Social_Welfare_Annual_Report_1966-1967 — Page 10

towards the broad goal of human well-being through the provision or promotion of social welfare services covering such needs as:

-the need of families facing economic want because of sepa- ration, illness, bereavement, imprisonment, or a disparity between family need and family income

--the need of disabled persons and their families for guidance and practical assistance on the road back to independent living -the need of young people for healthy and creative activities which put to test their developing powers of mind and muscle, and feed their growing appetite for competence, challenge and creativity

-the need of individuals, whose own resources and capacity for self-sufficiency fail in time of crisis, for the controlled concern of the professional counsellor

--the need of people everywhere-however isolated, individualis- tic or independent--to satisfy their striving for social fulfilment through significant relationships with others working together in groups and communities for community betterment and social progress.

The Department also provides the secretariat for the Social Welfare Advisory Committee, the Advisory Committee on Social Work Training, the Social Work Training Fund Committee and the Community Relief Trust Fund Committee; the composition and terms of reference of which are set out in Appendix 2.

8. The provision of social welfare services and the planned extension and improvement of such services are the concern of both official and voluntary effort, which join in a partnership which has matured steadily in recent years. Much of the credit for the increasing effectiveness of this partnership must go to the organizations which as members of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service have established that council firmly as the effective voice of hundreds of professional and adminis- trative workers, volunteers and community leaders who comprise the voluntary segment of social welfare in Hong Kong. The relationship between the Council and the Department continued during the year under review to reflect the importance that both sides attach to the need for consultation before action, and co-ordination in place of competi- tion. Broadly speaking, the Department assumes responsibility for those functions which are required by statute, and for a basic public assistance programme, the registration of the disabled, and a variety

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