New Institution at Doncaster
News and Notes.
At the instigation of Alderman W. Wormald of the Rotherham Corpora- tion, a Conference was convened by the Central Board at Sheffield in 1927 and later a second and more representative Conference was held at Rotherham to discuss the question of institutional accommodation for mental defectives. The South West Yorkshire Board for the Mentally Defective was formed and con- sists of 2 representatives from the six County Boroughs of Rotherham, Barns- ley, Doncaster, Wakefield, Halifax and Huddersfield, with 5 co-opted members and Alderman Wormald as Chairman.
The Board have decided to purchase the estate of St. Catherine’s, near Doncaster, containing a fine old mansion and about 200 acres of land, and it is anticipated that the mansion, which will ultimately be utilised as an administra- tive block, will temporarily be used for patients and Staff. It is hoped that about 50 cases will be accommodated in about six months’ time.
Villa blocks will be erected capable of accommodating about 60 patients each and these will be proceeded with as the demand for their services increases, until ultimately in approximately ten years’ time, the full complement, i.e., accommodation for 500 patients is reached with the necessary school, laundry, etc., etc.
It is anticipated that the speed at which the villas are built will possibly be accelerated and patients accepted from other Authorities until such time as the Constituent Authorities of the South West Yorkshire Joint Board are obliged to limit the scheme to patients from the areas of the six Authorities. Handicrafts at Semington Poor Law Institution.
The Mental Defectives at Semington Poor Law Institution have, among other things, been taught fancy needlework, spinning and weaving and the cloth from the Semington Hand Looms has taken many awards at the Wiltshire Arts and Crafts Exhibitions.
At the exhibition and sale of British Handicrafts held at the Drapers’ Hall, London, last November, some lengths of cloth made at Semington were on view and Princess Mary was so pleased with this cloth that she purchased 6% yards.
Occupation Centres’ Progress Book.
A Progress Book has been prepared by the Board of Control and can now be obtained for use in Occupation Centres and in some Certified Institutions. This books fulfils a need which has been felt for many years by Supervisors of Occupational Centres who wish to follow closely the progress of the defectives in their care by keeping a regular record of their past history and subsequent im- provement.
A book is to be kept for each defective in the Centre or Institution andj is published in the form of an exercise book. The first page is devoted to the past history of the case to be completed before admission to the Centre. Space is given for a description of home conditions, physical conditions and mental age. Attainments in Language, Physical Control, Personal Habits, Social Attitude, etc., are also to be recorded on admission.
The remaining part of the book consists of Progress Sheets which are to be filled in by the Supervisor every six months, giving an account of progress in Language, sense training, physical training, manual work, conduct (social attitude, habits), general remarks, etc. . ,
These reports should assist in insuring co-operation between the home and parents with the Supervisor. They will also be of great assistance to Ins itu 1011. to which cases mav be sent after a period of observation in an Occupa ion en le, when a full and well-kept record of the case admitted will be of great value. Copies of the books may be obtained from the 1 he i [anoi ei 1 lec ns i u tion, Epsom. Price, four shillings per dozen.
How Camp Funds are Raised by the 4th Halstead Company of Guides. (Upper Girls’ School, Royal Institution, Colchester).
For the past five years this Company has raised enough money to cover the cost of their fortnight’s summer camp, by a School Play, Fach year the pioceec s have increased. This year five public performances were given and the gross receipts were over ?130. The Company is fortunate in that their Captain, Mrs. Taylor, the Headmistress of the School, has a genius for dramatic work, bhe can take a simple School Play and convert it into a topical revue, giving hours fun and full of catchy dances and amusing sketches. She has to write the Play, produce and stage manage it, teach all the dances, every bit of action, an how each word should be delivered, besides designing all the dresses and et ec s, and acting as business manager. Fortunately defectives love play acting, many of them dance excellently, and few of them seem to suffer fiom stage tiigi . Rehearsals are thoroughly enjoyed though they mean much hard work and end- less repetition, but they give many happy evenings during the dark days o winter. Then comes the making of the dresses. 1 hey are a joy and a thri , anc nobody but those in the secret know what attractive designs and colourings may be obtained from unbleached calico and Fairy Dyes. All the Guides and many of the older Brownies, make their own dresses. Ihe 1928 Play was a musica comedy in four scenes, entitled, Baron Bold, The Smuggler. 67 girls out of 90 in the School were in the cast, and as there are many changes of costume for the dancers and principal characters, 110 dresses had to be made. One Patrol Leader was in charge of the Property Shop. She, with some other Guides, turned out 90 head dresses of all kinds, from helmets for The Queen’s Own Bobtail Blues, to Victorian bonnets.
The money having been obtained, the general school slogan was Roll on Camp.” Sometimes Camp is by the sea, sometimes in the country. It is always difficult for the general meeting of Guides to decide which they prefer. In 1928 fifty Guides and Officers, the largest number allowed by the rules in one camp, went to Glemham in Suffolk. Fortunately, kind friends have given them more than half the requisite number of bell tents, but the remainder and a big marquee have to be hired. A motor lorry and a motor bus take stoies and girls to Camp. Well-cooked meals are ensured because Messrs. Portway always lend one of their new field ovens.
National Council for Mental Hygiene.
r 1 i UC iipr,n nrran?ed bv the National Council An interesting series of iectures has bee <? o? London> ! i, Chandos for Mental Hygiene, to be delivered at the Medica ^ o0tt, March (with Street, W.l, every Wednesday at 5 p.m., from 23rd January to ZOth Marcn the exception of Wednesday, February 6th).
