[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hendon].

  • Hendon (London, England). Municipal Borough.
Date:
[1945]
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Credit: [Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hendon]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    13/36 (page 11)
    11. problem was being more acutely felt by the County Council, as the majority of births were teking place in the hospitals maintained by that Authority. There was, however, a local problem in the rehabilitation of the mother. The cases to be dealt with fell into three classes, (a) those in which the girl is able to return home to her parents with her baby, (b) those in which adoption of the child is advisable on account of the extreme youth of the mother, or of the fact that she is a married woman, and (c) those for which there is need of shelter to which the mother, after confinement, may go with her baby and stay for a time in an atmosphere of security, until with sympathy and help she is able to re-establish herself, and make a permanent home for herself and child. The matter was felt to be one in which adequate provision could only be made on a wider basis than that of the individual local authority, and for this purpose the County Council decided to establish hostels and to provide a Social Worker with special experience in this work, whose services would be available to any of the participating authorities. The Borough Council agreed to participate in this scheme. EXERCISES FOR EXPECTANT MOTHERS. In view of the growing volume of evidence to the effect that training in relaxation combined with exercises is of value in promoting easier labour in selected cases, the Council decided to establish a weekly class for this purpose. The class did not commence until the 3rd January, 1945. With a view to ascertaining the result of these exercises, special enquiries are being made as to the nature and duration of the confinement in each case. PSYCHOLOGICAL TREATMENT. In view of the increase in the number of psychological difficulties found amongst school children, and of the fact that the earlier such problems are tackled, the better are likely to be the results, it was decided in collaboration with the National Council for Mental 'Health to undertake the treatment of these conditions in children of pre-school age, and for this purpose arrangements were made for the attendance of a psychologist to whom children in need of treatment were referred from the Child Welfare sessions.