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that we are generally welcomed with open arms
and that the families are delighted to have the
opportunity of talking with someone in direct
contact with the medical and teaching staff.
Often it is sufficient for them to be able to voice
their anxieties. On other occasions our opinion
can be of value to doctors and teachers when a
change from day to residential schooling seems
desirable.
From our brief experience in this post we
think that anxiety as to a child 3 future is often
most critical as they reach school-leaving age
and many parents, quite naturally are very
worried aDout what the child will be able to do.
It is specially helpful for the social worker to
be aware of the problems and to pass them on for
discussion among the staff and to be able to
allay unnecessary anxieties. Although parents
may have attended school-leavers conferences,
mis-understandings still arise which if known,
can be quite easily settled It is useful for the
social worker to be included in the school-leavers
conferences and given time, we shall have a
useful contribution to make.
It would seem that most physically disabled
chiIdren would do well to accept some kind of
training whenever they are capable of doing so.
in order to hold their own in the future. The
social worker can help here by persuading and
explaining to parents over a period of time so
that when the child leaves school, future education
is accepted as an obvious next step. The
social worker would again act as a linking agency
between the youth employment office, teachers
and doctors
Another critical time for the family is when
they first learn of a child s handicap. We feel that
many parents do not immediately display any of
their anxieties but the problems of a family with
a handicapped child cannot be underestimated and
the social worker is in a unique position to discuss
these difficulties with the parents In time, we
hope to visit every family whose child is due to
enter one of the special schools or who have just
discovered through one of the clinics, i. e. hearing
clinic or medical advisory unit that their child
is handicapped In this context we can do much to
allay fear for the future and to ensure that the
rest of the family do not suffer either mentally or
through neglect, as a result of this new knowledge.
Co-operation with other social workers, from both
statutory and voluntary agencies, is essential at
this time. When parents first attend one of the
66
assessment units they are given a letter written
by the chief welfare officer Mr Fleet explaining
the help the welfare department can give To
avoid duplication of home visits the medical
social worker after discussion with the unit s
paediatric director, principal school medical
officer, and physiotherapist, will visit the home of
the child and report on any difficulties found. This
would include an assessment of whether any adapta
tions to the house might help the family, in which
case the advice and probably a visit from the
appropriate welfare department social worker will
be arranged.
In addition to our attachment to special schools
and units Mrs Harding has been undertaking genera
social work within the health department. These
cases have been interesting and varied; on the
whole fairly complex and out of the realm of the
health visitor with her rather more medically
orientated training Some of these cases have been
referred by Dr Qroadbent in connection with his
work with the occupational health service, and there
fore all these have been with London Borough of
Hounslow employees. Some cases have been rather
specialised socio-medical problems concerned with
such topics as school non-attendance re housing,
and problems of adolescence. It seems clear that
this part of the work could be expanded enormously
especially in connection with attachment to family
doctors when they operate from the new health
centres.
While examining our work and its difficulties
over the past year, we feel it is important to assess
how the pattern and scope of this work will alter
over the next few years Statistics may help here.
Cases referred during year September 1967/Sept
ember 1968
Marjory Kinnon School and other ESN 41
schools
3usch House School for Delicate Children
and Mildly Maladjusted Children 27
Hearing Clinic & Heston School for the
Deaf 25
Martindale School and Medical Advisory
Unit 16
Mrs Harding s general work 17
Total cases 126