ENG-1979 — Page 167

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Probation and Corrections

SOCIAL WELFARE

The Social Welfare Department's probation service, which is governed by the Probation of Offenders Ordinance and Regulations, has 10 probation offices serving the District, Supreme and Magistrates' Courts. Probation officers undertake statutory supervision of probation- ers, assist them in job and school placements, encourage their participation in social and recreational activities, and provide them with family and group counselling. Probation officers also conduct inquiries into the background of offenders, in order to assist in the determination or review of sentences in the courts or in connection with petitions.

To promote greater community involvement in rehabilitating probationers, a voluntary scheme was launched in 1976. Under this scheme, selected volunteers from all walks of life provide probationers with moral support and practical assistance, such as private tuition and guidance in the proper use of leisure. The scheme was expanded in 1979 and now has 100 volunteers.

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Residential training is designed to remove young offenders from their former surround- ings and associates, and to provide academic, prevocational, social and recreational training so that upon discharge they are better equipped to live as law-abiding citizens. The Social Welfare Department operates five correctional institutions. The Castle Peak Boys' Home and the O Pui Shan Boys' Home are reformatory schools catering for juvenile offenders aged between seven and 18. In these schools, relatively long-term treatment programmes are designed for the residents and after-care services are provided upon discharge. The Kwun Tong Hostel provides residential facilities for male probationers aged between 16 and 21 who have outside employment during the day. The Ma Tau Wai Girls' Home and the Begonia Road Boys' Home are multi-functional residential institutions for short-term care and training. These two homes serve as places of detention for those held on remand before being dealt with by the courts, as probation homes for probationers in need of residential treatment, and as places of refuge for juveniles considered by the courts to be in need of care and protection.

Apart from the services provided by the Social Welfare Department, voluntary agencies such as the Discharged Prisoners' Aid Society, the Lok Heep Club of Caritas - Hong Kong, the Society of Boys' Centres, the Rennie's Mill Student Aid Project, the Hong Kong Juvenile Care Centre, the Pelletier Hall and the Marycove Centre make significant contributions to the correctional services.

Emergency Relief

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For those who are affected by disasters, emergency relief is given in the form of hot meals, milk powder for infants, and other basic essentials such as blankets, sleeping mats, eating utensils and toilet articles. In addition, injury, burial and death grants from the Emergency Relief Fund are paid to victims or their families. During the year assistance was given to 15,876 registered victims involved in 122 disasters. Payments made from the Emer- gency Relief Fund amounted to $2.9 million for the 1978-9 financial year.

Relief was also given to Vietnamese refugees immediately after their arrival in Hong Kong. The exceedingly large numbers of refugees arriving daily placed a strain on the Social Welfare Department's resources. At the height of the influx, up to 41,000 hot meals, 54,000 dry rations and many other essentials were being provided daily.

Training of Social Workers

The major function of the Training Section of the Social Welfare Department is to pro- vide in-service training in social work, including refresher courses and staff development