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Payment
for use of
centres.
26. The grant made by the Council to the London Association in respect of
occupation centres during the financial year ended 31st March, 1929, was £1,924
(the same sum as was paid in respect of the previous year). The grant was apportioned
as follows:—for the Hackney and Southwark centres, the actual net cost,
not exceeding £465 each; for the Agnes Western centre, the actual net cost, not
exceeding £279; and for the Battersea, Lambeth, Poplar, Whitechapel and Woolwich
centres, £143 each. The grant made by the Council to the London Association
in respect of occupation centres covers the provision at the Agnes Western full-time
centre and at each of the part-time centres of one guide, and at the Hackney
and Southwark full-time centres of two guides apiece, to assist certain of the
children in their journeys to and from the centres. Payment in respect of
London children who attend the Willesden centre was made at the rate of £5 a year
for each case.
Additional
guides.
27. During 1928, as in 1927, a supplementary payment of £400 was made to
the London Association to cover the cost of additional guides. The employment
of 15 additional guides escorting 49 defectives was thus made possible.
Per capita
cost.
28. The cost to the Council for each child attending an occupation centre
(taking the average of actual attendances) was approximately £21 a year.
Medical
inspection
and treatment,
and
personal
cleansing.
29. During the year, with the approval of the Board of Control, arrangements
were made for all children under supervision who attend occupation centres in
London to be medically inspected periodically and for such children as are found
on inspection to require treatment for minor ailments, including skin troubles,
blepharitis, minor cases of running ears, etc. (but not cases of tonsils or
adenoids or cases in need of dental treatment), to receive treatment at the
school treatment centres. The arrangement came into force on 1st September,
1928. An assistant medical officer in the public health department, accompanied
by a school nurse, visits each of the occupation centres twice a year
to make medical inspection of all the supervision cases who are in attendance,
and the nurse visits the centres at other times to see to general personal hygiene
or to any minor infectious conditions which the children may present. Such
cases as need treatment for minor ailments are treated at the school treatment
centres at the end of the ordinary treatment sessions and are not associated there
with elementary school children Arrangements were made for any defective found