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Health Service), but also Health Visitors and Mental Health Officers
perform these duties when required. Routine reports are received
from the Consultants whenever a school child is seen at the hospital.
(6) There is constant consultation between the Divisional Education
Officer and the staff of the School Health Service. This consultation
does not always take the form of formal conferences, but
individual children are frequently discussed by Medical Officers and
Social Workers. Formal conferences at field level are constantly
held to discuss families with social problems and the I.L.E.A.
Working Party suggested that such meetings could also take place
to discuss all handicapped children. This suggestion raises the
problems of time and staffing difficulties.
D. School Leavers
(1) From E.S.N, school—discussions already take place between
Head Teachers, Youth Employment Officers, the Mental Health
Officer and parents of the school leaver. Community care is arranged
when this is thought to be necessary, desirable and acceptable to the
family concerned. It is hoped to extend this arrangement to all
handicapped school leavers, some of whom will not require or desire
follow-up and community care.
*(2) Medical records and case files for all physically handicapped
school leavers are passed to the Welfare Section.
*(3) The names and addresses of severely deaf school leavers are
passed to the Welfare Section, together with the children's records.
Recommendations are made to the Youth Employment Officer by
School Medical Officers and the I.L.E.A. Otologist concerning
future employment.
(4) Handicapped children attending ordinary schools are known
if their names have appeared on the Handicapped Register, but
many are older children who passed into school before the existence
of the Handicapped Register. Attempts will be made to notify
School Medical Officers about these children so that their progress
can be followed at regular intervals. However, such reviews must be
carried out with circumspection since if these children are managing
life within the normal educational system without special help and
are rightly encouraged by their doctors to regard themselves as
capable of living normal lives, it would be wrong to give any indication
such as by too frequent observation or questioning of the
child and his parents that one anticipates that complications in life
may arise as a result of the handicap. In any case, at the school
leavers' examination, the School Medical Officer, parent and sometimes
teachers discuss contra-indications to certain forms of employment
and the Youth Employment Officer is notified of this
recommendation.