ENG-1970 — Page 171

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Social Welfare

WELFARE services of a basic kind are required by those who are not capable, without help and support, of standing on their own feet as fully independent and contributing members of the community. These services have been continuously expanded by Government and by a large number of both international and local voluntary welfare agencies. Many of the latter are subvented out of public funds.

Social welfare activities may be divided into six groups: (i) services for the family and the child, including family and individual coun- selling, child welfare services such as day nurseries, children's homes, adoption of children both local and overseas, hostels for younger workers and homes for the aged; (ii) services to deal with economic difficulties, which aim at alleviating hardship and distress as a result of insufficient income and social contingencies by the provision of material relief, financial assistance, compassionate resettlement in public housing, school meals programmes and assistance with school fees; (iii) services for the physically and mentally disabled which aim at assisting clients to make full use of their residual abilities in gaining employment and social adjust- ment through rehabilitation; (iv) probation and correctional services for offenders; (v) community services which aim at fostering neigh- bourliness and encouraging co-operative efforts and self-help programmes through neighbourhood associations and councils, district community officers and community centres, particularly for those in the newer housing schemes but also for the longer settled urban population; (vi) services for groups which provide holiday camps, youth clubs and centres for recreational, social and cultural activities to develop civic consciousness and individual potentialities.

The Social Welfare Department is responsible for formulating and carrying out Government's policies for social welfare and it