The Social Welfare Department (SWD) today (April 8) hosted a film show "Lost Love" for about 100 serving foster parents and individuals interested in joining foster care service, to show appreciation to foster parents for their care and concern for foster children, and also to encourage more people to join the service.
      
     The movie "Lost Love" tells the story of a couple along their journey serving as foster parents, as well as the family's heart-melting interactions with their foster children.
      
     The Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun; the Permanent Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Ms Alice Lau; the Director of Social Welfare, Miss Charmaine Lee; the film director of "Lost Love", Mr Ka Sing-fung; members of the Committee on Review of Residential Child Care and Related Services, as well as representatives from 11 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) subvented by the SWD for operating foster care service, joined the event today.
      
     Addressing the event, Mr Sun said that 12 improvement measures on foster service have been put forward in the Report of the Second Phase Review of Residential Child Care and Related Services, released earlier by the SWD, focusing on developing foster care service with enhanced publicity, including a "one-plus-one" recruitment programme to encourage persons interested in joining foster care service to pair up with their family and friends to support each other to care for foster children. He said he hoped that today's film show would raise the community's awareness of foster care service and encourage more people to become foster parents.
      
     He expressed heartfelt gratitude to all foster parents for their selflessness and continuous contributions. He also commended the 11 NGOs operating the service for their wholehearted support and guidance to the foster families. He appealed to the community to participate in foster care service so that needy children may enjoy a family life. He also encouraged families and friends to sign up as foster parents.
      
     At the event, Mr Ka shared with the audience his ideas on the production of the movie. A foster parent also shared her experience on foster care service.
      
     Foster care service provides residential family care for children aged under 18 who cannot be adequately taken care of by their families due to family problems or crises, before they can be re-united with their families or settle down with a long-term welfare arrangement. Currently, there are about 950 foster homes and 880 foster children in placement. Members of the public who are interested in becoming foster parents may contact the SWD's Central Foster Care Unit at 2573 2282 during office hours.

Ends/Saturday, April 8, 2023
Issued at HKT 15:16

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