ENG-2001 — Page 247

SOCIAL WELFARE

round-the-clock basis to those who are in a crisis situation and potentially a suicide

risk.

A publicity campaign called Empowering Families to Face Challenges started in December. The key aim of the campaign is to encourage people in adversity including those facing parenting difficulties, parent-child relationship problems or broken courtship to seek early assistance from relevant resources in the community.

To help strengthen families, about 5000 programmes including talks, small group activities and mass media programmes were conducted by 79 family life education workers from the SWD and NGOs during the year. Five two-year Family Education pilot projects have been provided by the SWD and NGOs on a regional basis from March 2001 to facilitate early action in preventing family tragedies and in identifying family problems. Support for families in need of assistance in home management, child care, and care for the elders and disabled is provided by 44 family aide workers. A Family Care Demonstration and Resource Centre provides training in practical home management and caring skills, as well as making available resource materials for clients and social workers. The 19 Family Activity and Resource Centres set up in community centres provide a drop-in service, mutual support and early identification and referral of cases in need of intensive casework service.

Five Single Parent Centres provide a package of dedicated services to strengthen the single parents' social network of support and improve their self-resilience and capability for employment.

With the objective of facilitating early integration of new arrivals from the Mainland into the community, eight Post-migration Centres provide a package of dedicated services to enhance their social functioning and self-sufficiency.

The problem of street-sleeping is tackled through a continuum of outreaching, counselling and referral services provided by the SWD's outreaching teams and family services centres, together with temporary shelters, urban hostels and day relief centres operated by NGOs. In view of a rising number of street-sleepers, who were generally younger and in good health, the department developed a three-year action plan with three NGOs during the year to facilitate and encourage these street-sleepers to reintegrate into the community.

Services for Children

The department provides a wide range of child welfare services. The adoption service arranges permanent homes for children in need. The child custody service provides social investigation and casework service for children who are affected by the separation or divorce of their parents. The mediation service assists the divorcing couples in reaching a mutually acceptable agreement concerning their children and other arrangements. Residential child care services are provided for children and young people who need care or protection because of family crises or their behavioural or emotional problems. At the end of the year, there were 580 places in foster care service, 952 places in small group homes and 1 404 places in children's homes, boys' and girls' homes and hostels.

Child care centres provide day care services for children under the age of six. At year-end, there were 29 242 aided day nursery places, 1 153 aided day creche places, 735 occasional child care places and 1 610 extended hour places provided in 274

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