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Social Welfare
Residential Care Homes for Persons with Disabilities
The department monitors the operation of RCHDS under the Residential Care Homes (Persons with Disabilities) Ordinance. Complementary measures such as the Financial Assistance Scheme for Private RCHDs and BPS for Private RCHDs encourage private RCHDs to upgrade their service standards and provide more service options for persons with disabilities.
Professional Back-up and Support Services
Support services from clinical psychologists, occupational therapists and physiotherapists are available to persons with disabilities in rehabilitation day centres and hostels. Speech therapy is available to children attending pre-school rehabilitation centres.
A range of community support services is available to persons with disabilities and their families/carers, including ex-mentally ill persons living in the community. These include district support centres for persons with disabilities, a home care service for those with severe disabilities, an integrated support service for persons with severe physical disabilities, a transitional care and support centre for tetraplegic patients, community rehabilitation day centres, integrated community centres for mental wellness, day care services for persons with severe disabilities, and rehabilitation services for persons with visceral disability or chronic illnesses.
Day and residential respite services for persons with disabilities, occasional child care services for pre-schoolers with disabilities and parents/relatives resource centres are also available. In addition, social and recreational centres encourage persons with disabilities to take part in community leisure activities.
Services for Offenders
The department performs a number of statutory functions and helps offenders reintegrate into the community and become law-abiding citizens through community-based and residential services.
The probation service helped 3,400 offenders during the year and arrangements were made for 2,453 offenders placed on Community Service Orders (CSOs) to perform unpaid community work under supervision. Probation officers assess and report to the courts on offenders' suitability for probation orders and/or CSOs, and supervise those under the orders. The officers also prepare reports on long-term prisoners and petitioners being considered for early release.
In 2015, the department continued to provide an Enhanced Probation Service for convicted young drug offenders aged below 21 that is more focused, structured and intensive.
The Tuen Mun Children and Juvenile Home, with 388 places, offered educational, pre-vocational and character training for juvenile offenders as well as children and young people with behavioural and/or family problems.
The Correctional Services Department and the SWD jointly ran a Young Offender Assessment Panel, providing the courts with professional views on sentencing options for offenders aged 14 to 25, and a Post-Release Supervision of Prisoners Scheme, which helped 807 discharged
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