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Co-operation with voluntary organisations
The Health Department has co-operated with the National Society for Mentally
Handicapped Children in arranging visits to the Lewisham training centre. Officers
of the department regularly attend meetings of the Lewisham Branch which are held
periodically at the Centre. Premises are made available to the Branch for a weekly
evening club for subnormal children, and one member of the supervisory staff acts
as voluntary club leader. A similar club, in another part of the Borough, sponsored
by a church organisation, is visited by a Mental Health Officer.
Transport for both clubs is provided by the Council's Welfare Department. The
Lewisham Branch of the National Society has collected for a "Project Fund" which
may eventually be used to provide equipment not otherwise obtainable for a new
adult training centre.
The Council has made a grant to the Albany Institute towards the cost of an
experimental project involving intensive group work with educationally subnormal
school leavers and suitable individuals have been referred to the Institute in this
connection.
An organisation of "Friends of Honor Lea" composed mainly of local residents
has done much to provide benefits and entertainments for those living in the hostel,
and regular meetings have been held in Honor Lea during the year.
CO-ORDINATING COMMITTEE
A meeting was convened by the Medical Officer of Health, to discuss co-ordinating
machinery after the 1st April. At this meeting of representatives of the Health,
Welfare, Children's and Housing Departments, together with the Divisional Officer
(Education), I.L.E.A. and the Divisional School Care Organiser, I.L.E.A., the
need for co-ordination was accepted and it was decided that the Co-ordinating
Committee system developed in the London County Council health divisions should
be re-established. The Co-ordinating Committees were started following the joint
memorandum in 1950 from the Home Office, Ministry of Education and Ministry
of Health regarding children neglected or ill-treated in their own homes. The Committee's
responsibility for co-ordinating the efforts of all statutory and voluntary
agencies undertaking work with families would continue. The main functions of
the Committee would be (a) discussion of matters raising new principles or requiring
policy decisions; (b) allocation of appropriate services to families presenting the
most complicated or intractable problems: (c) nomination of families to be referred to
the family caseworkers employed in the Health, Welfare or Children's Department;
(d) dealing with requests for assistance from Housing Departments in connection
with unsatisfactory tenants or reports from the Children's Department concerning
families' help with rent under the Children and Young Persons Act, 1963; (e) reviewing
the progress made by families referred to the Committee for any reason;
(f) receiving reports on the activities of Intermediate Case Conferences; (g) receiving
reports on all cases referred to the Children's Officer under Section 62 procedure.
Initial members of the Committee were the Medical Officer of Health, Children's
Officer, Chief Welfare Officer, the Housing and Estates Manager, the Senior Social
Worker, Health Services acting as Secretary, the Divisional Education Officer,
I.L.E.A., the Divisional School Care Organiser, I.L.E.A., the Principal Mental
Health Officer and the Borough Nursing Officer (maternal and child health) and a
representative of the Borough Treasurer and a representative of the Town Clerk.
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