SOCIAL WELFARE
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sense of civic responsibility, ability to use their leisure time constructively and to enable those with adjustment problems to direct their energies towards positive goals in society.
At the district level, apart from providing group work activities in community centres, the department also promotes youth activities and encourages the establishment of self-programming and volunteer groups through its youth and community offices. The department has run the Opportunity for Youth Scheme since 1974. Every year, young people are helped with funds to implement a variety of community service projects to meet specific social needs. Awards are given for outstanding projects to recognise the contribution of the participants.
Children and youth centres, operated mainly by subvented welfare agencies, serve as focal points for a variety of programmes and activities for the personal growth and social development of young people. In 1989, one youth centre and 23 combined children and youth centres were opened, making a total of 198 children centres, 204 youth centres and 144 combined children and youth centres.
Outreach social work attempts to cater to groups of young people at risk who do not normally participate in organised youth activities. With the addition of two new teams in 1989, there are totally 22 outreaching social work teams serving in priority areas with large youth populations, high population densities and high juvenile crime rates. The review conducted during the year has pointed the direction for future development.
The school social work service is provided by social workers in secondary schools, and a guidance service for primary school students is provided by student guidance officers. -These services help students with personal problems or problems in adjusting to school life.
A comprehensive review of the service is underway.
Uniformed organisations offer young people opportunities for training in the devel- opment of character and leadership, skills, community services, and indoor and outdoor recreation. There are seven subvented welfare organisations, with about 70 000 members, operating a wide range of activities with different emphasis in their programmes for different target groups of young people. The Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme offers a comprehensive programme focusing on the development of the potential of young people, attracting a membership of 40 000.
Rehabilitation of the Disabled
The objective of rehabilitation services in Hong Kong is to integrate the disabled into the community. Services provided by government departments and welfare agencies are aimed at enabling the disabled people to fully develop their physical, mental and social capabilities. These services are co-ordinated by the Commissioner for Rehabilitation, who also conducts regular reviews of the Rehabilitation Programme Plan, which projects the requirements for and identifies the shortfalls in rehabilitation services for the following 10 years.
The Hospital Services Department and the Department of Health are responsible for providing medical rehabilitation services. The Social Welfare Department is responsible for the planning and development of a wide range of social rehabilitation needs, either through direct service provision or subvention to welfare agencies. The Education Department is responsible for all aspects of the education and training of disabled children of school age and for boarding care and transport services in special schools. The Technical Education and Industrial Training Department is responsible for co-ordinating vocational training for disabled young people and adults. The Labour Department is responsible for job placements for the deaf, the blind, the physically disabled, the mentally handicapped and