ENG-1983 — Page 162

SOCIAL WELFARE

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professional services, volunteers from many walks of life participate in the programme under a Volunteer Scheme for Probationers. The purpose of the scheme is to enhance community involvement in the rehabilitation of probationers.

Educational, prevocational, social and recreational training is provided in remand homes and residential institutions to assist juvenile offenders to return to the community as law-abiding citizens. The department has five institutions specialising in this work, each with a slightly different training programme to cater for various ages and sexes.

Following recommendations by an adviser from the United Kingdom, a review of the educational programmes in the department's existing five residential institutions was conducted by a senior officer seconded from the Education Department. Emphasis was given to the suitability of the curricula, teaching standards and the adequacy of facilities for academic teaching and vocational training. When fully carried out, the review's recommen- dations will result in major improvements to the education programmes provided in the institutions.

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The Begonia Road Boys' Home and the Ma Tau Wai Girls' Home are combined remand and probation institutions for offenders under the age of 16 on admission and for those in need of statutory care and protection. To alleviate the present overcrowding at Begonia Road Boys' Home, a new home to be named the Pui Chi Boys' Home - is expected to come into operation in early 1984 following the conversion and renovation of the former Quarry Bay Junior School. The Castle Peak Boys' Home is for boys aged under 16 and above 14 on admission who require a longer period of residence and re-education following conviction by the courts. The O Pui Shan Boys' Home is a reformatory school for offenders aged 14 and under on admission. The Kwun Tong Hostel is a probation hostel for young men aged between 16 and 21 who are placed on probation by the courts on condition that they reside at the hostel for up to one year. The department also operates an after-care unit which helps offenders rejoin society by preparing them while they are still in the homes and giving them support after they leave.

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Apart from the services provided by the department, voluntary agencies such as the Discharged Prisoners' Aid Society, the Lok Heep Club of Caritas - Hong Kong, the Society of Boys' Centres, the Hong Kong Student Aid Project, the Hong Kong Juvenile Care Centre, the Pelletier Hall and the Marycove Centre, all make significant contributions in helping young offenders and young people with behaviour problems.

Family Welfare Services and Child Care

The main objective of family welfare services is to help individuals cope with or, where possible, avoid personal and family problems, and so preserve and strengthen the family unit. These services are provided on a territory-wide basis through 20 centres operated by the Social Welfare Department and a number of voluntary agencies and, in hospitals and clinics, by medical social workers.

Services include counselling on personal and family problems; care and protection of young people under the age of 21; residential and foster care for children up to the age of 21; day care for children under six; referrals for schooling, housing, employment, financial assistance, legal advice, medical attention, home help and, where appropriate, placement in institutions for elderly or disabled persons. The number of active cases at December 1983 was 21 404.

The department also exercises statutory responsibilities under a number of ordinances, including the Protection of Women and Juvenile Ordinance, the Guardianship of Minors Ordinance, the Marriage Ordinance and the Offences Against the Person Ordinance.