View report page

At audiology clinics, the social worker is one of a team consisting of the otologist,
school nurse and social worker. Close contact is maintained with the peripatetic teacher of
the deaf and the staff of the schools for the deaf and partially hearing. The social workers
have continued to give support to the families of deaf children including those where the
child is at boarding school.
At Guy's Hospital a full-time senior social worker continued to maintain close liaison
and advised on all local authority services available for the school child and the handicapped
pre-school child.
The family caseworkers have been concerned with the family with multiple problems
and their caseloads are purposely restricted in order that they may have the time to consider
the needs of each individual member of the family and the interpersonal relationships
which so often are the basis of the family's difficulties. The majority of the referrals
come to the caseworkers from the Borough Co-ordinating Committee's case conferences.
During the year, members of the staff attended various conferences and day courses
and student social workers from the London School of Economics and the School Care
Committee Service have been received in the Department for training. Arrangements were
made with Chiswick Polytechnic for a student on the Certificate in Social Work course to
undertake a fieldwork placement in the department with one of the family caseworkers as
supervisor.
Two of the social workers attached to the section work in the Borough Chest
Clinics.
CO-ORDINATION OF SOCIAL SERVICES
From 1965, the co-ordinating machinery in the Borough had operated on three
levels: Standing Committee, Working Sub-Committee and Case Conference. For some time,
this system had "been under review because the stimulated interest in the social services
called for more detailed and protracted consideration of matters which, if ordinarily referred
to the Working Sub-Committee, would be too time consuming for those senior
officers involved. It was therefore decided that the Working Sub-Committee be disbanded
from the beginning of the year and matters requiring detailed examination have since
been referred to ad hoc groups of nominated officers who report direct to the Standing
Committee.
The Constitution of the Standing Committee was ratified as being:
Medical Officer of Health Chairman
Children's Officer Vice-Chairman
Chief Welfare Officer
Housing Manager
Town Clerk
Divisional Officer (Education)
District Officers, G.L.C. Housing Dept.
Deputy Medical Officer of Health)
Deputy Children's Officer ) Co-opted Members.
Chief Social Worker (Health Services) Secretary
30