ENG-2019 — Page 223

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Social Welfare

Community Support

The department offers community support to people with disabilities living in the community, including ex-mentally ill people, and their families and carers. There are district support centres for people with disabilities, 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 for people with severe disabilities, integrated support for people with severe physical disabilities, day care for people with severe 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. A special needs trust office set up in December 2018 provides reliable and affordable trust services to parents of children with special needs.

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 3,189 offenders through the probation service and arranged for 2,323 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. 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 764 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 stationed in public hospitals and some specialist clinics provide support to patients and their families with welfare needs, to facilitate their recovery and reintegration into society. SWD medical social workers dealt with about 204,450 cases in 2019.

Clinical Psychological Services

During the year, 56 clinical psychologists from the department and NGOs provided 2,942 psychological assessments and 22,442 treatment sessions for 2,827 people.

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