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LCQ2: Supporting children who are temporarily devoid of adequate family care
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     Following is a question by Dr Hon Fernando Cheung and a reply by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, in the Legislative Council today (March 19):

Question:

     It is learnt that children with special educational needs (SEN) such as those with mild intellectual disability may be admitted to small group homes (SGHs) under the Social Welfare Department, but the age limit for living in SGHs is 18 years old. Some persons with SEN who moved out of SGHs upon reaching the age of 18 but had not yet completed their senior secondary school education have encountered adjustment difficulties in daily life due to the drastic changes in their living environment, and their study progress has also adversely been affected. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the number of persons with SEN who moved out of SGHs as they had reached the age of 18 in each school year since 2009-2010, with a tabulated breakdown by their characteristics and circumstances as follows: genders, types of schools attended (i.e. mainstream or special schools), types of SEN (i.e. specific learning difficulties, intellectual disability, visual impairment, hearing impairment, autism spectrum disorders, physical disability, speech impairment, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder), and their accommodation arrangements after leaving SGHs (e.g. living with parents or relatives, admitted to private residential homes or those homes with vocational training for adults, etc.); and

(2) with regard to persons with SEN who have not yet completed their senior secondary school education, whether the authorities will raise their age limit for living in SGHs; if so, of the procedures and guidelines for such upward adjustment; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

     My reply to the questions raised by Dr Hon Fernando Cheung is as follows:

(1) To support children who are temporarily devoid of adequate family care, the Government subsidises non-governmental organisations to provide different types of residential care services, including non-institutional small group homes (SGHs). SGH aims to provide children under the age of 18 who are devoid of adequate care with a stable, safe and home-like environment conducive to their physical, social, emotional and intellectual growth and development, until they can return to their homes or be arranged with suitable long-term placement.  

     There are in general three types of SGH, viz. (i) ordinary SGH which mainly serves children with normal intelligence, and also takes in children with mild health problems, mild behavioural or emotional problems and slow learners; (ii) Integrated SGH which serves both children with normal intelligence and children with mild intellectual disabilities; and (iii) SGH for Mildly Mentally Handicapped Children which serves children with mild intellectual disabilities.

     As SGH aims to serve children aged under 18, the services and support facilities it provides are tailored to meet the needs of this group of children. Nevertheless, the Social Welfare Department (SWD) would consider individual case on its own merits and allow flexibility in the age limit.

     SWD does not capture statistics on whether children living in ordinary SGH have SEN or not. However, SWD has examined the reasons for children to leave these SGHs in general. From the 2009/10 school year till now, 133 persons had left ordinary SGH after they reached 18. Among them, 82 (62 per cent) left for family reunion; 27 (20 per cent) for independent living; 23 (17 per cent) for other residential care services; and one (1 per cent) for other reasons.

     As for the children with mild intellectual disabilities in SGH for Mildly Mentally Handicapped Children/Integrated SGH, from the 2009/10 school year till now, 21 persons had left after they reached 18. Among them, 12 (57 per cent) left for other residential care services; eight (38 per cent) for family reunion; and one (5 per cent) did not specify the reason.

(2) As mentioned in the reply for part (1) of the question, notwithstanding that SGH aims to serve children aged under 18, SWD would allow flexibility in the age limit as deemed appropriate having regard to the circumstances of individual children. If the responsible social worker, after assessing the residential and study/training needs of a child who will soon be reaching 18, considers that it is in the best interests of the child to stay in the SGH, SWD will exercise discretion having regard to the merits of the case. From the 2009/10 school year till now, 11 persons who had reached 18 but not yet completed education had applied to extend their stay in SGH for Mildly Mentally Handicapped Children/Integrated SGH, mainly on grounds of inadequate family care, special study/training needs, or awaiting admission to other suitable placement. SWD approved all 11 applications after considering their individual merits.

Ends/Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Issued at HKT 15:36

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