[Report 1943] / Medical Officer of Health, Bilston Borough.

  • Bilston (England). Borough Council.
Date:
1943
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1943] / Medical Officer of Health, Bilston Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    25/40 (page 23)
    The names of 30 children have been on our books this year ; three of these are under 7 years old, and one became 16 during the year and is at work. Three children are classified as educable in special schools for the feeble-minded, two others who are over 14 have obtained work. Eighty-five visits have been paid to children’s homes, and many interviews held on their behalf. Although it is not easy to summarise the results of home supervision, there are undoubted evidences of the value of personal freindship and understanding of a defective child’s point of view that our visitor can give both for parents and backward children, but sometimes the child’s inability to get on in an ordinary school is put down by the parents to his not trying, or, on the other hand, if a child is delicate he is sometimes over-protected. By sympathetic discussion with parents our visitor can often make a real contribution to the defective receiving more understanding at home of his or her limitation of capacity, and in other cases can stimulate parents to give encouragement to the child to accept further responsibilities , that are within his capacity. Help has been given to parents in applying for clothing coupons for children in need of them. A vacancy in a Convalescent Home was found for one child. To assist in ascertainment, investigations have been made in twelve cases and reports on the circumstances and history sent to the School Medical Officer. Daily training continues to be given to those defectives who are excluded from school at the Centre, Innisfallen, Bradley, where the children receive excellent individual and class training designed to develop them in character and capability under the able care of Miss Chettle and her assistants. The Centre Committee, which is representative of all the areas the Centre serves has given great encouragement to the work by personal interest and co-operation. Fifteen children from the Borough attend the Centre. It is greatly hoped that the new Education Bill will stimulate the provision of specialised training for the whole group of retarded children, and that the needs of the lowest-grade ones will, as a result of further ascertainment, be met by the more widespread provision of Occupation Centres. We appreciate very sincerely the continued co-operation of the Bilston Education Committee in our work. F. H. TOSH, 7th. March, 1944. Secretary.