1
of the Mental Health Ordinance.
2
3 Cwith the strengthening of the Social Welfare Department's
Training Division in the coming year, I must urge the
4
les Department to ensure that the training needs of the
A
6
7
8
10
voluntary sector, which employ two-thirds of our social
workers, will be adequately met.
19 [Staff development, which makes more effective use of human
sources, is a necessary investment acknowledged by both the public and private sectors. However, the struggle to. extend and improve education and training for social
11
712
嫌
13
14
етет
workers is often viewed sardonically by the public and
other professions as merely an attempt to gain professional
15 status. Unless the Government takes the lead to promote
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
the proper development of social workers; both in number and quality, thousands of clients using personal social
services will receive an inferior standard of care and
treatment for many decades to come.
At the same time, a registration system to ensure that social work tasks will be performed by qualified social 23 workers should receive full support from the Government.
24
Fringe benefits
25 [Apart from the competence of well-qualified workers, the
efficient delivery of services also depends on the
26
27
28
29
30
八
31
32
33
working conditions of a well-motivated staff. Members may be aware that, at present, representatives of the 70,000+ strong employees of subvented organisations are battling to narrow the disparity of salaries and fringe benefits between the civil servants and themselves, and to bring about equal pay for equal work'. The obdurate argument advanced by the Administration that different personnel
34 practices and systems render standardised treatment
36
impossible is incredible for three reasons, firstly, Subvented
三
subventive organisations staff are paid on par with their
Page 120Page 121