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A Child Development Forum organised by the Government's Commission on Poverty was held today (November 10) at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Three prominent overseas speakers, including the pioneer in the asset-building approach, Professor Michael Sherraden, shared their insights of the child development fund models adopted overseas. Other speakers were Professor Elaine Kempson and Professor Cheng Li-chen. Key stakeholders (schools, NGOs, academia, business and policy-makers) then discussed the applicability of the overseas models in Hong Kong, and how we could further strengthen our existing support for children and their families, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The Financial Secretary and Chairman of the Commission on Poverty, Mr Henry Tang said, "Investing in our children is investing in our future. Every child matters. We hope to see that each child has access to opportunities and contribute positively to our society when they grow up.
"The Government will continue to invest heavily in education and other development opportunities for children. But we also need to instill the right attitudes and values in our younger generation. Using the right approach, we can ensure that our efforts will be targeted at the right objectives and will lead to positive results," Mr Tang added.
Dr Philemon Choi, Chairman of the Task Force on Children and Youth said, "Today we had a good discussion of what a Child Development Fund is - it is not just about money; it is a progressive approach in helping our children develop their own future. We cannot tackle intergenerational poverty through quick fixes or simply giving out more money."
The main observations shared by participants include:
* The asset-building approach is a worthwhile approach for us to re-think our policy in assisting children and their families. Passive assistance delivered to children was not conducive to motivating them to plan for their own future.
* A child development fund model that locks in savings until the children turn 18 might not fit Hong Kong's needs. Hong Kong should explore a model suitable for the needs of our community.
* In so doing, we should not limit assets to financial assets only. It should also include intangible assets such as right attitudes and social capital.
As for the way forward, participants have made the following suggestions:
* Overseas experience shows that developing a universal programme takes time. As a start, we should encourage more pilot projects using the asset-based approach. We also need to build a community consensus on the objective of setting up such a fund, and what assets we aim to build up among our younger generation.
* We need to consider carefully the role of the Government, the NGO sector, business, and the children and their families themselves. While the Government should take a lead, we should be mindful that too much Government involvement may not be conducive to encouraging personal responsibility and development.
Participants were also supportive of the Government's proposal to set up an integrated, holistic and high-level Family Commission responsible for policies and initiatives relating to family support. They noted that in considering how best to promote child development, we should not simply focus on children, but should also consider the needs and problems of families as a whole.
Further details on the background, programme and speakers' profiles etc., are available at the forum's website: www.cdf.gov.hk.
Participants also shared the key findings and recommendations made in the "Study on the Promotion of Parent Education for Economically Disadvantaged and Hard-to-Reach Families in Hong Kong" conducted by the Chinese University of Hong Kong. A summary of findings and recommendations is at the Annex.
The observations and recommendations of the forum will be submitted to the Commission on Poverty for consideration at its next meeting on Monday, November 20.
Ends/Friday, November 10, 2006
Issued at HKT 19:11
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