Hong Kong gov’t launches 8 care teams to reach out to ethnic minorities, with social workers as team captains
Hong Kong Free Press
The Hong Kong government has launched eight local care teams to reach out to ethnic minorities in need, with each team led by a social worker and two people from ethnic minority communities as team members.
Eric Chan, the city’s chief secretary, said during a launch ceremony for the new care teams on Sunday that they would “strengthen” the function of eight existing Support Service Centres for Ethnic Minorities across the city. The care teams will be run by these centres, which are fully funded by the Home Affairs Department.
“Besides keeping them posted on the latest government information, the Care Teams will proactively find out and fulfil their needs with relevant services,” Chan said during the event.
The official added that the government would open two new service centres by the end of the year, each with a new care team.
According to authorities, each service centre for ethnic minorities would receive HK$11 million per year from the government, with each centre to serve no less than 8,000 people per year.
“I look forward to the close collaboration between our Government and the Ethnic Minority Care Teams together with their affiliated support service centres. Let’s build a more harmonious and better Hong Kong together,” Chan continued.
When asked by a reporter whether the role of the care teams and the service centres overlapped, Chan did not answer directly. He said the government hoped more people from ethnic minorities would join the care teams as volunteers, “to help their friends of the same ethnic groups.”
Lee Sai-lei, a social worker from the social welfare group New Home Association and the leader of the ethnic minority care team for the Yau Tsim Mong district, told local media outlets on Sunday that the care team received HK$1 million in funding per year.
Lee said while the service centre run by New Home Association mainly held programmes for ethnic minorities to join, the care team also made home visits, as the government requested care teams to visit at least 500 homes per year.
Prior to the roll-out of the new care teams, the Social Welfare Department commissioned three local NGOs to provide out-reach services to ethnic minorities in need.
Care teams commanded by district officers
The city’s leader John Lee introduced care teams in 2022 as part of his scheme “to improve district governance” and to support authorities’ district work.
Apart from the new care teams for ethnic minorities, there are around 450 care teams set up across the city’s 18 districts.
District officers, government representatives in different districts, serve as commanders of all care teams.
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