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In September two Mental Welfare Officers were appointed. They
were Miss D. A. Tilt, an experienced Psychiatric Social Worker, and
Mrs. J. Barber. These posts were additions to the establishment.
Training of Staff
The Service is concerned with the training of staff in two ways.
First by accepting students from neighbouring colleges to work under
the supervision of qualified staff, as part of the training for the Certificate
in Social Work. These students spend two days a week
under close supervision. Students who are in training for other social
work disciplines are attached to the Mental Health Services to learn
the work in general of a Health Department, and in particular of the
Mental Health Service. A regular arrangement exists with Bedford
College to take a student for one month each July.
The other part of staff training is the organisation of In-Service
Training Courses. In 1967 a course was again organised and on this
occasion the theme was 'Mental Disorder: its Care in the Community
and an invitation was extended to General Practitioners working
in the Borough and Assistant Medical Officers to attend. It was a
stimulating feature of this In-Service Training to bring together in
order to learn and discuss Mental Health problems, an audience of
doctors, professional Social Workers, Health Visitors and Nursing
Staff.
It had originally been envisaged that the course should cater for
60 people in order that seminars could be in groups of approximately
20, but nominations from local authority staff for the course doubled
this number and in addition some social work staff in hospitals specifically
asked to attend, in order to share in the exchange of ideas.
We are again fortunate to have the co-operation of neighbouring
Boroughs, who also sent representatives, and it was with pleasure that
the opportunity to work with the Boroughs of Lambeth, Wandsworth
and Sutton was provided.
Whilst it has always been the intention of this Borough that the
organisation of such courses might take place in neighbouring Boroughs
each year, the facilities and organisation provided by the London
Borough of Merton appear to have met with the general approval of
our colleagues, and Merton will therefore continue to act as a Centre
for In-Service Training.
We were particularly indebted to Mrs. P.E. Strauss, Deputy
Director of Training of the London Boroughs' Training Committee
for her personal interest and practical help as a Group Leader, and
also to Mr. E. Marshall, Deputy Principal Mental Welfare Officer,
London Borough of Wandsworth, who assisted as a Group Leader.
A further aspect of internal training has developed with the introduction
of case conferences at present held between Mental Health
staff and the Psychiatric Social Worker for the Mitcham Child Guidance
Clinic. It is hoped that this type of exchange of thought on
various social work disciplines will engender a deeper understanding,
not only of the problems we attempt to solve, but also of our work
relationships.
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