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all our former staff are still with us, and we have in addition
gained the services of Mrs. Freud as a part-time psychotherapist.
She has both trained and worked at Anna Freud's Hampstead
Clinic and brings skill and experience into her work, so that
although she can only spare two days a week to work in
Redbridge, her contribution to both the children and colleagues
is much valued.
Our resident caretaker and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Sutton
retired at Christmas after giving devoted service to the Clinic,
and have moved to a new home. We shall miss their services,
particularly when there are minor but urgent crises such as a
blown electric fuse or a Christmas tree to plant.
Although few actual changes have taken place within the
Clinic, there has been a feeling of movement in the Clinic as
new pressures have been experienced and new ideas developed.
We welcome the expanding service of community mental health
within the Health Department and have established close
liaison. This has enabled us to transfer to community care a
few very disturbed young people who although they have left
school are unlikely to obtain or to settle into jobs readily and
and who will therefore need continuing help if they are to live
in the community. These young people have continued to be
severely handicapped, despite all the measures that have been
taken to help them in childhood. Fortunately they are very few
in number, but work with them is time consuming. The new
educational unit for autistic children will enable some children
to have specialised help at an early stage, and here too we
have been fortunate in establishing close collaboration. Each
child in the unit is under the psychiatric supervision of this
Clinic, while the parents are receiving casework support from
the psychiatric social workers. An increase in numbers of
children in the observation classes has also been linked with
increased supportive work in the Clinic with their parents. We
have also had an increase in referrals of children who are in
the care of the Childrens Department, or under the supervision
of child care officers. We would like to be able to give more
time with less delay to these consultations which are often
needed most at times of crisis, but we have to be fair to those
children already on our waiting list, whose needs may also be
urgent. We have for instance a number of children who are
unable to attend school because of fears within themselves,and
these children are given priority, and because of the severity
of their disturbance they are also likely to need treatment over
a considerable length of time. We have been glad of discussions
with the School Enquiry Officers about these children,