The existing number of directorate posts and the ranking of the Chief Treasury Accountant post in the Social Welfare Department (SWD) is inadequate to meet its increasing workload and responsibilities.

PROPOSAL

2. To strengthen the directorate structure and support of the SWD Headquarters (HQs), the Director of Social Welfare (DSW) proposes -

to create an additional permanent post of Deputy Director of Social Welfare (DDSW) (D3);
to create an additional permanent post of Assistant Director of Social Welfare (ADSW) (D2); and
to upgrade the existing Chief Treasury Accountant (CTA) (D1) post to the rank of Assistant Director of Accounting Services (ADAS) (D2).

JUSTIFICATION

PROPOSAL (a) : A Second Deputy to DSW

The Present Position of SWD

3. The SWD HQs is currently divided into six branches : the Family and Child Welfare Branch, the Elderly and Medical Social Services Branch, the Youth and Rehabilitation Branch, the Social Security Branch, the Subventions Branch and the Administration Branch. An organisation chart of SWD is at Enclosure 1. The first five branches are each headed by a D2 officer. The Administration Branch is subdivided into two major divisions, namely, a Finance Division and an Administration Division, each currently headed by a D1 officer. The HQs is supported by five regional offices each headed by a Principal Social Work Officer (PSWO) (D1) below whom are 13 district offices organised on a geographical basis.

4. Over the years, there has been a substantial and rapid growth in the scope, volume and complexity of social welfare services undertaken by the department and the subvented non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Such growth has accelerated since 1992 when the Government committed the department to achieving the key targets recommended in the 1991 White Paper on "Social Welfare into the 1990s and Beyond", followed by further policy commitments in 1993-95, which initiated a series of further improvements to the social welfare and social security services.

5. Recent developments include the implementation of the Residential Care Homes (Elderly Persons) Ordinance in April 1995, for which the department is the Licensing Authority; the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) Policy Review, the recommendations of which the Government is committed to implement during 1996-97; the Review of the Subvention Administration System, which will lead to substantial changes to the system of monitoring services provided by NGOs; the processing of the Social Workers Registration Bill. All these will be implemented either by stages or in full swing starting from this financial year.

6. SWD's growth in recent years is reflected by the following figures -

	1990-91 (actual)	1996-97 (projected)	Percentage increase %
Number of service units (departmental and subvented)	1 906	3 190	67
Departmental establishment	4 011	5 241	31
Subvented sector establishment	11 569	17 000	47
Number of directorate posts	12	17 (including proposals in this paper, if accepted)	42

The Role of DDSW

7. The Director of Social Welfare (DSW) is deputised by a single D3 officer. The post of Deputy Director of Social Welfare (DDSW) was created in 1970 as part of a major restructuring of the department at that time. The duties of the Deputy Director were "to provide the Director with personal support and to co-ordinate departmental policies and activities".

8. In 1970-71 the DDSW supervised 2 Directorate officers, 6 in 1979-80, 6 in 1985-86, 10 in 1990-91, and will supervise 14 in the current year. Compared to 1970-71, the departmental establishment has grown by 347% (from 1 173 to 5 241 in 1996-97). The span of control is widening. The DDSW is required not only to manage the department with 49 different grades and 368 service units which include 25 headquarters units, 276 regionalised units, 49 centralised units, 5 regional offices and 13 district offices, but also to monitor the services of 171 SWD subvented NGOs, thus extending the span of control.

DDSW : Current Workload

9. The workload, duties and responsibilities of DDSW have increased substantially arising from the rapid expansion of the department. The increase in workload has been a constant, but increasing, concern since 1970. In recent years, the Government has committed the department to fulfil a series of improvements to the social welfare services, all of which require the personal involvement of DDSW as departmental manager of DSW. Details of these services, which are highlighted by programme areas, are at Enclosure 2.

Other Services

10. Apart from the expansion of services mentioned above, other major issues that require the urgent personal attention of DDSW as departmental manager include the consultancy study on reform of the social welfare subvention system. This consultancy will finalise its recommendations in the second half of 1996. Regarding long-term manpower planning, action is being taken to arrange for an extra 600 social work diploma places. Registration of Social Workers, on which a Bill is currently circulating, will also require considerable input from the DDSW. As regards longer term goals, DDSW will continue to monitor the implementation of the Report on the Working Group for the Elderly and to continue to pursue implementation of the recommendations put forward in the 1995 White Paper on Rehabilitation and the Working Party on Training and Employment for People with Disabilities.

