3.
of guidance and counselling or other social work services.
The outreaching social work service has achieved encouraging
int
results and it is intended that it should be expanded
six
during he
three
through the addition of 6 more teams ever the next years.
$.
The Social Welfare Department is also involved in
the provision of a variety of services for young offenders.
In cases of minor offences where a probation officer feels that
would
residential training to be inappropriate, an offender is
often placed on a non-residential probation order and
required to undergo counselling and any other special
treatment considered necessary. Alternatively, a court may
make a community service order which requires the offender.
to perform unpaid work for the benefit of the community. The
community service order approach is quite new to Hong Kong
and is at present the subject of a two year pilot scheme in
three magistracies. On the completion of the pilot scheme,
This
the results will be assessed and a decision will be taken:
whether to extend the arrangements to all the magistracies.
So far the indications are that this scheme is proving quite
successful, and is being well used by the courts.
6.
For more serious offences, the court may decide
that a young person should be placed in a residential
institution such as a remand home or a reformatory school.
The Social Welfare Department currently operates seven of
these institutions each of which provides a disciplined and