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SOCIAL WELFARE
have been made for the appointment of such officers, to be called Community and Youth Officers, in each of the 15 urban and rural districts.
Special emphasis on work among young people has meant expansion of youth and children's centres operated by various youth agencies such as the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Group, the Scouts Association, the Girl Guides Association, the Boys' and Girls' Clubs' Association, the Young Women's Christian Association, the Chinese Young Men's Christian Association, the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme, Caritas and many others. There are now more than 300 such centres and plans are in hand for further expansion.
The summer recreation programme for 1972 is described in detail in Chapter 17. The number of children and young people attending summer programmes organised by the Social Welfare Department has risen from 2,300 in 1965 to 90,000 in 1972; some 900,000 youngsters took part in the overall Summer Recreation Programme in 1972.
Family Welfare Services
The Family Services Division of the department consists of a regionalised network of 12 casework offices and supporting specialised services for the welfare of families with problems, of children and of women.
Casework services provided by the department include counselling on problems involving family and inter-personal relationships, the protection of children and young persons in need of care, help in obtaining special assistance from appropriate government departments and welfare agencies, job placement, resettlement accom- modation, hawker licences, schooling for children, day and residential care. The number of families and individuals receiving such services totalled 20,872 in 1972.
The Family Services Division is also responsible for carrying out statutory res- ponsibilities arising out of a number of ordinances, the principal ones being the Protection of Women and Juveniles Ordinance Chapter 213, and the Adoption Or- dinance Chapter 290. The department is responsible for the guardianship of abandoned children, children of unmarried parents, and children in moral or physical danger. The department's Children Reception Centre at Chuk Yuen provides temporary care for 80 children who are in need of care and protection, and for children who must have an immediate home.
Legal adoptions of children made in accordance with the provisions of the Adop- tion Ordinance require investigation by the department in the first instance as to the suitability of the adoptive parents. A total of 57 proposed adoptions were investigated during the year and 360 children were adopted locally during the year. Requests made by overseas families for adoption of local children are considered by the department in conjunction with two voluntary welfare agencies, the International Social Service and Caritas. The number of local children adopted by families abroad was 12.
Residential and day care services in nurseries, creches and play centres for children continue to be in great demand. In 1972 there were 10,830 places available in some 80 non-profit-making nurseries and creches and 11 play centres. The majority of these