11. As regards departmental administration, the departmental Information Systems Strategy Study project is underway, involving the complete restructuring of departmental computer systems. The computerisation will involve the complete replacement of the current Social Security Payment System, and provision of new Clientele Information System and Office/Management Information System. Overall co-ordination of this project will require DDSW's attention.

12. Under the Administration Branch, the workload, duties and responsibilities of the Administration Division which is headed by the Departmental Secretary at PEO(D1) level, has also expanded considerably. The increase in total establishment inevitably leads to increased complexity in human resource management responsibilities. Delegation of responsibilities from the central government to the department will further increase the scope and the level of responsibilities in this area. With the assistance of the Management Services Agency, a review of the district organisational setup is also being conducted in order to improve the organisational and staffing structure and delivery of services at district level. This is necessary to cope with the increasing workload and responsibilities arising from the need to meet various policy targets and objectives in serving the community. The DDSW's personal attention as departmental manager is always required in these areas.

13. In addition, DDSW must oversee the management of resources among various departmental demands to ensure targeted policy commitments and priority areas are met. Moreover, DDSW is increasingly required to assist DSW in the political aspects of the departmental responsibilities, for instance, attending meetings with LegCo members and other government/non-government representatives, representing DSW at public or ceremonial functions, and representing the government on the social welfare front both locally and overseas.

The Only Answer : A Second Deputy to DSW

14. DDSW is extremely over-stretched by existing and new service commitments. The span of control is simply too wide to give individual subject officers the level of attention and supervision required. In order to sustain effective and efficient delivery of social welfare services to the community, DSW considers it essential to create another permanent post of DDSW(D3) to assist in managing the wide span of services rendered by the department. This will provide a second deputy, to be known as DD (Administration) to take over responsibility for the overall administration of the social security services, subventions, finance services and departmental administration. The existing DDSW post will be retitled DD (Services), and will be responsible for overseeing the delivery of social work services relating to the family and child welfare, elderly and medical social services, corrections/youth/drug abuse/training and rehabilitation services.

15. The duty list of the existing DDSW post is at Enclosure 3 and the proposed job descriptions of the DD (Administration) and DD (Services) posts are at Enclosures 4 and 5 respectively.

PROPOSAL (b) : Creation of an Additional ADSW Post (D2)

16. The post of Assistant Director (Youth and Rehabilitation) (AD(YR)) is to oversee services for the youth, offenders, the disabled and community development. The workload and responsibilities of AD(YR) have increased, particularly in the following areas -

(a) Children and Youth Services

AD(YR) has to oversee the implementation of various recommendations made by the Review of Children and Youth Centres Services which was completed in early 1994. These include the setting up of integrated teams, local committees and the community support service scheme and the refocussing of children and youth centre services. The Working Group on Services for Youth at Risk is also well underway to examine problems of teenage suicide, drug abuse among young people, teenage sexuality, juvenile gangs, runaway youth and support services for youth at risk. Considerable follow-up work thereon is anticipated. The first team of specially trained social workers has already been established to help the occasional young drug abusers, with the second team to be set up later. Other services like school social work and outreaching social work are also being expanded continuously to tackle such problems. Besides, the Steering Group on Outreaching Social Work had recently completed a review and had recommended the expansion of two more teams of outreaching social workers per year to meet service needs. At present, the department is actively pursuing the recommendations of the Report on the Research of the Social Causes of Juvenile Crime on children and youth services issued in May 1995.

(b) Rehabilitation Services

Development of rehabilitation services, which was mapped out in the 1995 White Paper on Rehabilitation, has also increased the workload of AD(YR) considerably. These recommendations include the continuous expansion and improvements of rehabilitation services for the disabled, including the chronically ill. More than 180 rehabilitation projects are being planned. A major project - the new Rehabilitation Centre in Aberdeen - which requires close monitoring is due to be completed in 1997. It will provide 1 410 day and residential places. More public consultation exercises, and educational programmes are required in order to reduce local people's resistance to establishing rehabilitation services centres near their living areas. Other major activities which also require the attention of AD(YR) include follow-up action of the 1994 Rehabilitation Programme Plan, a review of the Central Referral Systems and a review of allied health personnel for rehabilitation services such as clinical psychologist, physiotherapist, occupational therapist etc. In addition, the recommendations of the Working Party on Training and Employment for People with Disabilities need to be followed up and closely monitored. The report aims to increase the overall productivity of the sheltered workers, their income and independence and the development of supported employment. A marketing resource unit is to be set up to provide support to the sheltered workshops too.

The Mental Health Ordinance, Cap. 136 is being reviewed with a view to providing additional safeguards for the rights of mentally handicapped persons. We are now considering establishing an independent Guardianship Board and setting up a Guardianship Office in SWD to reinforce the guardianship provisions.

