Paper also recommends that the elderly should be encouraged to remain in the community for as long as possible through the provision of such services as home help, community nursing, social visits, etc. For those who need special care, old people's homes will continue to be necessary, but these homes will need to provide a more comprehen- sive range of services, including the provision of personal care and attention.
CHAPTER VI
GROUP AND COMMUNITY WORK DIVISION
61. Community development implies a process by which people of an area are encouraged to acquire a better appreciation of the needs and problems which affect them, both as individuals and as members of the community to which they belong, and through mutual co- operation to promote their own well-being, as well as their common interest. It aims to create a more cohesive and stable society and to instil a sense of individual and collective responsibility into the com- munity at large. It is a process which touches the activities of many government department, and not least the Social Welfare Department.
62. Within this broad framework, the group and Community Work Division promotes the development of responsible and integrated groups and communities by encouraging people to participate in group activities and in community programmes through the services of com- munity centres and estate welfare buildings, as well as through the guidance and support of community and youth workers.
Community Centres and Estate Welfare Building
63. The Division operates community centres in Wong Tai Sin, Tai Hang Tung, Kwun Tong, Tsuen Wan, Sheung Shui and in the Western District on the Island. Each centre serves as a central meeting place for the local community and is a base on which to develop community spirit, activities, relationships and group interests. Each centre provides a variety of welfare services which include the provision of nurseries, family services, interest groups and social clubs, the launching of mass programmes and community projects, and the en- couragement of volunteer service. The Division also manages the Yuen Long Town Hall for the Yuen Long community. A new community centre in Chai Wan is expected to be completed in mid-1974.
14