SOCIAL WELFARE
for discharged mental patients. The Transport Department subvents a Rehabus service operated by the Hong Kong Society for Rehabilitation for disabled persons who cannot use public transport.
By the end of the year, the Social Welfare Department and subvented welfare agencies had provided a total of 604 integrated programme places, 795 special child care centre places (including 54 residential special child care centre places) and 695 early education and training centre places for pre-school disabled children. As for disabled adults, there were 1 298 day activity centre places to provide day care, daily living skills and work training for the mentally handicapped, 3 175 sheltered workshop places to provide work or employment for the disabled who are unable to compete in the open job market, and 1 706 hostel places for those disabled persons who cannot live independently and cannot be adequately cared for by their families, or who live in areas too remote from their places of training or employment. In addition, 200 long stay care home places, 757 half-way house places and 110 activity centre places were provided for discharged mental patients and 21 social and recreational centres were provided for all categories of disabled persons.
During the year, the Social Welfare Department introduced a pilot supported- employment scheme for the disabled through setting up a mobile crew comprising several disabled persons supervised by one non-handicapped person to take up contracted cleaning jobs. The aim is to create and explore more open employment opportunities for disabled persons.
In order to improve the quality of services, two central support services were established to provide all rehabilitation day centres and hostels with professional back-up from clinical psychologists, occupational therapists and physiotherapists. Other improvements made include the staffing provisions of day activity centres, hostels for disabled persons and special child care centres which admit autistic children and children with autistic features.
The Queen Elizabeth Foundation for the Mentally Handicapped was set up in August 1988. Its purpose is to further the welfare, education and training of the mentally handi- capped and to promote their employment prospects. The management and uses of the Foundation Fund are determined by a council consisting of prominent members of the community appointed by the Governor. In the first quarter of the year, the foundation made grants of over $1.9 million to nine voluntary organisations and two government departments. The fund stood at over $90 million on March 31, 1989.
Staff Development
Training of professional social workers is provided by the two universities, two polytechnics and two post-secondary colleges. The Social Welfare Department and the subvented welfare agencies assist in the provision of practical work placements for social work students from these training institutions.
The Social Welfare Department provides various types of in-service training programmes through its Lady Trench Training Centre. These include basic social work training for non-professional grade staff, staff development programmes, and induction training and orientation courses for both departmental staff and social workers employed in the subvented welfare sector. To enhance the competence of social workers in handling the more complex and complicated social problems, local and overseas professionals were commissioned to conduct specialised or advanced training programmes in such demanding areas as mental health, family and child abuse services.
During the year, 185 programmes, seminars and workshops were organised by the training section, compared with 147 in 1988. The Training Section also operates a child
173
Page 210Page 211