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children require a hostel from which they can come for treatment. It should
be mentioned here, that the cases referred are already selected by the School
Medical Officer and others before they get to the Clinic and we have no
doubt that were a hostel available, more cases would come forward, particularly
delinquents.
"The treatment aim is to let the individual handle his or her own life
to the maximum degree and according to his or her own conceptions of how
it should be lived. Therefore, we do not aim at imposing our own conceptions
on the patient. That is why, in breaking off treatment, we take the
patient's view seriously into account, so that, for instance, the initiative in
stopping treatment comes from the following sources :—
(1) Parents feel they are able to handle the child.
(2) The child does not see any need to continue attending.
(3) The child wishes to spend the time at school rather than
the Clinic.
(4) The therapist considers that the treatment has reached a
conclusion.
This initiative is not accepted naively, but is carefully worked out on a
co-operative basis. This way of handling the situation is most important for
the subsequent social development of the child.
" Because of the fact that difficulties are always met with in the process
of growing up we have not closed cases. Parents and children are always
at liberty to return if they wish to. This point of view has been found
useful because if the patient knows he can return for further help he is more
inclined to step out and stand on his own feet at the earliest opportunity.
" During the year we have been handicapped by inadequate accommodation
and in the lack, since the resignation of Miss Toynbee, of a Psychiatric
Social Worker. Miss Newcombe's appointment has filled the vacancy and
we now have the basis Clinic team in operation again. It is clear, however,
that if the cases referred are to be handled adequately, there is urgent need
to increase the staff, and with it, the accommodation. We need a wholetime
play-therapist if the cases are to be treated as they are referred, whilst
a second psychiatric social worker could easily be used.
" In conclusion, we must refer to the happy co-operation with schools
and other social agencies, which could well be developed further had we more
time at our disposal. The pressure of cases, however, makes it necessary
for us to restrict our activities to this field."
Cases referred 90
Diagnostic Interviews 64
Short treatment Interviews 24
Intensive treatment Interviews 22
Cases awaiting treatment 18
Cases awaiting to be seen 26
Cases carried over from previous year 32
(n) School Meals and Milk, etc.
"During the year 1,164,131 dinners were supplied to school children in
Edmonton. Of these 96,659 were supplied free of charge to necessitous cases.
The average number of children receiving meals daily at the end of the year
was 5,200 (45% of the children in school).
"Under the Milk In Schools Scheme the issue of milk was made free
of charge from September. At the end of the year 11,257 children (98.7%
of the number in School) were receiving one-third pint daily.
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