- 3
MONDAY, JULY 11, 1977
THE PRIMARY OBJECT, HE CONTINUED, WOULD BE TO ENABLE SOCIAL WORKERS TO REACH OUT TO THOSE YOUNG PERSONS IN AN EARLY STAGE AND TO OFFER ASSISTANCE IN AN APPROPRIATE WAY, BEFORE THE IR PROBLEMS BECAME SERIOUS.
THIS IS ANOTHER AREA WHICH IS BEING ACTIVELY LOOKED INTO BY GOVERNMENT IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE VOLUNTARY SECTOR WITH A VIEW TO SETTING OUT A PLAN FOR THE FUTURE. VOLUNTARY ORGANISATIONS ARE ALREADY INVOLVED IN THE ACTUAL PROVISION OF SUCH SERVICE FOR YOUNG PERSONS AT RISK, HE ADDED.
THE DIRECTOR NOTED THAT ANOTHER FIELD OF WORK IN WHICH VOLUNTARY ORGANISATIONS COULD MAKE SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS WOULD BE CHILD CARE IN THE FORM OF NURSERIES.
+SINCE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CHILD CARE CENTRES ORDINANCE WHICH REQUIRES ALL CENTRES TO BE SET UP WITH CERTAIN MINIMUM STANDARD, A NUMBER OF SUB-STANDARD PRIVATE NURSERIES HAVE CLOSED DOWN. ALTHOUGH NEW NURSERIES ARE BEING SET UP BY VOLUNTARY ORGANISATIONS THERE IS NEED FOR MORE CENTRES TO BE OPENED.
+APART FROM ONE NURSERY WHICH IS BEING RUN BY THE DEPARTMENT AS A MODEL FOR THE PURPOSE OF TRAINING CHILD CARE WORKERS, ALL THE NON-PROFIT MAKING NURSERIES IN HONG KONG ARE RUN BY VOLUNTARY ORGANISATIONS, MANY OF WHICH HAVE ACQUIRED VERY VALUABLE EXPERIENCE OVER THE YEARS IN THE PROVISION OF THIS CHILD CARE SERVICE, + HE SAID.
FINANCIAL SECRETARY BACK TO WORK
****
THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY, MR. PHILIP HADDON-CAVE, HAS RETURNED TO WORK TODAY AFTER EIGHT WEEKS LEAVE.
MR. DAVID JORDAN, WHO ACTED AS FINANCIAL SECRETARY WHILE MR. HADDON-CAVE WAS AWAY, WILL HIMSELF BE GOING ON LEAVE FROM JULY 13 TO SEPTEMBER 7.
IN THE MEANTIME, MR. BILL DORWARD, WILL CONTINUE TO ACT AS DIRECTOR OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY WHILE MR. JORDAN IS ON LEAVE.
/4