HONG KONG (UCAN): The Hong Kong Christian Service, which provides around 20 per cent of the city’s foster care service, urged the city’s government during a press conference “to build a better support system for these families, such as increasing subsidies and incentives, to retain them.”
Carrie Kong Ka-Wei, the group’s chief supervisor, stated that the lack of sufficient subsidies is a major factor affecting the service, Hong Kong Free Press reported on November 1.
“Apart from the stress of having to take care of children, the lack of support and insufficient financial subsidies also deterred families from continuing as foster care parents,” Kong said.
The foster care system provides a temporary arrangement in which trained caregivers, including kinship or relative caregivers, provide for the care of a child when their biological parent[s] are unable to care for them, according to ifoster.org. While living with a foster family, children will go to school and receive medical care and social services.
Some 18.5 per cent of respondents from the 118 foster families interviewed by Hong Kong Christian Service indicated that they planned to leave the service in the coming three years, the survey reported.
Apart from the stress of having to take care of children, the lack of support and insufficient financial subsidies also deterred families from continuing as foster care parents
The reasons cited by the foster families for leaving the service included health issues and other life plans, such as emigration.
Of the survey respondents, 25 per cent stated that the maintenance stipend was not enough, and 64 per cent stated that it did not cover extracurricular activities, tutorial center fees, and medical fees.
Mrs. Wong, a foster parent, stated that the financial aid from the government was insufficient to take care of the children.
“[Children in foster care] tend to have a sense of inferiority… If a certain item is not that expensive, I will try my best to satisfy them, I don’t want them to feel inferior to their friends,” Wong said.
The 61-year-old Wong has been a foster parent since 2007 and has two girls currently under her care.
At present, foster care families can receive a monthly maintenance grant of $6,530 [approximately US$832] and an incentive payment of $4,898 [approximately $624] for each child they take care of.
Apart from this, those looking after children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder [ADHD], autism, or mild intellectual disabilities receive an additional monthly payment of just over $1,600 [$204].
[Children in foster care] tend to have a sense of inferiority… If a certain item is not that expensive, I will try my best to satisfy them, I don’t want them to feel inferior to their friends
Kong also stated that the number of foster homes available for children was lower than what was required.
“As of the end of March, there were more than 300 children in Hong Kong waiting to be placed in a foster care family. From April 2021 to March, foster families were available to only one in 10 children on average,” Kong said.
She also added that as per the survey more than 40 per cent of respondents were aged over 60 years, which is also a major deterrent resulting in fewer children receiving foster care.
Ip Yee-fun, a social worker affiliated with the organisation suggested that the government should provide a network of foster families for better service.
“The government should consider launching hubs in districts with more foster care families, and also a network of families who could fill in for a short period if foster care providers had to go on leave,” Ip said.
She added that “the government should consider reviewing the subsidies mechanism, and account for additional expenses for developmental activities.”
Hong Kong’s foster care system allows government-assessed and approved families to take care of children up to 18 years of age. After this, the typical plan is to reunite children with their families.
The Hong Kong Family Welfare Society launched the Foster Care Service in 1984.
