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health social workers or health visitors, and with the co-operation of
health visitors, special attention has been paid to the need of the
pre-school child.
Kingston Training Centre
Kingston Training Centre is a purpose built combined junior
and adult training centre. Originally built to accommodate 93 trainees,
it has in fact at present 100 attending. 25 places are allocated for
trainees resident in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.
One trainee attended from the London Borough of Merton. Kingston had
one adult male attending a workshop out of the borough during the year.
The centre comprises a special care unit for severely
subnormal children, a junior training centre for children between the
ages of five and sixteen, and an adult training centre and workshops
for both sexes over the age of sixteen.
Special Care Unit
Eleven severely subnormal children whose handicap is so
severe as to require constant care attended the unit. Owing to
pressure on accommodation, two can only attend part-time. Nursing care
is provided by two staff.
Junior Training Centre
Facilities are provided for the training of children between
the ages of five and sixte«n years. Class gradings are determined not
on chronological age but on emotional and educational developments.
At an early stage emphasis is placed on simple toilet training and social
awareness, via play therapy. Tuition later continues with identification
of familiar symbols associated with social situations. Toward adolescence,
formal tuition is started in conjunction with more advanced social
training. Toward the sixteenth birthday short transitional periods
are spent in the workshops in preparation to transfer to the adult
training centre.
Adult Workshops
At the age of sixteen years the pupils transfer to the adult
centre, which is equipped with workshops, domestic science and social
training facilities. 50 adult trainees, most of whom are likely always
to need protected employment, attend the centre for practical and social
training. The workshops are run as far as possible on industrial lines
and special contracts for assembly work have been obtained from local
light engineering firms, principally Thorn Electronics. Work obtained
is broken down into simple processes so that every trainee can contribute
to the completed part according to ability. In 1966 contracts to the
value of £1500 were earned by the trainees and from this sum, trainees