Annual District Highlights

District Highlights 2022-23

1. SUPPORTING NEEDY FAMILIES AND THEIR CARERS AND BUILDING A CARING COMMUNITY

The Tai Po and North District Social Welfare Office (District Social Welfare Office) promoted caring for underprivileged groups and families in need by implementing the “Caring Kitchen” programme through Integrated Family Service Centres and non-governmental organisations. This allowed families living in subdivided units to gather in the centres’ kitchens during different festivals to prepare festive meals for their loved ones. The District Social Welfare Office also continued its collaboration with the Education University of Hong Kong to organise the “Walking Together – Parent-Child Programme for Children’s Development” by conducting parent-child speech training courses for children suspected of having or have been diagnosed with speech problems, as well as their carers. Moreover, the District Social Welfare Office partnered with local stakeholders to offer a diverse range of support services, including organising physical fitness and sensory experience-based parent-child activities, an outdoor activity (“Autumn Outing”), PlayScope Tours for children, as well as health and home safety talks, etc. These services have effectively assisted families in alleviating stress and promoted positive family relationships.
The District Social Welfare Office continued to run the “Care the Carer” Campaign in collaboration with local stakeholders to strengthen support for carers. Various leisure activities under the theme of「慢活照顧者」體驗活動 in Chinese are regularly organised in 6 Community Carer’s Cafes located throughout the district. These cafes also offered respite services for the elderly and children to allow carers to have the opportunity to take a break and relax. In 2022-23, around 600 carers were served by the cafes. To build a caring community, the District Social Welfare Office launched the “Volunteer Service Incentive Scheme” to mobilise volunteers to provide services to persons with disabilities, the elderly and vulnerable groups residing in squatters and sub-divided flats in the district. These services encompassed concern calls, visits, assistance with purchasing daily necessities, and digital technology training. A total of 840 individuals have benefitted from these volunteer services.

2. CARING FOR THE ELDERLY AND THEIR CARERS

The District Social Welfare Office implemented the “Care for the Elderly in the Neighbourhood” district collaboration project, which connected 21 elderly service units in Tai Po and North District to form 8 neighbourhood community networks. 200 residents/stakeholders in the neighbourhood were trained as “Neighbourhood Care Ambassadors” to actively identify and reach out to elderly individuals in need within the community. Through home visits and support activities for carers of the elderly, the Ambassadors distributed a total of 800 copies of “Carer Resource Map” and other promotional materials. In response to the “Dementia Friendly Community Campaign”, the District Social Welfare Office partnered with District Elderly Community Centres and district organisations to organise a local forum (『智』『埔』愛晚晴地區論壇). The forum was attended by 150 participants. The “Fun and Active Living - Toy Library” was established to provide borrowing services for board games specifically designed for elderly individuals with dementia and their carers. Training was also provided to over 300 carers, enabling them to conduct home-based training activities with dementia patients.

3. PROMOTING COMMUNITY MENTAL WELLNESS AND STRENGTHENING SUPPORT FOR THE DISABLED AND THEIR CARERS

The District Social Welfare Office regularly released inspirational comic strips on electronic platforms, distributed thematic comic books, and produced promotional items featuring “Tai Po Little Wishing Tree” and “North District Little Sunshine”, 2 illustrated characters created to convey positive messages of valuing life, caring for the community, and promoting mental health awareness. In addition, a project called “守護晴Teen@TPN” was implemented in 49 primary and secondary schools as well as Integrated Children and Youth Services Centres in the district, training participating students as care ambassadors. They acquired techniques for stress relief and providing emotional support to aid the mental well-being of their peers. The project attracted the participation of over 2 400 students/youth. Furthermore, the District Social Welfare Office continued to place signposts with positive messages from “Tai Po Little Wishing Tree” and “North District Little Sunshine” along the “Butterfly Hill Trail of Mental Wellness” (the Trail). To infuse the community with positive energy, parent-child activities and online running events were organised to encourage families and young people to visit the Trail. About 500 people participated in these events.
To enhance public mental health and raise awareness, the District Social Welfare Office has collaborated with various service units in the district to improve the online information platform known as “心靈自駕遊 – 精神健康服務網上資訊平台”, which is regularly updated with information on mental health activities organised by local organisations. Approximately 1 500 individuals were reached through these promotional activities. The District Social Welfare Office also implemented the community education project called “傷健齊家凝動力 – 傷健共融社區教育計劃”. Activities co-organised by different organisations were funded under this project to achieve 4 main objectives: promote community mental health, address the needs of carers, support disabled persons residing in private housing, and enhance the positive image of persons with disabilities. The project benefitted a total of 2 600 individuals.