School-based Model First and Second Phases of the Trial Run

Introduction

To strengthen support for pre-school children with special needs, the Social Welfare Department is implementing the “School-based Model” in phases on a trial basis.  

This Model integrates the respective strengths of the Integrated Programme in Kindergarten-cum-Child Care Centre (IP) and the On-site Pre-school Rehabilitation Services (OPRS) to establish a more systematic collaboration platform within kindergartens (KGs) and kindergarten-cum-child care centres (KG-cum-CCCs), thereby providing children with coherent and comprehensive services.

In schools where only OPRS is in place, the OPRS teams will work closely with the schools through this collaboration platform to ensure that children receive holistic and appropriate support.

Under this Model: 

• Eligible children do not need to go through the Central Waiting List for service allocation;
• Parents do not need to choose between IP and OPRS services;
• The collaboration platform will design service packages tailored to the specific needs of each child; and
• Services will be flexibly adjusted based on the child’s needs at different stages of development.

Overall, the School-based Model aims to provide more appropriate, continuous, and integrated support for children with special needs.

Implementation Status

The trial run of the School-based Model is being carried out in two phases:

• First Phase of the Trial Run: 
  • 12 participating KGs and KG-cum-CCCs
  • Commenced on 1 April 2026
• Second Phase of the Trial Run: 
  • An additional 100 KGs and KG-cum-CCCs will join, bringing the total number of participating KGs and KG-cum-CCCs to 112
  • To commence on 1 September 2026

List of Participating KGs and KGs-cum-CCCs  

Information Leaflet