SATURDAY, MARCH 6, 1976
NEED FOR EVALUATION - SELF-EVIDENT
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EVALUATION OF WELFARE SERVICES IN HONG KONG IS NECESSARY TO ENSURE NOT ONLY VALUE FOR MONEY BUT ALSO THAT WELFARE SERVICES DEVELOP IN LINE WITH CHANGING COMMUNITY NEEDS.
THIS WAS STATED IN THE CHAIRMAN'S REPORT ON GROUP DISCUSSIONS AT THE SEMINAR ON EVALUATION HELD IN JANUARY THIS YEAR. THE SEMINAR WAS ORGANISED BY THE SOCIAL WELFARE ADVISORY COMMITTEE, OF WHICH THE DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL WELFARE, MR. THOMAS LEE, IS CHAIRMAN.
THE SEMINAR WAS ATTENDED BY MORE THAN 150 DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE SECRETARIES OF VOLUNTARY WELFARE AGENCIES, SENIOR OFFICERS OF THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT, AND A NUMBER OF SERVICE CONSUMERS WHO ARE RECIPIENTS OF WELFARE SERVICES.
IT WAS TO REVIEW THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE INITIAL EVALUATION EXERCISE THAT WAS CARRIED OUT LAST YEAR AND TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOW EVALUATION SHOULD BE CARRIED OUT IN FUTURE.
ALL DISCUSSION GROUPS CONSIDERED THE NEED FOR EVALUATION TO BE SELF-EVIDENT. +MOST GROUPS ACCEPTED THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAS A DUTY TO ENSURE THAT RESOURCES EXPENDED ON AGENCY SERVICES ARE PROPERLY UTILIZED AND THAT AGENCIES, FOR THEIR PART, HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO ACCOUNT FOR FUNDS RECEIVED FROM SUBVENTION.+
AS TO THE USES OF EVALUATION, THE REPORT NOTED THAT MOST DISCUSSION GROUPS WERE STRONGLY IN FAVOUR THAT EVALUATION SHOULD LOOK AT AN AREA OF SERVICE AS A WHOLE BESIDES INDIVIDUAL AGENCIES.
+THE MAJORITY OPINION WAS THAT EVALUATION SHOULD BE CONCERNED WITH IDENTIFYING COMMUNITY NEEDS, CLASSIFYING THESE NEEDS IN ORDER OF PRIORITY AND ASSESSING THE EXTENT TO WHICH EXISTING SERVICES CONFORM TO AN AGREED CONCEPT OF NEED.+
IN REGARD TO FUTURE EVALUATION EXERCISES, IT WAS AGREED THAT THE HONG KONG COUNCIL OF SOCIAL SERVICE AND THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT SHOULD HAVE JOINT RESPONSIBILITY AND IT WAS IMPORTANT THAT SUFFICIENT RESOURCES BE COMMITTED TO EVALUATION TO DO THE JOB PROPERLY AND THAT CARE BE TAKEN TO SELECT PERSONNEL OF SUITABLE CALIBRE AND EXPERIENCE FOR THIS WORK.
IT WAS ALSO AGREED THAT THE VIEWS OF SERVICE RECIPIENTS SHOULD BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT WHEREVER POSSIBLE, THE REPORT CONTINUED.
ON THE POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES OF EVALUATION, THE REPORT SAID: +EVALUATION WILL PROBABLY RESULT IN THE EXPANSION OF SOME AREAS OF SERVICE AND THE CURTA ILMENT OF OTHERS- AND IN SOME REDISTRIBUTION OF RESOURCES THROUGH SUBVENTION FUNDS.+
TURNING TO