TNAG-0968-FCO40-1187-Development-of-social-policy-in-Hong-Kong-1980 — Page 20

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Emergency Relief

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The Social Welfare Department plays a key role in providing emergency relief to victims of natural disasters. Such relief is provided in, the form of hot meals, milk powder for infants. and other basic essentials such as blankets, sleeping mats, eating utensils and toilet crticles. In addition, injury, burial and death grants are also paid to victims and their families from the Emergency Relief Fund established by the Emergency Relief Fund Ordinance (Cap. 1103). Payments made from the Fund totalled $2.9 million in the financial year 1978/79. The Department has also provided assistance to Vietnamese refugees on their arrival in Hong Kong. The recent influx of large numbers of refugees has strained the Department's resources. At the height of this influx, up to 41,000 hot meals, 54,000 dry rations and many other essentials were being provided daily.

Training of Social Workers

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Social Work training is available in Hong Kong at degree, diploma and certificate levels. Both the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong award degree and diplomas in social work. The School of Social Work of the Hong Kong Polytechnic runs two-year full-time and three-year part-time training courses for non-graduate social workers, a one-year course for child care workers, and other part-time day-release courses for experienced social workers. The Social Welfare Department contributes to the training of social workers by providing field work placement and supervision for social work students from the tertiary institutions.

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The Training Section of the Department is responsible for organising in-service training programmes for those who are academically untrained but are already employed in social welfare work. It also provides opportunities for trained social workers to further their knowledge, skill and interest in their profession by organising refresher courses, and operates a demonstration nursery which provides a day care service for 100 children aged 2-5 and at the same time serves as a training ground for child care workers.

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To help young people who wish to receive social work training, a number of bursaries and scholarships are offered by the Government, the Social Work Training Fund, the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation and other private donors.