Annual District Highlights

District Highlights 2023-24

Building a Caring Community

Teamed up with the welfare service units in the district to organise a diverse range of activities promoting positive psychology and mental health in the community. The Green Ribbon Campaign continued to strengthen social support networks and mutual aid among residents of several small localities. To support the Care the Carers Campaign launched by SWD, the District Social Welfare Office, together with more than 50 social welfare service units, hospitals and organisations in the district, organised the “Cheering Day for Carers in the Sha Tin District” to raise awareness and appeal to the community to show their support for carers.

Caring for Children and Families

The welfare service units in the district were engaged to train Caring Family Ambassadors, and organise a series of support groups and programmes for parents, with a view to identifying and providing timely support to families facing potential crises at an early stage. A workshop was organised to equip frontline social workers with the knowledge and skills necessary for counselling parents, especially those with children with special educational needs (SEN). To address the concerns of local stakeholders regarding the mandatory reporting regime for suspected child abuse cases, professional training and sharing sessions were also held for stakeholders from the social welfare, education and healthcare sectors, thereby strengthening cross-sector collaboration and child protection efforts.

Providing Support for Elderly Persons, Persons with Disabilities and Their Carers

The “Sha Tin District Carers Support Scheme” was launched to promote cross-service and cross-sector collaboration, with a view to alleviating stress for carers of elderly persons and persons with disabilities. Local businesses and community groups were mobilised to provide carers with some breathing room, helping to relieve their stress. The Sha Tin District Commendation Scheme for Carers was held to recognise the contributions of carers. Seminars were conducted to share caregiving skills and community resources with carers. A variety of activities were also organised to promote mental well-being among elderly persons. Additionally, pre-school rehabilitation services and related community resources were introduced to parents of students with disabilities through online virtual service tours in collaboration with rehabilitation service units. An art fair was organised to showcase the talents of persons with disabilities and promote social inclusion.

Nurturing a Positive Mindset and Promoting Holistic Development Among the Youth

In collaboration with the Education Bureau’s Sha Tin District School Development Section and the Hong Kong Police Force’s Police Negotiation Cadre, etc., professional training activities were organised to enhance the sensitivity of frontline social workers, school teachers, and counsellors towards teenagers’ emotional issues while improving their professional knowledge in crisis management. Moreover, the District Social Welfare Office continued to organise a job shadowing programme for young people in collaboration with educational institutions and NGOs in the district, helping them gain a better understanding of the job opportunities in elderly and rehabilitation care service industry.