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The work of the London Association for Mental Welfare was taken over by the Council
in 1930 and the social workers continued to operate from four local offices. The work of the
inspectors remained separate and centralised until 1955; these officers were then allocated
to the local offices with the object of integrating the social work in this field and a senior
organiser with over-all responsibility was appointed. This arrangement, whereby a group of
social workers was engaged exclusively on mental deficiency work, continued until the
mental health services were re-organised in 1960.
The Council recognised that the provision of centres for the training and occupation of
mentally defective children and adults living in the community afforded the means of
achieving their fullest possible development and social adaptation. Occupation centres
(now referred to as training centres) were first provided by the London Association for
Mental Welfare, with financial assistance from the Council, in 1923. The Council took over
the running of these centres in 1931, when there were 18 small centres providing accommodation
for about 300 persons, although only three of these operated on a full-time basis.
By the outbreak of war in 1939, when the centres had to close, about the same number of
persons were being accommodated in 12 larger centres. It was not possible to start reopening
the centres until 1948 and most of the centres then had to be accommodated in
hired premises which it was realised were far from satisfactory. The period since 1948 has
been one of rapid expansion to meet an increasing demand for places, as well as planning
to improve the standard of accommodation in use. By the time the Council's proposals
under the Mental Health Act, 1959 were formulated, although much remained to be
done, the training centre service had been expanded to provide places for 1,250 persons
in 21 centres (including one industrial centre); some of the least satisfactory hired premises
had been replaced; some specially adapted Council-owned premises had been brought into
use and the first two specially designed centres had been opened.
Services for mentally ill persons—Social workers for the mentally ill were employed by
the Council in its mental hospitals before the first mental health course for the training of
psychiatric social workers was instituted in 1929, following which fully trained social
workers were employed in the mental observation wards at the Council's general hospitals
and subsequently at the county mental hospitals. When the hospitals were transferred to
the Ministry of Health in 1948, under the National Health Service Act, 1946, these social
workers were retained in the hospital service.
Community care services for the mentally ill were started in 1943, at the request of the
Ministry of Health, by the National Association for Mental Health for ex-service personnel
who had been discharged on psychiatric grounds. Responsibility for this work, which
from 1948 was extended to civilians, was assumed by the Council under section 28 of the
National Health Service Act, 1946; the work at first was carried out by the National
Association for Mental Health and the Mental After Care Association acting jointly as
agents for the Council. In 1953 the Council took over direct responsibility and in 1960, when
the mental health services were re-organised, there were five psychiatric social workers,
including one senior, working from the County Hall under the general direction of the
consultant psychiatrist employed by the Council as its adviser in mental health.
Mental welfare officers—The emergency removal of mentally ill persons to observation
wards and hospitals was for many years the responsibility of the Boards of Guardians.
This work, which was taken over by the Council in 1930, was first performed in the newlyconstituted
Public Assistance department; in 1948 it was transferred to the Public Health
department, the relieving officers so employed being re-designated as duly authorised
officers and transferred to the department to form the nucleus of the staff of mental welfare
officers. From then until 1960, these officers were employed almost exclusively on the work
of taking the initial proceedings in providing care and treatment for persons suffering
from mental illness. Whilst these workers did not come within the category of social
worker and although the organisation and nature of their duties precluded continuity of
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