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(c) Child Guidance Service
The staff of the Child Guidance Clinic work closely with
their colleagues in other sections of the Health and Welfare Department,
Children's and Education Departments and with probation officers,
psychiatric colleagues in hospitals and particularly closely with
general medical practitioners and teachers. Educational psychologists
working in the School Psychological Service are based at the Child
Guidance Clinic thus creating a closely integrated service. Because
of the nature of the work and the widely varying factors which are
connected with psychiatric disturbance both in family welfare and in
education, it is essential to achieve the closest possible working
arrangements. In many cases referred to the Clinic, after diagnostic
interview,treatment at the Clinic is not regarded as appropriate but
referral is made to the most appropriate agency, while support is given
and progress followed by the Child Guidance Clinic staff.
Maladjusted children in need of special schooling are
referred through the Education Officer to the school considered most
appropriate. Work is at times continued in the Clinic with the
parents while the child is at a boarding school for maladjusted children.
A close relationship has evolved between the Child Guidance Clinic
and the North Downs Special School where the work that is done for the
child is therapeutic in a school setting. In all cases both parents
as well as the child are given psychiatric interviews and in many
oases they are all offered treatment; the parents with a psychiatric
social worker and the child with the child psycho-therapist.
Educational psychologists working in the School Psychological
Service attempt to assess the potential and difficulties of any preschool
or school child referred for advice. 293 children were
assessed during the year, the majority being referred by head teachers
or school medical officers. Referrals also came from the Education
Department and other agencies dealing with children and some directly
from parents themselves. In a proportion of cases no specific therapy
proved necessary apart from advisory discussions with the parents or
teachers. Following assessment the most frequent recommendation is for
the provision of some type of remedial education, 90 pupils being
treated in this way during the year at 8 primary and 2 secondary schools.
A few children may need transfer to special schools and in other cases a
more specialised investigation is undertaken at the Child Guidance Clinic.
No child is accepted for treatment by the Child Guidance Clinic
team without prior reference to the general practitioner who is very
often in a position to be of very considerable assistance in the treatment
of the case.
(d) Infectious Diseases
Pull information concerning infectious disease is given in that
part of the report dealing with infectious disease generally. It should
be noted that there were no cases of serious infectious disease in
schools during the year and it was not necessary to carry out any special
investigation in respect of cases of pulmonary tuberculosis in members
of school staffs or pupils. There were minor outbreaks of sonne dysentery
all of which were fully investigated.
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