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22
Guardianship and Informal Foster Care
There are no cases under the guardianship of this Authority.
Informal foster care has continued as in previous years. The Brighton Guardianship Society, Hove,
Sussex, continued to place our cases and arrange training. Valuable assistance was also received from such
bodies and organisations as The Sons of Divine Providence, Teddington; Loppington House, Wem, Shrewsbury;
Raffey House, Horsham; Ravenswood Foundation Schools; Retarded Children's Aid Society; Mayfield
Children's Home, Sussex; St. Francis School, Buntingford, Herts.; St. Mary's Convent, Roehampton; Meldreth
Training School; and Camphill Village Trust Ltd.; with whom, among others, 39 foster cases were placed, as
the financial responsibility of the Council, at the close of the year.
Much time is consumed in arranging placements, as demand overall exceeds places available, and
sight has not been lost, in the long term, of the establishment of our own Children's Homes for severely subnormal
cases, where unsuitable home conditions, involving either social factors or parent's inability to cope,
make foster care desirable.
The Hostel for Subnormal Working Boys, 191, Willesden Lane
Once more I have to report changes in this Hostel. For the major part of 1967 only one resident
member of the staff was available. It speaks highly for the quality of the then Superintendent that on his
own, with minimal off-duty periods, he continued to carry out the programme of training and rehabilitation.
The boys appeared to thrive under his care and thoroughly enjoyed the many well planned outings
which included weekend camping under canvas. Three of the more responsible boys were permitted
to plan their own holiday and themselves arranged bookings at a seaside boarding house. Those
ten days were an unqualified success. During this period the Superintendent took the remainder to
a commercial holiday camp on the Isle of Wight and reported that not only did everybody have a
splendid time, but that the other holiday guests considered the group an asset. Their behaviour was
exemplary and their enthusiastic enjoyment of the various camp activities was quite infectious. This
venture was a brave experiment and proved the Superintendent's judgment of the boys' capabilities
to be sound. Up to now they have always joined the large camp run by another London Borough for adult
subnormals at St. Mary's Bay, Dymchurch, Kent. The atmosphere there was reported as too restricted for the
type of boy resident at the Hostel at 191, Willesden Lane. This departure from the up-to-now accepted routine
shows what can be done with imaginative management.
It was with great regret that I had to accept this Superintendent's resignation, although his reason for
leaving may prove to be advantageous to the community as he had obtained a university place for himself for
a three year course in social studies. Fortunately we were able to appoint a young couple (with an eight year
old boy) as Superintendent and Assistant who took up their appointment in September 1967, overlapping with
their predecessor for a short while. I am glad to be able to report that the boys appear to have taken well to
the change-over and that the new staff appear to be continuing in the tradition of this Hostel's management.
So far there is little movement of residents to report in this long-stay establishment. However, one
or two boys appear to be nearly ready to live on their own in sheltered lodgings. It is here that the new parttime
post of boarding out officer should prove useful. This is a task that cannot be expected from hostel staff,
whose outside contacts should be with prospective employers rather than landladies.
Neasden Junior Training Centre
It is with a feeling of optimism that I would like to report the next stage in the replacement of the
present unsuitable building by a new one. Loan sanction has been granted by the Ministry of Housing and
Local Government on 5.12.67 for £123,997 and £9,500 for furniture and equipment. This establishment is to
be known as the Kingsbury Junior Training Centre.
Some Brent children still attend junior training centres of other adjacent Boroughs and will continue
to do so until Kingsbury Centre opens in 1969.
However, the struggle adequately to train and teach all the severely mentally retarded children of
Brent in old fashioned premises has continued. It is a measure of their great devotion to this work that the
Supervisor and her staff continue to give such excellent service to the children. Waiting lists had assumed
alarming proportions and therefore emergency measures have been adopted. These were aimed to help most
with admissions of two types of problem children; viz. the special care—multiple handicap type and the five
to seven year old school entry, As reported before, we continued to take into the Special Care Unit certain
children, two and three days per week. This is of course not a popular solution and we endeavour to convert
this part-time placement after a variable interval to a full, five day week one.
I have been anxious that all the children who required it should have the opportunity of physiotherapy
for two sessions per week. In this way children receive treatment whichever weekly period they attend. The
importance of physiotherapy for all cerebral palsy children cannot be over emphasised. Even the grossly brain
damaged child can be helped to some extent if treated young enough. If nothing more is achieved than a
certain amount of mobility, at least nursing, in later life will be greatly facilitated. This in turn is a very
important factor when considering the nursing recruitment position.
There has been some movement in that a few very severely affected children have been admitted to
Leavesden Hospital. This, however, did not help to expedite entry of the young school age child. There is a
steady request for the entry of the seven year old child who has completed the two year assessment course at
Vernon House Unit and has not been found sufficiently advanced to continue within the education system. We
are thus faced with having to admit at any time during term a child used to regular school attendance whose
academic and indeed social progress would suffer severely if interrupted for too long. It was to avoid this that
it became imperative to enlarge the school roll. It was most opportune that towards the later part of the year
the Department was offered by the Minister a large room attached to St. Margaret's Presbyterian Church,
Nicoll Road, Harlesden. A group of a dozen or so senior children was transferred there from the Neasden
Junior Training Centre with their teacher and attendant. Here they are able to continue their usual work and
in addition are allowed the use of the large hall for games.