ENG-1995 — Page 214

SOCIAL WELFARE

For people with a disability, 200 places in sheltered workshops, 230 day activity centres, 341 hostel places, 50 care-and-attention home places for severely disabled persons and 18 care-and-attention home places for aged blind persons were established.

Co-ordinated by the Social Welfare Department, the Working Group on Battered Spouses was set up in April 1995. During the year, it recommended new measures to tackle the problem, and worked out a set of multi-disciplinary procedural guidelines on the handling of cases involving battered spouses.

Public education programmes were also enhanced to arouse community awareness of the problem and existence of the services. During the year, the Working Group on Child Abuse launched a large-scale publicity campaign and public education programmes to prevent child abuse, set up five District Committees on Child Abuses, devised new procedures to handle child sexual abuse cases, and promoted multi- disciplinary co-operation through joint training among the police, social workers, clinical psychologists and other professionals to facilitate the implementation of legislative amendments relating to vulnerable witnesses, including child abuse victims giving video-recorded evidence in court.

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The Working Group on Services for Youth at Risk, chaired by the Director of Social Welfare under the Co-ordinating Committee for the Welfare of Children and Youth at Risk, has since mid-1993 examined problems of youth at risk. It has completed its deliberations on the issue of teenage suicide and drug abuse by young people. Its recommendations were followed up by the Social Welfare Department and various Task Groups.

In 1995, the Department and Task Groups undertook a study of risk potential among junior secondary school students and improved co-ordination of youth hot- line services. They produced a video on parental support in the early detection and handling of children's drug problems. Social work staff were equipped with updated knowledge and skills in working with young drug abusers and district co-ordination of local efforts was improved.

After the Governor's Summit on Drugs, held on March 6, recommendations by the Working Group were incorporated in the Government's Forward Action Plan to be monitored by the Special Action Group of the Hong Kong Action Committee Against Narcotics. The Working Group is now examining the issue of teenage sexuality and will later look at run-away youth.

Social Security

Social security aims to help vulnerable groups in the community who require financial or material assistance. The CSSA Scheme and the Social Security Allowance (SSA) Scheme are the key elements in the non-contributory social security system and are administered by the Social Welfare Department. They are supplemented by three other schemes: the Criminal and Law Enforcement Injuries Compensation Scheme, the Traffic Accident Victims Assistance Scheme and Emergency Relief.

The CSSA Scheme is means-tested and is designed to raise the income of needy individuals and families to a level where basic and special needs are met. Persons who have resided in Hong Kong for not less than one year may be eligible if their income and other resources are below the prescribed levels. However, an able-bodied

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