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32
Besford
Court.
31. Three institutions appear for the first time in the table, contracts with the
managers of these institutions for the reception and maintenance there at the Council's
expense of suitable cases, as accommodation may be available, having been entered
into during 1926. Besford Court, near Defford, Worcestershire, is certified under
the Mental Deficiency Act to accommodate 37 male defectives, and is also certified
Littleton
House.
by the Board of Education and the Home Office. Littleton House School, Cambridge
is managed by the Littleton House Association, is certified under the Mental Deficiency
Act to accommodate nine male defectives, and is certified also by the Board
of Education. The Girls' Village Home, Barkingside, Essex, one of Dr. Barnardo's
Homes, is certified to accommodate 150 female defectives who must be residents of
the village home, ascertained to be defective after admission there.
Barkingside
Home.
Kensington
Poor Law
Institution.
32. The Kensington Board of Guardians found that they could not arrange for
an extension of the agreement between them and the Council for the reception of
defectives at the Marloes-road institution after 2nd April, 1926, and the agreement
therefore terminated on that date, and the Council's cases were removed elsewhere.
Metropolitan
Asylums
Board.
33. The accommodation provided by the Metropolitan Asylums Board has
continued to be of great value during the year under review. Originally provided
for the reception of chronic harmless lunatics, since its approval for use for the
reception of cases of mental defect it has served a most useful purpose as part of the
total accommodation available for this class of patient, though the result necessarily
has been to diminish the total accommodation available for London cases dealt with
under the Lunacy Acts. During the year the Board undertook to provide vacancies
at an average rate of 30 a month for suitable defectives to be maintained at the
Council's expense. The Council was able to use all the vacancies allotted at
a rate, on the average, of 25 a month. It is understood that in allotting these
vacancies the Board have decided to refuse any longer to admit to their institutions
defectives chargeable to out-county authorities, but that there is still in the Board's
care a considerable number of out-county cases admitted during earlier years under
arrangements made with the approval of the Minister of Health. If and when these
authorities can make other provision for their cases, valuable accommodation of
which London naturally would expect to have the advantage may become available.
Salvation
Army.
34. Arrangements were made for the use by the Council of institutions (lying-in
homes, etc.) provided by the Salvation Army for the accommodation, either as in
"places of safety" or on licence from certified institutions, of mentally defective
women found to be pregnant, until after their confinement, upon payment by the
Council, for each case so placed, at the rate of £1 a week, and of an additional charge
of £2 for the expenses of the confinement.
(b) Accommodation -provided by the Council.
35. This has continued to be provided at (i.) The Manor, Epsom (488 male and
565 female defectives of all classes); (ii.) the South Side Home, Streatham Common,
S.W. (80 females, higher grade cases); (iii.) Brunswick House, Mistley, Essex (50
males, higher grade cases); and (iv.) Farmfield, near Horley, Surrey (85 adult or
adolescent males of criminal experience or intractable disposition). The accommomodation
at these institutions continues to be reserved exclusively for London cases.
A statement of expenditure on the administration of these institutions is given
in Appendixes I. and II.
Number of
cases
accommodated.
36. At 31st December, 1926, the four institutions were practically full, except
for a few beds for female children at The Manor, Epsom..
The Manor,
Epsom,
school
department.
The Manor.
37. The number of children in the school department at The Manor has continued
to increase. The average attendance at school during the year ended 31st March,
1927, was 153, an increase of 16 on the average for the previous twelve months. As