SOWK 6300 (2020-2021)

Understanding of the
Profession 4:

SOCIAL WELFARE SERVICES IN

HONG KONG
Basic Concepts of Social Welfare
“Social Welfare as an organized function is regarded as a body
of activities designed to enable individuals, families, groups and
communities to cope with the social problems of changing
conditions. But in addition to and extending beyond the range
of its responsibilities for specific services, social welfare has a
further function within the broad area of a country’s social
development. In this larger sense, social welfare should play a
major role in contributing to the effective mobilization and
deployment of human and material resources of the country to
deal successfully with the social requirements of change,
thereby participating in nation-building.”

United Nations 1967

Basic Concepts of Social Welfare

“Social Welfare generally denoted the full range of

organized activities of voluntary and governmental
agencies that seek to prevent, alleviate or contribute
to the solution of recognized social problems, or to
improve the well-being of individuals, groups or
communities.”
National Association of Social Workers,
Encyclopedia of Social Work, Vol. II, 1971, P.1446
Basic Concepts of Social Welfare
Social Welfare (in HK) embraces laws, programmes, benefits and
services which address social needs accepted as essential to the well-
being of a society. It focuses on personal and social problems, both
existing and potential. It also plays an important developmental role
by providing an organized system of services and institutions which are
designed to aid individuals and groups to achieve satisfying roles in
life and personal relationships which permit them to develop their
full capacities and to promote their well-being in harmony with the
needs and aspirations of their families and the community.

Hong Kong Government “The Five Year Plan for Social Welfare Development
in Hong Kong – Review 1988” by Social Welfare Department, P.3
Basic Concepts of Social Welfare
In broad sense, which includes:
1) Education
2) Medical and Health
3) Housing
4) Income Maintenance
5) Personal Welfare

In narrow sense, social welfare refers to

“personal welfare”
Social Welfare Development in Hong Kong

 Mainly by Charity Organizations/ Churches

 1953 Squatter Fire
 1965 First White Paper on Social Welfare
Development
 1967 Riots
 1970s First Five Year Plan
 1971-73 Social Security Scheme
 1977 onward, youth work expands
Social Welfare Development in Hong Kong

 From Remedial (Solve the social problem) to

Developmental (Develop potentials and capacities)
 From Government (SWD) to
Government (SWD) + NGOs to
Tripartite Relations (Government + NGOs +
Private Sector)
Social Welfare Department
 Social Welfare Department (SWD) is responsible
for implementing the Government’s policies on
Social Welfare and for developing and
coordinating social welfare services
 Established on 1 January, 1958 (Former named
as Social Welfare Office)
 Now mainly responsible for statutory services and
family services
NGOs
Non-Government Organization (NGOs)
 Previously named as Voluntary Agencies (VA)

 around 470 NGOs are registered in HK

 169 NGOs are receiving funding from SWD (164

NGOs are receiving LSG, and 5 NGOs are
receiving conventional mode)
 Mainly are developed from charity/church
organization
 Provided different kinds of social services
Social Welfare Services in Hong Kong
- Social Security
- Family and Child Welfare
- Clinical Psychological Services
- Medical Social Services
- Rehabilitation Services
- Services for Elderly
- Services for Young People
- Services for Offenders
- Community Development
Social Security
 Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA)

 Support for Self-reliance (SFS) Scheme – Employment Support

Services (EmSS)

 Social Security Allowance (for Severely disabled and Elderly

Persons)
- Old Age Allowance (高齡津貼/ 生果金)
- Normal Old Age Living Allowance (長者生活津貼)
- Higher Old Age Living Allowance (長者高額生活津貼)
- Guangdong Scheme and Fujian Scheme
- Normal Disability Allowance
- Higher Disability Allowance
Family and Child Welfare Services
 Integrated Family Services (IFS)
 Family and Child Protective Services (FCPS)
 Day Child Care Services (Including Neigbourhood
Support Child Care Project, Pilot Scheme on Social
Work Service for Pre-primary Institutions)
 Residential Child Care Services: (Foster Care (FC),
Small Group Home (SGH), residential Home for
Children (RH), Boys’/Girls’ Home or Hostel
 Adoption Service
Family and Child Welfare Services
 Services for Street Sleepers
 Urban hostel for single persons
 Short-term food assistance service projects
 Services for victims of sexual violence
 Victim support program for victims of family violence
 Refuge Centre for Women
 Family Crisis Support Centre
 Suicide Prevention Services
 Cross-boundary and Inter-country Social Service
 Outreaching Teams for Ethnic Minorities
Medical Social Services
 Provide Medical Social Services at the Public
Hospitals and some specialist out-patient
clinics of Hong Kong
Rehabilitation Services
 Pre-school Rehabilitation Services (EETC, On-
site Pre-school Rehabilitation Services)
 Services for School Age Disabled Children

