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otherwise be able to live within the community, to manage this successfully. At
the end of the year, 497 sub-normal and severely sub-normal persons were benefiting
from this form of community care. Of these, a substantial number of school leavers
and young adults are able to obtain, and maintain, work in open industry.
At the end of the year, two patients were under the guardianship of the Borough
and 31 patients were in informal foster care in homes run by voluntary organizations
and in private foster homes.
Three children in residential accommodation are receiving tuition at their Home
pending placements being found for them in a junior training school.
Towards the end of the year, special clinic sessions were arranged for mentally
sub-normal children and adults. The purpose of these clinics is to give parents an
opportunity to discuss problems with the Principal Medical Officer and the mental
health social worker. Attendance is by appointment and there are at present two
clinics in operation. One of these is held at Ravenor Park Clinic on the second
Wednesday in each month, starting at 10.30 a.m., and a second is held at Mattock
Lane Clinic on the third Wednesday in each month, starting at a similar time.
The Borough has an establishment of 11 mental health social workers. At the
time of re-organization there was in the London area a local shortage of such staff,
which resulted in many of those due to be transferred to Ealing obtaining positions
elsewhere before the proposed date of transfer. 1965 was therefore spent in building
and training a team of workers, and establishing a relationship with other social
services both within the Department and without.
This process will take many years to complete.
JUNIOR TRAINING SCHOOLS
Those children who are unable to benefit by a formal school education are placed,
whenever possible, in a junior training school. Here the accent is on handwork
and the children are taught to develop their manual dexterity and skills to the fullest
possible extent. Activities will include drawing, painting, rug making, embroidery,
simple carpentry, physical education and music.
As there is no junior training school within the Borough, arrangements were made
for children to be placed in training schools in neighbouring authority areas. Places
were taken up as follows:—
Isleworth Junior Training School 55
Hillingdon Junior Training School 24
Harrow Junior Training School 10
Neasden Junior Training School 1
Hanworth Junior Training School 2
Arrangements were made for five children to attend a holiday camp at Henley
organized by the London Borough of Hillingdon.
ADULT TRAINING CENTRE
The Council has an Adult Training Centre at Jubilee Gardens for 60 trainees.
The aim of the Centre is to train those attending to function at their highest possible
level of skill whether that involves work within the centre or in outside employment.
In this way trainees become more independent and are enabled to lead as full and
active a life as possible. Experience has shown that trainees can efficiently operate
machinery and turn out a high standard of product which years ago would have
been considered beyond their powers.
Work is undertaken for local firms on a contract basis, and includes the drilling
of metal components and the assembling of electrical and television parts. The
trainees are also taught general gardening work and several have left to go into
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