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Social Welfare

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

Services for Children

A total of 3,676 residential places and various welfare services are provided for children and young people who need care or protection owing to family, behavioural or emotional problems. The department also works with three NGOs accredited under the Adoption Ordinance to arrange local or overseas adoption for children abandoned by their parents or whose parents are unable to support them.

The department provides day child care services to support parents who cannot take care of their children temporarily because of work or other reasons. Together with the Education Bureau, it subsidises some stand-alone child care centres and some kindergarten-cum-child care centres to provide full-day services. The department also funds 434 Occasional Child Care Service places and is increasing, by phases in 2015-16, the number of Extended Hours Service places to 2,204 at these centres. As well, it subsidises the Neighbourhood Support Child Care Project, which arranges volunteers to provide flexible child care services to needy families.

Services for Young People

The objective of welfare services for young people is to help those aged between six and 24 become mature, responsible and contributing members of society. NGOs provide a range of preventive, supportive and remedial services to achieve this goal.

Integrated Children and Youth Services Centres

At the year end, there were 138 Integrated Children and Youth Services Centres (ICYSCs), providing centre-based services, outreach services and school social work services to address young people's developmental needs.

Outreach

Nineteen youth outreach teams provide services for high-risk youths and deal with juvenile gang issues. Eighteen designated ICYSCS offer outreach services at night to help youths who loiter at neighbourhood black spots get back on the right track.

Juvenile Delinquents

Five Community Support Service Scheme teams operated by NGOS help young people who are subject to the Police Superintendent's Discretion Scheme (PSDS). The Family Conference Scheme, run jointly by the SWD and the police, helps juveniles who are cautioned under the PSDS for the second time or are in need of the services of three or more parties. Social workers, police officers, and the teachers and parents of juveniles under the PSDS work together to decide what is best for them.

Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation

At the year end, the department was subventing 13 residential drug treatment and rehabilitation centres and halfway houses, 11 counselling centres for psychotropic substance abusers and two centres for drug counselling. It issued or renewed 25 licences and 14

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