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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 1978
PROBLEMS OF REGIONAL ISATION
OF SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT
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THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT AND VOLUNTARY AGENCIES, WHICH HAS GREATLY CONTRIBUTED TO THE RAPID AND SMOOTH DEVELOPMENT OF WELFARE SERVICES IN HONG KONG, MAY BE ERODED BY REGIONAL ISATION OF THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT, DR. THE HON. HO KAM-FAI SAID IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL THIS AFTERNOON.
REGIONAL ISATION IMPLIES EMPOWERING THE REGIONAL OFFICES TO CO-ORDINATE THE ACTIVITIES OF THE VOLUNTARY AGENCIES IN HIS REGION AND TO EVALUATE THE AGENCIES' STANDARD OF SERVICES AND TO RECOMMEND SUBVENTIONS. THESE FUNCTIONS, BY SUBJECTING THE AGENCIES TO A SUBORDINATE, DEPENDENT POSITION, MAY ERODE THE IR EXISTING EGAL ITARIAN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE GOVERNMENT, HE EXPLAINED.
FURTHERMORE, A WELFARE AGENCY, IF IT IS TO WORK CLOSER WITH THE REGIONAL OFFICES, WILL HAVE TO GIVE MORE AUTONOMY TO ITS BRANCH OFFICES IN ASSESSING WELFARE NEEDS AND IN PLANNING SERVICES.
THIS MAY LEAD TO LOSS OF CONTROL BY THE HEADQUARTERS, THUS ADVERSELY AFFECTING ITS INTEGRITY AND IDENTITY, RESULTING IN RESISTANCE TO THE REGIONALISATION SCHEME.
ON LOSING CONTROL, THE HEADQUARTERS MIGHT ALSO KEEP FOR ITSELF MOST OF THE FUNDS IT RAISED, REQUIRING THE BRANCH OFFICES TO DEPEND FULLY ON GOVERNMENT SUBVENTIONS. ADDITIONAL ROLES AND DUTIES WILL ALSO BE DEMANDED OF THE BRANCH OFFICE STAFF. THIS WOULD HAVE TO BE ANTICIPATED BY THE PROVISION OF APPROPRIATE ADMINISTRATIVE TRAINING.
ANOTHER IMPLICATION OF REGIONALISATION DR. HO NOTED IS THE NEED TO ADOPT A MORE RATIONAL AND CONSISTENT SYSTEM OF DISTRICT BOUNDARIES BY DIFFERENT GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS. UNDER THE PRESENT GOVERNMENT STRUCTURE, EACH DEPARTMENT DISPENSES ITS SERVICES WITHIN ITS OWN BOUNDARIES, HUMAN PROBLEMS BEING MULTI-DIMENSIONAL
IN NATURE, REQUIRE A MULTI-DISCIPLINARY APPROACH, HE SAID.
APART FROM THESE PROBLEMS, WHICH HE ASKED THE GOVERNMENT TO FORESTALL, DR. HO SUPPORTED THE REGIONALISATION SCHEME. +IT WILL ENHANCE ADMINISTRATIVE EFFICIENCY AND, MORE IMPORTANT, IT WILL ENABLE THE PLANNING OF SERVICES TO BE MORE ATTUNED TO LOCAL NEEDS AND PREFERENCES.+
TURNING TO MANPOWER PLANNING FOR SOCIAL WELFARE SERVICES, DR. HO SUGGESTED THAT THE PROBLEM COULD BE TACKLED ON TWO
OBTAINING OPTIMUM DEPLOYMENT OF EXISTING PERSONNEL AND INCREASING THE SUPPLY OF TRAINED SOCIAL WORKERS.
/HE POLITED
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