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of preparing adequate statistics, but this is, in terms of work done, only a small point. Miss Sheppard
and Mrs. Varley have borne the considerable strain of the necessary demands on their services,
but these demands have, out of consideration for them, had to be limited, secretarial work being
undertaken by professional staff with an inappropriate expenditure of time.
The psychiatric social workers, with the addition of Mrs. R. Brand, social worker to the
schools for maladjusted children, have worked together in professional discussions and in collaboration
over families of children at the schools, refining the kind of help which they can
appropriately give according to the problems which different families present.
The year at Hayes was a particularly successful one in terms of seeing and helping children
and their families, and much credit for this must go to Mrs. Bonard with her particular knowledge
of the neighbourhood and its problems. It has also been possible for more constructive work to
be done there through Miss Sobat visiting as psychotherapist to see children there, and she is
fortunately able to continue to do so.
The team at Uxbridge have had the benefit of working together for a settled period, and the
mutual understanding through joint discussion of problems between psychiatrist, psychiatric
social worker, psychotherapist and psychologist has worked to the advantage of staff and patients
alike.
We are able to congratulate Mrs. Zadik and Miss Hamilton on successful completion of their
training, so that now they are fully recognised and qualified psychotherapists, and the Education
Department's investment in their training has been clearly warranted. At Uxbridge, Miss M. Sobat,
psychotherapist, having advanced to an appropriate point in her training, began seeing children
individually at the Clinic in September. Miss Kerbekian was appointed to a psychotherapist vacancy
in July and is at a preliminary stage of the psychotherapy training course at the Tavistock Clinic.
She is currently employed, as Miss Sobat was, at the Unit for Autistic Children, but is able to attend
some meetings at the Uxbridge Clinic. We hope that she, too, will be able to complete the training
successfully in time.
While the future of child psychiatric services continues to await government decision, it is
anticipated that the particular combination of training and skill which clinics have been able to
offer until now will still be needed by the community. The continuing demand for placement of
students in such clinics, and for consultation by people working in allied fields, shows the need
for such an independent clinic. We continue to be fortunate in the good liaison we have with
members of the local authority departments with whom we have most contact—Health, Education,
Social Services and the Probation Service—and look forward to this being maintained and
improved.