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with, or following, the mental testing an examination of a psychiatric type is made. This is of the nature
of a discussion with a view to ascertaining the state of mind of the child or young person and the underlying
causation of the delinquency. While the child is on remand at the home, reports are received in
many cases from the probation officers and from the local education authority. It is only after reaching
a definite opinion that a final report on a special case is submitted to the Court. In some cases in which
it is not possible to make a diagnosis without further information full investigation at a child guidance
clinic is recommended."
(c) Developments from 1946 to 1951—
(i) By June, 1946 the demand from the Courts for psychological reports on cases passing
through the remand homes proved to be beyond the resources of the medico-psychologist,
so arrangements were made for part of the work, consisting largely of mental and scholastic
testing, to be handled by an educational psychologist. Dr. Pearce resigned in that year and
there was an interim period of two years during which several differing temporary arrangements
were made for the psychiatric work at the remand homes, which were described
in the annual reports for 1946 and 1947 of my immediate predecessor, Sir Allen Daley.
In 1948 Dr. Peter Scott was appointed as psychiatrist to the remand home, and the
psychiatric team was completed by the appointment of a psychiatric social worker.*
(ii) In Circular 38/51, of 10th September, 1951 the Ministry of Health advised that:
"the Minister . . . has had under consideration . . . 'the question whether the provision of psychiatric
services for remand homes is the duty of the local authority which provides the home or of the National
Health consultant service. While the question itself is not free from doubt it has been decided on practical
grounds that services of this kind should be provided by regional hospital boards without charge ".
Accordingly discussions were held with the appropriate hospital authorities as a result
of which it was agreed that the work in London should be taken over by the Institute of
Psychiatry and Maudsley hospital, for whom Dr. Peter Scott was also already working as
a consultant.
(d) Circular on juvenile delinquency of 20 July, 1953—In a joint circular of 20 July,
1953 on juvenile delinquency (Home Office No. 99/53, Ministry of Education No. 265/53),
the Secretary of State and the Minister of Education suggested that the local committees
on juvenile delinquency, formed in the light of a memorandum issued in April, 1949 by
the Home Office and Ministry of Education on the problems of juvenile delinquency, be
kept in being, that full use be made of the opportunities that they gave for consultation,
and that it might be convenient for the committees to form part of the co-ordinating
procedure for dealing with children neglected in their own homes. In London this has
been carried out through the medium of the divisional co-ordinating committees, the
introduction of which was described on pages 57/58 of my annual report for 1952.
(e) Stamford House Remand Home, 1950 to 1959—Stamford House is the largest remand
home in the country, having room for 105 boys. During the past ten years the number of
annual admissions has ranged from between 1,284 (in 1954) to 1,859 (in 1950) and has
averaged 1,528 a year. The following table shows the number of cases remanded to
Stamford House by the Courts since 1950, the number of psychiatric reports requested,
and the number of 'conduct' (i.e. Superintendent's) reports. (Total admissions, which
include those from the police pending a court hearing, lodgers, etc., exceed in number
those for whom reports are requested by the Courts.)
* A full account of the work of the psychiatric team is given in Sir Allen Daley's annual report for 1949,
pages 94-97.
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