View report page

Figures for the health divisions individually showed a marked consistency with the
trend for the County as a whole.
In addition to the welfare foods distributed on behalf of the Ministry of Food,
other welfare foods continued to be made available for children on the approval of a
medical officer, at fixed charges, subject to abatement where necessary. Drugs and
medicaments according to an approved list were provided free of charge when recommended
by the clinic medical officer.
Sunday cinema grants
The Council continued to receive contributions from Sunday cinematograph entertainments
out of which an allocation was made to each of the nine health divisions for the
purpose of providing additional amenities for mothers and children attending welfare
centres and day nurseries. These amenity funds were administered by small voluntary
committees.
Marriage guidance
The report in 1947 of the Committee of Procedure in Matrimonial Causes (the Denning
Committee) led to the setting up of the Departmental Committee on Grants for the
Development of Marriage Guidance (the Harris Committee) whose recommendations
in 1948 gave rise to the existing arrangements for grant aid from public funds to the
three marriage guidance organisations. These arrangements provide for contributions
by the Home Office towards the training and central administration expenses and by
local authorities towards the case-work activities of the local marriage guidance councils.
The final year of the present experimental term of financial aid by the Council to each
of the three marriage guidance organisations operating in London, began on 1st April,
1955, and the total grants approved for that year to the London Marriage Guidance
Council, the London Centre of the Catholic Marriage Advisory Council and the
Family Discussion Bureau of the Family Welfare Association amounted to £5,200.
The three organisations have developed on independent lines and a brief indication of
the extent of their work may be of general interest.
(a) London Marriage Guidance Council—Sessions totalling 875 in 1951 rose to
nearly 1,500 in 1955. During the same period the number of voluntary counsellors
increased from sixteen to twenty-nine and during 1955, 3,222 interviews were
conducted. An average of twenty-nine counselling sessions were held each week
during the year, fourteen at local centres (including twelve at L.C.C. clinics) and
the remainder at the organisation's headquarters in Duke Street, W.l. Since 1951
the organisation have held a monthly series of talks for groups of engaged and
newly-married couples on the practical, physical and emotional relationship in
marriage and hundreds of couples have attended these talks.
(b) Catholic Marriage Advisory Council (London centre)—During 1955, sixteen
voluntary counsellors conducted 2,070 interviews. An average of twenty-nine
counselling sessions was held each week during the year, the greater part of the
work being carried out at the organisation's headquarters in Parliament Street,
S.W.I. Three local centres were maintained. Training courses on pre-marriage
work were arranged for doctors, social workers, priests etc.
(c) Family Discussion Bureau—The number of persons interviewed during 1955
was 386, involving 4,251 appointment hours. References from doctors and hospital
almoners, which were negligible in 1949, rose to almost 30 per cent, of all cases in
1954 and increased still further during 1955. Results of the research work into the
value of the methods applied by the organisation were published in 1955 and the
Bureau hope to investigate further many questions relating to marriage breakdown,
family relationships etc.
71