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and Tuesday evenings each week and on Wednesday evenings at Lordship
Lane School Clinic, Tottenham.
Voluntary Workers. The secretaries and members of clinic voluntary
workers have given considerable reliable and efficient service in Hornsey
Maternity and Child Welfare Centres and are commended on their loyal
support throughout the year.
Specialised Visiting of Problem Families
Two special services health visitors have undertaken this work for
families in particular need. There can be no doubt that only health visitors
of considerable vocation and experience are likely to continue in this
sphere of distressing but rewarding work of rehabilitating problem
families or those bordering on a "break-up" of family life. It is not enough
to call to give advice since these families are generally incapable of acting
upon advice without considerable support and assistance. Our experience
has shown that it is necessary for the specialised worker to be in the home
a good deal to show the family what they can do for themselves and to
wait upon the unfolding of concealed unsolved personal prostrations
which are so often part of the source of the family's downfall.
The state of the home is in general indicative of the level to which the
family has descended and from which it must be encouraged to rise. It
is no solution to arrange for the services of a home help or other person
to do the work. Of those referred to the special services health visitors a
substantial number of the parents are either suffering from mental defect,
mental illness, physical deterioration, have been "in trouble" or "inside"
or have a combination of two or more of these failings.
Both special services health visitors received the greatest assistance and
support from family doctors; local clergy, statutory and voluntary agencies
and individuals. All appear to have recognised the significance of this
work and are very willing to be called upon for help.
Every home visited showed evidence of the intensive work done with
the family. The combined efforts of members of the family in redecorating
their rooms does much to pull them together in making the best of their
homes and giving them pride in their efforts. In general it is not easy to
get them moving into doing this but once started they work well and
have great pleasure in the results.
Considerable debts have been accumulated by most problem families,
but by constant encouragement these can be, in a comparatively short
time, very substantially reduced.
Saving in public funds
Apart from uniting and rehabilitating the family into the community
as a whole, the work of these visitors shows considerable saving in the
expenditure of public monies on each family, as will be seen illustrated
in the following two examples:—
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