ENG-1987 — Page 190

SOCIAL WELFARE

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several welfare agencies also provide services to help young offenders and young people with behavioural problems to reintegrate into the community.

Family Welfare

The Social Welfare Department and a number of welfare agencies are involved in the provision of family services with the objective of maintaining and strengthening the family unit through helping individuals and families to solve problems and prevent them from arising.

The department operates a network of 27 family service centres and the subvented welfare sector operates 24 such centres. Services provided under this programme include counselling on personal and family problems; care and protection of young people aged under 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.

A number of statutory responsibilities arising from the Protection of Women and Juveniles Ordinance, the Offences Against the Persons Ordinance, the Marriage Ordinance, the Guardianship of Minors Ordinance and the Matrimonial Causes Ordinance lie with the Social Welfare Department. The department provides supervision and residential accom- modation for young people aged under 18 whose parents or guardians fail to exercise proper care of them, and for those under 21 who have no parents or guardians or who are adopted other than by a court order.

To give better support services to battered women and other needy women and young girls, the department set up the Wai On Home for Women which came to full operation in January. The home, with a capacity of 40, provides short term accommodation for women with or without children who are having serious personal or family problems and are in need of temporary shelter. These women and children may be victims of domestic violence or girls aged between 13 and 21 years facing a crisis and feeling helpless.

In line with the 1987 International Year of Shelter for the Homeless, the department stepped up efforts, in co-operation with other government departments, to tackle the problem of street sleeping. This is carried out by four regional outreaching teams which focus on the unmotivated and difficult cases requiring assistance, while the family services centres continue to work with the willing street sleepers. Services provided to street sleepers include housing, medical, financial and material assistance and other welfare services. Furthermore, an inter-departmental co-ordinating committee on street sleepers was set up under the auspices of the Health and Welfare Branch to examine policies and programmes in order to co-ordinate action relating to street sleepers.

In the area of child care services, the department operates the Chuk Yuen Children's Reception Centre and the Sha Kok Children's Home for the temporary care of children aged up to eight. The Child Protective Services Unit provides services for children who are, or have been abused, whether physically, psychologically, sexually or grossly neglected. The department's Adoption Unit co-ordinates adoptions both in Hong Kong and overseas, the latter with the assistance of the local branch of the International Social Service. During the year, there were 533 new applications for adoption; 294 local adoption orders were granted; and 166 adoption cases were handled. Through the Central Foster Care Unit, the Social Welfare Department works closely with three subvented foster care agencies to promote foster care services in Hong Kong. In 1987, the total number of foster care places was 180.