XN000022-1989-01-20 — Page 2

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 1989

STEPS BEING TAKEN TO EASE SOCIAL WORKER SHORTAGE

* * *

THE GOVERNMENT IS IMPLEMENTING A PACKAGE OF MEASURES DESIGNED SOCIAL WORKERS, THE TO REDRESS THE PROBLEM OF A SHORTAGE OF TRAINED SECRETARY FOR HEALTH AND WELFARE, MR T.H. CHAU, SAID TODAY (FRIDAY).

HE SAID THE FINDINGS OF THE SOCIAL WELFARE MANPOWER PLANNING STEPS SYSTEM REPORT NO. 1, PUBLISHED LAST YEAR, INDICATED THAT UNLESS WERE TAKEN, THERE WOULD BE

SERIOUS SHORTFALL OF TRAINED SOCIAL WORKERS LOCALLY INTO THE 1990'S.

A

MR CHIAU WAS SPEAKING AT THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE KONG SOCIAL WORKERS ASSOCIATION.

HONG

"WAYS TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM of MANPOWER SHORTAGE INCLUDE, IN

WORK THE MAIN, ADDITIONAL INTAKE OF SOCIAL

STUDENTS TO TRAIN MORE SOCIAL WORKERS AND THE RECRUITMENT OF OVERSEAS TRAINED SOCIAL WORKERS, WHICH MAY BE CONSIDERED MID-TERM AND LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS," HE SAID.

"THE LOCAL SOCIAL WORK TRAINING COURSES AT PRESENT ARE QUITE NATURE ARE PROVIDED WELL-DEVELOPED. COURSES OF DIFFERENT LEVELS AND IN SIX TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS AND THE NUMBER OF LOCALLY TRAINED WORK GRADUATES RANGES FROM 400 TO 500 EACH YEAR.

GOVERNMENT

HAS

IN

SOCIAL

THE

"YET, ΤΟ MEET THE PRESSING NEED

THE MEANTIME, NO ALTERNATIVE BUT TO CONTINUE RECRUITING

SOCIAL WORK NON-SOCIAL-WORK-TRAINED GRADUATES AS ASSISTANT

OFFICERS TO WHOM QUALIFYING PROFESSIONAL TRAINING WILL BE PROVIDED.

MANPOWER SUPPLY AND PROJECTS IN THE

"THIS MEASURE WILL CERTAINLY HELP TO INCREASE IN THE SHORT RUN SO THAT VARIOUS WELFARE PLANS PIPELINE CAN BE IMPLEMENTED,

11

OF

EXCHANGE AS REGARDS QUALITY, MR CHAU SAID THAT THROUGH THE

SOCIAL WORKERS WOULD WORKING EXPERIENCE AND PROFESSIONAL SKILLS,

BE

THEIR OWN POTENTIAL, ABLE TO DEVELOP

ALSO THEREBY

IMPROVING THE QUALITY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF THE SERVICES.

"IT IS MY BELIEF SOCIAL WORKERS AND A WIDER ACCEPTANCE BY THE ACHIEVED THROUGH CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT," HE SAID.

OF THAT GREATER PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION

COMMUNITY CAN ONLY BE

MR CHAU POINTED OUT THAT SOCIAL SERVICES HAD MORE SPECIALISED, AND THAT THE ROLE OF SOCIAL WORKERS CONFINED TO BEING CASEWORKERS OR GROUP WORKERS ONLY.

BECOME MORE AND WAS NO LONGER

"MORE PRECISE DIVISION OF LABOUR AND MORE SPECIALISED ARE INEVITABLE," HE SAID.

THE

SERVICES

AND

LINKAGE

CO-OPERATION

"THE IMPACT OF SPECIALISATION IS THAT

JEOPARDISED. IT IS THEREFORE VERY COMPLETENESS OF SERVICES MAY BE

AND IMPORTANT THAT THERE SHOULD BE AMONG SOCIAL WORKERS FROM DIFFERENT FIELDS."

MORE

CO-ORDINATION

/MR CHAU