View report page

Special Services Health Visitors
The intensive case work with problem families continued during
the year along the same lines as in previous years. Some families,
because of the concentrated visiting and support it has been possible
to give over varying periods, were in a better position to manage
their own affairs and therefore were referred back to the district
health visitor. Several other families are growing towards stability
and will, it is expected, soon be able to manage without the special
services. Others continue to require constant attention and will
do so for a very long time.
General mismanagement, too many children born too quickly,
heavy debts, frequently resulting in the threat of eviction, and the
probability of the children requiring residential care, continue to be
the main problems.
Work with the mentally sick, expecially those parents who
refuse to accept psychiatric treatment, are a particular source of
anxiety, because of their inability to co-operate and make use of
available help.
One family, the father being an alcoholic, is constantly being
turned out of different lodgings because of his behaviour. This
family move in and out of the district, make a great deal of work,
and there seems very little hope of improvement. For the first
time, a family of West Indians was referred to one of the special
services health visitors. The father, who was in regular employment,.
deeply resented and refused to pay rates. Consequently this resulted
in the accumulation of arrears.
The mother of a family of six children died suddenly at the
latter part of the year. Three school girls are under supervision
of the probation officer because of truancy, an other child attends a
residential school for maladjusted children, the fifth child, because of
post poliomyelitis paralysis, attends the school for physically handicapped
children, whilst the sixth child attends the local day nursery.
It is regretted that the vacancy caused by the resignation of
Miss Spooner, who worked in Tottenham, had not been filled at the
end of the year. The district health visitor, because of the many
demands on her time, is not able to give the constant supervision
required by the families.
Of considerable importance is the help given by local and
national voluntary agencies. This help, in the form of clothes,
money, holidays, Christmas gifts and parties, is of great assistance
in the rehabilitation of problem families. Once again we wish to
record our appreciation for all the help we have received during the
year.
53