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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1974
SOCIAL FIELD WORKERS +INVALUABLE+
THE DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL WELFARE; MR. THOMAS LEE, TODAY DESCRIBED FIELD WORKERS AS THE MOST IMPORTANT SOCIAL WORK PERSONNEL IN ANY SOCIAL WELFARE SETTING.
HE SAID THE FIELD WORKER, OR +FRONT-LINE WORKER+ AS THEY ARE ALSO KNOWN, ARE THE PEOPLE ACTUALLY RENDERING DIRECT SERVICE OF ONE KIND OR ANOTHER TO THE CLIENTS.
ON TOP OF THIS +THEIR DAY-TO-DAY CONTACT WITH THE PUBLIC ENABLES THEM TO BECOME EXCEPTIONALLY WELL CONVERSANT WITH THE RAPIDLY CHANGING SOCIAL CONDITIONS AT THE GRASS ROOT LEVEL. AS A RESULT, THEIR FEEDBACK OR INVOLVEMENT WILL BE INVALUABLE TO ANY SOCIAL POLICYMAKERS OR PLANNERS,+ HE SAID.
MR. LEE WAS SPEAKING AT THE ORIENTATION DAY OF THE INSTITUTE FOR SOCIAL WORK TRAINING FOR THIS YEAR'S 75 NEW STUDENTS ENROLLED IN THE TWO-YEAR COURSE LEADING TO A CERTIFICATE IN SOCIAL WORK.
HE NOTED THAT ONE OF THE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THE INSTITUTE, WHICH WAS SET UP FOLLOWING A STUDY OF EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING OF SOCIAL WORK THREE YEARS AGO, WAS TO TRAIN +FRONT LINE+ SOCIAL WORKERS WITH PRACTICAL AND LOCAL EMPHASIS.
ALSO ADDRESSING THE GATHERING WAS MR. L.B. MACQUARRIE, THE PRINCIPAL, WHO SAID THAT 1,000 APPLICATIONS HAD BEEN RECEIVED, BUT ONLY 75 COULD BE SELECTED.
HE TOLD THE NEW STUDENTS: +YOU HAVE BEEN THROUGH A RATHER DIFFICULT SELECTION PROCESS WHICH HAS INVOLVED A FORMAL APPLICATION, AN ENTRANCE EXAMINATION AND INDIVIDUAL SELECTION INTERVIEWS. YOU MAY AT TIMES HAVE THOUGHT THAT THIS WAS RATHER A RIGOROUS SCREENING PROCESS, BUT WE DID WANT TO BE CAREFUL AND DO OUR BEST TO SELECT CANDIDATES WE FELT COULD BECOME GOOD SOCIAL WORKERS.+
MR. MACQUARRIE ALSO THANKED THE FIRST YEAR STUDENTS WHO HAD VOLUNTEERED THEIR SHORT SUMMER VACATION TO HELP WITH REGISTERING AND WELCOMING THE NEW STUDENTS, REORGANISING THE INSTITUTE'S LIBRARY AND ASSISTING IN MANY OTHER WAYS.
THE INSTITUTE FOR SOCIAL WORK TRAINING WAS SET UP LAST OCTOBER UNDER THE FIVE-YEAR PLAN FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL WELFARE IN HONG KONG. WITH THIS YEAR'S INTAKE IT NOW HAS 125 STUDENTS UNDER TRAINING.
NOTE TO EDITORS:
COPIES OF MR. LEE'S AND MR. MACQUARRIE'S SPEECHES ARE AVAILABLE FOR COLLECTION FROM THE G-J.S. NEWS ROOM, 5TH FLOOR, BEACONSFIELD HOUSE.
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