ENG-2004 — Page 261

Social Welfare ❘ 215

for mentally

services, including home-based training

training and support services for handicapped and severely disabled persons, a community mental health link and after-care service for dischargees of halfway houses, and a community rehabilitation network for people with a visceral disability or chronic illness. A respite service for handicapped persons, occasional child care service for disabled pre-schoolers and six parents resource centres are also provided to meet the special needs of families with disabled members.

Medical Social Services

Medical social workers provide patients and their families with individual and group counselling, financial aid, housing assistance or referral to other community resources to facilitate their treatment, rehabilitation and reintegration into society. To provide easy access to patients and their family members, medical social workers are stationed in public hospitals and specialist clinics so that immediate advice and assistance can be given to those in need. During the year, 152 600 cases received services from 349 medical social workers.

The SWD administers the Trust Fund for SARS. The Fund was established to provide ex-gratia relief payments for eligible families of deceased SARS patients and ex-gratia financial assistance for eligible recovered SARS patients or 'suspected' SARS patients treated with steroids who suffer from longer term effects attributable to SARS (including the effects of medication received), that might have resulted in some degree of relevant dysfunction. By year-end, a total of 1 083 applications had been received, involving 317 deceased patients and 766 from recovered/suspected patients. Of these, 855 applications had been approved, involving $107.77 million.

Services for Offenders

Under related ordinances, the department discharges statutory functions and provides community-based and residential services to help offenders reintegrate into the community and become law-abiding citizens.

The probation service serves offenders aged 10 and above. Probation officers assess the offenders' suitability for probation supervision and make recommendations to the courts. They also monitor probationers' compliance with probation orders. During the year, 2 897 offenders were placed on probation. Probation officers also prepare reports on long-term prisoners and petition cases for consideration of early released.

Offenders aged 14 or above and convicted of an offence punishable by imprisonment may be placed on Community Service Orders which require offenders to perform unpaid community work. During the year, 1843 offenders were put under such orders.

Six residential homes, with a total capacity of 380 places, provide educational, prevocational and character training for juvenile offenders as well as children and young persons with behavioural or family problems.

The Young Offender Assessment Panel, jointly operated by the SWD and the Correctional Services Department (CSD), provides the courts with coordinated