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112
Maintenance costs which have continued to increase during the year are paid in
accordance with the rates shown in the following table:
To
The Guardianship Society,
Brighton
Foster parents of patients placed
under the guardianship of inspectors
of the public health
department
Relatives or friends and superintendents
of small homes, hostels,
etc.
Maximum allowances
53s. 1d. a head a week made up as follows: maintenance
40s., clothing 6s., pocket money 6s. 6d., medical
fee 7d. In addition, a fee of £8 3s. a year is paid for
supervision.
56s. a head a week made up as follows: maintenance
42s., clothing 6s. 6d., pocket money 7s. 6d. An initial
outfit of clothing is provided in accordance with
needs.
35s. a head a week. In addition clothing may be supplied
in appropriate cases.
In special cases the Council authorises allowances in excess of these maxima.
An allowance of 10s. a head, for Christmas extras, was made, in certain cases, to
patients under the guardianship of the Council's inspectors.
As in previous years, holidays have been provided for patients under guardianship
for whom it has been considered necessary on medical grounds.
Patients under guardianship in London (including 14 for whom other local health
authorities were responsible) continued to be visited not less frequently than once a
quarter, every third quarterly visit being made by one of the Council's medical officers.
In addition to the statutory visits and reports made by the officers of The Guardianship
Society, Brighton, each London patient in the care of a nominee of the Society was
visited, unannounced, by an inspector of the Public Health Department at least once
during the year. The conditions of guardianship were found generally to be satisfactory.
Welfare
centre
Some parents are reluctant to take their mentally deficient children to ordinary
maternity and child welfare clinics, especially when, as is frequently the case, the children
are not of normal appearance. Moreover, at these clinics, the doctor is not always able
to discuss fully the needs of mentally deficient children and the mothers feel that their
special requirements are not being met. Arrangements were, therefore, made for a
special clinic for backward children to be set up at the Mary Hughes welfare centre,
Underwood Street, E.l, in January, 1953, as an experiment. Sessions will be held once a
month to begin with and will be conducted by a medical officer experienced in mental
deficiency and in child welfare. If the centre proves successful, the possibility of setting
up similar centres in other parts of London will be considered in due course.
Students
During the year facilities were given for 14 students taking university courses of
training in social science to spend periods up to eight weeks in the district offices of the
supervision section to enable them to gain practical experience in social work. Nine
students (6 women and 3 men) attending the full-time course of training for occupation
centre staff organised by the National Association for Mental Health each spent six
weeks in a London centre as part of their practical training. Centre and students both
benefit from the facilities given.
Statistics