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180
ANNEX B
Problem family case histories
(Illustrating the work of the divisional co-ordinating committees)
Family 1. Father (aged 50 years), mother (aged 49 years) and thirteen children. All
children at home except eldest son aged 30 years and boy aged 18 years on National
Service.
Father, casual labourer, frequently out of work and addicted to drink. Mother
admitted to mental hospital immediately before birth of baby in December 1953.
Father then gave up work and family income was national assistance, children's
allowances and contributions from two sons aged 25 and 20 years and daughter aged
16 years at work. (This girl also 'mothered' the family.) One son aged 21 years in
sanatorium; baby in residential nursery; four children at school and two children in
day nursery.
In May 1954 daughter aged 16 years quarrelled with her father and ran away from
home. Put on probation as being in need of care or protection and placed in a friend's
home. Future of family then discussed at a conference between the district care
organiser, special officer (education officer's department), divisional nursing officer,
health visitor, area children's officer, child welfare officer and probation officer, to
decide whether children should be received into care as eldest girl at home was only
aged 13 years. It was thought justified to keep the family together and accordingly
decided :
(1) Health department to provide a home help, who would also take two
youngest children to a day nursery. Health visitor to be the co-ordinating officer
and to keep family under close supervision (working with N.S.P.C.C. inspector on
this aspect).
(2) District care organiser to arrange for the schoolchildren to have school
dinners during term time and school holidays.
(3) Position to be reviewed in one month.
Father persuaded to resume work. Frequent visiting by health visitor and routine
established for father to prepare tea before schoolchildren returned home from school
and the girl aged 13 years to collect the two younger children from day nursery. This
girl and her father to do the shopping together at weekends. Home help assisted in
household management and budgeting, including budgeting for home help and day
nursery charges payable on father resuming work. Progress reviewed at end of one
month when it was decided that the arrangements made were satisfactory and could be
continued. Clothing for children and some bedding obtained from W.V.S. and
tuberculosis care committee provided bedding for boy who had now returned from
sanatorium. Two weeks' holiday arranged for all the children (including, as a special case,
the eldest girl who was now aged 14 years) through the Children's Country Holiday
Fund. At one time all the children were verminous but health visitor persuaded father
to take them to a bathing centre and subsequently, by following health visitor's advice,
father kept the children clean himself. Arrangements made by health visitor with
L.C.C. housing department for priority decoration of the flat. Health visitor also
paid frequent visits to the home during school holidays. At this stage home looked
much better, children were happier and the eldest girl (on probation) had started to
return home at weekends to cook the family dinners.
In November 1954 mother returned home on weekend leave from mental hospital
and remained at home. Mother very unstable for a time and needed close supervision by
the health visitor who also kept in close touch with psychiatric social worker. Mother
soon dismissed the home help (although she was not really able to manage without) and
shortly afterwards brought the baby home from residential nursery. Situation further
complicated because husband became disturbed by wife's difficult and irritable attitude