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Attendances at Training Centres
JUNIOR (opened March 1966) SENIOR
Number of centres 1 2
Total number of places 112 80
Total attendances 8,826 12,207
The Islington Society for Mentally Handicapped Children has worked very closely
with the Borough, particularly in its provision of a variety of evening clubs and
classes and a nursery school for severely subnormal children which is meeting a very
real need, The Society let to the Borough five furnished bedsitting rooms on the first
floor of the house in which this nursery is held. These rooms were let out by the
Borough to women recovering from mental illness. As there was no resident warden, the
tenants had to be capable of a certain amount of independance, but the mental health
social workers kept in close touch to give support and guidance where necessary.
The work of the two Day Centres for mentally ill patients continued successfully.
The industrial centre, with 30 places, caters for long term as well as short term
patients. The Pine street Centre with 20 places, has been reorganised to take adults
as well as adolescents with the aim of rehabilitation for normal occupation in about
six months. The total attendances at both centres during the year were 5,773. Two
social clubs, one with a regular painting group run by a professional artist, were
held each week. They were based at the Day Centres and other patients and their
friends were welcomed.
Arrangements were made during the year for 42 mentally subnormal patients to be
provided with short term residential care, 20 at the Council's expense and 22 in
National Health Service hospitals, and at the end of the year the number of patients
supported financially by the Council in various residential homes and hostels
totalled 37 (17 mentally ill and 20 mentally subnormal and severely subnormal).
A Principal Medical Officer who has specialised in the field of subnormality has
advised on the placement of mentally handicapped persons of all ages, in the Council's
Training Centres, the Nursery for Mentally Handicapped Children, Day Nurseries and in
various residential homes or hostels for short or long term care. The Principal Medical
Officer also conducted the two special assessment and advisory clinics carried on
regularly throughout the year with a mental health social worker in attendance. The aim
of these clinics has been to provide the full assessment of the needs of mentally and
physically handicapped children under school age and to plan their future educational
needs. Many children who could not for various reasons be brought to the clinics were
visited in their own homes for advice and assessment in a familiar environment.
Regular monthly visits were paid to the department by medical students, who
accompanied social workers on home visits to see something of the work of our various
centres. A variety of social work students have also had their practical work placements
in the department, by arrangement with the universities concerned, including a
student from Ethiopia, who required a 3 month period of re-orientation before he
entered the London school of Economics to study for the Mental Health Certificate.
This student training has become a regular part of the mental health service. Though
time consuming for staff it is now recognised to be an essential feature of a
progressive mental health programme.
Many of the mental health social workers have had the opportunity of in-service
training through the various courses run by the London Boroughs' Training Committee
and have attended conferences and meetings relating to mental health in order to keep
abreast of modern ideas and trends. At the end of the year several new mental health
projects were in the planning stage and promised an interesting and eventful year
ahead.
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