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-ported to the Child Welfare Section of the Department, the work of which is described in the next chapter.
CHAPTER V
CHILD WELFARE
22. In 1932 the Muitsai Inspectorate of the Secretariat for Chinese Affairs was set up to prevent the ill-treatment of children who, accord- ing to a custom now obsolete in Hong Kong, had been sold into domestic servitude by their parents or relatives. When the Social Welfare Office was formed in 1948, its Child Welfare Section was staffed initially from the former Inspectorate, for duty in a broader and more modern role. The work of this Section, which has expanded con- siderably in recent years, falls roughly into two parts:
(a) Statutory duties concerned with legal adoption, Chinese cus- tomary adoption and the provisions of the Protection of Women and Juveniles Ordinance, No. 1 of 1951, directed towards safe- guarding the interests of children outside institutions or promot- ing their reception into a family;
(b) Liaison with babies homes, orphanages and other institutions
for the care of children deprived of a normal home life.
The staff, under the Assistant Director, consisted of five Children's Officers and fourteen Assistant Children's Officers, all female.
23. Legal adoption has been possible in Hong Kong since 12th October, 1956 when the Adoption Ordinance, 1956 came into force. By this enactment, the Supreme Court has power to make Adoption Orders, under Rules made by the Court, the Director of Social Welfare is appointed to carry out the duties of guardian ad litem. During the year fifty three Adoption Orders and one interim Order were made by the Court. (The latter Order grants custody of an infant to an applicant for a probationary period of not more than two years on terms decided by the Court). Forty six applications were withdrawn during the year; the reason for the number of withdrawals was partly that prospective adopters were encouraged initially to make use of the new provisions but in many cases decided, before proceedings were complete, that they preferred the Chinese customary form to the more complicated procedure of legal adoption. Moreover, during the minimum period of six months prescribed by law between the date when a prospective adopter notifies the Director of his intention and that of the first court
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