[Report 1954] / Medical Officer of Health and School Medical Officer of Health, Swindon Borough.

  • Swindon Borough Council
Date:
1954
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1954] / Medical Officer of Health and School Medical Officer of Health, Swindon Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    56 CHILD GUIDANCE The Child Guidance Service has held regular sessions on Thursday of each week at 81 Bath Road, Swindon, except for short breaks during part of the school holidays. Experience has shown that if these sessions are held during school holiday times, attendances by the children and their parents tend to be very irregular. The members of the Child Guidance team have been:— Dr. K. C. P. Smith Mr. H. R. Melrose Miss N. Comber Mrs. M. Hardaker Consultant Psychiatrist — Educational Psychologist — Social Worker — Clerical Assistant Miss Comber left in October to undertake the Mental Health Certificate course for a year at the London School of Economics, London University. It was not possible to replace her, owing to the heavy demand for trained social workers in so many fields. As previously, County children living in Highworth, Stratton St. Margaret, Marlborough, Caine, Wootton Bassett and Malmesbury areas have also been seen at the Centre, but no reference is made to their numbers or disposal in this report. NUMBER OF CHILDREN REFERRED As mentioned in last year’s report, forty-six children (15 from 1952 and 31 from 1953) were carried forward to 1954 for further treatment or supervision. Of the 15 of 1952, 9 have been discharged as improved, 6 carried forward to 1955, and of the 31 from 1953, 24 have been discharged and 7 carried forward to 1955. Thus in all 13 children, originally seen in 1952 and 1953, will receive further treatment or supervision in 1955. These children are usually slow- developers or the parents are such that they respond to supportive interviews by the Psychiatrist or Psychologist, In 1954, the Principal Borough School Medical Officer referred 33 new children to the Centre, all of whom were seen by the Psychologist, and whose homes were visited by the Social Worker, and 24 were passed on to the Consultant Psychiatrist. Of these 24, 4 were discharged as improved, 3 were considered as consul¬ tations only and 17 will be carried forward to 1955. The 9 children (33 less 24) not seen by the Psychiatrist were cases of educational sub-normality, or specific educational difficulties, requiring special educational treatment in either special or in ordinary schools. Three of these 9 will be attending the Centre again in 1955. Thus, 13 children from 1952 and 1953, 17 and 3 from 1954,
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