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SOCIAL WELFARE
department are four rural mobile service teams which provide cultural, group and com- munity work services in remote villages in the New Territories.
During 1979 the department, in conjunction with voluntary agencies, continued to organise family life education programmes with the general aim of preserving and streng- thening the family as a unit. In support of the International Year of the Child, a family life education publicity campaign with the theme 'The Child and the Family' was launched.
A substantial contribution towards providing recreational and social services for young people is made by voluntary agencies which run a number of children's and youth centres. They play an important part in organising outreaching social work programmes, which aim at providing counselling and other social work services for young people at risk. Agencies also carry out community development projects at grass-roots level in areas which do not, as yet, have adequate social welfare services.
More Care for the Elderly
In 1979, the number of people in Hong Kong aged 60 years and above was 474,000. This is approximately 9.5 per cent of the population, compared with 152,000 or 4.8 per cent of the population in 1961.
In the White Paper on Social Welfare into the 1980s, the government announced that it was giving priority to the improvement of services and homes for the elderly. Proposals include the expansion of care-and-attention homes which give personal and nursing care, more homes for the aged, increased public housing including hostel-type accommodation, and upgraded health and community services.
At care-and-attention homes, which provide special care for old people, an additional 1,400 places will be available by 1982-3. The long-term target is to provide four places for every 1,000 of the population aged 60 and above. The government is considering playing a more active role in the provision of care-and-attention homes - a service which previously has been offered only by voluntary agencies. In addition, an extra 1,600 places in homes for the aged are envisaged in the next three years. Plans are also proceeding to provide more housing in Housing Authority estates, including 5,000 places in hostel-type accommodation by 1987-8.
The government's policy is that efforts should be made to make it easier for old people to continue their life within their family or community. In accordance with this policy, com- munity support services were expanded in 1979. Home help services for the elderly were provided in 14 centres, and the number of home helpers increased from 20 in 1978 to 95 in 1979. By the end of the year, four multi-service centres were in existence, serving as focal points for the provision of such services as home help, meals, laundry, visiting services, community education and recreational activities. Two experimental day care centres were established during the year, serving 60 people. The number of social centres providing recreational activities for elderly people increased from 13 to 40.
Residential facilities were expanded for those old people incapable of independent living. An additional 390 places in hostels and 180 places in homes for the aged were provided in 1979, making a total number of 4,230 places in 37 institutions.
Family Welfare Services
Through its network of 17 family service centres, the Social Welfare Department provides a wide range of services designed to help individuals and families. They include counselling on family problems and inter-personal relationships; taking action in cases of child neglect
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