Professional Practice and Assessment Centre,
Department
of Applied Social Sciences,
香港理工大學 應用社會科學系專業實踐及評估中心
The Department of Applied Social Sciences (APSS) has a long history of encouraging academic staff members to take on direct social work practice. We believe that involvement in practice would strengthen teaching and research and would, in turn, enhance the quality of our educational endeavours. Through the process, we also aim at facilitating theory-practice integration, indigenization of western social work knowledge and development of cultural-sensitive practice approaches.
Our practice centre was first established in 1991 and had provided consultation and direct practice support to numerous social service agencies since then. Intervention approaches employed included Brief Therapy / Solution-Focused Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Intervention and Systemic Family Therapy. Casework and group work had been undertaken for individuals and families on self application and referral bases. Publications on brief and solution-focused therapy were produced for teaching and learning purposes.
Our Department has expanded our scope of educational and research endeavours and a wider range of specializations have been developed among academic staff members. Narrative therapy, student guidance, community rehabilitation and family mediation are outstanding among the new initiatives, In view of the increasing complexity of social problems and the pressing need to advance social work practice skills and develop indigenous practice theories, we have decided to strengthen our practice centre and to reinforce our partnership with local welfare organizations so as to actualize our departmental mission of “Education for social responsibility, leadership and care”.
Our practice centre is thus renamed as “Professional Practice and Assessment Centre” and has actively seeking partnership with public and social service organizations since 2004. Recently, the Practice Centre has also incorporated two other units of the Department, the Guidance Net and the Practice Learning and Teaching Project; the former being a support network for guidance teachers, and the latter aims at providing continuous professional training support for social work supervisors.
Aims
(1) To encourage and provide opportunities to academic staff members for direct social work practice;
(2) To strengthen theory-practice link and indigenization of social work knowledge so as to strengthen teaching and learning;
(3) To network local guidance teachers and provide support and resources to them;
(4) To support social work supervision by providing training and support to social work supervisors of the Department and the social work field;
(5) To facilitate social work knowledge building through practice, research and publication.
Services
(1) Casework and group work with individuals and families
(2) Family mediation
(3) Community based practices
(4) Professional consultation to staff members and projects of social service organizations
(5) Specialized training to social workers, human service professionals and groups with special needs
(6) Collaborative practice research
(7) Psychological assessments
Specializations
(1) Family-centred practice:
l Brief Therapy / Solution-Focused Therapy
l Narrative Therapy
l Systemic Family Therapy
l Family mediation
(2) Community rehabilitation
(3) Care planning and management of elderly persons
(4) Student guidance
(5) Employee support service
(6) Psychological assessment for gifted children
Fees
Our Centre operates on a self-balancing budget and charges moderate fees for services provided. We give concession on special grounds.
Personnel
Deputy Director : Prof. Chan Yuk-chung (陳沃聰教授)
(執行總監) Tel.: 27665726
Fax: 27736558
Email: yuk-chung.chan@polyu.edu.hk
研究報告
2. 「综合家庭服务中心检讨 - 前线同工的观点」研究报告 (简体字版)
Major Projects in
2005/2006
(1) Casework for individuals ((Project Leader: Dr. CHU Chi Keung)
(2)
Project on weight control for
children. Partnership with Pediatric
Unit, Prince of
(3)
Research project on teaching
and learning art activities for persons with disabilities. Commissioned by the
Bureau of Health, Food and Welfare. Partnership with the Department of
Rehabilitation Sciences and Arts with the Disabled Association
(4) Public Lecture Series on Special Topics in School Guidance (Project Leader: Dr. Howard CHENG)
(5)
Equal participation project for
university students and community college students with intellectual
disabilities, autistic features, or mental health needs. Partnership with the
(6)
Training of police officers on working
with at-risk youth. Commissioned by
the
(7)
The
(8) Training courses on Narrative Therapy for practicing social workers. (Project Leaders: Dr. Ting Wai Fong, Dr. HO Chi Kwan, Ms Lit Siu Wai)
(9)
Training courses on gambling counseling
for casino staff and operators in Macau SAR and
(10) Consultancy on professional support for and evaluation of social rehabilitation service projects for persons suffering from occupational deafness. Commissioned by the Occupational Deafness Compensation Board. (Project Leader: Dr. LEE Tsor Kui)
(11) Workshops on Career Inclination Assessment Instruments for secondary school principals and teachers. Commissioned by Education and Manpower Bureau. (Project Leader: Mr. CHUI Yat Hung)
(12) Family mediation services and training. (Project Leader: Dr.Gladys LAM)