View report page

73
an officer in relation particularly to the School Health Service.
However, in considering this question, regard was paid to the need
that Health Education Officers should be properly trained and the
Cohen Report recommends that the proposed Central Board for
Health Education should set up training schemes for Health Education
Officers. For the time being, therefore, it was felt that it would
be prudent to wait to see what progress was made in the proposed
training schemes for Health Education Officers and what scope
there would be to second officers regarded as suitable for these
posts to undertake training.
Home Safety—Accidents in the home
Arrangements are made for the loan of fireguards to mothers of
young children where there are insufficient resources to enable
the mother to make her own provision. During 1965, 24 fireguards
were issued.
Family casework and problem families
The Council has set up a Co-ordinating Committee of Members
to which are referred questions and problems related to the Social
Services where more than one Standing Committee or Department
may be concerned. Casework and the rehabilitation of problem
families is a subject to which a good deal of attention was given
during the year.
The Chief Officers of the Council meet and advise on the general
policy to be followed in family casework with problem families,
the major aims of which are to prevent the break-up of family
life and the neglect and ill-treatment of children. Decisions on
action to be taken in the case of individual families falls to the Case
Committee comprising representatives of the Council's Health,
Children's and Welfare departments and other statutory and voluntary
agencies which work with families. The Case Committee is
normally attended by the Deputy Children's Officer [Chairman),
Principal Social Worker (Health Services) (Secretary), Housing
Manager or representative, Principal Nursing Officer, Principal
Mental Welfare Officer, Deputy Chief Welfare Officer, Principal
Social Worker (Welfare Services), Divisional School Care Organiser,
and the Secretary of the local branch of the Family Welfare
Association.
Families whose problems are causing concern to more than one
department are referred to the Case Committee to consider the
most suitable form of help required and to decide which department
or agency should assume responsibility for visiting the
family.
During the year, the Case Committee met on 23 occasions and
discussed 92 families—48 of these were new cases and 44 were
reviews of families considered previously.