Children and Young Persons Bill
News and Notes
This Bill passed its Second Reading unopposed on 2nd February. The Bill has for its object ” The further and better provision for the protection and welfare of the young and the treatment of young offenders.” Amongst its important provisions are those which improve the constitution of the Juvenile Courts and ensure against the young offender being brought into contact with the adult offenders. The age limit for the jurisdiction of the Juvenile Courts has been raised from 16 to 17 years, and as regards neglected children the age limit of jurisdiction has been raised from 14 to 17. Part III deals with the Registration and Inspection of Voluntary Homes, Part IV with the employ- ment of children and young persons, and Part V with Infant Life Protection. The C.A.M.W., through those of the Local Associations for Mental Welfare whose Members of Parliament are members of Standing Committee B., which was considering the Bill, invited support for the Amendment to Clause 37, brought forward by the Howard League for Penal Reform, i.e.,
New Paragraph to Clause 37
” Provision shall be made by the Secretary of State out of monies pro- ” vided by Parliament for the establishment of Institutions hereinafter ” known as Observation Centres, maintained and controlled by the Secre- ” tary of State and equipped for the detention and mental and physical ” examination of persons under the age of 21, charged with or proved ” guilty of any offence, or on remand or awaiting sentence.” Unfortunately, the Amendment was ruled out of order in Committee on the ground that only the Government had the right to propose such a Clause involving additional expenditure.
The C.A.M.W. has also had under consideration the necessity of obtain- ing some assurance that Institutions already inspected by the Board of Control may be exempt from inspection and other duties under Clauses 45 and 46 of the Bill. We understand that the matter is being dealt with by the appropriate Departments.
Notification under Section 2 of the Mental Deficiency Act In the Annual Report of the London County Council on Mental Hospitals and Mental Deficiency (Vol. VI), it is stated that during 1930, 344 cases were notified by the Local Education Authority as being about to be withdrawn or discharged from special schools and who the L.E.A. were of opinion would benefit by supervision, institution care or guardianship under the Mental Deficiency Acts. During 1929, only 172 such cases were notified. It is very gratifying to read of this big increase (100 per cent.) and to know that more advantage than hitherto is taken by the education authority of the provision of this permissive clause in Section 2 of the 1927 Act, which allows for the notification of school leavers if statutory supervision is considered necessary. Government Inquiry into Sterilisation
In answer to a question in the House of Commons on February 15th last, Mr. E. Brown, answering for the Minister of Health, stated that in the Min- ister’s view, the desirability of legislation to make possible the sterilisation of the mentally unfit could not be determined until there had been a full and authoritative inquiry into the problems of mental deficiency, in which sterilisa- tion was only one of several inter-related problems. As a first step towards such an inquiry, the Minister proposed to arrange for a preliminary investiga- tion of the scientific issues involved.
Previous to this, on the 9th February, the Minister of Health had informed a deputation from the County Councils Association, the Association of Mun- icipal Corporations and the Mental Hospitals Association that he proposed to arrange for an inquiry to be made by competent persons into the scientific aspects of the sterilisation of mental defectives.
The personnel of this committee is, we understand, still under considera- tion.
A special Committee of the British Medical Association has been consid- ering the question of Sterilisation for some months past, and we are informed that its findings will be issued in a Report to be published in the British Medical Journal, probably early in June, 1932.
Voluntary Eugenic Sterilisation
A Conference is to be held in the Caxton Hall, Westminster, on Monday, May 23rd, 1932.
The subjects under discussion during the morning session are to be ” Medical and Legal Aspects of Sterilisation ” and ” Sterilisation in Other Countries.” At the afternoon session the ” Social and Moral Aspects of Steril- isation ” and ” Practical Proposals,” will be discussed. Amongst those who have promised to speak are Sir Thomas Horder, Mrs. Hodson, Professor Carr- Saunders and Dr C. P. Blacker.
An informal discussion will take place at 8.30 p.m., open to the general public free of charge, at which questions on all aspects of this subject will be invited.
The Programme of the Conference may be obtained from The V.E.S. Conference Secretary, 16, Mulberry Walk, Chelsea, S.W.3. British Social Hygiene Council Summer School The Seventh Social Hygiene Summer School will be held this year at High Leigh, Hoddesdon, Herts., from August 31st to September 7th. The opening lectures of the biological and psychological courses will lay the foundations on which the later lectures will be based. Amongst the courses of lectures are those on ” Social Applications of Heredity,” by Dr I. B. Voge and ” Psychology of Childhood, Adolescence, Delinquency,” by Mrs. Isaacs. Concurrently with these Courses will run one on ” Anthropology in relation to Social Hygiene.”
A preliminary leaflet giving particulars of the Course is enclosed with this issue of Mental Welfare and full particulars may be obtained from the Secretary, British Social Hygiene Council, Carteret House, Carteret Street, London, S.W.i.
Scottish Education Department Circular
A Circular was issued in February by the Scottish Education Department with reference to the Training for Teachers of Mentally Defective Children at Jordanhill Training Centre, Glasgow. The National Committee for the Training of Teachers have reduced the length of their course from six to three months and by re-arranging and intensifying the instruction they consider that they have provided a course which will be as effective as the longer one. The reduction in the length of the course reduces the cost of this special training and will make it possible to provide a larger supply of teachers qualified to deal with defective children.
