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MONDAY, MARCH 9, 1987
OUTREACHING SERVICE PRIORITY AREAS TO BE REVIEWED
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A MONITORING GROUP WILL BE SET UP JOINTLY BY THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT AND THE HONG KONG COUNCIL OF SOCIAL SERVICE TO REVIEW THE CRITERIA FOR DESIGNATING PRIORITY AREAS FOR OUTREACHING SOCIAL WORK SERVICE.
THIS WAS THE DECISION REACHED BY THE SOCIAL WELFARE ADVISORY COMMITTEE AT ITS MEETING TODAY (MONDAY) TO CONSIDER THE EVALUATION STUDY OF THE SERVICE CONDUCTED BY DR AGNES NG OF THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG.
THE MONITORING GROUP WILL SUBMIT A REPORT TO THE COMMITTEE WHICH WILL THEN DECIDE ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE OUTREACHING TEAMS AND TO WHAT AREAS THE SERVICE SHOULD BE EXTENDED.
THE COMMITTEE, IN RECOGNISING THE USEFULNESS OF OUTREACHING SOCIAL WORK SERVICE, SAW THE NEED TO EXAMINE ITS ROLE IN THE TOTAL PERSPECTIVE OF VARIOUS YOUTH SERVICES.
IT ALSO CONSIDERED THAT THERE SHOULD BE CO-ORDINATION BETWEEN THIS SERVICE AND SCHOOL SOCIAL WORK SERVICE.
REGARDING THE TARGET GROUP FOR THIS SERVICE, THE COMMITTEE FELT THAT IT SHOULD CONTINUE TO CATER FOR YOUNG PERSONS IN THE 6-24 AGE GROUP, BUT WITH SPECIAL FOCUS FOR THOSE BETWEEN 8 AND 17.
TO IMPROVE THE SUPERVISION OF THE OUTREACHING TEAMS, THE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED THAT THERE SHOULD BE ONE SOCIAL WORK OFFICER (SWO) SUPERVISING THREE TEAMS TOTALLING 30 WORKERS INSTEAD OF THE EXISTING RATIO OF ONE SWO TO FOUR TEAMS OF 40 WORKERS.
HOWEVER, IT ALSO DECIDE! THAT THERE SHOULD BE FLEXIBILITY IN DEPLOYMENT OF THESE TEAMS, SUCH AS SPLITTING INTO SMALLER TEAMS, BY THE OPERATING VOLUNTARY AGENCIES.
THE COMMITTEE FURTHER ENDORSED THAT THE CASELOAD OF EACH WORKER SHOULD BE REVISED FROM 32 CASES TO 45 CASES AND THAT THE INTEGRATED WORK APPROACH SHOULD BE ADOPTED.
AT PRESENT, THERE ARE 18 OUTREACHING TEAMS OPERATED BY EIGHT SUBVENTED AGENCIES IN 18 PRIORITY AREAS.
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