View report page

Occupational Facilities
The Social Worker is also concerned with endeavouring to
see that the deaf and hard of hearing avail themselves where
possible of the facilities provided for the aged and physically
handicapped and liaises with the Old People’s Workshop and the
Faringdon Centre for the physically handicapped with regard to
the placement and subsequent supervision of deaf and hard of
persons in these Centres.
4. Mentally Handicapped
The number of persons under the care of this Authority at
the end of 1969 was as shown in the table overleaf.
A total of 241 persons were referred to the Department
during the year from the following sources:-
General Practitioners 123
Hospitals 18
Local Education Authority 15
Police and Courts 10
Other Sources 75
The majority (198) were suffering from mental illness. Ten
were children under the age of sixteen suffering from mental
subnormality, all of whom were referred by the Education Department
having been ascertained through the Social Health Service.
Early diagnosis of these sub-normal children is achieved by
admission to a day nursery class at an early age. Following a
period of observation, case conferences are held to decide whether
the child should be ascertained ineducable. In this event, the
parents are offered admission to the Junior Training Centre, or
in cases of severe subnormality to the Special Care Unit.
73