be awarded the silver standard of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme.
56. At present a boy is committed for a maximum period of five years' training or until he is eighteen, whichever is the sooner. He must stay for a minimum of two years in the Home, after which he may be discharged on licence. On an average boys stay two to two and a half years in the Home so that the period of licence or after-care comes to form an important part of the rehabilitation process at which the Home is aiming. Supervision after discharge is undertaken by probation officers as after-care agents of the Superintendent who remains ultimately responsible for the whole training period, whether within or outside the Home. Efforts are still being made to improve the effectiveness of the after-care which requires the closest co-operation between the Home and the Probation Service. On the one hand it is difficult for the proba- tion officers, already fully occupied with the work received from the Courts, to devote more time to assisting with the after-care plans which are carefully worked out for each boy before discharge, and subsequently to the supervision of the licencees; on the other hand there is difficulty in finding suitable employment or school places, as the case may be. There were 31 admissions to and 25 discharges from the Castle Peak Home during the year.
57. The Remand Home in its old premises functioned smoothly in its triple capacity of taking in boys who were arrested, remanded or committed for a maximum of six months residential training under the Juvenile Offenders Ordinance. It continued to be used to its full capacity with a turnover of 2,704 boys and an average daily muster of 90 residents; 691 reports were submitted to the Juvenile Courts on boys remanded for inquiries. These reports which are based on observation of the boys by the supervisors responsible for them, give information on conduct, attitude, response to the Home's programme and behaviour generally. It is believed that they form a valuable addition to the probation officers' reports in helping to fill in for the Courts the social picture of each boy.
58. Through membership of committees in the capacity of adviser or observer, officers of the Section continued to play an active part in helping with the work of related voluntary societies. These included the Boys Centre (previously the Children's Centre, Shanghai Street) which at the end of the year moved into part occupation of a new five-storey building which was subsequently opened by H. E. the Governor; the Hong Kong Juvenile Care Centre; the Norway Hostel for the care of
16