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CHILD DEVELOPMENT SESSIONS
These were formerly called Toddlers' Play Sessions, and were started In 1961 as a
pilot scheme one morning a week at Park House Clinic. The satisfactory results prompted
the opening of a session in May, 1962 for one morning a week at Leyton Green Clinic and
this year there are further extensions.
The primary aims were two-fold.
Firstly, it was hoped that emotional tension in families could be relieved in both
mother and child by giving the children a few hours a week away from their mothers.
There have been many successes in this field, and the doctors who have referred the
cases, and the staff of the sessions, can cite many instances where the children have
improved enormously after a period of attendance.
There is no doubt that the sessions are of proved value as a therapeutic weapon
for the alleviation or even cure of degrees of neurosis and tension which sometimes
arise when mother and child are too closely on top of each other. Though more direct
observation is made of the children the impression is gained that often the mothers
have improved in stability and confidence even more than their children, and there is
every reason to think that these sessions can take the credit for the restoration of
happy relationships in many families.
All the cases are referred on medical recommendation and further extension in 1963
will be a most valuable addition to the ways now available to the medical staff to
alleviate mental ill-health.
The second aim of the sessions at the time of their formation was the prevention
of mental illness by admission of children who were quite healthy but who live in
potentially stressful situations, such as flats without play space, where their
emotional stability might be put under strain.
This aim has not been achieved mainly because there were too many children showing
symptoms to allow vacancies to those whose need was prevention only.
There are so many children who come in this category and there will be more with
the blocks of flats being built, that one must question whether it is reasonable to
expect to cope with them all within the Health Services. It is of course to be hoped
that those concerned with the lay-out of the new housing estates will bear the needs
of young children for play space in mind, and the Education Authorities will press for
measures to make enough Nursery Classes possible. In a field like this there is no
division between Health, Housing or Education and it should be ensured that if one
Local Authority power is not fully applicable another is used.
Park House Leyton Green
Clinic Clinic
Sessions 51 34
Attendances 650 454
Children who attended 37 35
Average attendance 12.7 13.3
Average number of
attendances per child 17.5 12.9
(39)