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Handicapped Children and those "at risk"
An individual observation-register card was maintained at all welfare centres for
every baby and young child known to be handicapped or "at risk". All babies, including
those at risk, received hearing tests and were examined for all potential handicaps.
Those on the observation register were followed up more frequently. The responsibility
for reviewing children "at risk" rested with the welfare centre medical and nursing
staff, under the general supervision of a Principal Medical Officer. The child's name
was removed from the risk register at 2 years of age if development had been entirely
normal, but the observation-card remained with the child's centre records and was thus
transferred appropriately with the child's medical records at school-age or on removal
to another locality. In addition, an index of handicapped children was in process of
compilation at Central Office. Hitherto, three separate registers of handicapped
children had been maintained at the Central Office of the Department. These comprised
(i) children aged under 5 years, (ii) children of school age and (iii) deaf children of all
ages. There was also an index of mentally handicapped children. Each case on these
registers, was regularly reviewed by a Principal Medical Officer. The Department of
Education and Science Circular 9/66 and the Ministry of Health Circular 7/66 recommended
the co-ordination of local health authority services for handicapped children and their
families and the expansion of handicapped registers to include young people up to the
age of 21 years. In fact, these proposals incorporated much that had already been in
operation for several years.
Steps were taken towards the end of the year to extend and bring together existing
handicap registers into one comprehensive index, to be maintained in the Public Health
Department. Arrangements were also being considered for the improvement of the exchange
of information between all those interested.
At the end of the year, the number of children on the central handicapped register
and the risk register at welfare centres was:-
Handicapped Register - Children 0-16 years - 1,362
Risk Register - Children 0-5 years - 1,937
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