MONDAY, MARCH 19, 1984
2
PROFESSIONAL SERVICE STANDARD TO BE MAINTAINED
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VARIOUS ARRANGEMENTS MADE BY THE GOVERNMENT WHEN MODIFYING THE ENTRY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE ASSISTANT SOCIAL WORK OFFICER (ASWO) GRADE SHOW THAT THE GOVERNMENT IS DETERMINED TO MAINTAIN THE PROFESSIONAL STATUS OF SOCIAL WORKERS AND THE STANDARD OF SERVICES PROVIDED IN THE FIELD OF SOCIAL WELFARE.
THIS WAS STATED BY THE ACTING ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL WELFARE (SOCIAL SECURITY), MR K.C. KWOK, AT THE SECOND QUARTERLY MEETING OF THE HONG KONG COUNCIL OF SOCIAL SERVICE THIS (MONDAY) AFTERNOON.
TO TACKLE THE SHORTAGE OF TRAINED SOCIAL WORKERS, THE GOVERNMENT HAD ASKED HONG KONG UNIVERSITY, THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY AND THE HONG KONG POLYTECHNIC TO INCREASE THE INTAKE OF SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS, HE SAID.
STAFF.
+HOWEVER, IT WILL TAKE SEVERAL YEARS TO PRODUCE MORE TRAINED IN THE MEANTIME, THE MORE IMMEDIATE STAFFING NEEDS REMAIN
UNSOLVED, MR KWOK SAID.
FOR THIS REASON, THE GOVERNMENT DECIDED TOWARDS THE END OF LAST YEAR TO MODIFY THE ENTRY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE ASWO GRADE TO ALLOW THE RECRUITMENT OF GENERAL DEGREE HOLDERS WHO WERE INTERESTED IN TAKING UP SOCIAL WORK AND WHOSE CHARACTER AND ABILITIES WERE SUITED TO THIS TYPE OF WORK.
TO ENSURE THAT THE STANDARD OF SERVICE IS MAINTAINED, THE GOVERNMENT HAS ASKED THE TWO UNIVERSITIES TO PROVIDE IN-SERVICE TRAINING FOR GENERAL DEGREE HOLDERS AS SOON AS THEY ARE RECRUITED.
+ IT IS EXPECTED THAT OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, THE UNIVERSITIES WILL EACH PROVIDE 30 PLACES FOR SUCH IN-SERVICE TRAINING EVERY YEAR,+ MR KWOK SAID.
HE ADDED THAT THE PROFESSIONAL TRAINING WHICH THESE NON-SOCIAL WORK GRADUATES WERE TO RECEIVE WOULD BE NO DIFFERENT FROM THAT FOR SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS.
+BECAUSE OF THE IR UNIVERSITY TRAINING AND BECAUSE SOME OF THEM HAVE HELD OTHER JOBS BEFORE, WE BELIEVE THAT THEY WILL BE AS GOOD AS SOCIAL WORK GRADUATES IN TERMS OF MATURITY AND EXPERIENCE, HE ADDED.
MR KWOK NOTED THAT THE RESPONSE TO AN ADVERTISEMENT FOR THE LATEST RECRUITMENT OF ASWOS WAS VERY ENCOURAGING, WITH MORE THAN 700 APPLICATIONS RECEIVED.
TO MAXIMISE THE USE OF TRAINED SOCIAL WORK MANPOWER, MR KWOK SAID THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT HAD IDENTIFIED A NUMBER OF JOBS WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT WHICH COULD BE UNDERTAKEN BY STAFF WITHOUT PROFESSIONAL TRAINING.
/+THESE JOBS