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124
SECTION V
COMMUNITY CARE
Re-organisation
At the inauguration of the new Borough in 1965, it was
recognised that considerable difficulties were likely to be
encountered in establishing a Health and Welfare Department
which would not only provide continuity of the then existing
social services but would itself move towards integration of the
various branches.
This proved to be the case. Arising as they did from organisational
deficiencies, inconsistencies, and contradictions mainly
connected with historical growth, such problems were largely
overcome. However, as foreshadowed in my Report for 1965,
complete co-ordination of the various branches and full exploitation
of the Department's professional skill and administrative
experience have been hampered by limited resources and a paucity
of trained personnel.
It was no surprise, therefore, to find that co-operation within
the new service and integration of the four types of social work
groups, viz. the mentally ill and mentally subnormal, the school
children and problem families, the various categories of handicapped
persons and the elderly and the infirm, all of which had
been developed by separate authorities to meet the varying needs
of differing groups of the population, was less than had been
hoped for in a combined Health and Welfare department and that
it would be necessary to make a determined effort to remedy the
situation.
With continuing financial stringency and a persistent lack of
trained workers, it was decided that, in order to avoid duplication
of effort and economically to utilise the limited qualified personnel
to the greatest possible advantage, a Community Care Branch
should be established. Within its framework, the four existing
independent social worker groups would be physically integrated
and made responsible for all aspects of community care, social
work and supporting services.
Accordingly, in September of the current year, the Borough
was divided into four "all purpose" areas each having a team
comprising representatives from each social worker group headed
by a leader accountable to an Area Community Care Supervisor.
Each Supervisor, a specialist in a particular field of social work
in respect of which he/she acts as Consultant to community