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Play Centre
The Junior Training School being closed for re-decoration during the summer
holiday, St. Paul's C.E. Primary School was made available by the school governors
to the Society for use as a play centre for four weeks, during the month of August,
on every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The Society provided the necessary
transport and some sixteen voluntary workers each day to supervise the children.
The Council provided mid-day meals on the same basis as during term time. The
average daily attendance was eighteen. Once again, this project proved to be most
useful and several parents were thus provided with relief from the constant care
of their children for a number of hours each day.
I should like, once again, to take this opportunity of acknowledging the valuable
work that the Society has continued to undertake on behalf of handicapped
children. Their generosity, enterprise and co-operation are greatly appreciated.
Adult Training Centre
The Adult Training Centre at Claverings Industrial Estate, run on similar lines
to an ordinary factory, has accommodation for 165 trainees over the age of sixteen
years, who are paid a weekly allowance. The scheme of incentive payments, which
was revised from 1st April, 1968, provides for a minimum payment to each trainee
in a full week of 10/- and a maximum of 40/—.
The number of trainees on the roll on 31st December. 1968, was 143, and there
were no names on the waiting list.
A proportion of places is reserved for trainees from the London Boroughs of
Barnet and Haringey but a large contingent from Haringey was withdrawn mid-year
on transfer to a new centre opened by that authority in April. The opportunity
was taken from the resulting under-occupancy of the Adult Training Centre to
extend its role to include selected mentally ill persons medically recommended to
attend a day occupation centre. At the end of the year eight such persons were in
attendance, having been successfully integrated into the working pattern of the
centre.
At the same time, it was decided to supplement the hired coach transport
service by reimbursing bus fares since, in appropriate cases, it is an important
feature of the training of the mentally subnormal and the rehabilitation of the
mentally ill, to use public transport on their own initiative.
A circular letter was received during the year from the Ministry of Health
(LHAL 24/68) together with a booklet entitled "Local Authority Training Centres
for Mentally Handicapped Adults : Model of Good Practice ". A study of this
document revealed that the Adult Training Centre operates in conformity with
the practices outlined.
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