Hong Kong Correctional Services Annual Review 2013[ Commissioner’s Foreword] [ Operations and Institutional Management ] [ Rehabilitation ] [ Industries and Vocational Training ] [ Human Resource Management ] [ Quality Assurance ] [ Administration and Planning ] [ Green Management ] [ Appendices ] |
Human Resource ManagementThe Human Resource Division continues to adopt a strategic and comprehensive approach in managing and developing a highly committed and motivated workforce, enabling our staff to contribute effectively and efficiently in serving the community through realising the Department's values and aspirations.
Staff Recruitment, Training and DevelopmentIn the recruitment exercises held for the posts of Officer and Assistant Officer II in 2013, the Department received a total of 6 900 and 10 109 applications respectively. On completion of the procedures and formalities, 47 Officers and 271 Assistant Officers II joined the Department. In the same year, five Technical Instructors and 17 Instructors were appointed and worked under the Industries and Vocational Training Section to provide market-oriented training to persons in custody. Staff Training Institute (STI) of the Human Resource Division is the most important training and development facility of the Department. New recruits must undergo about half-year residential training in the institute where they have to go through fundamental courses and examinations relating to the correctional profession. The institute organises courses for serving staff pertaining to their career development, post-tied and job-related needs. It provides courses catering not only for the Department but also, when necessary and appropriate, for other organisations and government departments. The Department has developed a Knowledge Management System since 2011 for staff members to acquire professional knowledge conveniently via the e-platform at the Departmental Intranet. Staff members can log in through their individual departmental account and search useful information they need from the relevant folders and topics. With the development of knowledge sharing culture, the login rate of users has been increasing steadily. To provide support and give encouragement to new staff members in adapting to work in our correctional setting, the Institutional-based Mentorship Programme (IBMP) has been fully implemented in all institutions since May 2011. As at the end of the year, there are a total of 330 mentors guiding 1 062 mentees. Development courses are organised by STI for different levels of our staff members in order to enhance their professional knowledge and work skills. Junior Command Course, Intermediate Command Course and Intermediate Command Course (Higher) are provided to officers up to Chief Officer rank respectively. For Superintendents, they are arranged to attend the Senior Command Course. All these courses aim at equipping staff at different levels with knowledge relating to their ranks so as to match their career development needs and building visions in preparation for their advancement to the next higher rank. A total of 19 two-day courses of Team Building Programme were provided to 285 staff members including Institutional Integrity Ambassadors, newly promoted Assistant Officers I and members of the Departmental Guard of Honour to build up team spirit and develop personal potential as well as self-confidence. As for other job-related and post-tied development training programmes, STI conducted a total of 301 development training courses for 6 401 staff members in the year. To enhance the effectiveness of the courses and incorporate expertise, some courses were outsourced to local universities and management consultants. In addition, Civil Service Training and Development Institute continues to provide training support for our staff. The Department is well-aware that partnership and cooperation with proficient training bodies is essential for the delivery of professional training. Amongst others, the School of Professional and Continuing Education of the University of Hong Kong (HKU SPACE) continues to organise the Advanced Diploma in Social Sciences (Corrections) Programme for our staff. The fifth programme began in August 2013 and 45 staff members were sponsored for the training. The top-up degree programme Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Work Based Learning Studies (Corrections) Programme, jointly organised by HKU SPACE and United Kingdom Middlesex University, began the second course in May 2012. Three staff members completed the course and obtained the degree in November 2013. The same education institute has also been contracted to organise the Training Courses in Languages and Cultures of Ethnic Minorities in Hong Kong since 2010. In 2013, 13 courses under the subjects on Punjabi, Nepalese, Vietnamese, Urdu and Indonesian were conducted for new recruits and selected serving officers to enhance their understanding of the ethnic minorities in Hong Kong and their job efficacy. To cope with the demand for tactical training from counterparts in Hong Kong, Macao and the Mainland, the Department arranged four training courses for 256 participants of the Immigration Department, the Customs and Excise Department and the Independent Commission Against Corruption. The courses included Pressure Point Control Tactics Instructor, Escort Duties, Basic and Quarterly Refresher Tactical Training for Immigration Department Castle Peak Immigration Centre. On the other hand, the Department arranged four training courses for 161 participants of Macao Prison, Guangdong Provincial Prisons Administrative Bureau and 17 Justice Police Vocational Schools in the Mainland. The courses covered Pressure Point Control Tactics Instructor, Security and Crisis Management, Techniques in Minimum Force and Prison Emergency Response Team. In the year, the Department continued to work with the Education Bureau (EDB) in implementing the Enhanced Smart Teen Project. The programme covered emotional control, conflicts management, penal institution visit, law and order, orienteering in Stanley Region and hiking in country park to help participants, mostly secondary school students, cultivate self-discipline, confidence, team spirit and resilience. Similar training was also provided to secondary school students via the programmes of Job Shadow Day sponsored by the Junior Achievement Hong Kong and Youth Employment Start hosted by the Labour Department to help participants understand the work of the Department and develop their readiness for future career engagement in the correctional services. As one of the most-visited museums in Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Correctional Services Museum showcases the historical evolution of Hong Kong's penal system and the role of the Department as an integral part of the criminal justice system with the importance of rehabilitation of offenders and their acceptance by society well illustrated. Guided tours are provided to school students and non-government organisations which serve as an important communication channel between the Department and the community. During the year, the Museum received 350 visiting groups with 17 438 visitors. Since its opening in 2002, more than 620 000 visitors have visited the Museum.