The department is subventing and monitoring the service of non-governmental organisations to provide halfway houses and club house for ex-drug abusers, as well as counselling centres for psychotropic substance abusers. Following the Governor's First and Second Summit Meetings on Drugs held in March 1995 and May 1996 respectively, the planning of the proposals require substantial inputs from the department.

(d) Services for Offenders

There will be an overall review on the effectiveness of all rehabilitation programmes for young offenders under SWD's purview. The department is also going to set up a new office to serve the post release prisoners supervision scheme jointly with the Correctional Services Department. The NGO service for ex-prisoners is also subvented and monitored by the department.

Social Security

17. The workload of Assistant Director (Social Security) [AD(SS)] has also increased significantly in recent years as a result of the reviews for improvements to social security schemes and the increase in CSSA caseload. With rising public expectations, AD(SS) is also more frequently required to handle questions and enquiries from LegCo members, DB members, pressure groups and the mass media. The increase in workload at the directorate level is also the outcome of the continuous increase in complexity, sophistication, and detail, of the CSSA and SSA schemes.

18. The onerous demand on AD(SS)'s attention and input generated by the commitments mentioned in paragraph 17 is inevitably at the expense of her other major responsibilities in training policies and manpower planning. These include the planning of in-service training courses to meet service needs and tackling the problem of the shortfall of qualified professionals such as diploma-graduate social workers. With the increasing complexity of social problems, the widening range of service types and the growing staff size, there is an urgent need for the department to improve its human resource planning and management, particularly in the light of the wastage of experienced professionals in the past few years. Furthermore, the setting up of a Registration Board to register social workers for assessment of qualifications and enforcement of professional conduct is also an active duty of AD(SS).

Proposed Redistribution of Responsibilities

19. Given the rapid expansion in different service areas in recent years, it is impracticable for the other ADs who are already fully committed, to share out the increasingly heavy burden on AD(YR) and AD(SS). Augmentation of staffing support at lower tier, however, could not alleviate the heavy demands at the directorate level. DSW, therefore, proposes to create an additional permanent ADSW post to take over the rehabilitation services from AD(YR). The existing AD(YR) post will then be retitled Assistant Director (Corrections/Youth/Drug Abuse/Training) (AD/YT) while the new ADSW post will be titled Assistant Director (Rehabilitation) (AD/R). The AD/YT will also take over responsibility for training from AD(SS). The duty lists of the existing AD(SS) and AD(YR) posts are at Enclosures 6 and 7. The proposed job description of the AD/R post is at Enclosure 8 and the revised job descriptions of the AD(SS) and AD/YT posts are at Enclosures 9 and 10.

PROPOSAL (c) : Creation of an ADAS Post (D2) Offset by the Deletion of a CTA Post (D1)

20. The expansion of the department in recent years has also led to increased responsibilities for the CTA who heads the Finance Division of Administration Branch and is responsible for all professional finance management and financial arrangements with NGOs, programme management system, the social security payment system, subvention inspection and internal audit. He reports to DSW through DDSW and works closely with other directorate staff, and Regional Offices as well as division heads of the Administration Branch. The CTA post was created on a supernumerary basis in March 1988 and subsequently made permanent in July 1989 (EC 1989-90 Item 26).

21. SWD currently manages a substantial departmental expenditure estimated at $11.2 billion in 1996-97, as compared to $2.1 billion in 1987-88 when the existing CTA was created. In addition, SWD manages almost $4 billion in subventions, and another $0.5 billion is disbursed through the Lotteries Fund Capital Grants. The CTA has managerial and accounting responsibility for the finances of SWD. He is a key member of the department's senior management team and plays a major role in the department's policy formulation and planning processes, particularly as regards the assessment of the resource requirements for both new and established social welfare policies. In particular, CTA has responsibility for -

day-to-day financial administration matters including the provision of financial and management accounting advice, budgetary control and paymaster functions;
advising senior management and the policy branch on the financial and resource implications of new projects and services and, in collaboration with his colleagues, to formulate options and ensure that objectives are achieved with optimum efficiency;
the ongoing development, management and maintenance of financial information systems. Increasingly sophisticated systems are needed to ensure that the department's senior professional staff have available to them appropriate financial management tools to help in the monitoring of existing programmes and in deliberations on new programme initiatives;
the development and management of the financial arrangements governing the subvented sector. In consultation with AD(Subventions), he is responsible for the allocation and payment of subventions, control of expenditure of NGOs, the assessment of surpluses, and the development of information and control systems; and
the management and development of the department's internal audit and subvention inspections operations both of which continue to grow in importance and complexity with the growth in social security payments and the development of the subvented sector.

