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Following is a speech by the Secretary for Health and Welfare, Dr E K Yeoh, at the Youth Summit today (September 15):
The Chief Executive, Dr Choi, Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is our mission to provide every opportunity for each person to develop his or her potential. We will create the environment, the structures and the programmes to support the different stages of human development and the different situations of individuals. The approach should be integrative, longitudinally over an individual's life course and horizontally catering for the different aspects and circumstances of each individual.
If we look at the different stages in life, we can understand better the different dimensions of a person's development and the interaction with the environment. A critical stage of mental and emotional development is infancy and early childhood. Trust or mistrust is developed from age 0 to 1, whereas age 0 to 3 is critical to autonomy vs. shame and doubt. During this extremely sensitive period, nurturing has a substantial effect on the child's subsequent ability to learn. Our maternal and child health centres will be reoriented and resourced to provide parents with the necessary knowledge and skills to ensure the best start for all children in the pre-school period. Under a pilot project conducted in seven maternal and child health centres since late 1999, social workers from Social Welfare Department and NGOs provided ante-natal and post-natal programmes to families. Supportive group service was provided to families with problems. More serious problems were referred to Family Service Centres. In view of the success of the pilot project, the service has been extended to all 50 clinics in the territory since April 2001.
As a child grows, different dimensions come into play. Initiative and guilt at age 3 to 6, as well and industry and inferiority at age 7 to 11, are important landmarks. During early childhood, the health, welfare and educational sectors will work closely with parents to provide the best environment for the children's development. Our family welfare services provide a comprehensive range of programmes to support the family. To better meet the need of families, we have recently conducted a study of our family service, with a review to remodeling it to enhance accessibility and integration. Our direction is that the service should be child-centred, family-focused and community based.
As children grow into adolescence, they enter an essential formative stage of life, when they establish their identity or suffer from role confusion. "Who am I?" is a question that characterizes this stage. At the same time, they have to cope with the physical changes that inevitably occur. A conducive environment for our youth to develop, requires a collaborative approach of the education, health and welfare sectors working with families and the community. Our education sector develops and nurtures the cognitive skills, while the health sector supports the physical development. It is important that young people have access to health services that can help them deal with physical problems as well as any psychosocial problems that may arise. The Student Health Service, run by the Department of Health, started operation in the 1995 school year for all primary school students and was extended to all secondary day school students in the 1996 school year. Young people who are assessed to require follow-up services are referred to the most appropriate service providers. Here inter-sectoral cooperation is important. Department of Health, Social Welfare Department, Education Department and NGOs have formed a task group to develop a referral mechanism.
Adolescents are often faced with challenges in their academic, personal, emotional and family life. They need to develop positive values, interpersonal skills, emotional stability and resilience to tackle these challenges. Now if they need help, they can make use of the school social work service. This service has been working effectively because of the excellent cooperation between the welfare and education sectors. And we have tried to do even better. Following a review of the service, a "Guide on Multi-disciplinary collaboration in School Social Work Service" was distributed to relevant parties in July 2000, to make further improvement. In August 2000, the initiative of "one school social worker for each secondary school" was implemented. In addition, all secondary schools have been linked up with community-based youth services in the vicinity, including children and youth centres and integrated teams, to enhance support to the schools.
For youth who have not had the fortune of a conducive environment or supportive relationships, different interventions and additional support will be needed. We need better tools to identify young people with special needs so that early intervention can be made. We are therefore implementing the Understanding the Adolescent Project. This is another example of the benefits of cooperation between the welfare sector and the education sector. In the 2000 Policy Address and the 2001 Budget, the Administration has announced that $24 million per annum will be allocated to implement the Project in 200 secondary schools.
Once the young people in need are identified, the relevant sectors will work with schools and families to work through the problems and build up a sense of responsibility. For example, since April 2000, the Police, in collaboration with Education Department, has been conducting the Smart Teen Challenge Camp for secondary schools students. The purpose of the Camp is to help the students build up self-discipline through specialized training in the Police Training School.
In addition to self-discipline, another important element of a sense of responsibility is respect for the law. This is achieved through the collaboration of the welfare sector, the education sector and the Police. For example, Police School Liaison Teams have been established to help prevent juvenile crime, particularly triad-related crimes, at an early stage. The School Liaison Officers of these teams deliver crime prevention messages and group discussions. As announced in the 2001 Budget, the Police will be allocated an additional $10 million per annum to strengthen its work.
The Community Support Services Scheme (CSSS) operated by NGOs aims at inculcating in young people the respect for the law, through intensive counseling and other activities. This is a good example of cooperation between welfare services and the Police, as the target groups of the Scheme are young people cautioned under the Police Superintendents' Discretion Scheme. The success of this CSSS has paved the way for similar collaboration between the Customs and Excise Department and the welfare sector in developing rehabilitation service for young people involved in piracy activities.
The services I have mentioned are provided in a coordinated way. The Committee on Services for Youth at Risk, chaired by Director of Social Welfare, comprises members from relevant bureaux and departments as well as NGOs and professionals. The Committee is responsible for examining current youth issues and recommending appropriate services. At the district level, Local Committees on Services for Young People, under the chairmanship of District Social Welfare Officers of Social Welfare Department, have been developing coordinated strategies according to local characteristics.
I have outlined how a better understanding of the life course and inter-sectoral cooperation will help meet the needs of young people in a holistic way. Young people are the future of our society, and I am sure we shall continue to work together towards a bright future.
End/Saturday, September 15, 2001
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