council opened the Brantfield residential nursery at 26 Queen's Road, Kendal, which provided 20 places.

Following the passing of the 1948 Children Act, councils were required to provide care services for all needy children in their area, especially those who lacked a normal family home. In common with other local authorities, Cumberland County Council established a new Children's Committee, whose responsibilities had previously been spread across separate Health, Education and Public Assistance Committees. The Committee took over responsibility for The Abbey and the Brantfield nursery.

The 1948 Act had recommended that where children needed to be in residential care, they should be in 'family group' homes, which ideally accommodated no more than eight children, or twelve at most. By 1955, a new home for nine children had been opened at 27A Greenbank Road, Ambleside. The following year, The Abbey was replaced by Morningside, at Beetham Road, Milnthorpe, again with nine places. The Brantfield nursery closed in around 1958. The Greenbank Road home followed in about 1963, leaving Morningside as the council's only children's home.

In 1973, the Starnthwaite Ghyll Approved School became a Community Home with Education under the control of Westmorland County Council.

As part of the local government reorganisation that took place in 1974, the new Cumbria County Council took over the provision of children's residential care in the former counties of Cumberland and Westmorland. This included the Morningside home, which was still in use in the mid-1980s.