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for the formation of a Council of Social Services to co-ordinate the
functions of all appropriate voluntary associations working in the
area, and to liaise with statutory authorities.
PROBLEM FAMILIES.
It is not easy to define what one means by a "problem family"one
can only describe the imaginary but typical case of the Browns.
Mrs. Brown is now 27 and has been known to us since her family
moved into Barking some 20 years ago. She was always backward and
attended the Faircross Special School. After leaving she never settled
into any regular job and received little supervision from her own
parents. She became pregnant at the age of 17, but concealed her
condition and had a premature delivery, the baby dying after 24 hours.
She eventually married Mr. Brown and they now have four children.
It has always been difficult to persuade her to attend ante-natal clinics
regularly and to follow the advice given her by the Medical Officer
She is a poor manager and her children are dirty, poorly clothed, and
badly fed—much to the despair of the health visitor who has done her
best to guide her. She blames lack of money as the cause—despite
the fact that she herself goes out to work and can afford to be a chain
smoker. Her general health is not good and she was advised to attend
the Family Planning Clinic, but we were unable to persuade her to do
so and she is due for a further confinement next month.
Mr. Brown is 30. He spent much of his childhood in a children's
home, his father having deserted the family. He believes himself to be
in poor health, despite the fact that repeated hospital investigations
have shown him to be free from physical disease. He seldom remains
in one job for long, usually giving it up on the pretext of his "illness
and refusing offers of other employment made by the Labour Exchange
on the grounds that the work is unsuited to his state of health. During
these intervals the family live largely on National Assistance until Mr.
Brown is threatened with proceedings for "failure to maintain the
family," miraculously improves in health and accepts another job.
If Mr. Brown happens to be working when his wife has her baby we
confidently expect that he will once again give up his job and live on
his wife's maternity grant. He has little understanding of his children's
emotional needs, and takes little interest in them except occasional!)
to cane the elder boy to enforce "discipline."
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