View report page

MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
The mental health services continued to expand and the year saw the opening of a
further industrial training centre for men and older boys at Blackwall Lane, Greenwich;
the extension of day centre facilities for mentally ill persons; and the furthering of the
Council's policy of support and encouragement for voluntary organisations, especially in
the opening by the Easton House Trust of a hostel for leavers from the Council's boarding
special schools for maladjusted boys to which the Council contributes 90 per cent. of the
approved maintenance expenditure. Further examples of the Council's support of voluntary
efforts are given below.
The staffing needs to meet the demands of an expanding service were recognised when
the Council approved in the latter half of the year an increase of some 35 per cent. in the
establishment of mental health social workers. Recruitment was proceeding steadily, if
not as speedily as could have been wished, by the end of the year.
Training centres
A new industrial training centre was opened in March in Greenwich. Accommodation
was provided for 36 men and youths, but the full benefit of the additional places was not
realised as some 20 places were taken up temporarily by trainees displaced from the Stepney
industrial centre on the cessation of the lease. However, plans are well advanced for the
Stepney unit to move back to Poplar early in 1964. At the end of the year there were 23
training centres providing 1,471 places (755 in nine junior centres; 351 in six centres for
men and youths, including 126 places in two industrial centres; 365 in eight centres for
women and older girls). The industrial centres produced goods valued at approximately
£3,175 for use in the Council's service.
Educational psychologists—The Council approved the employment of educational
psychologists, working in the Education Officer's department, to visit junior training
centres to investigate the training potentialities of subnormal children and to give advice
on training methods, either generally or in respect of individual children. This followed a
recommendation of the Sub-Committee on the Training of Staff for Training Centres for
the Mentally Subnormal set up by the Ministry of Health, that authorities should be encouraged
to co-operate in, or initiate, educational and psychological research into mental
subnormality. A total of about 18 half-day sessions a term for the nine centres is involved
and the scheme is to be reviewed in May 1964.
Special care units—Authority was given for the addition of special care units at three
existing junior training centres; it is hoped to start work on them next year.
The Council increased its contribution to the Friends of the Centre for Spastic Children,
to provide further places in the special care unit for subnormal multi-handicapped spastic
children aged two to seven years at the Cheyne Walk centre, Chelsea. The enlarged unit
will be able to accommodate up to 30 of these children.
Home teaching—At the end of the year home tuition was being provided for 45 mentally
subnormal persons who were unable, through physical handicap, to attend training centres.
Special units in day nurseries—Approval was given to the setting up in day nurseries of
four additional units for severely subnormal children under the age of 5 years. One of these
special units started in Poplar and the other three, in St. Pancras, Lambeth and Wandsworth,
were expected to be in use early in the New Year. The two original units in Fulh
and Lewisham continued to provide facilities.
Rehabilitation, training and occupation of mentally ill persons
Day centres for the mentally ill—Part-time day centres for chronic mentally ill persons,
where they can meet together to enjoy occupational and educational activities and at the
69