[Report 1969] / Medical Officer of Health, Dorset County Council.
- Q55239020
- Date:
- 1969
Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
Credit: [Report 1969] / Medical Officer of Health, Dorset County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.
16/48 (page 8)
![CHILD AND FAMILY GUIDANCE SERVICE The following report has been provided by Dr A ] Belsham, Consultant Children's Psychiatrist: - This year has seen the retirement of Dr Whiles and his replacement by myself at the end of January. In addition, Dr Zinna joined the clinic staff in May and does two sessions weekly in Poole thus giving a total of five sessions weekly there. The number of children referred continues to increase, the number of new referrals seen being 364, an increase of fourty-four over the previous year. The total number of children awaiting their first psychiatric interview on 31 December 1969 was thirty-seven, and the total number of children awaiting their first appointment with any member of the clinic staff was thirty -three. This latter represents a slight increase over the twenty-two awaiting their first appointment at the end of 1968, and is due to the retirement of the two part-time psychiatric social workers, Mrs Hardy and Mrs Shires, who left the clinic team in the Autumn. The number of referrals from different areas of the County fluctuates to some extent from time to time. There has been an increase in referrals from the South Dorset area, and an extra clinic is held fortnightly at Wyke Regis as necessary. In North Dorset, there were very few referrals from the Gillingham area, and it has been found more economical of time to see these few at the Sherborne Clinic. In the latter half of the year, there has been an increase in refer- rals from the Sherborne area, and it has been necessary to hold an occasional extra clinic there. I have been working one session weekly with the Consultant Paediatrician in the Paediatric Unit of the Dorset County Hospital. This has proved extremely valuable, and there is in fact need for more time to be given to work in this field. A fortnightly session is now devoted to children coming into the care of the Children's Department, and this is followed by a case conference with all those involved in the care of the child. Penwithen Hostel continues to provide residential care for emotionally disturbed children, and these attend the local schools daily. The monthly case conference continues to be held: this is attended by the residential staff and the Child Guidance Clinic team and the child care officer where relevant. In addition, a weekly session is held in the early evening when it is possible to see the children, and to help them with their individual problems. Starting in the Autumn, a monthly visit has been paid to the Clyffe House Residential School in order to discuss with the staff the difficulties they have in handling the boys, and to see any lads who are felt to need an individual assessment. It seems in fact that a monthly visit is not sufficient, but at present there does not seem to be any way of increasing this. A combined conference continues to be held each term between the clinic team, the school medical officer, and the Education Department, to discuss the children at Penwithen Hostel, at Clyffe House School, and those children placed at other residential schools or hostels for maladjusted children. These children are seen during their holidays by the Consultant Psychiatrist and the psychiatric social worker keeps in touch with their families. Greenways Day Remedial Unit in Poole has continued to perform valuable work for the disturbed children in the Poole area. Weekly conferences are held with the staff of the Unit, and Dr Zinna with the psychiatric social worker visits there monthly during term time. Provision for full- time education at Greenways is still urgently needed, as there are a number of children attending](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b29166214_0016.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
