6
MONDAY, MARCH 26, 1990
MEETING, THE SPEAKING AT THE WELFARE, MR ALFRED CHUI, SAID: PREVENTIVE MEASURES AND
WORKERS BUT
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL GREATER EFFORTS ARE NEEDED TO PROVIDE PREVENTIVE SERVICES, NOT SOCIAL
ALSO BY OTHER
ΤΟ PROFESSIONALS, INCREASING INCIDENCE OF MARITAL BREAKDOWN.'
DEVELOP ONLY BY
CURB
THE
MR CHUI SAID IT WAS RECOGNISED THAT SINGLE-PARENT FAMILIES SPECIAL SOCIAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL AND FINANCIAL NEEDS.
HAD
AS
GROUP
SHOULD "HOWEVER, SINGLE-PARENT FAMILIES
NOT BE LABELLED AS ANOTHER TARGET PROBLEMATIC FAMILIES, BUT RATHER BE VIEWED WITH PARTICULAR CHARACTERISTICS AND REQUIRING SPECIAL ATTENTION AND PRIORITY, HE SAID.
HE TOLD THE MEETING THAT THE NEEDS OF THESE
WITHIN THE GENERALLY BE MET
EXISTING NETWORK OF
PROVISION,
FAMILIES COULD WELFARE SERVICE
"WHAT IS REQUIRED IS MORE ALERTNESS AND SENSITIVITY TO AND IDENTIFY THE SPECIAL NEEDS OF SINGLE-PARENT FAMILIES, FLEXIBILITY INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO DELIVER SERVICES TO THIS CLIENT GROUP, STRENGTHENING OF EXISTING SERVICES AND BETTER PREPARATION FOR SOCIAL WORKERS TO COPE WITH THE CHANGING NEEDS OF THESE FAMILIES," HE ADDED.
1986 BI-CENSUS, THE ESTIMATED NUMBER OF SINGLE-PARENT FAMILIES WAS 36,541 OUT OF 1,452,576 HOUSEHOLDS (2.5 PER CENT OF ALL. DOMESTIC HOUSEHOLDS IN HONG KONG). AMONG THESE SINGLE-
FAMILIES, PARENT
22,411 WERE HOUSEHOLDS
A WITH
PARENT WIDOWED HOUSEHOLDS WITH INVOLVING 37,921 CHILDREN WHILE 14, 130 FAMILIES WERE A DIVORCED OR SEPARATED PARENT, INVOLVING 23,139 CHILDREN.
THE ACCORDING TO
OF
SWAC MEMBERS AGREED THAT, DESPITE THE RELATIVELY LOW PERCENTAGE, SINGLE-PARENT FAMILIES STILL COMMAND ATTENTION BECAUSE THEIR PARTICULAR FINANCIAL. PERSONAL AND SOCIAL NEEDS WHICH COULD MAKE THEIR CHILDREN MORE VULNERABLE.
THEY SHARED THE VIEW THAT SUCH FAMILIES DESERVE SPECIAL CONCERN FROM SOCIAL WORKERS.
OUTLINING THE EXISTING
AND
SERVICES AVAILABLE FOR SINGLE-PARENT FAMILIES, MR CHUI NOTED THAT THESE INCLUDED FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE, HOUSING ASSISTANCE, FAMILY COUNSELLING SERVICE, FAMILY LIFE EDUCATION (FLR)
OTHER SUPPORTIVE GROUP PROGRAMMES, CHILD CARE CENTRE
TEMPORARY DAY SERVICES, EXTENDED AND FLEXIBLE SERVICES HOURS,
CARE, RESIDENTIAL CARE, AFTER SCHOOL CARE PROGRAMME AND HOME HELP SERVICE FOR SOCIAL NEED CASES.
TOLD
MR CHUI TURNING TO FLE AND OTHER SUPPORTIVE GROUP PROGRAMMES, THE MEETING THAT THE PROGRAMME COMMITTEE ON FLE WITH REPRESENTATIVES FROM SWD AND THE HONG KONG COUNCIL OF SOCIAL SERVICE HAD IDENTIFIED SINGLE-PARENT FAMILIES WITH DEPENDENT CHILDREN AS ONE OF THE MAJOR TARGET GROUPS WHICH MERITED HIGH PRIORITY.
/"TO BETTER