The following lectures might be of particular interest to our readers : ? ” Efficiency and Deficiency,” by Dr Letitia Fairfield; “The Irresistible Impulse,” by Dr W. A. Potts; ” The Minor Mental Disorders of Every-Day Life,” by Dr Bernard Hart; “The Mental Hospital of To-Day,” by Dr C. H. Bond. Other lecturers are Dr J. A. Hadfield, Dr Hugh Crichton-Miller, Dr Helen Boyle and Sir Maurice Craig.
Full particulars and tickets (price 1/6 each or 10/- for the whole Course) may be obtained from The Secretary, National Council for Mental Hygiene, 78, Chandos House, Palmer Street, S.W.I. Mental Deficiency Act, 1927.
We should be grateful to hear from members of Local Associations of any schemes which have been formulated by their Local Authorities to comply with the obligations laid on them by Section 30 (cc) of the Mental Deficiency Act, 1927; i.e., ” to provide suitable training or occupation for defectives who are under supervision or guardianship or have been sent to certified institutions.”
World Conference on New Education.
The Fifth International Conference of the New Education Fellowship will be held at Elsinore, Denmark, from the 8th to 21st August, 1929. The famous Kronborg Castle will be the headquarters of the Conference.
In addition to the lecture programme a series of Courses and Groups will be held. Among those so far arranged are:?Curriculum Research; The Psy- chology of New Education; The Training of Teachers for Progressive Schools; The Dalton Plan; The Decroly Method; and others of general educational interest. An organised party will travel from England. All particulars may be obtained from The New Education Fellowship, 11, Tavistock Square, London, W.C.I. Local Government Bill, 1928.
For a detailed criticism of the Local Government Bill, 1928, as it affects work for mental defectives, readers are referred to Mr. Wormald’s article on page 1. The Executive Council of the C.A.M.W. has been active in endeavouring to secure the best possible conditions for the welfare of defectives in general as well as for the continuance of the work of Local Associations and of the Central Association. A Special Meeting of the Executive Council was held on 10th Dec- ember, 1928, and amendments to Clause 4 (1) and Clause 5 (2) of the Bill were drawn up. The amendment to Clause 4 (1) would have made it mandatory on County and County Borough Councils to refer all defectives to Mental Deficiency Committees, leaving only a few ” borderland ” cases under the jurisdiction of the Public Assistance Committee. The further amendment to Clause 5 (2) would have made it obligatory on the part of County and County Borough Councils to refer to the appropriate Committee (in this case the Mental Deficiency Committee) all those defectives who remained under the Public Assistance Committee. Amendments to this effect were put down, but unfortunately they could not be accepted and were, by leave, withdrawn.
The Bill was further discussed at a meeting held on the 14th January, when Members of the Executive Council were concerned as to the financial difficulties which would face those Local Authorities which had made plans to open Certified Institutions for defectives, the expenses of which would not come into the standard year. This was felt to be a real danger to the development of institutional provision of defectives in those areas. The President, the Rt. Hon. Sir Leslie Scott, K.C., M.P., promised to go further into the matter.
Considerable apprehension was also expressed with regard to the payment of grants to Voluntary Associations for Mental Welfare, and the President has been negotiating with the Minister of Health, personally and by letter, on this question. In an answer received from the Minister on the 9th January, 19 , ic has been assured that in the schemes framed by the Minister provision w ill I c made for payments to be made by Local Authorities, by specified dates, to lie Central and Local Associations for Mental Welfare. egotiations aie still being carried on, and it is anticipated that the work of voluntary organisations tor ic care of defectives will be enabled to continue and develop.
The President, and Lt.-Col. Fremantle, M.P. (a member of the Executive Council), will continue to watch the Bill in the interests of mental defectives an will bring forward any amendments that may be considered necessaiy. C.A.M.W. Fixtures for 1929, CONFERENCE. Thursday and Friday, April 25th and 26th. Central Hall, Westminster.
The Minister of Health, the Rt. Hon. Neville Chamberlain, M.P., has promised to give the opening address, engagements permitting. MEDICAL OFFICERS’ COURSE. May 27th to June 8th, 1929. University of London, South Kensington. .
The first week of the course will follow the lines of courses held in previous years and will deal with mental deficiency; the second week, winch will be optional, will deal with other mental conditions, particularly those affecting con- duct, closely allied to high grade mental deficiency. The second week^may be taken separately, if desired, by medical officers who have taken the week s couise in previous years.
TEACHERS’ COURSES.
(i.) Ten Weeks’ Course for teachers of mentally defective and of dull and backward children. May 13th to July 19th. London. *(ii.) Three Weeks’ Course. Part III for advanced students. July 6th to 27th. London.
” (in.) Refresher Course, for teachers who have attended a Course in previous years. July 26th to August 2nd. Aberystwyth. :’:(iv.) Three Weeks’ Course. Part II, Elementary. August 30th to September 20th. Birmingham.
^COURSE FOR SUPERVISORS OF OCCUPATION CENTRES AND ATTENDANTS IN INSTITUTIONS. September 7th to 27th. London. *COURSE FOR ENQUIRY OFFICERS. September 7th to 27th. London. Hostel accommodation will be provided at all Courses marked f. Further information with regard to any of the above may be obtained from the Hon. Secretary, C.A.M.W., 24, Buckingham Palace Road, S.W.I.
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