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times arises in connection with children referred by
the Juvenile Courts where residential treatment is
recommended but not available immediately, and
sometimes for several months. The Local Authority
has been able to help by providing temporary
care in a Children's Home or Hostel, and it would be
especially helpful if in other cases, not referred by
the Courts, similar facilities were available for
temporary placement, with a minimum of formality,
i.e. for children in disturbed homes who are awaiting
placement in a Residential School or admission to a
special Psychiatric Treatment Centre.
I am pleased to say that facilities for admission
of children under 12 now exist in the Paediatric
Section of Whipps Cross Hospital, where a pilot
experiment has been in progress for some months.
Dr. Herbert Davy is the visiting Consultant Psychiatrist,
though the beds are technically under Dr. Hinden
Consultant Paediatrician. The general policy has
been to admit only children who can be coped with in
a General Ward, and to exclude children whose
behaviour is too grossly disturbing, though they have
even managed to cope with some of these. There
is still some delay in finding suitable vacancies for
in-patient treatment of older and more disturbed
children.
It has been found useful for members of the
Clinic staff to visit and establish personal contact with
people working in Residential Schools and Residential
Treatment Centres. A few such visits were made
during the past year and more are desirable. It has
been found to help us with the selection of centres
for placement in relation to a particular child and
helps those in charge to a fuller appreciation of the
child's situation and needs. We also try to maintain
contact with parents after a child has been sent away,
andwhere possible towork with them, and to prepare
them for the eventual return home of their child. It
is important in this respect that we are kept fully
informed of the child's progress while away, and of
any impending changes, for example transfer to
another school, or return home. "