View report page

MENTAL SUBNORMALITY
The borough is within the catchment area of South Ockendon and Harperbury
Hospitals, which admit patients requiring hospital care for mental subnormality.
During the year, we received notice of an eventual adjustment to catchment areas
of the North East and North West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Boards whereby
Harperbury Hospital will cease to have responsibility for those patients residing
in the area of the former Borough of Southgate.
Domiciliary Service
The reported number of subnormal persons residing in the borough was 413.
The mental welfare officers paid 1,080 home visits, and 57 office interviews were
carried out.
Much time is devoted to the parents in an endeavour to help them to come to
terms with the problems with which they are faced, and in assisting them to provide
an environment in which both the child and the family are more fitted to enjoy a
fuller life within the community.
The "School Leavers" conferences, concerning the educationally subnormal
boys and girls leaving the special schools, continue to be held. Many of these
young persons need help and guidance in respect of job selection and benefit
considerably from the service provided for them. In order to find them work that
is within their limited capabilities, the co-operation of the Careers Officer and the
Disablement Resettlement Officer of the Ministry of Labour is sought. A cooperative
attitude of employers is of considerable importance in developing an
understanding of the problems of the subnormal and in this field the mental welfare
officers play an important part. A wider scope of activity can be achieved in a
work situation with an enlightened approach to the matter.
Six trainees left the supervision of the Adult Training Centre to enter ordinary
employment.
Junior Training Schools
These schools are provided for those children who, under Section 57 of the
Education Act, 1944, are found to be suffering from a disability of mind of such
a nature or to such an extent as to make them incapable of receiving education at
a school provided by the local education authority.
At the Enfield Junior Training School there is provision for 144 children of
both sexes, including a small nursery group and a 24-place special-care unit. All
the children in the special care unit have a dual handicap such as spasticity or other
physical defects, as well as subnormality.
56