ENG-1989 — Page 197

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SOCIAL WELFARE

IN support of the drive to provide more and better welfare services, the government increased spending on social welfare in 1989–90 by about 14 per cent, to $4,108 million.

The Director of Social Welfare is responsible for carrying out government policies on social security and social welfare, based on the objectives set out in three White Papers Integrating the Disabled into the Community: A United Effort (1977), Social Welfare into the 1980s (1979), and Primary Education and Pre-primary Services (1981).

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The government is advised on social welfare policy by two groups the Social Welfare Advisory Committee, covering the whole area of social welfare, and the Rehabilitation Development Co-ordinating Committee, on matters of rehabilitation. Members of these committees are appointed by the Governor, with unofficial members as chairmen.

In the provision of welfare services, the Social Welfare Department maintains a close working partnership with the subvented welfare agencies, most of whom are affiliated to the Hong Kong Council of Social Service.

In October 1989, the Governor announced a review of social welfare services, to be conducted in conjunction with the subvented welfare sector. A White Paper would be published in the second half of 1990, setting out proposals for the further development of these services into the 1990s and beyond. To conduct.the review, a working party was set up at the beginning of 1990, comprising officials and non-officials - particularly from the subvented welfare sector. To assist the working party in formulating its proposals, the public were invited to submit their views.

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Apart from expanding existing services to meet the demand for various social rehabilitation services, emphasis has been placed on finding new methods to improve employment opportunities for the disabled and additional resources for improvement of quality of services.

Anticipating the introduction of legislation to control residential homes for the elderly, a two-year experimental Bought Place Scheme was implemented in October this year. A grant of $30.6 million from the Lotteries Fund made it possible to buy up to 500 places in private homes for the elderly in order to help these homes to raise their service standard and to increase the supply of such places.

To encourage elderly persons to continue living in the community for as long as possible, a new form of community support service, Respite Care for the Elderly, was introduced during the year. This programme enables family members to have short-term relief from the constant burden of their caring duties. In addition, efforts were made to provide a continuum of residential services in residential institutions to minimise the need to transfer frail elderly persons from one establishment to another, which might be stressful for them.

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