View report page

alia, made it the duty of every local health authority to provide a home help service on
such a scale as is adequate for the needs of the area.
The call on the home help service in this Borough continued to increase particularly
the requests for morning and evening help. In these cases the home help goes to the family
early in the morning to wash, feed and dress the children and take them to a day nursery
and/or school (in most cases owing to the absence of the mother) then returns to the
household to clean, wash and shop. She often goes to another job before collecting the
children in the afternoon, preparing the evening meal for them and getting them ready for
bed. The home help remains in the home until the return of the parent. One of the specialised
services which has been more widely used during the year was the Child Help Service,
which is given where one or both parents are away from home, either through illness or
other reason. The home help cares for the children at home in place of the mother and
where no adult is in the home at night she sleeps in the house.
Assistance was given to 4,335 households during the year, of which 4,192 were long
term cases, and 9,431 visits were made by the organising staff.
The Department took part in a survey conducted by Dr.Williams of the National
Institute for Social Work Training on behalf of the Department of Health and Social
Security. The survey was concerned with the elderly people being assisted by the home
help service, and entailed considerable research.
The third training course for home helps resulted in another 7 home helps being
eligible for the register of trained helps; these courses are proving very popular and 50
home helps attend each one.
Talks were given by the Chief Home Help Organiser to student health visitors,
student nurses, district nurses, medical social workers, mental welfare officers and at two
courses organised by the London Boroughs Training Committee, to staff of the Children's
Department, and statutory and voluntary organisations. The home help organisers arranged
visits for student nurses and state enrolled nurses. These talks and visits now form a regular
part of the service and help to promote understanding of the home help service throughout
the allied services.
SOCIAL WORK (HEALTH SERVICES)
The Social Work Section (Health Services) is concerned with:
(a) social work arising out of school and hospital clinics and
(b) intensive casework with families with multiple problems.
The Social Workers concerned with the School Health Service are jointly appointed
by the Inner London Education Authority and the London Borough of Southwark, and
have a responsibility for special investigation clinics, audiology clinics, selected eye clinics,
and selected clinics at Guy's Hospital.
At special investigation clinics, children are seen who suffer from enuresis, obesity
and minor behaviour problems. The social workers make contact with the homes and work
with the clinic doctor in dealing with the total family situation where this is appropriate.
The work may be of a short or long term nature depending upon the problem and the
needs of the family.
29