XN000022-1991-06-25 — Page 10

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 1991

NEW SERVICES FOR HANDICAPPED PEOPLE

THE REHABILITATION DEVELOPMENT CO-ORDINATING COMMITTEE (RDCC) FOR DAY (TUESDAY) ENDORSED A PROPOSAL TO INTRODUCE SMALL GROUP HOME HILD MENTALLY HANDICAPPED SCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN FOR ACCOMMODATION AND ''ARE.

THE CHIEF SOCIAL AT PRESENT, MILD CARE WERE

SPEAKING AT AN RDCC MEETING THIS AFTERNOON, WELFARE OFFICER, MISS ESTHER HO, POINTED OUT THAT MENTALLY HANDICAPPED CHILDREN IN NEED OF ACCOMMODATION AND PLACED IN THE DEPARTMENT'S KAI CHI CHILDREN CENTRE.

DEPARTMENTS AND MILD MENTALLY SHE SAID.

"FROM THE FEEDBACKS OF CONCERNED GOVERNMENT NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATIONS, THERE ARB ABOUT 100 HANDICAPPED CHILDREN IN NEED OF RESIDENTIAL PLACEMENT,

"ABOUT 20 OF THOSE NOW RECEIVING SERVICE AT KAI

WHILE MOST CENTRE ARE ALREADY AGED 14 AND ABOVE, WAITING LIST ARE BELOW 14 YEARS OF AGE.

OF

CHI CHILDREN

ON THOSE

THE

ORDINARY

MEMBERS OF THE RDCC AGREED THAT MILD MENTALLY HANDICAPPED

FAMILY PROBLEMS AS CHILDREN FACED WITH SIMILAR SOCIAL AND CHILDREN SHOULD HAVE THE BENEFIT OF THE SAME SERVICE.

THAT THEY ALSO LEARNED

THE HONG KONG ASSOCIATION FOR THE ON A SMALL MENTALLY HANDICAPPED HAD LAUNCHED IN 1989 A PILOT SCHEME GROUP HOME FOR MILD MENTALLY HANDICAPPED CHILDREN

THE LITTLE

HOUSE PROJECT.

THE

CALLED

THE

CHILDREN

WHO TOOK THEIR VERBAL

RDCC MEMBERS WERE TOLD THAT AN INTERIM EVALUATION STUDY ON

OF PILOT SCHEME INDICATED THAT THE MAJORITY PART IN THE SCHEME HAD SHOWN SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN ABILITY, SOCIAL INTERACTION AND SELF-CARE SKILLS.

PROPOSAL

RECOMMENDED A AT TODAY'S MEETING, RDCC MEMBERS ALSO TO INTRODUCE AN AFTERCARE SERVICE FOR DISCHARGED MENTAL PATIENTS.

CURRENTLY THERE ARE SIX NON-GOVERNMENT ORGANISATIONS (NGO'S) OPERATING 20 HALF-WAY HOUSES FOR DISCHARGEES.

MISS HO SAID THE ESTABLISHMENT OF

SERVICE AFTERCARE DISCHARGEES OF HALF-WAY HOUSES WOULD ENABLE AN ADEQUATE SUPPORT AND BETTER CO-ORDINATION OF SERVICE DELIVERY.

FOR

A

IN

COPING

WITH THEIR

"DISCHARGEES OF HALF-WAY HOUSES WOULD FEEL LESS INTIMIDATED RETURNING TO THE COMMUNITY; WOULD HAVE MORE CONFIDENCE IN THEIR CAPABILITY AND STRENGTH IN

DAILY PROBLEMS; WOULD HAVE A HIGHER CHANCE OF ACHIEVING RE-INTEGRATION INDEPENDENCE, EVENTUALLY," SHE SAID.

MEANWHILE, RDCC

MEMBERS WERF

AND

AND

GOVERNMENT THE SOCIAL SERIES OF

INFORMED THAT THE WOULD SPEND ABOUT $600,000 THIS FINANCIAL YEAR TO PROMOTE

OF DISABLED INTEGRATION

PEOPLE THROUGH ORGANISING A ACTIVITIES BY THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT, GOVERNMENT INFORMATION

LABOUR DEPARTMENT, DEPARTMENT OF SERVICES,

HEALTH, EDUCATION DEPARTMENT, TECHNICAL EDUCATION AND

DEPARTMENT, NGO'S AND THE QUEEN ELIZABETH FOUNDATION FOR THE MENTALLY HANDICAPPED.

INDUSTRIAL TRAINING

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