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118
Child Guidance Service
Dr. C. Phillips,, M. R. C. S., D. P. M., visiting psychiatrist to
the Child Guidance Centres in Hornsey and Tottenham reports
"The year under review has seen a continuation of the progress
which is being made in extending the area of co-operation between
the Child Guidance Team and the other organisations within the
community which are concerned with children, namely the teachers,
probation officers and school medical officers.
The task of prevention of mental illness by increasing the
understanding of the emotional problems of infancy and helping
mothers to bring up their babies in a way which is best designed
to give the maximum emotional health has reached a new landmark
All maternity and child welfare, and school medical officers
in the Boroughs of Hornsey and Tottenham have spent three months
each in working with the visiting psychiatrist at a special clinic
session for mothers, infants and toddlers In all cases the
three months have been spent in a series of clinical demonstrations
which involved both diagnosis of the disorder, such as an eating
or sleeping difficulty the formulation of the forces at work in
the child which have led to the problem and the technique of
therapy so that natural development can once more begin to go on
uninhibited.
With the beginning of the next administrative year it is
planned to begin a similar series with the health visitors who
will be able to bring such problems for consultation and discussion
Although this is being done on a very small basis only since
one day a week between two boroughs is not very much compared
with the need, it nevertheless is a pilot scheme which could lay
the foundation for expansion later. In the meantime, experience
of the technique of dealing with the teaching and demonstration
programme is being built up.
The second major approach to the task of integrating psychia
trie knowledge and educational difficulties has been taken in the
Borough of Tottenham It is hoped that the time will come when
it will be possible to do this in Hornsey as well The initiative
in Tottenham came most gratifyingly, from the head teachers them
selves, who requested to meet the visiting psychiatrist in order
to hear his personal statements on the work he does and to be able
to question him and discuss ideas and problems This request was
enlarged beyond the original plan and culminated in a meeting with