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young persons seeking family planning advice who would benefit from counselling, or who
requested it. Consequently in May an evening session was begun at the Hallfield Clinic. This
session is held weekly on Tuesday evenings and is run by Dr. Faith Spicer who has had extensive
experience in counselling, adolescent problems, and family relationships. A psychiatric social
worker staffs the clinic with Dr. Spicer and deals with an increasing amount of follow-up work.
A clerical officer acts as clerk/receptionist. This service has proved so much in demand that it will
be essential to open a second clinic as soon as possible in 1969. So far 23 sessions have been held.
One hundred and fourteen appointments have been offered to clients and 43 of these have been
new referrals.
In-service Training
In a Department carrying out a wide range of social services it is essential that the staff are
suitably qualified and that they should be encouraged to undertake further professional training.
Two members of the staff are at present seconded on a year's professional course and there is no
doubt that when they return to the department their additional training will prove of real value.
During the year our staff meetings often took the form of discussion groups and expert speakers
led discussions on such subjects as psychiatric depression, the one-parent family and the personality
of deviants. It had been felt for some time that case work discussion on a more academic level
would be a useful learning experience for the newer members of the department and would provide
valuable revision for our more experienced staff. From these meetings came the suggestion that a
series of seminars should be held and we are fortunate that Miss Parsloe, a Lecturer at the London
School of Economics, has agreed to lead such a series beginning in January 1969. We plan to
hold 12 seminars attended by 10 of our case work staff joined by two from the Welfare Department.
Fortunately it has now been possible to arrange regular supervision for new members of the
staff and also to hold case work discussions. These are proving to be of great support and benefit
and are under the direction of an Assistant Principal Social Worker. New members of the staff
also benefitted from a course of inter-departmental in-service training, which was held during the
year.
A considerable number of requests are received from Universities and Colleges for Further
Education to take students for practical training, and they come for periods ranging from two weeks
to five months.
CO-ORDINATION
The Co-ordinating Committee consists of representatives from the City Council's Health,
Children's, Welfare and Housing Departments; the Inner London Education Authority and the
Greater London Council Housing Department. The Chairman is the Medical Officer of Health,
the Vice-Chairman is the Children's Officer and the Secretary is the Principal Social Worker (Health
Services).
The Committee considers matters of policy and principle and reviews arrangements for ensuring
co-operation and co-ordination between the City Council's departments and statutory and voluntary
agencies.
Case conferences concerning individual families are held as and when required and during
the year 32 conferences took place. Most of the cases discussed were first brought to the notice
of the Committee by the health visitors but the Housing, Children's and Welfare Departments
and the Divisional School Care Organiser (Inner London Education Authority) frequently refer
families at risk. Field workers in all departments keep each other informed of developments as they
know only too well that unilateral action by someone not in possession of all the relevant information
may undo much useful work. Everyday co-operation is the essential basis on which successful
co-ordination is built.
The directory of social services which was compiled as a result of a recommendation made
previously by the Co-ordinating Committee was revised during the year. It has proved to be a
most useful document and is in great demand.