Social_Welfare_Annual_Report_1968-1969 — Page 46

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111. During the past ten years social work has become established and reputable profession in Hong Kong, albeit a compara- tively new one. This is important because progress in this direction ensures improvement in the quality of the staff employed and con- sequently in the services they render to the public. Much of this can be attributed to Dame Eileen YOUNGHUSBAND'S visit in 1960, her investigations into the Colony's needs for social work training, and the subsequent visits by three consultants who advised Government on the provision of social work education including in-service training.

112. In 1958 group and community work was largely confined to the provision of activities for children and young people between the ages of 8 and 15 who had difficulty in getting into a school, but the nature and emphasis of this kind of work have since changed, as explained in Chapter II of this report. The Department is now pursuing a conscious policy which aims generally at the development of responsible citizens. Ten years ago youth work was done mainly through clubs; now group and community work is carried out through a network of community, social and youth centres, through regular and seasonal activities of Colony-wide extent, and by the District Com- munity Officers.

113. There were no comprehensive family services in 1958; what existed at the time were four sections operating quite independently of one another. The relief section operated a number of camps providing temporary accommodation and food for the destitute and those rendered homeless by natural disasters; the women and girls' section had one office on each side of the harbour; the child welfare section was dealing with some statutory requirements for the care and protection of children, adoptions and a relatively small number of children's Homes and Centres; and the special welfare section ran a number of loosely- organized clubs for the disabled. Often a family with various social problems had to seek assistance from several different offices. However, as a result of the reorganization of the Department in 1967 these separate services were welded into a comprehensive service designed to help people with all social problems affecting them not merely as individuals but within their family setting. The establishment of a network of District Offices and Family Services Centres, reinforced by centrally administered and specialized services, has been further extended into the newer resettlement areas through the provision of estate welfare buildings. The emphasis in work has also changed: at

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