TUESDAY, MAY 19, 1987
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EXPANSION OF OUTREACHING SOCIAL SERVICE MAPPED OUT
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THE SOCIAL WELFARE ADVISORY COMMITTEE TODAY (TUESDAY) ENDORSED A PROPOSAL TO EXPAND THE OUTREACHING SOCIAL SERVICE AT THE RATE OF TWO TEAMS PER YEAR OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS.
THE PROPOSAL WAS PUT FORWARD BY THE STEERING GROUP SET UP JOINTLY BY THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT AND THE VOLUNTARY SECTOR TO EXAMINE THE CRITERIA AND INDICATORS FOR PRIORITY AREAS FOR THIS SERVICE, THE GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF THE EXISTING TEAMS, THE DEMAND FOR SUCH SERVICES IN NEW TOWNS AND OTHER AREAS AND TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOW THE TEAMS SHOULD BE REDEPLOYED AND HOW THE SERVICE SHOULD BE EXPANDED.
THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE ACCEPTED THAT IN SELECTING PRIORITY AREAS, THREE PRINCIPAL INDICATORS - THE NUMBER OF YOUNG PEOPLE PROSECUTED, THE SIZE OF YOUTH POPULATION AND POPULATION DENSITY SHOULD BE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION.
CONSEQUENTLY, IT WAS AGREED THAT IN THE ORDER OF PRIORITY, THE SIX ADDITIONAL TEAMS WOULD BE ALLOCATED TO SHA TIN, WONG TÀI SIN, YUEN LONG, KOWLOON CITY, KWAI CHUNG/TSING YI AND EASTERN.
ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE EXISTING 18 TEAMS, THE COMMITTEE SHARED THE STEERING GROUP'S VIEW THAT THEY SHOULD BE RETAINED WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF REDEPLOYING ONE TEAM TO ANOTHER AREA, SUBJECT TO FURTHER DISCUSSION WITH THE OPERATING AGENCY.
THE COMMITTEE ALSO ENDORSED THAT THE ENTIRE OUTREACHING SERVICE SHOULD BE MONITORED BY THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT AND THE STEERING GROUP TO PREPARE FOR ANOTHER REVIEW IN TWO YEARS' TIME.
ALSO AT TODAY'S MEETING, THE COMMITTEE APPROVED THE ITEMS OF IMPROVEMENT OF EXISTING WELFARE SERVICES TO BE FUNDED BY THE RECOVERED SURPLUS OF $6 MILLION AND AMONG THEM WAS ONE TO IMPLEMENT AND AGREED IMPROVEMENT OF THE SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKER TO STUDENT RATIO FROM 1:4 000 TO 1:3 000.
THE TERMS OF REFERENCE AND COMPOSITION OF THE CENTRAL CO-ORDINATING COMMITTEE ON SERVICES FOR THE ELDERLY TO BE SET UP WITHIN THE HEALTH AND WELFARE BRANCH WERE ALSO DISCUSSED AND ENDORSED BY THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
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