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Work of the Social Workers
The social workers were occupied in five different ways:
1. Investigating, and giving continuing help were necessary, to
all new cases that came to the social work section.
2. Investigating, and giving continuing help were necessary, to
re-opened cases (those known formerly to the section but
closed, and needing help again).
3. Giving continuing help to the regular caseload of mentally,
physically or socially handicapped people and their families.
4. Running clubs, classes,discussion groups, attending psychiatric
hospital on rota duty, out- patient clinics, manning
office rota, etc. etc.
5. Office duties and meetings; correspondence and case
recording; liaison with other agencies; case conferences
etc. etc.
Social workers carry out most of their work during interviews
with families and individuals. A note was kept during 1968, as
during 1967, of the places where the department's social workers
carried out any interviews which lasted longer than 15 minutes.
There were 17,760 such interviews (compared with 16,830 in
1967) and they took place as follows: (1967 figures in brackets).
11,835 (10,518) in peoples own homes
1,324 (1,367) in the Billet Lane offices
1,044 (1,032) in hospitals, particularly Warley Psychiatric
Hospital.
365 ( 258) in the Department's old peoples homes
293 ( 421) in Collier Lodge or Westmarsh Lodge, the
Department's mental health hostels.
269 ( 277) in the Belford Centre, the Department's
Adult and Junior Training Centres for the
mentally subnormal, and in the Special Care
Unit for the severely subnormal.
261 ( 242) in the Faringdon Centre, the Department's
Occupation Centre for the physically
handicapped.
214 ( 297) in the Department's Temporary Accommodation
for homeless families
2,095 (2,417) in other places
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