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PARENTS' GROUP
In December, 1960, the Vicar of a Peckham Church
sought the assistance of the Medical Officer of Health in
setting up a night school for parents in an endeavour to
diminish the prevalence of juvenile delinquency. It was
suggested that he and any of his colleagues who were interested
should come to the Town Hall to discuss the matter.
He and four vicars of neighbouring parishes subsequently
did so and following a full discussion, it was agreed that
the idea of a 'school' for parents might not be attractive
to the type of people for whom it was intended.
As an experiment, however, it was decided to organise
a family discussion group in an informal and friendly manner
and two of the vicars agreed to seek the collaboration of
their parishioners. Arrangements were made to hold meetings
on four successive Thursday evenings at the Union of Girls'
Schools Settlement, Staffordshire Street, the Warden of
which kindly offered to make accommodation available and
to provide light refreshments, and experts in different
fields of sociology were invited to attend and guide the
discussions.
Although this project was given considerable publicity,
which included the display of posters, the distribution
of handbills and comment in the local press, only twelve
parents attended the first meeting. This attendance was,
however, maintained throughout the series and proved, in
fact, to be an ideal number. A large audience would have
defeated the aim of this experiment, as it would not have
been so conducive to the creation of a friendly and intimate
atmosphere in which parents could be prevailed upon to
unburden themselves of their anxieties and perplexities,
and discuss them freely with one another.
The guest advisers included a juvenile court magistrate,
a school-mistress, the wife of a bishop, a canon, the
editor of 'Family Doctor' (Dr. Harvey Flack) and the medical
director of the Central Council for Health Education (Dr.
Dalzell-Ward). As had been hoped, there was a gradual
shedding of reserve by the parents who soon became very
interested, participating eagerly and giving full rein to
their opinions. At the last meeting when they discussed
among themselves a short health education film which they
were shown, they revealed an interest and understanding
which four weeks previously would hardly have seemed
possible.