CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A REVIEW OF THE YEAR
THE twelve months which ended on 31 March 1969 can generally be described as a period of continuing growth and significant change. The progress normally associated with a growing social service and manifested by such signs as increased spending for the maintenance of existing services and the establishment of new capital projects has been expanded by new measures designed to extend and improve various types of social welfare services. Such improvements include a complete review of the programme for public assistance, the further extension of family services to resettlement communities, and the experiment of the District Community Officer scheme.
2. Budgeted departmental expenditure for the year increased to $15.8 million, an increase of $3.2 million or 26% over the previous financial year, and this is expected to rise to $19.8 in 1969-70. In keeping with this trend of growth, the establishment (total number of posts in the Department) increased from 905 posts in the previous year to 1,048. Many of the new posts at the professional level were filled by recruitment of trained social workers and, in spite of the fact that both Universities were producing qualified graduates in social work, the demand is expected to outpace the supply as the scope of the Department's work continues to show rapid growth.
3. Financial assistance in support of the activities of voluntary welfare organizations is made available by Government on the advice and recommendations of the Social Welfare Advisory Committee. Aid on a recurrent basis is in the form of Government subventions while capital grants may be obtained from the Lotteries Fund in aid of capital projects of a social welfare nature. Budgeted expenditure for subventions increased by 24.3% from $7.9 million in the previous year to $9.8 million during the period under review and this is expected to rise to $11.6 million in 1969-70. Grants from the Lotteries Fund were made in aid of 33 projects covering a wide range of activities, including
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