22. The duties and responsibilities of the CTA have grown very significantly both in complexity and in importance in recent years. The importance of financial management in ensuring the effective delivery of social welfare programmes is well recognised by DSW who proposes to upgrade the existing CTA post to ADAS in order to strengthen the overall financial management in the department. The Director of Accounting Services has been consulted and fully supports the proposal.

23. DSW has suggested that, if the proposed upgrading is accepted, the new post will be designated departmentally as Assistant Director (Finance). The duty list of the existing CTA post is at Enclosure 11 and the proposed job description of ADAS is at Enclosure 12.

Proposed Organisation

24. With the creation of the proposed posts of a DDSW (D3), an Assistant Director of Social Welfare (D2) and the upgrading of CTA to Assistant Director of Accounting Services (D2), the revised organisation chart of the directorate structure of the department is at Enclosure 13.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

25. The additional notional annual salary cost of this proposal at mid-point is -

		$	No. of Posts
New permanent posts		3,738,000	3
Less	Permanent post deleted	994,200	1
Additional cost		2,743,800	2

The full annual average staff cost of the proposal, including salaries and staff
on-costs, is $4,500,528.

26. In addition, this proposal will necessitate the creation of two additional Personal Secretary I posts at a notional annual mid-point salary cost of $479,760 and a full annual average staff cost of $774,504.

27. We have included sufficient provision in the 1996-97 Estimates to meet the cost of this proposal.

CIVIL SERVICE BRANCH COMMENTS

28. The Civil Service Branch supports the creation of one additional Deputy Director of Social Welfare post, one additional Assistant Director of Social Welfare post and the upgrading of one Chief Treasury Accountant post to Assistant Director of Accounting Services level. The ranking and grading of the posts are appropriate.

RECOMMENDATION OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON DIRECTORATE SALARIES AND CONDITIONS OF SERVICE

29. The Standing Committee on Directorate Salaries and Conditions of Service has advised that the grading proposed for the posts would be appropriate if the posts were to be created.

Health and Welfare Branch
June 1996
(E4828/WIN81)

Enclosure 1 to EC(96-97)34

Existing Organisation Chart of Directorate Posts in Social Welfare Department

Warning : The chart is quite large and may take some time to download.

Enclosure 2 to EC(96-97)34

Social Welfare Services

Programme (1) :

Family and Child Welfare

The objective is to preserve, strengthen and support the family.

The Government has committed the department to improve its family and child welfare services by providing additional child care centre places and staff for child protective and custody services; by setting up a new team of specially trained social workers and police officers to implement the new arrangements for reducing the trauma of child abuse victims serving as witnesses in court hearings; by providing more foster care places and small group homes for children in need of a family-like setting; by increasing family social workers and clinical psychologists; and by providing more family life education workers to promote family harmony.

Programme (2) :

Social Security

The objective is to provide a non-contributory social security system to meet the basic and special needs of the financially vulnerable, the severely disabled and the elderly.

Government has committed the department to implementing the recommendations of the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) Scheme Review, including increases in payment rates for those categories of recipients identified as in need of additional financial assistance, and planning of a new scheme allowing the elderly to reside in China while continuing to receive CSSA assistance. The recently completed review of the operation of the Emergency Relief Fund also commits the department to implement changes. In order to provide better customer service to beneficiaries under the social security schemes, the department will also improve the manning standards and procedures of the social security field units in accordance with the recommendations of the recently completed Manning Standards Review.

Programme (3) :

Elderly and Medical Social Services

The objective is to promote the well-being of elderly persons in all aspects of their lives, to provide medical social services; and to contribute towards the prevention of drug abuse and the rehabilitation of discharges from drug withdrawal centres.

Government has committed the department to implement the recommendations of the Working Group on Care for the Elderly which were endorsed by the Executive Council on 4 October 1994. These include the provision of additional day services to provide community support to the elderly and the provision of additional residential places, especially in care-and-attention homes for those who are unable to look after themselves. In addition, the department has pledged to co-ordinate with other government departments, non-governmental organisations and local organisations to develop a structured network system on a district basis to provide support, linkages and services to vulnerable elderly persons in the community. The department also provides medical social services in Schedule I hospitals and specialist clinics of the Hospital Authority and in some out-patient clinics of the Department of Health.

As the Licensing Authority under the Residential Care Homes (Elderly Persons) Ordinance, the department has set up a Licensing Office to ensure that all homes for the elderly meet requisite standards.

