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The Social Welfare Department's Tuen Mun Children and Juvenile Home will adopt a cross-sectoral collaboration approach by putting together different professional disciplines to help maladjusted children/juveniles and young offenders integrate into the society.
The Secretary for Heath, Welfare and Food, Dr York Chow, made the remarks today (February 20) when officiating at the Topping-out Ceremony of the new complex.
"The SWD has been providing various rehabilitation services, including residential training, to maladjusted children/juveniles and young offenders with the aim of helping them get back on the right track," Dr Chow said.
In designing the complex, the department strived to provide the most comprehensive hardware and supporting facilities, he said. The department would adopt a cross-sectoral collaboration approach by putting together different professional disciplines to enhance service provision, he added.
It would also introduce evidence-based assessment of the risk and needs of the residents. Data and relevant information would be collected for scientific analyses of the residents' delinquent behaviour and special needs. This would help the design of more appropriate developmental and therapeutic group activities to correct the residents' behavioural problems, help them nurture a better character and morals, and learn to be law-abiding citizens.
Dr Chow said that as most of the residents were unable to develop their potential to the fullest in the mainstream education system, the Social Welfare Department would provide a series of practical education and vocational training courses for them. After completion of these courses, the residents would be awarded recognised qualifications that would lay the foundation for their future career development and education.
Dr Chow stressed that community acceptance was essential in helping the maladjusted children/juveniles and young offenders integrate into society. He said he believed that when the new complex started to operate at the end of the year, the Tuen Mun community would provide support to the residents staying in the complex. In return, the residents would contribute to the community through participation in various social services, he said.
Also speaking at the ceremony, the Director of Social Welfare, Mr Paul Tang Kwok-wai, said the integration of the existing six correctional and residential homes in different districts could make better use of resources and improve service quality. Residents in need could be better taken care of and receive appropriate training.
The slogan of today's ceremony "New Home, New Opportunities" had shown the determination of the department in providing more suitable services to residents staying in the new complex, he said.
Mr Tang expressed his heartfelt thanks to those government departments and organisations that had helped in the construction of the complex.
In July, 2003, the Legislative Council approved funding of about $330 million for the department to construct a purpose-built residential training complex for 388 children and juveniles, and to relocate the department's existing six correctional and residential homes. The new complex is situated at Yeung Tsing Road, Tuen Mun. Construction work started in March, 2004 and is expected to be completed at the end of this year.
The existing six correctional and residential homes are Fanling Girls' Home, Ma Tau Wai Girls' Home, Begonia Road Juvenile Home, O Pui Shan Boys' Home, Pui Chi Boys' Home and Sha Tin Boys' Home.
Ends/Monday, February 20, 2006
Issued at HKT 16:36
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