Staff Relations and WelfareA mutually beneficial dialogue with staff representatives is maintained through consultative mechanisms to enhance understanding and facilitate exchange of views on policies and staff related issues. The Senior Departmental Consultative Committee and Junior Departmental Consultative Committee hold quarterly staff consultation meetings to discuss issues of staff concern. Regular consultations were also conducted with staff representatives throughout 2013 to solicit staff views on special matters such as overnight sleeping room, transportation arrangement of Hei Ling Chau and refinements to the Prison (Amendment) Rules. The Staff Relations and Welfare Unit coordinates all matters relating to staff welfare and offers immediate assistance to staff and their family members in times of need. Loans and grants for certain serving and retired staff and family members are issued through the Correctional Services Department Welfare Fund. The Unit administers the Correctional Services Department Central Fund to provide group insurance coverage for staff on voluntary basis. The Correctional Services Children's Education Trust continues to provide financial assistance to children of Assistant Officers and equivalent grades in the Department to help them pursue higher education. Disabled children undertaking full-time education or training also receive financial assistance from the Trust. In 2013, a total of $908,280 was granted to 179 recipients. The Correctional Services Department Sports Association (CSDSA) organises sports and recreation activities for staff members of the Department. The Association's work is an essential part of our drive to promote a healthy and balanced lifestyle among staff and cultivate their esprit de corps. During the year, the Annual Sports Meet, Swimming Gala, 10-Kilometre Distance Run, Family Outing on Hei Ling, Sports Carnival and various inter-institutional competitions were organised. As part of the Healthy and Balanced Lifestyle Campaign and to promote quality use of leisure time, the Correctional Services Department Choir which comprises over 30 serving and retired staff members has been established in the year for those in favour of less vigorous recreation activities. The Department participates actively in charity and fund-raising events, including the Community Chest of Hong Kong's Corporate and Employee Contribution Programme (CECP) and Walk for Millions. In 2012/2013, we were presented with the CECP Silver Award, ECP Outstanding Award, Highest Donation Award and Highest Participation Rate Award of Civil Service Category. The Department also won the Outstanding Walking Team Award in the Walks for Millions, and Award of Merit as an overall achievement. To cultivate a caring workforce and a sense of social responsibility among staff, officers join the Oi Kwan Volunteer Group Limited as volunteers in leisure time to contribute and respond to community's needs. By doing so, staff members help building a cohesive and inclusive society. In 2013, over 28 000 service hours of voluntary work were provided by 2 400 volunteers in various social services including home visits and cleaning services for the elderly, organising party for people with intellectual disabilities and providing logistic support for different organisations in charity events (such as Oxfam Trailwalker 2013). Clinical Psychologists (Staff Services) provide professional psychological services to staff and their families. In 2013, a new Lai Chi Kok Staff Health Centre was established with space and facilities enhanced. The new centre, together with Stanley Staff Health Centre, provides parallel services including psychotherapy, psycho-education materials and relaxation facilities, etc. for the Kowloon and Hong Kong Region respectively. In 2013, leaflets introducing staff psychological services, art of relaxation, and family relationship were produced. Besides, video productions were extended to the domain of family relationship and working relationship. Websites on staff psychological services and Healthy and Balanced (H&B) lifestyle were updated monthly and further enhanced by producing a new interactive game on positive thinking and migrating information to English for non-Chinese reading colleagues. In-service training on stress management and H&B Lifestyle promotion were constantly conducted to new recruits and serving staff. With the continual, sustainable and total commitment in caring for the well-being of staff and their families as well as the community, the Department has been awarded the 5 Years Plus Caring Organisation Logo under the Caring Company Scheme organised by the Hong Kong Council of Social Service.