The Education Department urges Education Authorities to take advan- tage of the Course and points out the assistance of such a Course to teachers in infant departments of larger schools for the sympathetic handling of normal children as well as for the early detection and guidance of those who require special treatment of one kind or another.
Botleys Park Institution
Botleys Park, Chertsey, Surrey, was opened in February for the reception of employable male patients over the age of 16 years for whom the Surrey County Council has to provide institutional accommodation. Included in the site of 334 acres is the mansion, Church Farm, two lodges and eighteen estate cottages. The property has been acquired for the purpose of establishing a colony and a start has been made with the mansion (which in the completed scheme will be used as a nurses’ home), which has been adapted to accommodate 97 male defectives of the younger and more employ- able type.
Adjoining the mansion will be workshops where patients will be taught boot-making, tailoring and carpentry. Others will work on the farm where vegetables will be grown not only for use in the institution but for other institutions in the county.
Proposed Institution for Blind Defectives
The Board of Control have issued a Circular (No. 723) to Local Author- ities with reference to a question which the National Institute for the Blind have under their consideration?that of opening, under a properly constituted Committee, an Institution near Chester for the accommodation of blind mental defectives, provided a sufficient demand for such accommodation is found to exist.
The proposed Institution would be certified under Section 36 of the M.D. Act, 1913, and, in the first instance, adult female patients only would be received. If the experiment is successful, it is contemplated that a Villa for the reception of adult male patients would be subsequently provided. The Circular points out that the staffing of small units for blind mental defectives is, of necessity, somewhat expensive, and it is anticipated that in the first instance the maintenance charge would not be fixed at less than 35/- per week.
C.A.M.W. Courses
(1) The Eight Weeks’ Course for Teachers of Retarded Children will be held in London from 30th May to 22nd July.
The Course will include (a) medical and psychological lectures, lectures in educational methods, instruction in mental testing and in the correction of speech defects; (b) classes in handwork, art and music, including rhythmics and singing; (c) visits to schools and institutions and other educational estab- lishments; (d) a period of school practice in a school or class for sub-normal children.
(2) The Short Courses for Teachers of Retarded Children organised by the C.A.M.W. on behalf of the Board of Education will be held this year as follows: ?
London from 5th to 25th July. Birmingham, 27th August to 16th September. The Birmingham Course (elementary) is for teachers who have had little or no experience of teaching retarded children, but who are now in charge or about to be in charge of such classes. The London Course is for teachers who have already had considerable experience of teaching retarded children and who have attended the elementary course in a previous year.
(3) Courses for Supervisors of Occupation Centres and for Officers of Local Authorities and Local Associations for Mental Welfare will be held from July 2nd to 23rd, 1932, at Notcutt House, Dorset Square, London, N.W.i- These Courses will only be held if sufficient applications are received to make them financially possible.
Lectures will be given on the medical and psychological aspects of mental deficiency, on the general principles of training of defectives. The Course for Supervisors will include lectures and demonstration of the development of speech in defectives and the practical work will consist of occupational hand- work and rhythmic training. Students at both Courses will visit Special Schools, Certified Institutions and Occupation Centres.
Full particulars of all Courses may be had on application to The Secre- tary, Central Association for Mental Welfare, 24, Buckingham Palace Road, London, S.W.i.
No Refresher Course will be held this year. Margaret Macdowall Memorial Fund Scholarship (1932) A scholarship of not exceeding 20 guineas is offered by the Trustees of the above Fund to enable suitable applicants to obtain training or further training in methods of teaching mentally defective children. The scholarship will be tenable at the Eight Weeks’ Course of Training organised by the C.A.M.W. (see notes above). Applications will be considered by the Selection Committee appointed under the Margaret Macdowall Trust and a form of application may be obtained from the Secretary of the C.A.M.W., 24, Buck- ingham Palace Road, S.W.i. Application should be made before 16th May, 1932. Institutions to be opened during this year
It is expected that two new important institutions will be opened during the next six months or so.
There is Boro Court, Oxfordshire (previously known as Wyfold Court). This institution is being opened by a Joint Board representing the Counties of Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and the County Borough of Oxford and Read- ing. In deference to the wishes of the late owner of the property, Lord Wyfold, the name Boro has been given to the institution, being adopted from the initials of the constituent authorities.
The County Council of Hertfordshire are also to open an institution before the end of this year at Cell Barnes, Hill End, St. Albans. We cannot give any details as yet with regard to the accommodation, etc., but hope to do so in the next issue of Mental Welfare.
Appointment to Rampton State Institution
Frank Edwin E. Schneider, M.D., M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P., D.P.M., has been appointed as Medical Superintendent of the Rampton State Institution. Dr. Schneider takes the place of Dr William Rees Thomas, who is now a Medical Senior Commissioner of the Board of Control.
Obituary
We regret to announce the death of Professor George Matthew Robertson of Edinburgh. Professor Robertson has been the Professor of Psychiatry in the University of Edinburgh since 1920 and was well known as a pioneer in the work of improving conditions in mental hospitals.
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