Programme (4) :

Rehabilitation

The objective is to acknowledge the equal rights of people with disability to be full members of the community by assisting them in developing their physical, mental and social capabilities to the fullest extent possible and by promoting their integration into the community.

Government has, therefore committed the department to continue to expand residential as well as day services for adults with a disability, and to expand supported employment. Pre-school services for children with a disability will be improved and more teaching and professional staff for training autistic children and adults will be recruited.

Programme (5) :

Services for Offenders

The objective is to provide treatment for offenders through a social work approach and help them become law-abiding citizens with a view to re-integrating them into the community.

Government has committed the department to continue to provide probation and aftercare services, operate remand homes and residential training institutions, and administer the Community Service Orders Scheme, the Community Support Service Scheme and the Young Offender Assessment Panel. The department is also required to discharge statutory functions and responsibilities within the framework of the following Ordinances :-

- Juvenile Offenders Ordinance, Cap. 226

- Probation of Offenders Ordinance, Cap. 298

- Community Service Orders Ordinance, Cap. 378

- Reformatory Schools Ordinance, Cap. 225

- Protection of Children and Juveniles Ordinance, Cap. 213 - Immigration Ordinance, Sec. 35(1) of Cap. 115

Programme (6) :

Community Development

The objective is to promote a sense of belonging in the community through social work services which encourage people to identify their social needs and mobilise community resources to solve their problems.

In this connection, the department will keep close liaison with the NGOs to promote social relationship and cohesion within the community, to encourage the participation of individuals in solving community problems and improving the quality of community life. The department will seek capital funding from the Lotteries Fund to help NGOs to set up Family Activity and Resource Centres in their community centres.

Programme (7) :

Young People

The objective is to assist and encourage young people to become mature, responsible and contributing members of the society.

Government has committed the department, therefore, to provide more school social workers, so that not only the overall target manning ratio of one school social worker to 2,000 students is achieved; but more than 100 schools with greater student problems will receive an enhanced service. Additional outreaching social work teams are also to be set up to help young people at risk and a second team of specially trained social workers is to be established to help young drug abusers. A task is also being undertaken by a Working Group to develop a screening tool for early detection of youth at risk, which will be completed by the end of 1996.

Enclosure 3 to EC(96-97)34

Duty list of the existing post of Deputy Director of Social Welfare

Rank : Deputy Director of Social Welfare (D3)

Responsible to : Director of Social Welfare

Executing welfare policies and programmes and developing services of the department through five assistant directors, one departmental secretary and one chief treasury accountant.
Formulating policies for the further improvement and development of social welfare services to be provided by the department and subvented non-governmental organisations.
Formulating the budgets and managing the resources of the department to meet service needs.
Managing and developing social welfare manpower to meet service requirements as well as career development of professional officers.
Liaising with the non-governmental welfare sector, mainly the Hong Kong Council of Social Service for the development of a viable non-governmental sector.

Enclosure 4 to EC(96-97)34

Proposed Main Duties and Responsibilities of Deputy Director (Administration)

Rank : Deputy Director of Social Welfare (D3)

Responsible to : Director of Social Welfare

Executing welfare policies and programmes and developing services of the department through Assistant Director (Social Security), Assistant Director (Subventions), Assistant Director (Finance) * and Departmental Secretary.
Formulating policies for the further improvement and development of social security and subventions services.
Formulating the budgets and managing the resources of the department to meet service needs.
Liaising with the non-governmental welfare sector, mainly the Hong Kong Council of Social Service for the development of a viable non-governmental sector.
Overseeing the Internal Audit Section and Information and Public Relations Unit of the department.

* post to be upgraded from CTA (D1) to ADAS (D2) in this paper.

Enclosure 5 to EC(96-97)34

Proposed Main Duties and Responsibilities of Deputy Director (Services)

Rank : Deputy Director of Social Welfare (D3)

Responsible to : Director of Social Welfare

Executing the approved welfare policies and programmes and developing services of the department through Assistant Director (Family and Child Welfare), Assistant Director (Elderly and Medical Social Services), Assistant Director (Corrections/Youth/Drug Abuse/Training) and Assistant Director (Rehabilitation).
Formulating policies for the further improvement and development of social welfare services to be provided by the department and subvented non-governmental organisations.
Managing and developing social welfare manpower to meet service requirements as well as career development of professional officers.
Liaising with the non-governmental welfare sector, mainly the Hong Kong Council of Social Service for the efficient and effective delivery of services by the non-governmental organisations.

Enclosure 6 to EC(96-97)34