Staff Administration and Integrity ManagementWithout doubt, the Department cares not only about the well-being of persons in custody but also staff members who are regarded as the most valuable assets. As the Chinese idiom goes, "it takes 10 years to grow a tree and a hundred years to educate a person" (十年樹木，百年樹人), CSD has invested tremendous resources in enhancing personal qualities and virtues of our staff, in particular integrity. Subsequent to the promulgation of the TEAM – SPIRIT integrity management model in 2011, further efforts have been stepped up to intensify the integrity management within CSD through diversified activities, such as campaigns and competitions to encourage staff involvement in the promotion of integrity and ethical culture. They included 'Integrity Video Shooting Competition', 'Best Volunteer Service Proposal Competition', 'Integrity Quiz Challenge', etc. Response from staff was positive. One of the video entries '何必當初' in the said 'Integrity Video Shooting Competition' also won a 'Honour Award' in the international competition "the Questar Award 2013". Under the Integrity Ambassadors Programme launched in May 2011, nominated staff members from different institutions/sections were appointed as Integrity Ambassadors ('IAs') to assist in nurturing and sustaining an ethical culture at institutional level. In June 2013, a total of 112 IAs were appointed. A "Best IA Election" was convened in June 2013 in recognition of their contributions and boosting up the morale of these IAs. The Department has been working closely with the Indeperdent Commission Against Corruption in enhancing integrity training for CSD staff. Anti-corruption talks by the ICAC will be arranged to cover all CSD staff within a specific cycle. It is expected that through embedding an ethical culture within the Department and the promotion of integrity management, we could further improve the overall quality of our staff and scale a new height of our professional services towards excellence. Continuous efforts will also be made to address the needs and concerns of staff members by improving the conditions of service. Following the implementation of the reduction of conditioned working hours by one hour on September 1, 2012, we will continue to explore the viability of migrating more staff to the five-day week scheme with a view to reducing work pressure and improving the quality of family life. The Department also supports the family friendly policy of five-day paternity leave as entitled by all male civil servants, which not only helps relieve the stress of the women who have given birth, and facilitates men to assume the role of caring for their spouses and newborn babies, but also promotes gender equality and family harmony. To meet the ever-changing societal needs and employment market, we have adopted the caring practice of providing breastfeeding facilities in workplaces for lactating employees, and explored the feasibility of extending retirement age. Nowadays, demand for housing from all walks of life is overwhelming. A stable living environment can definitely help employees focus more of their efforts on career, enjoy lives without anxiety and enhance their sense of belonging to the Department. Thus, ongoing efforts have been made to ensure the availability of quarters for the sake of our staff. It is anticipated that the redevelopment project of quarters in Fu Tei, Tuen Mun will be completed in 2014. By that time, additional quarters will be supplied. In addition, improvement works on the crowded and obsolete quarters in Pik Uk have been completed. The newly renovated quarters provide more reasonably livable floor area and better living environment. The Correctional Services Department has launched strategic plans to conduct professional exchanges with the Mainland counterparts so as to establish a liaison platform to achieve a win-win situation. In the year, CSD delegations had professional exchanges with respective Prison Administration Bureau in Henan Province, Jilin Province, Heilongjiang Province, Beijing, Tianjin and Yunnan Province. On international front, CSD continues to maintain professional exchanges through participation in major international conferences such as the Asia and Pacific Conference of Correctional Administrators, Association of Paroling Authorities International Training Conference, International Corrections and Prisons Association, Correctional Industries Association of Australasia, etc. We aim at diversifying the exposures of staff members for enhancement of the Departmental succession planning and benchmarking best practices with our counterparts towards professionalism and excellence in our services.
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