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Junior Training Centres: At the formation of the borough on 1st April 1965
there were no facilities in the borough for training mentally subnormal children, the
nearest centre being at Hackney at which most of the children residing in the borough
attended. In September this year, following the carrying out of adaptations in a centre
formerly used for adult girls, all the borough's mentally subnormal juniors were accommodated
in a centre within the borough. This is a temporary expedient, pending the
construction of a 115-place purpose built centre, included by the Council in its 10-Year
Health and Welfare Development Plan, loan sanction for which was approved by the Ministry
of Health by the end of the year.
Adult Training Centres: Adults resident in other boroughs and attending training
centres in this borough were transferred to centres in their own boroughs during the year
which facilitated the change of user of the centre referred to in the previous paragraph.
There are now two centres in the borough for training subnormal adults, one being an
industrial centre for males and the other comprising a senior group for females aged
16 and over with an adolescent group of both sexes aged. 13 plus.
At these centres social and work training are given. The majority are so handicapped
as not to be able to take up outside employment, but the introduction to working conditions
and routine gives sufficient support and self-confidence to enable some of the less
severely handicapped to take up open employment.
Referrals: Persons referred to the department showed an increase of 24 per cent
over the last year. The number under community care however decreased by 10 per cent.
The increase in referrals reflects the increasing awareness that illness and other
conditions may be due to mental dysfunction, although it is gratifying to note that
only a small proportion of those referred required hospital treatment or community care.
Admissions to Hospital: In addition to community care for patients and their
families the mental health social workers are responsible for the statutory admission
where necessary of patients to hospital. Informal and compulsory admissions for the
year numbered 286, an increase of 14 per cent over the last year.
Industrial Work at Training and Day Centres: Industrial work undertaken during
the year included such tasks as assembling cardboard boxes, sets of darts, skipping
ropes, paint boxes; packing curtain rails, toys, pencil cases, cardboard boxes; sorting
chess-sets, pocket games, plastic egg-cups, whips and tops; making playing bricks, toy
ironing boards, tidy boxes, sorting trays, easels, test-tube racks, basketry bases, cots;
trimming and bundling plastic mouldings, thumb-holing medical boxes, and repairs to
furniture.
Money earned by the trainees amounted to £2,370, against which has to be offset
the cost of materials. Payment is made to trainees, based on attendance, and is regarded
45.