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Advisory Service to the Children's Department
During 1970, close liaison continued to be maintained with the Children's
Department, the Senior Medical Officer from this department providing advice on
the medical aspects of child care. Residential nurseries, family homes and hostels
for children in care were visited at least once during the year. In some of the new
hostels opened by the Children's Department to provide for children with special
difficulties (as also in some of the existing hostels), new medical and social
problems became apparent. Many of these may well be due to the cumulative
effect of the "permissive society" and the subtle pressures of the mass media on
children already deprived of stable home backgrounds. The provision of specialised
advice and support for staff in these establishments enabled most, if not all, of the
problems to be contained and for the level of tolerance to stress to be raised.
In one large group of children's family homes, which for many years had
their own primary and nursery school attached, it was possible to appoint a
School Medical Officer who provides regular school medical inspections and
works closely with the children's family doctor, and the specialist services in the
School Health Service. Consultation, advice and guidance as required, continued
to be given to child care officers by a Senior Medical Officer working closely with
the Children's Department.