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The 15-member Board will comprise eight elected registered social workers; six appointed by the Governor, of whom at least three shall be non-social worker lay members and two registered social workers employed in Government departments; and the Director of Social Welfare, or his representative, as an ex-officio member.
The Bill provides for two categories of registered social workers. A person who holds a degree or diploma in social work recognised by the Board, or who occupied a social work post before April 1, 1982, and for not less than 10 years thereafter, may be registered under Category 1 of the Register.
A person who is not qualified to be registered under Category 1, but who currently occupies a social work post, or has been accepted for employment in such a post, may be registered under Category 2.
Those in Category 2 will be required to complete the necessary formal training to enable them to be qualified for registration under Category 1 within a reasonable period of time to be agreed by the Board.
The spokesman said the Administration had discussed the major issues in the Bill with representatives of the Hong Kong Social Welfare Personnel Registration Council, staff of the Social Welfare Department, board members and staff of Non- government Organisations, the Legislative Council Panel on Welfare Services, the Social Welfare Advisory Committee, academic staff of the tertiary institutions, and other interested bodies.
The Social Workers Registration Bill will be introduced into the Legislative Council on June 26.
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ACP Exhibition Centre to open on public holidays
The Airport Core Programme (ACP) Exhibition Centre has been so well received by the public that the New Airport Projects Co-ordination Office (NAPCO) will be extending the centre's opening hours to include public holidays.
Since its opening on January 16, by the end of May, the centre has attracted more than 75,000 visitors, with an average of over 2,000 people on weekends.