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During the year the Council agreed to make available to the Psychiatric Rehabilitation
Association premises for use as a Group Home for former psychiatric patients who have undergone
a period of rehabilitation is Nicholas House, the Association's short stay hostel, but who are
unable to find housing accommodation which they can afford due to their low earning capacity.
A grant towards the necessary adaptations was also made
Junior Training School
Construction of a purpose built junior training school to replace the existing premises
commenced in 1968 and was completed at the end of 1969 at a cost of £90,000.
The School provides training places for 95 mentally severely sub-normal children, plus a
special unit for 20 children suffering from physical as well as mental handicap. The accommodation
includes assembly hall, 7 class rooms, 3 rooms for the special care unit, a nursery,
handicraft room and domestic science room. There are also recreational facilities including
large hall, playground, grassed area and children's flower garden.
Photographs of the new school face this page-
Last year the Government made known its intention to transfer the responsibility for the
education and training of mentally sub-normal children from the Department of Health and Social
Security to the Department of Education and Science.
Special Care Units
A special care unit for juniors, catering for those trainees who are too severely handicapped
to be able to be taught and trained with other juniors, was accommodated until the end of the year
in part of the University House Day Nursery,
The special unit for severely handicapped children under 5 years of age was housed in part
of the Council's Queen Mary Day Nursery until the end of the year.
Transport
Transport is provided by coaches and minibus to take trainees from their homes and training
centres each day. Transport covers trainees attending the junior training school, adult female
centres, the special care unit, the day nursery special unit, psycho-geriatric patients attending
the Day Centre and some of those attending the men's industrial training centre.
Holidays
Many trainees from the training centres take part in a holiday at a holiday camp at Dymchurch,
Kent, joining groups of trainees from other London Boroughs, Recuperative holidays are arranged
for mentally ill persons under community care.
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