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Advice is given to the Children's Officers on the appropriate residential placing for
mentally ill persons aged 16-18 years who are in care. Reports are also received
from Juvenile Courts to ensure that psychiatric services are available for children in
care.

HEALTH VISITING
The health visitor's course, which follows general nursing and midwifery training, has
been extended to a full year. The lengthened course contains more specialist training
in social work which is designed to assist her in dealing with inadequate or neglectful
parents, the giving of advice on the emotional and social needs of children, and dealing
with families where the parents are physically and/or mentally handicapped.
Apart from the usual advice on baby feeding, clothing and illness in the family,
health visitors are called upon to advise on such matters as budgeting, family
allowances and ways to prevent accidents. Because of her position as a regular family
visitor, the health visitor is invariably the first to recognize the symptoms of failure
and to bring them to the notice of the specialist services.
During the past decade there has been a fairly heavy influx of immigrant families
who tend to congregate in certain areas of the borough and it is in these areas that
pressure of work for the health visitor becomes intensified. In general immigrant
children make excellent physical progress, but are usually retarded in speech development,
social responses and play. Constant supervision is therefore required by
the health visitor to encourage parents and child-minders to appreciate the need for
play, talking and stimulative care of children.
Parentcraft classses
Are held weekly in all health centres, and mothers clubs are encouraged in the larger
centres. These are well attended.
Mother's Clubs
A number of Mothers' Clubs are in existence at the various health centres, an example
of which is the one at Louise House. This club came into existence during
September with the support of the Health Visitor and by the end of the year attendances
were so high that they had to be controlled by the introduction of a waiting
list. Speakers and demonstrators arranged by the mothers themselves have attended
and among their subjects has been the following: flower arrangements, beauty
consultations, Sirdar knitting wools, needs of "problem" girls, and hand-made
jewellery.
School Health
Health visitors supervise the work of school nurses and clinic nurses. Routine visits
are paid to all nursery schools and classes. Hygiene examinations and medical
examinations of children, both routine and special, are organised in all local authority
schools.
Health education in schools by health visitors has been expanded during the last
year. More and more head teachers appreciate the value of health education carried
out by demonstrations and talks dealing with preparation for family life. The subject
is more complex in large comprehensive schools and health visitors in adjoining
centres have to unite to provide a satisfactory programme. Many schoolgirls attend
the Day Nurseries and clinic creches, helping with the care of young children and are
often encouraged to take up nursery nurse or general nurse training.
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