 Services for Physically Handicapped Persons

 Services for Mentally Handicapped Persons

 Services for Ex-Mentally Ill Persons

 Services for Visually Impaired Persons

 Services for Hearing Impaired Persons

Rehabilitation Services
Day Training and Vocational Rehabilitation
Services for Adults with Disabilities :
 Day Activity Centre
 Sheltered Workshop
 Supported Employment
 On the Job Training Programme (Include Sunnyway)
 Integrated Vocational Training Centre
 Enhancing Employment of People with Disability through
Small Enterprise Project
Rehabilitation Services
Residential Services for Adults with Disabilities :
 Hostels for Severely and Moderately mentally
Handicapped persons
 Hostels for Severely Physically handicapped
persons
 C & A Home for Severely disabled persons
 C & A Home for the aged blind
 Long Stay Care Home/ Halfway houses for
discharged mental patients
 Supported hostels
Rehabilitation Services
Community Support Services for Adults with
Disabilities :
 Integrated Community Centres for Mental Wellness
(ICCMW)
 Home care service for persons with severe
disabilities (HCS)
 Integrated Support service for persons with Severe
physical disabilities (ISS)
 Community Rehabilitation Network (CRN)

 Parents/Relatives Resource Centre

 Respite Service
Rehabilitation Services
 IT for Persons with Disabilities
 Funds for Specific Groups
 Special Needs Trust
Services for the Elderly
Community Care and Support Services
 District Elderly Community Centre (DECC)

 Neighbourhood Elderly Centre (NEC)

 Social Centre for the Elderly (SE)

 Day Care Centre for the Elderly (DE)

 Integrated Home Care Services (IHCS)

 Enhanced Home & Community Care Services (EHCCS)

 Day Respite Service for Elderly Persons

 Pilot Scheme on Community Care Voucher for the

Elderly (CCSV)
Services for the Elderly
Residential Care Services
 Home for the Aged (H/A)

 Care & Attention Homes (C & A Homes)

 Nursing Homes (NH)

 Nursing Home Place Purchase Scheme (NHPPS)

 Enhanced Bought Place Scheme (EBPS)(Private

residential care Home for the Elderly - RCHEs)

 Contract homes
 Services for the Elderly
 Pilot Scheme on Community Care Service Voucher for the Elderly
 Pilot Scheme on Residential Care Service Voucher for the Elderly
 Living Allowance for Carers of Elderly Persons from Low Income
Families
 Residential Care Services Scheme in Guangdong (GD)
 Navigation Scheme for Young Persons in Care Services
 Pilot Scheme on Training for Foreign Domestic Helpers on Elderly
Care
 Pilot Scheme on Multi-disciplinary Outreaching Support Teams for
the Elderly
Services for Young People
 Centre Services
- Integrated Children & Youth Services Centres (ICYSCs)
- Children and Youth Centres (CYCs)
 After School Care Programme

 School Social Work Service (SSW)

 Services for Youth at Risk

- District Youth Outreaching Social Work Service

- Overnight Outreaching Service for Young Night Drifters
- Community Support Service Scheme
- Crisis Residential Service for Youth at Risk
Services for Young People
 Services for Drug Abusers
- Residential Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation
Services
- Counselling Centre for Psychotropic Substance
Abusers (CCPSA)
- Centre for Drug Counselling
 Children Development Fund (CDF)
 Family Support Networking Team (FSNT)
Services for Offenders
 Community-based Programme
- Probation Service (PO)
- Community Service Orders (CSO) Scheme
 Correctional/ Residential Home
- Tuen Mun Children and Juvenile Home
 Services for Ex-offenders and Discharged Prisoners
- commissioned to the Society of Rehabilitation and Crime
Prevention, includes hostel service, social service centres,
court social work service etc.
 Residential Service for Young Probationers and High-risk Youth
- commissioned to the Youth Outreach in providing transitional
housing
Community Development
 Neighbourhood Level Community
Development Projects (NLCDP)
 Community Centre (CC)

 Care and Support Networking Team (CSNT)

- for street sleepers, ex-mentally ill and ex-
offenders
Government Structure in Hong Kong

Source : https://www.gov.hk/en/about/govdirectory/govchart/index.htm
 Existing Structure of Planning and Implementation

Policy Agenda

Welfare Policy

Labour and
Welfare Bureau

Draft Policies Monitor and

Implement Policies

Consultation Decision Making Legislation

Chief Executive and
Social Welfare
1. Social Welfare 1. Panel on Welfare
Advisory Committee Executive Council Service Department
2. Rehabilitation Advisory 2. Public Consultation
Funding/
Committee Reporting
Monitoring
3. Elderly Commission
4. Women’s Commission Non-Government
5. Youth Commission
6. Children Commission Organizations
Social Welfare Issues in Hong Kong
 Fragmented Services
 No central coordination among different
Bureaus
 Resources allocation are different among
different Bureaus/overlapping of services
 No long term planning

 No central policy to guide the development

Social worker’s role in Hong Kong
 Social service provider
 Observer of the emerging social

problem/uprising needs
 Advocator for policy changes

 Bridger for different resources

Is it easy to provide
comprehensive service to the
needy?
Reading List
 Social Welfare Advisory Committee. (2010). Long-term
social welfare planning: Consultation paper. Hong Kong:
Author. Retrieved from
https://www.gov.hk/en/theme/bf/pdf/SWAC_Consult
ation_Paper.pdf
 Social Welfare Department, HKSAR. (2018). Public
services. Retrieved from
https://www.swd.gov.hk/en/index/site_pubsvc
 周永新。(2015)。真實的貧窮面貌：綜觀香港社會
60年。香港：中華書局。
 周永新。(1998)。香港社會福利發展得失。香港：
天地圖書有限公司。