children for special education and the John F. Kennedy Spastic Centre provided 60 places for boarding and 20 for day study. The Department assisted these schools in selecting suitable students for admission. The Hong Kong Red Cross Society's hostel at Tsz Wan Shan started func- tioning in January. Its aim is to provide accommodation for 20 teenaged disabled persons who need hostel care while receiving secondary educa- tion or vocational training. The first three young girls have already been admitted. The Pui Oi Club, operated jointly by Lutheran World Federation and this Department, continues to provide daily informal education and group activities for 24 disabled children who are either too old or too disabled to be accepted by normal or special schools.
114. There is continuing demand for hostel care for severely disabled adults who cannot be cared for at home. The 20 places in the Kwun Tong Settlement for Severely Disabled are fully occupied and there is a need for expansion. In the past year, these twenty disabled adults have been able to engage in assembly work in the adjoining Sheltered Workshop (60 places) and made sufficient money to support themselves. There is a long waiting list for sheltered work but the situation is expected to ease when the new World Rehabilitation Fund Centre is ready to take 80 more persons for sheltered work.
115. The Wong Tai Sin Vocational Training Centre continued to operate three training classes: the printing and knitting class at Wong Tai Sin and the tailoring at Kwun Tong. The total number of trainees of these three training classes is 33. It is hoped that when the World Rehabilitation Fund Day Centre opens these three classes will be handed over to the Department and absorbed in the Day Centre.
CHAPTER V
TRAINING
116. In order to maintain constructive social work services there must be well-trained staff, whether they are to be employed in the voluntary or official field.
117. Full-time formal courses at the two universities continue to provide an invaluable source of trained workers. The University of Hong Kong has a one year post-graduate course leading to a diploma in social studies but has discontinued its two years certificate course
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