Hong Kong Connection：Rethinking Residential Child Care

Residential child care services have always been the safety net for children experiencing family crises. Based on statistics from the Social Welfare Department (SWD), there are approximately 4,000 service quotes annually, roughly half of which are residential services, providing residential care to those aged between 0 and 21. Industry insiders point out that child care services have gradually developed into different models over the past few decades. These models include Residential Creches, Residential Nursery, Children's Reception Centre, Boys' Home/ Girls' Home, and Boys' Hostel/ Girls' Hostel. Although the operation model varies, these residential services face shortage of places, resulting in a prolonged waiting period for children in need. Since the government has strengthened its supervision of residential child care services in recent years, how will service providers respond to the changing social environment? What are the challenges faced by the frontline staff?