30. The economic and social independence of each family unit is an accepted aim of social work; but this is sometimes difficult to accomplish in the Hong Kong setting. In pursuit of this object, various organizations have directed substantial effort towards the provision of loans or grants of cash for payment of rent, clothing or medical treat- ment or for financing a trade, so as to help families to tide over difficult periods. Foremost amongst these organizations is the Hong Kong Family Welfare Society, the workers of which paid some 20,000 visits to homes, held about 70,000 interviews and gave aid to 7,836 families. The Resettlement Loan and Savings Association, the Church of Christ in China, Lutheran World Service, Catholic Relief Services and other agencies have between them rendered valuable assistance to thousands of families.
31. Another form of financial aid has been the sponsorship of school children by Foster Parents Plan, an organization which has been helping needy families to send their children to school since 1959; 4,000 children were assisted during the year. The Church of Christ in China, the Lutheran World Service and the Unitarian Services Committee of Canada continued their work in group sponsorship.
32. The number of babies abandoned by their families rose from 120 to 141 during the past year; details are shown at Appendix 5. The causes of this increase of some 17% are not clear, but the figures are still below those of earlier years; for instance three years ago over 200 children were abandoned in the year.
33. Applications for adoption of children under the Adoptions Ordinance, 1956 slightly increased during the year to just under 200. 173 Adoption Orders were granted by the Supreme Court, as compared with 201 last year; details are given at Appendix 6. Local adoption therefore continues at a high level and the number of children entering new homes in Hong Kong continued to exceed the number abandoned by an appreciable margin. In addition, the number of children adopted overseas continued to increase; two international agencies, International Social Service and Catholic Relief Services, acted as sponsors in these cases. During the year 145 children left for adoption in the U.S.A., 18 in Britain, 15 in New Zealand, 3 in Malaya, 3 in Canada, 2 in Japan and 1 each in the Channel Islands, Germany and Holland, making a total of 189 children to be adopted overseas as against 160 in the previous year.
34. Under the Protection of Women and Juveniles Ordinance, 1951, registration of daughters adopted under Chinese customary procedure
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