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24.
In the opinion of the writer, just as in schooldays, the main
influences outside the home were the School Medical Officer
and the Head Teacher, after school life it should still be the
School Medical Officer and a suitably qualified welfare officer
on the Youth Employment Staff, or possibly continued (officially
recognised as duty and allowable for staffing ratios) interest
of a member of the school staff with exceptional freedom within
the Youth Employment Service, youth service and further
education generally. All others should stand off having
confidence in these and assisting rather than negatively
competing.
Parents, it is repeated, need to be educated. There is
not space to dwell on this weighty problem who can tell
where springs the love in some apparently impossible cases?
The protective sense may, however, be misguided. A little
experience in Youth Employment Service would convince one,
for example, that parents of some epileptic children are,
collectively, the biggest set of liars in existence. But to
gain their confidence and enlist their aid indeed to be
effective in the interests of the young person at all one
needs often to take on the whole family. Although much good
can be done by voluntary effort and probably little without
a 'calling', this is not really a job for an amateur, and
into this classification most of us must fall. One is
familiar with the activities of many worthy voluntary organisations
and would not wish to decry their goodwill or
efforts, but an annual bun fight, concert or outing is not
enough.
A section of young people who do not attend special
schools, may not indeed attract notice during their school
life as being anything other than normal, nevertheless
appears in the first stages of employment as virtually a
handicapped group. One suspects that many are emotionally
handicapped. They are unable to cope with the work situation.
Unable to adjust themselves to society. Our pattern of Youth
Service, which includes the Youth Employment Service, is of
great assistance to us in helping these, but here again the
personnel are inadequately qualified and feel that many could
have been straightened out earlier, and could be now,except
that only in extremely obvious cases are there powers to call
in others who are qualified to do it The remainder go by
default. Success is achieved by experience through trial and
error Extreme cases prove the principle, e.g. when they are
subsequently referred to the Service by a hospital almoner on
their discharge from a mental hospital What of the many
minor cases? those who flit from job to job, accumulating
dozens in a very short time? Waste of manpower. Waste of