ENG-2018 — Page 224

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Social Welfare

Professional and Community Support

Clinical psychologists, occupational therapists and physiotherapists render support services to people with disabilities in rehabilitation day centres and hostels. The department provides speech therapy to children attending pre-school rehabilitation centres.

Community support is available to people with disabilities living in the community, including ex-mentally ill people and their families and carers. There are district support centres and day and residential respite services for people with disabilities, occasional child care for preschoolers with disabilities, resource centres for parents and other relatives, home care and day care for people with severe disabilities, integrated support for those with severe physical disabilities, a transitional care and support centre for tetraplegic patients, community rehabilitation day centres, integrated community centres for mental wellness, support centres for people with autism, and rehabilitation for people with visceral disability or chronic illness. Social and recreational centres for the disabled encourage people with disabilities to join community leisure activities.

Services for Offenders

The department helps offenders reintegrate into the community and become law-abiding citizens through community-based and residential services. Probation officers assess and report to the courts the offenders' suitability for probation orders and/or community service orders, and supervise those under the orders. They also prepare reports on long-term prisoners and petitioners being considered for early release.

During the year, the department helped 3,071 offenders through the probation service and arranged for 2,466 offenders placed on community service orders to perform unpaid community work under supervision.

There is also an Enhanced Probation Service that adopts a more focused, structured and intensive approach to help convicted young drug offenders aged below 21. The Tuen Mun Children and Juvenile Home, with 388 places, offers educational, vocational and character training for juvenile offenders and for children and young people with behavioural and family problems.

The SWD and the Correctional Services Department run a Young Offender Assessment Panel jointly, providing the courts with professional views on sentencing options for offenders aged 14 to 25, and a Post-Release Supervision of Prisoners Scheme, which helped 883 discharged prisoners rehabilitate and reintegrate into the community during the year. The SWD also funds. an NGO to offer hostel and support services to former offenders.

Medical Social Services

Medical social workers are stationed in public hospitals and some specialist clinics to assist patients and their families with welfare needs, helping them recover and reintegrate into society. SWD medical social workers dealt with about 199,890 cases in 2018.

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