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Every child whose name is on the handicap and observation register is
brought forward for review by a senior medical officer at appropriate intervals,
so that the necessary remedial action if any may be taken.
Reviews are held at regular intervals of all these children who may be in
need of special education.
PREVENTION OF BREAK-UP OF FAMILIES
Standing Committee for Co-Ordination
The Standing Committee for Co-ordination continued its work during the year.
Quarterly meetings were held, two under the Chairmanship of the Children’s
Officer and two under that of the Chief Welfare Officer, a new chairman being
elected annually in June.
The Committee includes the chief officers of the Health, Children’s, Housing
and Welfare departments, with the appropriate senior officers, the Associate Town
Clerk and senior representatives of the Inner London Education department, the
Greater London Council Housing department and the local officers of the Ministry
of Social Security.
Its main business is to review services, receive reports, consider Government
and other circulars and agree procedures for the improvement of co-ordinating
machinery.
The problem of individual families are only discussed when points of law or
principle are involved, when difficulties in fusing departmental routine have
arisen or when families have been provided with sheltered accommodation at
assessed rents, with casework support. Two such families have been housed during
the year, and a Residential Rehabilitation Unit has been established in the
Welfare department.
A report from the Immigrants Advisory Committee and two Ministry circulars
on homeless families and the prevention of homelessness, both with a bearing
on housing problems and rent control, were discussed at some length during the
year. The Brixton office of the Ministry of Social Security tried an experiment in
rent control on two estates, one Greater London and the other Lambeth Borough
Council, relating to tenants in danger of eviction for arrears whilst in receipt of
supplementary benefit rent allotment. Unfortunately this only proved that the sole
satisfactory form of control in these circumstances is when the Ministry is able
to deduct rent at source and pay the landlord direct, which can only be done in a
strictly limited number of selected long term cases. Arrangements were made for
the Secretary of the Committee to be notified by the Treasurer of the Greater
London Council of mortgage default cases, for circulation in the same manner as
the information supplied by both the Greater London Council and Borough Housing
departments on rent arrears. The routines for notification and circulation are
working satisfactorily, but the position with regard to preventive work is not
satisfactory. There is not enough margin of staff time as yet in the combined