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It should not be forgotten however, that as all the children who may need the help of the Child
Guidance Clinics are, or will be, in school, the work of the two Educational Psychologists is
of paramount importance in bringing about an integration of the preventive services. With their
special training in psychology as well as their teaching qualifications they are in a unique
position to assist the schools to pick out the children most in need of special help, interpret
the nature of the help available to both parents and teachers, and see that the children and
families who need it most are put in the way of receiving it. Where school conference with
the clinic team have been possible, this problem has been eased by making the principles of
prevention and treatment more widely known to all the teachers. But as the numbers of children
who suffer some degree of emotional handicap must always far exceed those who can receive
some special help from clinics or schools, the Educational Psychologists fulfill another function
of equal importance to the community by bringing their knowledge and influence to bear on the
problem of containing and assisting many disturbed children in the ordinary school environment.
Thus the principles of prevention are coming to be applied mainly to the younger age
groups of special difficulty.
(2) Training: Five mental health students attended Hurst Road Centre for supervision by the
Psychiatric Social Worker Teachers. Group discussions are held with all Social Workers in the
Borough (Mental Welfare, Education Welfare, Child Care and Health Visitors). Assistant
School Medical Officers attend monthly conferences.
(3) Changing Attitude Towards the Service: There is a greater acceptance on the part of the
general public, and families in particular who need help, who realise that there is nothing
mysterious about psychiatry. This applies to adolescents who have found their own way to the
Young People's Consultation Service and have given enough work for two Counsellors. One
Secondary School girl referred herself to the psychiatrist, recommended by a friend of hers.
W.R.Little
Adviser in Psychiatry to the
London Borough of Waltham Forest
The Old and the Handicapped
INTRODUCTION
The responsibility for the specialist services for the aged, the blind the
deaf and the physically handicapped was transferred from the County Council to the Borough
Council in 1965 and the first year was concerned largely in getting to know those who were
already receiving help, in consolidating the work and in organising the department. As residents
of the Borough became aware of these changes so did their applications for assistance increase
in number and variety, and 1966 was a year in which work flooded into the department at a speed
quicker than it could receive early attention.
The shortage of staff has meant that new applicants for services have waited rather
longer than is desirable for their first visit, and those already registered for services have not
had follow-up visits as often as were required. These early days are the frustrating ones, but
the future is brighter, and we hope some of the difficulties will be resolved.
THE AGED
The proportion of those over 65 years of age has increased over a great many years and
the growing numbers of the aged and the outlook for still larger increases make the problem of
their care a major one.
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