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42
At this first meeting a number of well-known problem family case
papers were discussed and it was soon apparent just how useful the
Committee was going to be, perhaps not so much in producing wonderful
ideas of how to get quick results for those involved and difficult cases
but in showing to each representative just how much other services knew
of the cases. The case was known to almost each one and a new light
thrown on a facet hidden from one group but already revealed to another.
There was one point that had to be made quite clear at the beginning
and that was that those cases which were purely housing difficulties should
not be the province of this Committee, but where housing was one of the
many strands in the case we found that the co-operation and knowledge
of the Housing Officer was invaluable.
The Committee met five times, and 27 cases have been dealt with,
with what success it is too early to judge. One thing is clear, however,
that the co-ordination of all sections of the local Health, Education and
Welfare Authorities is necessary, but that the preventive and remedial
measures to deal with the cases are very difficult to put into action.
It seems abundantly clear, even after a year's functioning of this
Committee, that we must prevent the cases from getting into the hopeless
situation that the problem family reveals. Often the assistance of a
Domestic Help is declined owing to the cost to the applicant. If specially
trained Domestic Helps, paid for by the Welfare Department or the
Health Department, could help with the practical side of housework ; if
Health Visitors had more time to spend in such homes training the
mothers not only in hygiene but in simple budgeting, cooking and child
management ; if the day nurseries or the nursery school could be used to
put young children in whose mothers fail to manage them properly ; and
the prevention of unsuitable marriages by better training and education
of adolescents ; much of the work of the problem family Case Committee
would eventually almost disappear.

Births notified 1,166