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(c) Registration of Old People's Homes and Homes for
the Mentally Disturbed
One new registration in respect of an Old Persons'
Home, providing for 20 residents was effected during
1965. At the end of the year there were three homes registered,
each for old persons, providing accommodation for
a total of 40 persons.
FAMILIES SERVICE
The social worker dealing particularly with families had been
doing this work in the same district before April 1965. After 1st
April, 1965, he continued to help families he was in touch with
before, so there was no break in the care they received. During the
remainder of the year, he gave casework help to all the Havering
families in Suttons — 10 families were there on 1st April, 1965,
and 13 others came to Suttons between May and December, 1965.
He also helped a number of others. These were families who applied
for temporary accommodation as they were homeless, or who
were put in touch with the Department as they were likely to become
homeless, or who were so beset with problems that others —
doctors, health visitors, the National Association Board — feared
for their future. He was in touch with up to 40 families at any
one time.
Many of these families first became known to the Department
because of accommodation problems. 33 families were referred
between 1st April and 30th September, 1965, because of the
following:—
11 were in difficulties from living with relatives, usually arising
from overcrowding and domestic disputes.
5 had been given notice to quit from furnished accommodation.
4 were illegal sub-tenants in private accommodation.
3 had considerable rent arrears.
3 had matrimonial problems.
2 asked for help in maintaining their rent.
2 were behind with mortgage repayments.
1 had to leave private accommodation as the owner was
selling it.
1 had to leave a service tenancy, having given up a job there.
1 had accommodation which was no longer habitable.
The aim of this service is to help families work out a satisfactory
future for themselves. Some of those seen during 1965 had
suffered a series of misfortunes over which they had little or no
control, but some were problems in themselves and the task of
helping them was bound to be a long one. They suffered perhaps
from poor intelligence, mental or physical ill health, low or irregular
income, unemployment, more children than they could cope with,
general social inadequacy. In some cases those who were parents
had themselves been children of 'problem families'. Their own
children stand every risk of growing up and forming 'problem
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