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District Planning - District Planning - Opportunities & ChallengesOpportunities & Challenges

Mrs Patricia Chu, BBS, JPDeputy Director (Administration), SWD

8 November 2002

HKCSS Symposium on Partnership : Service Planning & Funding Arrangement

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OutlineOutline

• Why district planning ?• Enhanced functions of DSWO• Parameters for enhanced functions• Mechanism / methodology• Study on enhanced DSWO functions• Opportunities and challenges

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Why district planning ?Why district planning ?• Centralised planning no longer adequate to

meeting local community needs– Rising community expectations– Population-based planning standards not

sensitive to changing local welfare needs– Rapid expansion in past decade led to facility-

driven and incremental approach, which is not cost-effective

– Holistic perspectives and better co-ordination are called for

Why district planning

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Why district planning ?Why district planning ?(Cont.)(Cont.)

• Integration of services at district level recommended by consultants, e.g.– Fundamental Expenditure Review on

Youth Services (1999)– Review of Day Services for the Elderly

(2000) – Family Services Review (2001)

Why district planning

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Why district planning ?Why district planning ?(Cont.)(Cont.)

• Need for outreaching social networks at district level– CE’s 2000 Policy Address : imminent

need to enhance outreaching services for those hard-to-reach target groups; and

– to build up social networks to support the disadvantaged ie the elderly, families and youth at risk, single parents, new arrivals

Why district planning

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Enhanced Functions of DSWOEnhanced Functions of DSWO• Re-organisation of SWD in September 2001 (in

the districts) :– Delayered SWD structure from 3 tiers

-HQs/Region/District to 2 tiers - HQs/District– Upgraded DSWOs from CSWO to PSWO– Created additional ADSWOs, SSSOs and District

Secretary (DS) posts to support strengthened DSWO functions

– Formed PCTs and FSNTs to underpin DSWOs, by pooling resources from the former YOs, REOs, and GWUs

Enhanced DSWO functions

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Enhanced Functions of DSWO Enhanced Functions of DSWO (Cont.)(Cont.)

• DSWOs took up enhanced responsibility in :– Planning welfare services on a district basis

to meet local community needs– Collaborating with DCs, related Gov’t

departments and district organisations to facilitate implementation of social welfare policies in the district

Enhanced DSWO functions

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Enhanced Functions of DSWOEnhanced Functions of DSWO (Cont.)(Cont.)

– Co-ordinating with subvented and non-subvented NGOs in the district in delivery of services to meet local welfare needs

– Establishing a more proactive social outreaching network in the district to help the needy and the disadvantaged

– Administering and managing centralised operational units

Enhanced DSWO functions

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Parameters for enhanced Parameters for enhanced functions functions

• To guide DSWOs in fulfilling their enhanced functions, 7 parameters have been worked out for their reference

– Responsiveness towards district welfare needs

– Evidence-based needs assessment– Prevalent policy objectives (POs) and key

result areas (KRAs)

Parameters

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Parameters for enhanced Parameters for enhanced functionsfunctions (Cont.)(Cont.)

– Resources allocation and pursuance of value-for-money

– From fragmentation to integration– From compartmentalisation to cross-

sector collaboration– Community partnership

Parameters

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Mechanism / MethodologyMechanism / Methodology• Evidence-based need assessment

Environmental scanning : analysis of internal and external environments PEST Analysis (analysing district

characteristics) Political Economic Social Technological

Mechanism/Methodology

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Mechanism / Methodology Mechanism / Methodology (Cont.)(Cont.)

Mechanism/Methodology

Internal factors

External factors

Strength (S) Weakness (W)

Opportunities

(O)

SO Strategies

Use strengths to take advantage of

opportunities

WO Strategies

Take advantages of opportunities by

overcoming weaknesses

Threats

(T)

ST Strategies

Use strengths to avoid threats

ST Strategies

Minimize weaknesses and

avoid threat

SWOT Analysis

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Mechanism / Methodology Mechanism / Methodology (Cont.)(Cont.)

