"Truancy?or
School Phobia?"
The 1959 Inter-Clinic Conference (which is restricted to Child Guidance Clinic personnel) had as its topic the problems of Truancy and School Phobia. In addition to its considerable professional value to the participants, this Conference revealed a number of other important aspects of the problem. It showed that this topic had considerable "news value" to the lay public : it emphasised how closely many other professional disciplines are involved and concerned in this problem; and it suggested that the division of responsibility and role between these various disciplines, in dealing with truancy, was not always very clearly defined. It further
was
decided, therefore, that N.A.M.H. should organise
a
Conference on this topic to take place in London on 13th November, 1959; and to which would be invited, both as speakers and audience, representatives of the other interested professions. Invitations were sent out mainly through the various professional organisations; and the number of those from each discipline who attended the Conference was as follows : Administrative Education Officers, 10; School Medical Officers, 22; Teachers, 8; Education Welfare Officers, 28; Members of Child Guidance Team, 71; Others, 20. The total attendance was 159. It was a decided disappointment that so few Teachers were able to attend.
one-day
As an introduction to the Conference, Dr. Whiles gave a brief, but masterly, summary of the Inter-Clinic Conference findings on the topic. He went on to describe the problem as it presents itself to the Child Guidance Clinic. The remaining speakers, during the morning session, were a Headmistress (Miss Marshall) and a Superintendent Education Welfare Officer (Mr. Rankin). Each spoke with understanding, and from much individual experience : and perhaps the most striking feature for the listener was to appreciate the different impact which the problem of truancy, and the truant child, has for the School, the Education Authority, and the Clinic.
dichotomy, both of the problem itself, and of the for dealing with it, came out clearly, and sometimes with considerable feeling, in some of the participants' contributions which followed. If the function of the morning session had been the important one of bringing forward these natural and inevitable differences, then the aim of the afternoon session was to show how these different approaches, and responsibilities, could (and should) be complementary to each other, rather than rivals. The importance of this aspect, and the interest of the audience, was shown by the variety, the quality and the number of questions put to the "Brains Trust"?which was formed by the three speakers from the morning This
same
responsibility
26
-r
session, with the addition of a Chief Education Officer (Mr. Barnard) and a Principal School Medical Officer (Dr. Irvine). It would have been quite unrealistic to expect that a single ?ne-day Conference could do more than "open-up" this complex and illustrate some of the gulfs to be bridged. Perhaps the airn of the Conference, and to some degree its success, can be summed up in the personal comment of one participant after the day's Meeting : "At least today I have been able to meet for the first time my opposite numbers from the area where I work. When We get home we will be able to discuss this problem with more understanding of what the other one is talking about".
T. A. Ratcliffe. Readers who are interested in this subject may like to know that the Report of the Conference is obtainable from the N.A.M.H., 39 Queen Anne Street, W.l, price 3s. 10d., post free.
School Phobia?"
The 1959 Inter-Clinic Conference (which is restricted to Child Guidance Clinic personnel) had as its topic the problems of Truancy and School Phobia. In addition to its considerable professional value to the participants, this Conference revealed a number of other important aspects of the problem. It showed that this topic had considerable "news value" to the lay public : it emphasised how closely many other professional disciplines are involved and concerned in this problem; and it suggested that the division of responsibility and role between these various disciplines, in dealing with truancy, was not always very clearly defined. It further
was
decided, therefore, that N.A.M.H. should organise
a
Conference on this topic to take place in London on 13th November, 1959; and to which would be invited, both as speakers and audience, representatives of the other interested professions. Invitations were sent out mainly through the various professional organisations; and the number of those from each discipline who attended the Conference was as follows : Administrative Education Officers, 10; School Medical Officers, 22; Teachers, 8; Education Welfare Officers, 28; Members of Child Guidance Team, 71; Others, 20. The total attendance was 159. It was a decided disappointment that so few Teachers were able to attend.
one-day
As an introduction to the Conference, Dr. Whiles gave a brief, but masterly, summary of the Inter-Clinic Conference findings on the topic. He went on to describe the problem as it presents itself to the Child Guidance Clinic. The remaining speakers, during the morning session, were a Headmistress (Miss Marshall) and a Superintendent Education Welfare Officer (Mr. Rankin). Each spoke with understanding, and from much individual experience : and perhaps the most striking feature for the listener was to appreciate the different impact which the problem of truancy, and the truant child, has for the School, the Education Authority, and the Clinic.
dichotomy, both of the problem itself, and of the for dealing with it, came out clearly, and sometimes with considerable feeling, in some of the participants' contributions which followed. If the function of the morning session had been the important one of bringing forward these natural and inevitable differences, then the aim of the afternoon session was to show how these different approaches, and responsibilities, could (and should) be complementary to each other, rather than rivals. The importance of this aspect, and the interest of the audience, was shown by the variety, the quality and the number of questions put to the "Brains Trust"?which was formed by the three speakers from the morning This
same
responsibility
26
-r
session, with the addition of a Chief Education Officer (Mr. Barnard) and a Principal School Medical Officer (Dr. Irvine). It would have been quite unrealistic to expect that a single ?ne-day Conference could do more than "open-up" this complex and illustrate some of the gulfs to be bridged. Perhaps the airn of the Conference, and to some degree its success, can be summed up in the personal comment of one participant after the day's Meeting : "At least today I have been able to meet for the first time my opposite numbers from the area where I work. When We get home we will be able to discuss this problem with more understanding of what the other one is talking about".
T. A. Ratcliffe. Readers who are interested in this subject may like to know that the Report of the Conference is obtainable from the N.A.M.H., 39 Queen Anne Street, W.l, price 3s. 10d., post free.
