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"The majority of the children seen at the Child Guidance
Centre during the past year were referred by Head Teachers and
School Medical Officers. Others were referred by Officers of
the Children's Department, Magistrates, Probation Officers, Hospitals,
General Practitioners, and in some cases by parents direct.
After diagnostic interview, many of these children were helped
through advice to their parents, teachers or others, by effecting
changes in their environment, by placement in one of the four
Borough Opportunity Classes for children who are maladjusted and
working below the level of their real ability or by Remedial
Teaching. In some cases it was found necessary for a child to be
given psychiatric treatment at the Child Guidance Clinic, In a
few, where it was deemed essential that the child be removed from
home, placement in a boarding school or residential school for
maladjusted children was recommended.
In addition, each year adds to the number of previous cases
who need follow-up interviews in which further help and advice is
given. In psychological work it is often essential to keep in
close contact with "old" cases.
The work o f the Chil d Guidance Centre during 1956 was handicapped
through lack of sufficient staff, and a further serious setback
was caused through the departure of the psychotherapist in November,
(Recommendations have now been passed by the Tottenham and Middlesex
Educational Committees for increases in the staff of the Child
Guidance Centre).
In September 1950 a teacher with a psychological background
was appointed to undertake Remedial Teaching under the direction
of the Education Psychologist, with individual or small groups of
children who were handicapped in their school work through specific
educational difficulties.This work is still continuing and in
September 1956 a second and additional Remedial Teacher was appointed
Most of the children attend for sessions of approximately an hour,
two or three times a week.
One of the most important aspects of psychological work lies
in the field of prevention-the furthering of understanding of
the conditions making for mental health, and of the causes likely
to give rise to psychological disturbance in children and combined
with this, the need for earlier detection and treatment of disturbance
when this does arise.
This work is furthered by the Psychiatric Social Worker in
her interviews with parents of school and pre school children by