405
./..
14.65
COLONIAL OFFICE
j.se.
Colonial Social Welfare Advisory Committee
Reports Sub-Committee
R.S.C.1/51.
HONG KONG
In August-September, 1948, Mr. W.H. Chinn, Social Welfare Adviser to the Secretary of State, visited Hong Kong as part of his extensive tour of the Far East. (C.S.W.A.C.8/49). In his report on his tour Mr. Chinn made various recommendations on the social welfare service in Hong Kong which have been summarised as follows:-
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Early consideration should be given to establishing a separate Department of Social Welfare.
The appointment of a deputy to the Social Welfare Officer and the temporary appointment of a trained European woman officer with case-work experience should be urgently considered in order to strengthen the structure of the Social Welfare staff.
A survey of voluntary organisation should be undertaken with a view to obtaining some measure of co-ordination through a central authority, e.g. a strengthened Social Welfare Council.
The treatment of delinquency should be the responsibility of a single authority preferably the Social Welfare organisation.
The proposals for training social workers made by the Hong Kong Social Welfare Council's Ad Hoc Committee should be adopted as soon as possible.
With regard to legislation:-
(i) the Juvenile Offenders' Ordinance should be amended or,
preferably, replaced by a Children and Young Persons' Ordinance codifying the law regarding the care and protection of children and young persons and the trial and treatment of young offenders including provision for Approved Schools.
(ii) the Industrial and Reformatory Schools Ordinance should
be replaced and its main provisions embodied in the Children and Young Persons' Ordinance (proposed under 6(i) above) under "Approved Schools."
(iii) Statutory provision should be made for dealing with the
problem of relief.
These recommendations were sent to the Governor of Hong Kong under cover of a despatch dated the 4th March, 1949, a copy of which is attached at Appendix A.
2.
In June, 1950, an opportunity arose for discussing social welfare issues with the Governor of Hong Kong who was in the United Kingdom on leave. Arising out of this discussion, a further despatch, a copy of which is attached at Appendix B, was sent to the Governor on the 19th August, 1950.
In