TNAG-1730-FCO40-2443-Minutes-and-Hansards-of-the-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-1988 — Page 134

3.

of guidance and counselling or other social work services.

The outreaching social work service has achieved encouraging

int

results and it is intended that it should be expanded

six

during he

three

through the addition of 6 more teams ever the next years.

$.

The Social Welfare Department is also involved in

the provision of a variety of services for young offenders.

In cases of minor offences where a probation officer feels that

would

residential training to be inappropriate, an offender is

often placed on a non-residential probation order and

required to undergo counselling and any other special

treatment considered necessary. Alternatively, a court may

make a community service order which requires the offender.

to perform unpaid work for the benefit of the community. The

community service order approach is quite new to Hong Kong

and is at present the subject of a two year pilot scheme in

three magistracies. On the completion of the pilot scheme,

This

the results will be assessed and a decision will be taken:

whether to extend the arrangements to all the magistracies.

So far the indications are that this scheme is proving quite

successful, and is being well used by the courts.

6.

For more serious offences, the court may decide

that a young person should be placed in a residential

institution such as a remand home or a reformatory school.

The Social Welfare Department currently operates seven of

these institutions each of which provides a disciplined and