york as advising parents, locating relatives, investigations into press reports, placement, rehabilitation, etc.
36. On 12th October, 1956 the new Adoption Ordinance came into force, and it is now possible to adopt a child legally in Hong Kong, quite apart from adoptions according to Chinese custom-which have always been recognized in the Colony, and still are.
At the end of March 1957 there were 60 applications pending for adoption under the new Adoption Ordinance.
37. A certain amount of the increase in the section's work was brought about by inquiries for adoption from the United States, as a result of the coming into force in July 1953 of the Refugee Relief Act, which allowed entry into the U.S.A. of 4,000 orphans. During the year 55 cases of adoption abroad were completed by the officers of the Child Welfare Section.
38. The officers of this Section have, as in previous years, been very hard-pressed to meet the demands made upon them. Basically their work is to help individual children to overcome their troubles, which in most cases fall under the headings of exploitation, ill-treatment, and neglect. All the work of the Child Welfare Section is concerned with the welfare of the individual. Group work among children is not the concern of the Children's Officers but is the responsibility of the Youth Welfare Section, whose activities are described in Chapter VI.
39. The three leading voluntary organizations specializing in the running of Children's Homes are the Christian Children's Fund Inc., The Catholic Mission, and the Salvation Army. The Christian Children's Fund is at present building a new orphan- age, Children's Garden, at Wu Kwai Sha in the New Territories. This institution is being planned to accommodate up to 1,300 children, and is being built according to the Cottage System. When complete, it will be one of the most up-to-date children's homes in the world, and it will be a training centre in the Far East for Christian Children's Fund staff. It will be fully equipped with modern primary and secondary schools and work- shops for vocational training. At Taipo, New Territories, the Christian Children's Fund has built a new and permanent Wai Kwong Children's Home on its original site, with cottage-style accommodation for some 300 children. The total cost of these
7
Page 15Page 16
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.