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Social Welfare
THE five year plan for the development of social welfare, which was approved by the Legislative Council in 1973 and set the direction in which social welfare was to be expanded and improved in future years, was successfully implemented in 1974. Eighty- five projects in the first two years of the plan were completed on schedule. These included the Po Leung Kuk Welfare Building, the Chai Wan Community Centre, two new homes for the aged, and two estate welfare buildings, one in Lam Tin and the other in Tsz Wan Shan.
Services introduced in 1973 continued to expand, such as the Institute for Social Work Training and the Community and Youth Officers scheme. Rates of payment in social security, which included the disability and infirmity allowance scheme introduced in 1973, were revised twice to keep in step with the cost of living.
The Child Care Centres Bill and Regulations, which were introduced into the Legislative Council in November 1974 will bring under control all child care centres for children under the age of six. The Bill and Regulations, which are supplemented by a Code of Practice, prescribed certain minimum standards for accommodation, health, safety measures and staff qualifications in all child care centres to ensure that children in those centres are cared for properly.
The government is advised by the Social Welfare Advisory Committee on all matters of social welfare policy, including subventions for voluntary agencies and grants from the Lotteries Fund. The committee is appointed by the Governor and consists mainly of leading unofficials. The Director of Social Welfare is the chairman.
The Social Welfare Department is responsible for carrying out government policies for social welfare. It operates through five divisions-the group and community work division, which aims at the development of coherent groups and social respon- sibility; family services division, which is responsible for a wide range of social welfare services to help individuals and families; the probation and corrections division, which provides social services for the courts and rehabilitation in its correctional institutions for young offenders; and the rehabilitation division, which is concerned with services for the disabled. Also the social security division, responsible for the administration of public assistance and other social security schemes; the training section, responsible for in-service training and staff development programmes; the planning and develop- ment unit, which plans and co-ordinates welfare services; the research and evaluation unit, responsible for social welfare research, evaluation of services and statistical matters; and the public relations unit.
The government is not alone in the provision of social welfare services. Voluntary agencies also play a vital role in meeting the needs of the community. There are more