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are obtained as appropriate. Close liaison is maintained ith the Children's Officer on
individual cases.
In 1966 the Research and Intelligence Unit of the Greater London Council asked for cooperation
in a survey of the incidence of cases of spina bifida in Greater London. This
survey covered children born between 1st October 1966 and 30th September 1967. During 1967
5 children were born with spina bifida, (2 were stillbirths, one child died within a few
hours of birth, one died at the age of 12 days, and one died at the age of 7 months).
At the end of 1967, the number of children on the central handicap register and the
observation register at Welfare Centres was:-
Handicapped Register - children 0-17 years 1902 (1362 - to 16 years)
Observation Register - children 0 - 5 years 2236 (1937).
Prevention of break up of families
The Co-ordinating Committee has continued to meet at two-monthly intervals. During the
year conferences on individual families were held on 14 occasions and 69 families were
considered. These figures are more than double those for 1966.
Students of social work
Four students from the London School of Economics came to the department during the year.
Two came for experience of family casework and two for general observation of the services
provided by the department.
Venereal disease
The Social Worker attached to the special clinic at Holloway Prison comments appreciatively
on the fact that her office is now incorporated in the new clinic premises. The
privacy afforded by this arrangement has made it easier for her to establish good relationships
with the patients. She finds that the basic problems of her work remain the same and
one of these is the deeply ingrained habit of secrecy found in those who live outside the law.
The Social Worker goes on to say:
"The saddest visit I have ever made was to a well-known shelter in search of a contact
shortly before Christmas. There, lying on the floors and ledges, were what appeared
to be bundles of very old clothes. The realisation that these bundles were people
came as a shock. Surrounding them but oblivious of their presence were many other
people, men and women of all ages in varying conditions of cleanliness and well-being.
Some were talking, some just staring into space. Some were drug addicts, some drifters,
some just tramps. The young girl to whom I spoke commented bitterly on the hopelessness
of her life as a drug addict. I left acutely aware of the disinterest of the
hurrying crowds in the streets. Almost beneath their feet the detritus of our society,
above their heads the coloured lights of the Christmas Tree.
"The most difficult case this year was trying to find the very pregnant "wife" of a
male prisoner in a Remand Centre who was the contact of our patient, his "girlfriend"
. I visited his family in Deptford three times before tracing the lady. Each
time I was confronted by his dragon of a mother who denied any knowledge of the
whereabouts of her daughter-in-law. This was true as his legal wife had deserted him
some time previously. Fortunately her fiercely protective attitude to her delinquent
family gave me the key to the situation. She became most helpful when I admired her
dexterity in keeping her family's secrets. She gave me the girl's address and we
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