Prologue Journal

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Interest in fostering surges after incentive money doubled to HK$11k

Hong Kong Free Press

Interest in providing foster care has surged with inquiries increasing 35 per cent year-on-year between April and November this year. It follows official moves to more than double foster families’ monthly allowances from HK$5,000 to HK$11,000.

Children running around in a playground in Hong Kong. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

Since April, the Social Welfare Department (SWD) also raised the monthly reward for families providing “emergency foster care” from HK$6,600 to HK$13,000. Such care refers to periods of under six weeks whereby a residential family provides for children who are under an “emergency or crisis situation.”

By the end of last month, there were over 1,000 registered foster families in Hong Kong caring for children, the government said on Sunday in a video produced by the Information Services Department.

Tsung Ka-yee, the officer in charge of the SWD’s Central Foster Care Unit, said in the video that anyone may apply to become a foster parent.

“Any adult… can apply for becoming foster parents as long as they are healthy, committed to providing love and time for foster children, have suitable care plans and be able to provide a safe living environment and separate beds for foster children,” Tsung said.

Single people could also apply to provide foster care, she added.

The video featured Mrs Ip, who – with her husband – had cared for nine foster children since 2002, including some who had special needs. Two were currently under their care.

Central Foster Care Unit Officer-in-charge Tsung Ka-yee says social workers regularly contact foster families to monitor the children’s adjustment and provide appropriate support. Photo: GovHK.

“Most of the foster children were raised by me since they were just babies,” Ip said in the video. “Helping them become healthier and learn is truly fulfilling. This is a vocation.”

She said that caring for a two-month-old girl with special needs, who was diagnosed with a lung disease, had taught her “so much about perseverance and love.”

A boy who was less than a month old when Ip began caring for him had frequently visited her even though he had moved into a hostel, now aged 17.

Ip said her fostering career could not have been possible without the support of her husband and two sons: “My sons treasure the foster children. When they go out, they walk hand in hand, just like they are elder brothers,” she said.

Her youngest son also chose to become a teacher in special education, which Ip said could have been influenced by their fostering experiences.

Safety requirements

Eleven NGOs overseen by the SWD’s Central Foster Care Unit provide foster care services.

Applicants will have to undergo a home suitability assessment, which makes sure the home meets specific safety requirements such as having window grilles or safety devices for balconies.

Applicants will also receive pre-service training before taking on the responsibility.

Those who care for children with special needs or those under the age of six will receive additional payments from the SWD.

Families bring their children to a five-day “Hometown Market” held by pro-Beijing groups in Victoria Park in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. Photo: Hans Tse/HKFP.

According to the government video, social workers conduct regular home visits, interviews, and phone check-ins to monitor foster children’s adjustment and provide guidance to the caregivers.

Children with special educational needs would be attended to with tailored advice, parenting support and psychological consultation services.

In 2022, the Hong Kong Christian Service, which is among the 11 NGOs providing foster care services, said the city could lose 20 per cent of its foster care families in three years.

Foster parents’ health issues and major life changes such as emigration were cited as major reasons behind the prediction.

As of August last year, the NGO said there were over 300 children awaiting to move in with a foster family, whereas around 100 of them were on a “hard-to-place” list with no suitable family for them.

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