ENG-2010 — Page 247

Hong Kong Year Books 香港年報 All

Social Welfare | 201

Committee to support the implementation of the LSG Subvention System and to enhance stakeholders' capacity as key players of the system. The Government will continue to work closely with the reconstituted LSG Steering Committee to ensure smooth and effective implementation of the recommendations.

Social Welfare Programmes

Family and Child Welfare

A variety of family and child welfare services is provided by the SWD and NGOs.

Family Services

The SWD adopts a three-pronged approach to providing services to families in need.

At the primary level, attempts are made through early detection, public education, publicity and empowerment to prevent family problems from occurring. The SWD continued its territory-wide publicity campaign 'Strengthening Families and Combating Violence' and its operation of a departmental hotline to provide service information, counselling and other forms of assistance.

At the secondary level, support services, ranging from developmental programmes to intensive counselling, are provided by 61 IFSCs across all districts in Hong Kong and two Integrated Services Centres located in Tung Chung.

At the tertiary level, specialised services, including crisis intervention, are provided in cases of domestic violence, family crisis or custody dispute.

Services for Children

The SWD provides a wide range of welfare services to children and young people who need care or protection owing to serious family, behavioural or emotional problems. There were 3 532 residential places in 2010 for these children, of which 970 were in foster homes, 864 in small group homes, 207 in residential child care centres and 1 491 in boys' and girls' homes and hostels.

The SWD also arranges adoption for children abandoned by their parents or whose parents are unable to support them. Three welfare NGOs are 'accredited bodies' in accordance with the Adoption Ordinance for making arrangements for local adoption and inter-country adoption of Hong Kong children by suitable overseas parents.

There were 12 aided stand-alone child care centres providing 690 places in the year. In addition, 209 child care centres and kindergarten-cum-child care centres continued to provide full-day care services and support for families through the provision of 494 places in occasional child care service and 1 230 places in extended hours service.

Social Security

The CSSA Scheme and the Social Security Allowance (SSA) Scheme form the mainstay of Hong Kong's social security system. They are supplemented by three

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