ENG-1978 — Page 156

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SOCIAL WELFARE

nursery to be set up in a temporary housing area; and a new girls' home at Ma Tau Wai with accommodation for 144 girls, more than twice that of the previous home. A sheltered workshop, a hostel for old people, and a care and attention home for the elderly have also come into operation. Two residential and day centres for severely mentally retarded children were also established with a total of 100 residential and 80 day care places.

Because of expanding social welfare activities both within the department and in the voluntary sector, the Social Welfare Department is being reorganised to emphasise a more comprehensive and better co-ordinated approach to the delivery of services. The existing divisional organisation, which has resulted in a large number of frag- mented and specialised facilities in the field, is giving way to a regional management structure. Four regions are to be established with 11 district offices in Hong Kong, Kowloon and the New Territories. The main point of contact with people will be the social welfare district or sub-district office, where all front-line services will be placed under one roof. The department plans to convert to a full regional organisation in April, 1979.

A review of training needs and the social work profession has also been undertaken. Its objective is to ensure a steady improvement in the performance of people working in the profession, both in the public and voluntary sectors, and to provide a reasonable career structure suited to the scope of the duties involved.

On all matters of social welfare policy, including that of subvention to voluntary agencies and grants from the Lotteries Fund, the government is advised by the Social Welfare Advisory Committee. This committee is appointed by the Governor and consists mainly of members of the public who are active in community affairs. The Director of Social Welfare is the chairman.

While the divisional structure of the Social Welfare Department is soon to be replaced by a regional organisation, basic tasks in the field will remain. In 1978 the Social Welfare Department operated through six divisions: the Group and Community Work Division, which aims to develop social responsibility and coherent community groups; the Family Services Division, which is responsible for a wide range of services designed to help families and family members; the Rehabilitation Division, which serves the disabled; the Probation and Corrections Division, which provides services for the courts and operates correctional institutions for young offenders; the Social Security Division, which is responsible for the public assistance and other social security schemes; and the Elderly Division, a new division set up in August, 1978, to develop services and facilities for the elderly. These divisions are supported by units dealing with training, planning and development, research and evaluation, and public relations.

Voluntary agencies play a vital role in the provision of social welfare services. Most voluntary agencies are affiliated to the Hong Kong Council of Social Service and many are assisted by annual subventions from the government, which amounted to $100 million for the 1978-9 financial year. With a dwindling flow of aid from overseas, the voluntary sector has become increasingly dependent on this assistance and the help of charitable funds and donations within Hong Kong.

The Community Chest of Hong Kong, to which some 73 welfare bodies belong, represents an endeavour by these organisations to co-ordinate their local fund-raising