London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Sutton 1967

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Sutton]

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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 Department 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 cases they are all offered treatment} the parents
with a psychiatric social worker and the child with the child
psycho-therapist.
The number of children referred to the Clinic in 1967 was 101.

The agencies initiating referral were:-

General practitioners48
School Health Service16
School Psychological Service18
Courts5
Probation Office1
Children's Department8
Hospitals or Specialists4
Schools1
101

10 families withdrew from the waiting list or failed their
diagnostic appointments in 1967•
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