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Social work with alcoholics and drug addicts can be very demanding and time
consuming. For a large percentage of these patients, addiction to alcohol or to
drugs is but one facet of basic personality disturbance. Social inadequacy, deviant
behaviour and an inability to form a mature and lasting relationship are a constant
feature. Unrealistic and manipulative demands are often made upon the social
worker and a great deal of time must be devoted in order to establish a therapeutic
relationship with the patient. The development of crisis situations is a fairly common
feature encountered when working with this group and swift intervention in terms
of assessment and treatment are necessary. Working with this group of people is
now well recognised as being a specialist function requiring specific knowledge,
training, skill and experience.
DEVELOPMENT OF NEW PROJECTS
Independents Day Centre, Independents Road, S.E.3
For some considerable time a search has been made within the Borough to find
suitable premises so that Cambridge Day Centre, a centre for 30 ex-mentally ill
adults which is located in rented accommodation in the Congregational Church Hall
Burnt Ash Road, S.E.12, could be replaced. The search was rewarded when a rundown
factory in Independents Road, Blackheath, was purchased by the Council
and extensive conversion work was started in April.
The new centre, which will cater for 50 patients, was to be available to the Department
in November, but due to unforeseen difficulties it could not open until early
1971.
Leemore Centre, Gilmore Road, S.E.13
This purpose-built centre for 140 subnormal men and women is expected to be
ready in the summer of 1971. With this in mind, Brockley and Deptford adult training
centres were merged in September and housed temporarily in Deptford Training
Centre, in the Central Hall, Creek Road, S.E.8. This allows staff and trainees
to become familiar with conditions which will exist at the new centre.
Rokeby House, Upper Brockley Road, S.E.4
This is a purpose-built hostel for 30 subnormal adults who must either be going
out to work or be able to attend a training centre during weekdays. It was due to
be completed in the late autumn, but a series of delays resulted in the Council still
not being in possession at the end of the year. It is proposed that residents at the
hostel will be drawn from residents of the Borough and careful screening of prospective
residents will be made to ensure that the hostel is a success.
Newstead Road Site, S.E.12
Hostel for 12 sub-normal or severely sub-normal children.
The hostel, which is at present in the planning stage, will cater for long- and shortterm
care of severely handicapped children and will be built as a two-storey house
within a proposed housing site in Newstead Road, S.E.12.
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