– Collection of feedback from stakeholders (e.g. DCCs/LCs, district forums & focus group, visits, etc.)

– Drawing reference from district data banks and various available statistical reports

– Comparison of district need profile and service provision profile

– Identification of service gap– Trend analysis (reviewing socio-economic trends)– Prioritization of need

Mechanism/ Methodology

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NEEDS ASSESSMENT

DSWOs/ PCTs

Mapping OutDistrict Need Profile

Statistical data analysisTrend analysisAnalysis on district characteristicsCollection of stakeholders’ views

ConstructingService Provision Profile

Review on-Existing service provisionPlanned projectsService development capacity

Gap Analysis &Identification of Social Need

Compare district need profile and the service provision profileIdentify service gapDraw reference from proposed social need indicators

Prioritization of Service NeedCriteria:Consistency with policy directivesPopulation of at-risk targets and vulnerable groupsPolitical pressureAnticipated cost effectiveness of services/ programmes

SETTING OF SERVICE FOCUS & PROGRAMME PLAN

SWOT AnalysisStrengthWeaknessOpportunityThreat

PEST AnalysisPoliticalEconomicalSocialTechnological

Environmental Scanning and Analysis

Mechanism/ Methodology Mechanism/ Methodology (Cont.)(Cont.)

Mechanism/Methodology

• Overall planning

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Mechanism / Methodology Mechanism / Methodology (Cont.)(Cont.)

• Planning of premises-tied projects– From centralised planning to district-based– DSWOs to make bid and give comments to

projects early in the planning process– DSWOs as project co-ordinator among different

SWD units– Collaborate with DCs and other stakeholders– Better capturing district welfare needs, local

sentiments, local consultation, provision and utilisation of existing service utilization, need for reprovisioning, etc.

Mechanism/Methodology

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Mechanism / Methodology Mechanism / Methodology (Cont.)(Cont.)

• Planning of non-premises-tied projects DSWOs and local personalities are involved

in invitation and vetting of proposals, e.g.Understanding the Adolescents ProjectHealthy Ageing

– Most suitable proposals/operation modes can be selected

– Enhance community involvement and partnership

Mechanism/Methodology

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Mechanism / Methodology Mechanism / Methodology (Cont.)(Cont.)

• Co-ordinating mechanism– key mechanism – DCC/LCs Other platforms:

District planning forum Briefing sessions for DC

members/assistants, service providers, service users, other stakeholders

Mechanism/Methodology

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Progress updateProgress update

• LegCo Panel on Welfare Services– Progress on enhanced functions of DSWOs

reported at 8 April 2002 meeting – Achievement so far made by the DSWOs

was appreciated by Welfare Panel, DCs, local organisations

– A study to benchmark the effectiveness of the enhanced DSWO functions was suggested

Progress

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Study on enhanced DSWO Study on enhanced DSWO functionsfunctions

• Study to evaluate and benchmark– To evaluate effectiveness of enhanced

functions of DSWOs – To set benchmarks and best practices– To involve outside researcher – To cover all 13 DSWOs– To study retrospectively on one full year of

implementation– Funding from Lotteries Fund secured

Study on enhanced functions

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Opportunities and challengesOpportunities and challenges • For SWD

– Are we on the right track and how far should we go ?– Repositioning of DSWO in the local community – How to further improve our responsiveness towards

district welfare needs ?– Are there better ways to collect, assess and analyse

district welfare needs ? – How to address district uniqueness ? – How to balance between district welfare needs and

territory-wide needs ?

Opportunities and challenges

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Opportunities and challenges Opportunities and challenges (Cont.)(Cont.) • For NGOs

– Repositioning of NGOs in the local community

– How to create synergy, for strategic alliance or collaborate with other organisations ?

– Is there need to re-organise the agency structure regionalised/service unit based ?

– How to become better involved in district welfare needs assessment and district welfare planning ?

Opportunities and challenges

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Thank you !!!Thank you !!!