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CHILD GUIDANCE:
The arrangements by which seriously handicapped children
are referred to the Tavistock Clinic for examination and treatment
continued. Unfortunately the number referred from
this and other areas exceeded the facilities available and a
waiting list accumulated. Endeavours were made to overcome
this difficulty by referring the children to other Child Guidance
Clinics, but without much success as there the same
conditions prevailed. It will be appreciated that in the
majority of cases prolonged treatment is required not only
of the child but indirectly of the parents so that a change of
attitude on their part may be encouraged. Child guidance
cannot hope to be successful without the co-operation of the
parents and in the more serious cases a change of environment
by admission to a special residential school may hold out the
only prospect of cure or improvement. The mal-adjusted
child is inevitably an unhappy child who does not fit into the
community in which he lives and whose mental conflicts find
expression in a multitude of ways from delinquency and antisocial
behaviour which have wide repercussions, to physical
manifestations peculiar to the individual child. 55 cases were
referred for psychological treatment during the year under
review.
Section 57 (3) of the Education Act, 1944, places on the
Local Education Authority the duty of reporting to the Local
Authority for the purposes of the Mental Deficiency Act, 1913,
the case of any child who has been found incapable of receiving
education at school. Fourteen days' notice must be given
to the parent of the intention of issuing such a report and
the parent may, within that period, refer the question as to
whether such a report may be issued, to the Minister of Education
in which case a report shall not be issued excepting by
the direction of the Minister. During the year 3 children
were considered to be ineducable, but the parents of the
children in question did not appeal to the Minister.
Section 57 (5) places a duty on the Local Education
Authority to notify to the Local Education Authority for the
purposes of the Mental Deficiency Act, 1913, any child suffering
from a disability of mind of such a nature or to such an
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