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Service Description of Foster Care Service
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 Foster Care
Foster Care provides residential family care for children under 18 years of age, whose parents cannot adequately take care of them due to special family circumstances, so that they can continue to enjoy family life until they can re-unite with their families, join an adoptive family or live independently.
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Foster Care (Emergency)
Foster Care (Emergency) provides immediate and short-term residential family care for children under 18 years of age, whose parents cannot care for them because of emergency or crisis situations. The duration of care should not exceed six weeks.
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Television Announcement in the Public Interest:
Your Family Care Can Enrich a Child's Life
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Foster Care Leaflet
Leaflets on foster care in Chinese, English and Ethnic Minority languages are listed as below:
| Traditional Chinese (leaflet) |
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| English (leaflet) |
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| Hindi version (text version) |
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| Indonesian (text version) |
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| Nepali (text version) |
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| Tagalog (text version) |
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| Thai (text version) |
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| Urdu (text version) |
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| Vietnamese (text version) |
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| Punjabi(text version) |
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Video： |
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i) Unforgettable Moments in Foster Care
Acknowledgement: Xinhua News Agency Asia-Pacific Regional BureauAcknowledgement: Xinhua News Agency Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau
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ii) We are all parents
Acknowledgement: RTHK Public Affairs Unit
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Target Groups
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Foster Child in need of Foster Care or Foster Care (Emergency)
Child between newborn and under 18 years of age, normal in health and intelligence or mildly mentally handicapped.
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Foster parents
Ideal Foster Parents should have:
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fondness for children, experience and ability in child care |
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adequate care plans for children |
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appropriate attitudes and skills in parenting and nurturing children1 |
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primary education standard or above |
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good health and stable emotion |
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happy family life and stable living |
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stable financial condition, such as having sufficient income, savings or disposable assets |
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tidy, clean and safe living environment, including provision of window grilles or installation of secure window opening restricting devices 2, compliance with safety requirements for kitchen3, and installation of safety devices4 for balcony (if any), etc. |
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adequate living space, including provision of separate beds and activity space for foster children |
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consent from all family members to participate in foster care service |
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willingness to accept investigation and guidance by social workers |
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[For enquiries about the above conditions, please call the Central Foster Care Unit of the Social Welfare Department (SWD)] |
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1
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The Central Foster Care Unit of SWD and non-governmental organisations operating foster care service will provide relevant training to foster parents regularly to enhance their knowledge and skills in child care and parenting. |
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2
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Window grilles (including grilles for louvers) must be installed such that any gap between window frames and grilles does not exceed 4 inches. If installation of window grilles is not permitted by the deed of mutual covenant of the building, secure window opening restricting devices must be installed such that the opening width of windows does not exceed 4 inches. |
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To prevent children from entering the kitchen, the kitchen door shall always be closed or safety gate be installed at the entrance of the kitchen. |
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The door to the balcony must be locked. A lockable opening restricting device or other safety devices may also be installed at the door such that the opening width of the door does not exceed 4 inches. |
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Training Programmes for Foster Care Service and other Programmes
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The Central Foster Care Unit (CFCU) of the Social Welfare Department provides foster parents with support which includes organizing regular training workshops & talks particularly paying attention to their needs in taking care of foster children. CFCU social workers also run Liaison & Sharing Group in different districts regularly to collect foster parents’ opinions and to identify their needs, with a view for achieving continuous improvement and development of foster care. |
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In light of the recent situation of the “COVID-19” disease, face to face training programmes will be suspended until further notice.
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Information on Service Statistics
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As at the end of June 2021, the service statistics on foster care are as follows:
| No. of Foster Homes |
953 |
| No. of Foster Children in Placement |
935 |
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Application Procedures
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For Children in need of Foster Care Placement
Please contact integrated family service centres, medical social work units or other social service units for interviews and referrals.
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For Families interested to become Foster Parents
Please contact Central Foster Care Unit of the Social Welfare Department
Room 2202, 22/F., Southorn Centre, 130 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
Tel. No.: 2573 2282
Fax No.: 2573 2120
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Monday to Friday
8:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
2:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Closed on Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays |
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Fees and Charges
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Foster care is free of charge. Foster parents will receive Foster Care Allowance for maintenance of foster children's monthly expenses. In addition, they will receive incentive payment which is non-taxable.
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Intranet of Foster Care Service
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'Intranet of Foster Care' is a newsletter published by the Central Foster Care Unit. The content of the Newsletter includes the latest development of foster care, programme forecast on training and publicity, etc. It aims at facilitating foster parents, foster children, referring workers and foster care workers, to attain a better understanding of the service development and enhance their mutual communication for a smooth cooperation.
Our most recent Newsletters (in Chinese version only) are placed below for your reference :
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