View report page

68
Child Guidance Dr. W. P. Gurassa, Medical Director of Child Guidance
Clinic Clinic, reports as follows:—
"The formation of the new Borough of Redbridge has given
an opportunity to re-think our policies, and to integrate our
work with the other services in the borough. There has been a
gradual transfer of Barking cases to their new Child Guidance
Clinic. Because our work is based on the relationships we make
with children and their parents, we are continuing to see those
children who have already got to know us, while the Barking
Clinic has taken over new referrals. At the north of the borough,
a similar gradual transfer is taking place so that now all new
referrals from Wanstead and Woodford come to this clinic,
though a few of the long standing cases continue to attend at
Walthamstow Clinic. From time to time there are inevitable
administrative complications to be ironed out, e.g. to do with
the new boundaries In the main we are benefiting from increased
feeling of identity in the new borough now that all services are
provided within Redbridge. We welcome increased opportunities
of contact with colleagues in other departments which
helps the children's progress, e.g. in planning for handicapped
school leavers. We would especially like to mention the help
given by Doctor Gordon to social workers in promoting a local
association through which our psychiatric social workers can
keep in contact with other social workers.
Within the Clinic our staff record of longevity continues.
Three of our staff have now been with us for over 10 years,
though we have sadly said goodbye to our "oldest" member,
our receptionist-secretary, Mrs. Hill, who after 13 years with
us has emigrated to Canada.
We are glad to report that our establishment of psychiatric
social workers has been increased to four, and that Mrs.
McCowen and Miss Somerscales, both recently qualified, have
joined us. This enables us to do more work with the parents
which we feel to be most important. There is much that a
parent can do to help a child in his emotional struggles, but
often this only becomes apparent to the parent after discussion
in an accepting atmosphere with someone who is outside the
family tensions, and who is skilled at understanding family
problems. We feel that fathers as well as mothers have much
to contribute in this way, and hope to see more of them.
Another development this year is that the Clinic has been
recognised as a fieldwork training centre for students taking
the Certificate of Social Work, at the South East Essex College
of Technology. This means that we have a student social