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Two meetings of the parents and children at the Civic Centre were arranged and
the plans discussed. Arrangements were made with a coach hire firm to collect the
children and parents for the first day, and thereafter only mothers who wished to bring
their children came with them; one of the nursery assistants accompanies the coach
on all journeys to and from the centre.
After the first few days when the mothers who had been full of foreboding and
distress initially, mixed with relief at the prospect of a little freedom, saw that most of
the children were settling well, a routine was established which, with modifications,
has remained the daily pattern for the children. Only one of the mothers refused to
return the second day, and a second stayed in the centre with her son for the greater
part of the first two weeks, but her persistent refusal to leave the child to settle made
attempts at the much needed help unavailing and he has since remained at home.
It says much for the friendly atmosphere that although the staff and children were
all new together, within a week or two the isolated units of child, parent and staff, which
were so noticeable on the first day, had welded into a community and the children were
already part of a large family, giving and receiving help from each other without a trace
of self-consciousness or teasing of the more severely handicapped.
In the first six months, of the original admissions, two children have died in hospital
and one has been admitted to a school for the blind, two others will go to school in the
new year; one attended until the bad weather of the summer persuaded his parents to
keep him at home a little longer, one has been admitted to a mental hospital and eight
other children have been admitted during the year—
3 severe spastics—one also an ament
1 partially sighted
1 muscular dystrophy
1 mongol
1 developmental anomaly
1 retarded—no speech
A summary of the progress of the children, mentally and physically, is appended.
The children are collected from their homes between 8.30 and 9.30 a.m. in a hired
minibus; the journeys are unnecessarily long as the area covered extends to all limits of
the Borough, but it is hoped that next year the minibus which has been agreed for the
Health Area will be in service, and the journeys can then be divided and shortened.
At 10 a.m. the children have milk, and then, after an hour's play in small groups or
individually with staff, as the case merits, most of the older children (over 3 years) have
"school"—an hour of play teaching suited to their individual handicap. During the
morning physiotherapy and exercises are given, either by the physiotherapist or by the
staff nurse.
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