ENG-2006 — Page 240

196 Social Welfare

New Community Support Services for People with Disabilities

The SWD set up day centres in October to rehabilitate patients with mental, neurological or physical impairments who have left hospital. The service includes rehabilitation programmes to facilitate these former patients' early integration into the community and to lead a normal life as far as possible. Training and support for family members and caregivers who look after severely disabled persons are also provided in these centres.

Voluntary Registration Scheme for Private Residential Care Homes for the Disabled

To encourage operators of private residential care homes for the disabled (PRCHDs) to improve the quality of their service, a Registration Office of Private Residential Care Homes for the Disabled (ROPRCHD) was set up in September under the SWD to implement a Voluntary Registration Scheme (VRS). Information about registered PRCHDs can be seen in the SWD's website.

Visiting Medical Practitioner Scheme

Recurrent funding of around $10 million per annum has been allocated to the Visiting Medical Practitioner Scheme which is available to all residential care homes for the disabled (RCHDs). These homes are run, or supervised by the SWD. Operators of these homes are required to have a service contract with doctors drawn from the private sector to provide primary medical care to residents of RCHDs.

District Support Scheme for Children and Youth Development

The Government allocates $15 million annually to the SWD to provide direct cash assistance and implement projects under the District Support Scheme for Children and Youth Development to meet the developmental needs of children and youth in deprived circumstances, which cannot be satisfied by their families and/or the mainstream education systems.

Strengthening District Welfare Planning and Coordination

A protocol is in place to assist the department's District Social Welfare Officers to carry out their duties effectively in the districts, in analysing district welfare needs, formulating and implementing district welfare plans as well as collaborating with NGOs and local groups. The protocol is reviewed regularly.

Based on a review of the District Coordinating Committee (DCC) mechanism and a pilot project in Kwun Tong, the existing DCC mechanism to coordinate service- specific issues is to be maintained. At the same time, a district welfare coordination mechanism was adopted by five administrative districts, namely, Southern, Kwun Tong, Shamshuipo, Yuen Long and Wong Tai Sin/Sai Kung, in 2006 to enhance cross- sector and cross-service collaboration in the district. The remaining seven districts will take it on board in 2007-08.

Social Welfare Programmes

Family and Child Welfare

To preserve and strengthen family unity and harmony, a comprehensive range of family and child welfare services is provided by the SWD and NGOs.

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