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It is a matter for conjecture whether anything substantial can be done through the
normal health services for the families in which emotional instability is combined with
low intelligence. This group accounts for 19.1 per cent, of the potential and 45.8 per
cent, of the hardcore, but instability as evidenced by the four symptoms chosen is in
fact combined with normal intelligence or above in no less than 35.4 per cent, of the
potential problem families and 25.8 per cent, of the hardcore.
The third feature is the percentage of families in which there existed known or
suspected cruelty or neglect which was 34.6 of the potential problem families and 77.1
of the hardcore. It will be appreciated that within this group there are families in which
neglect may amount to cruelty, yet still the family remains an entity because there
exists affection between parents and children.
The fourth feature is the incidence of housing as a contributory factor—here the
figures when one or other of the two aspects of housing (overcrowding or intolerable
conditions, including enmity of neighbours) occurs in 44.3 per cent, of potential problem
families and 60.2 per cent, of the hardcore. It cannot be inferred from these figures
that housing is the root cause of problem families. Whether bad housing dragged the
family down, or whether the unsatisfactory family inevitably gravitated thereto are
matters which can be decided only after a careful scrutiny of the individual family
circumstances.
Finally 30.4 per cent, of the potential problem families and not less than 51 per cent,
of the hardcore failed to take advantage of the help and services proffered. This is a
fact which accentuates the difficulties experienced in supporting these families.
Time—Table IV shows the average time spent per problem family per week by
health visitors together with maxima and minima. The County averages were 20 minutes
a week for a potential problem family and 28 minutes for a hardcore problem family.
More time was spent on the hardcore families than the potential problem families in
every division of the County though the divisional averages differed, not unnaturally,
when the wide range of families and differing social conditions are taken into account.
The maximum times are almost without exception the result of a crisis in one or more
of the families concerned—such as a mother temporarily deserting her children, an
economic crisis, infidelity, a child being in trouble for truancy, assault or theft, or illness
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