206 | Social Welfare
Professional Back-up and Support Services
Professional back-up services from clinical psychologists, occupational therapists and physiotherapists are provided for people with disabilities in rehabilitation day centres and hostels. A speech therapy service is also provided for disabled children attending pre-school rehabilitation centres. In addition, there are other support services, including home-based training and support services for mentally handicapped and severely disabled persons; a community mental health link and after-care service for those who have graduated from halfway houses; and a community rehabilitation network for people with visceral disability or chronic illness. A residential respite service for disabled adults, 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 some specialist clinics so that immediate advice and assistance can be given to those in need. During the year, 157 594 cases received services from 349 medical social workers.
The SWD administers the Trust Fund for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The fund was established to provide special ex gratia relief payment for eligible families of deceased SARS patients and ex gratia financial assistance for eligible recovered SARS patients or eligible 'suspected' SARS patients treated with steroids who are suffering from longer term effects, attributable to SARS (including the effects of medication received), which might have resulted in some degree of relevant dysfunction. By year-end, a total of 1 115 applications were received, involving 318 deceased cases and 797 from recovered/suspected SARS patients. Of these, 883 applications have been approved, involving $123 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, 2 364 offenders were placed on probation. Probation officers also prepare reports on long-term prisoners and petition cases for consideration of early release.
Offenders aged 14 or above and convicted of an offence punishable by imprisonment may be placed on Community Service Orders which require offenders
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