XN000022-1996-11-13 — Page 21

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(b)

(c)

Child care services are only one form of family support service for parents. We also provide a range of residential child care services for children and young persons who need 24-hour out-of-home care due to domestic crises such as family illness, death, desertion, imprisonment or child abuse. These services are to cater for exceptional circumstances.

No parent should as a normal practice expect to be able to place his child in care on a 24-hour basis: children should return to their parents and siblings in the evening to enjoy and benefit from a normal family life.

As I said at the start of this answer, our main concern is to ensure parents act responsibly towards caring for their children. To foster this attitude, we have enhanced our public education and publicity through the mass media as well as through talks, seminars, exhibitions and other activities at district level. During the past two years, a total of 500 programmes, attended by around 180 000 participants, have been organized.

We are also seeking to improve both the availability and security of childminding services. Amendments to the Child Care Centres Ordinance which were introduced into this Council on 27 June this year are designed to facilitate the development of more mutual self-help child care groups by exempting them from many of the more onerous requirements set out in the Ordinance. The amendments will also enable parents to seek confirmation that a childminder does not have any criminal record which might make him or her unsuitable to be placed in charge of a child.

These measures are in addition to the ongoing major expansion of child care facilities. For example, in the four-year period between April 1993 and March 1997, we expect to have provided 4 047 new day nursery places.