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SOCIAL WELFARE
Apart from the services provided by the department, voluntary agencies such as the Discharged Prisoners' Aid Society, the Lok Heep Club of Caritas - Hong Kong, the Society of Boys' Centres, the Hong Kong Student Aid Project, the Hong Kong Juvenile Care Centre, the Pelletier Hall and the Marycove Centre, all make significant contributions in the field of services for young offenders.
Family Welfare Services and Child Care
The main objective of family welfare services is to help individuals cope with or, where possible, avoid personal and family problems, and so preserve and strengthen the family unit. These services are provided on a territory-wide basis through 20 centres operated by the Social Welfare Department and a number of voluntary agencies and, in hospitals, by medical social workers.
Services include counselling on personal and family problems; care and protection for young people under the age of 21; residential and foster care for children up to the age of 21; day care for children under six; referrals for schooling, housing, employment, financial assistance, legal advice, medical attention, home help and, where appropriate, placement in institutions for elderly or disabled persons. The number of families and individuals assisted in 1982 was 20 871.
The department also exercises statutory responsibilities under a number of ordinances, including the Protection of Women and Juvenile Ordinance, the Guardianship of Minors Ordinance, the Marriage Ordinance and the Offences Against the Person Ordinance.
All child care centres are subject to registration, inspection and control under the Child Care Centres Ordinance and Regulations. To implement proposals in the 1981 White Paper on Primary Education and Pre-primary Services, amendments to the Child Care Centres Ordinance and Regulations were enacted in 1982, including the authorisation of the Director of Social Welfare to approve fees to be charged in registered child care centres.
Child care centres provide care and supervision for children under the age of six in accordance with the standards laid down in legislation. Residential care is also provided, when necessary, to children and young persons. Discussions have continued between the Social Welfare Department and relevant voluntary agencies on the best ways of meeting the needs of children who require residential care. Recommendations have been made on improving standards of care in children's homes and on developing non-institutional types of care, especially foster care and small group homes.
At the end of 1982 there were 20 370 places in day child care centres, including creches for children under the age of two, and 1 124 places in residential child care centres.
The adoption unit of the department handles both local and overseas adoptions - the latter with the assistance of the International Social Service, Hong Kong branch. At the end of the year there were 567 cases of legal adoption by court order, 77 proposed adoption cases and 205 cases of overseas adoption.
Medical Social Service
Following recommendations by the Standing Commission on Civil Service Salaries and Conditions of Service, the medical social service, formerly administered by the Medical and Health Department, was transferred to the Social Welfare Department with effect from October 1982. From the management point of view, the integration of medical social work within the Social Welfare Department, which is responsible for all other social welfare services, should lead to a more efficient use of manpower resources and the better co-ordination of services generally.