SOCIAL WELFARE
Helpline manned by social workers provides individuals and families facing a crisis. with immediate telephone counselling.
At the secondary level, a range of support services, from developmental programmes to intensive counselling, are provided through a network of 66 Family Services Centres and Integrated Family Service Centres, with a staff of 744 social workers. These provided counselling, referral for child care, elder and rehabilitation services, and financial and housing assistance for a total of 91 255 cases during the year.
Five Single Parent Centres provide a package of dedicated services to strengthen the single parents' social network of support and improve their self-reliance and capability for employment. Eight Post-migration Centres provide a package of dedicated services to enhance the social functioning and self-sufficiency of new arrivals from the Mainland so as to facilitate their early integration into the community.
At the tertiary level, specialised services and crisis intervention are provided through five Family and Child Protective Services Units, a Family Crisis Support Centre, a Suicide Crisis Intervention Centre and two projects on prevention of elder abuse and another one on elderly suicide, respectively. In addition, four Refuge Centres provide 162 short-term residential places for battered spouses and their children who are victims of domestic violence, accepting admission on a 24-hour basis.
The problem of street-sleeping is tackled through a continuum of outreaching, counselling and referral services provided by the SWD's outreaching teams and family services centres, together with temporary shelters, urban hostels and day relief centres operated by NGOs. The 'Three-year Action Plan to Help Street Sleepers', implemented in April 2001 and targeting street sleepers who were younger and in good health, assisted over 380 street sleepers to live off the street since its operation.
Services for Children
The department provides a wide range of child welfare services. The adoption service arranges permanent homes for children in need. The mediation service which is provided under the Pilot Scheme on Family Mediation launched by the Judiciary assists divorcing couples in reaching mutually acceptable agreements concerning their children and other arrangements. Residential child care services are provided for children and young people who need care or protection because of family crises or their behavioural or emotional problems. At year-end, there were 670 places in foster care service, 952 places in small group homes and 1 417 places in children's homes, boys' and girls' homes and hostels.
Child care centres provide day care services for children under the age of six. At year-end, there were 29 063 aided day nursery places, 1 113 aided day creche places, 723 occasional child care places and 1 610 extended hour places provided in 273 centres. All child care centres have to register under the Child Care Services Ordinance and Regulations. A fee assistance scheme helps low-income families with social needs to pay fees for child care centres.
In July, an inter-bureau/departmental working group completed public consultation on harmonisation of pre-primary services currently provided by child care centres and kindergartens. The views received were examined and implementation details were being worked out together with the Education and Manpower Bureau. Another working group was working on the review of the Adoption Ordinance with a view to
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