XN000022-1986-11-06 — Page 8

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1986

DESCRIBING SOCIAL SERVICE AS A +HELPING PROFESSION+, MR HUI SAID THAT IN ALMOST ALL KINDS OF SOCIAL WELFARE SERVICES, THE LACK OF CENTRAL ADMINISTRATIVE AND SUPPORT STAFF HAMPERED THE EFFICIENT DELIVERY OF SERVICES.

HE CITED AS AN EXAMPLE THAT ONLY 60 PER CENT OF PRIVATE HOMES MEASURED UP TO THE STANDARDS LAID DOWN BY THE RECENTLY ANNOUNCED CODE OF PRACTICE FOR PRIVATE OLD-AGE HOMES, WHICH VOLUNTARY AGENCIES CONSIDERED TO BE THE BASIC MINIMUM.

THE NEED FOR ONE ADDITIONAL WELFARE WORKER IN EACH OF THE ELDERLY HOMES AND HOSTELS TO DO OVERNIGHT SHIFTS HAD NOT BEEN MET, HE ADDED.

MR HUI SAID HONG KONG COULD NOT CLAIM TO BE A STABLE AND PROSPEROUS SOCIETY WHEN ITS SOCIAL SERVICES WERE ONLY WINDOW DRESSING PUBLIC ASSISTANCE WAS STILL SET AT AN UNREALISTICALLY LOW LEVEL AND THERE WERE MANY HOUSEHOLDS LIVING BELOW THE POVERTY LINE.

TO PUT INTO PROPER PERSPECTIVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN HONG KONG, HE LISTED OUT VARIOUS STATISTICS ON INCREASING DIVORCE CASES, CHILD ABUSE AND BATTERED SPOUSE CASES AND THE RATE OF ELDERLY SUICIDES.

+IN VIEW OF THE GROWING COMPLEXITY OF THE NATURE OF OUR SOCIAL PROBLEMS, SERVICES MUST BE OF A SUFFICIENTLY HIGH QUALITY IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE THE OBJECTIVES OF CRISIS INTERVENTION, PROBLEM SOLVING AND TOTAL REHABILITATION FOR THE CLIENT, HE SAID.

HE SAID HE BELIEVED THAT SUFFICIENT RESOURCES WOULD BE FOUND TO IMPLEMENT IMPROVEMENTS IN SOCIAL WELFARE SERVICES, IF ONLY THE GOVERNMENT COULD APPRECIATE THAT THE WELL FUNCTIONING OF ALL SECTORS OF THE COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTED TO SOCIAL STABILITY.

OF CRITICS WHO OPPOSED GIVING +FREE LUNCH TO THE POOR, MR HUI EXPLAINED THAT THE ACCOUNTABILITY OF SOCIAL WELFARE PROGRAMMES WAS A SHARED RESPONSIBILITY BETWEEN GOVERNMENT AND VOLUNTARY AGENCIES WHO MUST FULFIL THIS RESPONSIBILITY BY PROVIDING CLIENTS WITH SERVICES OF DECENT STANDARDS.

ON THE PROTECTION OF THE INTERESTS OF WELFARE CLIENTS, MR HUT NOTED THAT THE NEW SOCIAL WELFARE PERSONNEL REGISTRATION SCHEME COULD ASSURE CLIENTS OF GETTING PROFESSIONAL SERVICE FROM REGISTERED WORKERS.

+SINCE THE PROPOSED BOARD OF REGISTRATION HAS THE AUTHORITY TO REMOVE FROM MEMBERSHIP IN THE COURSE OF A PROVEN CHARGE OF MISCONDUCT, THE ACCREDITATION SYSTEM IS AIMED AT REGULATING SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE TO ENSURE BETTER CLIENT PROTECTION AS WELL AS RAISING THE QUALITY OF SERVICE.

/+WHEN THE