London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

View report page

Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London

Havering 1966

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Havering]

This page requires JavaScript

Text

Copy text to clipboard

SECTION III
SOCIAL SERVICES
Statistics of the Social Services Section relating to both
Mental Welfare Officers and Social Welfare Officers, under Miss
K. Wells, Principal Social Welfare Officer, and details of the
various services provided are as follows: —

Table: StaffThe policy of appointing as field welfare officers only those applicants holding social welfare qualifications has continued. Difficulties have been experienced in recruiting qualified officers, but although there was a shortage of staff during the year the number of qualified staff increased as can be seen from the following* qualifications held by the 22 social workers on the staff at the end of 1966.

Staff

The policy of appointing as field welfare officers only those applicants holding social welfare qualifications has continued. Difficulties have been experienced in recruiting qualified officers, but although there was a shortage of staff during the year the number of qualified staff increased as can be seen from the following* qualifications held by the 22 social workers on the staff at the end of 1966.

No. at 1.4.65.No. at 31.12.65.
Applied Social Studies Certificate11
Mental Health Certificate13
Medical Social Work Certificate-1
Certificate in Social Work-3
Recognition of experience in Social Work Certificates55
Home Teacher for the Blind Certificate23
1017

Text

Copy text to clipboard

At the end of the year two other members of the staff were
on leave of absence attending Courses leading to the Certificate
in Social Work. A Senior Social Welfare Officer, two Psychiatric
Social Workers and a family case worker were appointed during
the year and in addition a welfare trainee returned as a Social
Welfare Officer having successfully completed the two-year course
for the Certificate in Social Work. Due to the difficult financial
position, the recruitment of Social Welfare trainees was suspended
during the year, although a number of applications were received
from candidates of good calibre, who in the normal way would
have been accepted for training.
Many members of the staff attended short courses and seminars
during the year to refresh their knowledge of the work. The facilities
afforded by the London Boroughs Training Committee were
especially valuable in providing opportunities in this connection.
One of the Social Welfare Officers attended an introductory
44