Community‐based Social Services for People with Learning Disabilities in the People's Republic of China

Since 1954, the People's Republic of China (PRO has set up a vast community network to deliver welfare services at the neighbourhood level. Such institutions called Street Offices and comprised of Residents' Committees are very different from voluntary agencies in the West. Community‐based services for people with learning disabilities, which have gained much popularity in the West in last decades, are described in the Chinese context. This article also examines the functions and roles of the street office in the PRC. Difficulties facing the Street Office are also discussed. 1995 Blackwell Publishing Ltd