LCQ12: Operation of Designated Hotline for Carer Support
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Question:
The Social Welfare Department (SWD) commissioned the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals to operate the Designated Hotline for Carer Support 182 183 (the Carer Hotline), with its full implementation since September 2023. The Carer Hotline, which provides 24-hour services, is answered by professional social workers with the aim of reducing the stress and burden induced by daily caregiving, and enhancing their caring capability continuously. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the number of assistance-seeking cases received each year since the full implementation of the Carer Hotline, with a breakdown by (i) carers' residence districts, (ii) carer categories (such as carers of elderly persons, carers of persons with disabilities, and carers of persons in mental recovery), and (iii) the nature of calls (such as enquiries about general information, emotional support and counselling, requests for emergency support (for family crises, suicide risks, etc.), financial problems, and requests for respite service);
(2) of the number of cases categorised as high-risk households among the cases stated in part (1); whether the Government has maintained any information on the family types involved in those cases (such as families of elderly doubletons, families with "members with disabilities taking care of elderly members", families with "elderly members taking care of members with disabilities", or families with "members with disabilities taking care of other members with disabilities"); if so, of the number under each of these family types; if not, the reasons for that; and whether it will consider establishing a relevant database;
(3) of the respective numbers of (i) cases with successful referral to the SWD or non-governmental organisations receiving government subvention (such as elderly centres, day care centres for the elderly, residential care homes for persons with disabilities, and Integrated Family Service Centres) for follow-up, and (ii) cases with unsuccessful referral since the full implementation of the Carer Hotline; and
(4) in order to enable social service organisations to further improve their services for carers, whether the authorities will consider the publication of the relevant statistics on the Carer Hotline at regular intervals (such as once every half a year); if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
Carers play an important role in supporting elderly persons and persons with disabilities. Providing appropriate support to carers alleviates their physical and mental stress, thereby enabling them to take better care of elderly persons and persons with disabilities. The 24-hour Designated Hotline for Care Support 182 183 (the Hotline), answered by professional social workers, was set up in September 2023 as one of the various many support measures put in place by the Government. The Social Welfare Department (SWD) has commissioned the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals to operate the Hotline, providing carers with real-time consultation service, emotional support and counseling, outreach/emergency support, referral to welfare services, etc. The Hotline will also assist in arranging respite services as needed to alleviate the pressure on carers.
Our reply to various parts of the question is as follows:
(1) and (3) As at end-January 2026, the Hotline had received over 146 000 calls, with the breakdown as follows:
| Nature of call (Note 2) | Number of calls (Note 1) | |||
| 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 (As at end-January 2026) |
Total | |
| Emotional problem | 6 265 | 31 406 | 17 101 | 54 772 |
| Enquiry on community support services | 3 756 | 8 709 | 15 658 | 28 123 |
| Caregiving problem | 2 271 | 5 954 | 12 029 | 20 254 |
| Financial problem | 1 127 | 970 | 970 | 3 067 |
| Physical health problem | 710 | 1 619 | 1 238 | 3 567 |
| Mental health problem | 642 | 1 202 | 898 | 2 742 |
| Enquiry on residential care services | 564 | 2 853 | 4 333 | 7 750 |
| Application for respite services | 503 | 1 596 | 2 126 | 4 225 |
| Family relationship | 284 | 663 | 368 | 1 315 |
| Housing/accommodation problem | 166 | 233 | 1 278 | 1 677 |
| Others (such as enquiry on the services of the Hotline) | 202 | 9 443 | 9 330 | 18 975 |
| Total | 16 490 | 64 648 | 65 329 | 146 467 |
Note 2: If a call involves multiple inquiries, the Hotline social worker will determine the principal nature of the call based on specific circumstances of the case.
The Hotline service does not maintain breakdown of all callers' residential areas, categories of carers, or whether they are high-risk families. When answering calls, Hotline social workers will first assess the caller's real-time situation and immediate needs, evaluate their welfare needs and crisis factors. Social workers will provide the caller with relevant information and recommend suitable support services based on the actual circumstances, and make service referrals as and when necessary upon obtaining the caller's consent. Caller's personal data, such as family background or residential address, is collected mainly for the purpose of making service referrals. For cases not involving service referrals, the Hotline does not collect caller's personal data.
As at end-January 2026, the Hotline had successfully referred over 3 900 cases to community support service units. The breakdown by referral service category is as follows:
| Type of service referred | Number of referrals |
| Elderly services | 1 004 |
| Family services | 1 252 |
| Rehabilitation services | 319 |
| Medical social services | 303 |
| Day/residential respite services | 401 |
| Home care/escort services | 243 |
| Crisis intervention services | 176 |
| Ambulance services | 140 |
| Others | 101 |
| Total | 3 939 |
(2) In addition to handling proactive calls from carers, the Hotline also assists in handling cases identified from the pilot scheme on Carer Support Data Platform. Under this pilot scheme, the SWD identifies, through an inter-departmental notification mechanism, cases where carers of high-risk households (including doubleton elderly persons, carers of the elderly, and carers of persons with disabilities) are hospitalised, giving rise to care risks. Hotline social workers will proactively contact the care recipients in these cases and provide emergency support as needed, so as to achieve early intervention. The pilot scheme commenced in July 2025, and as at end-January 2026, the Hotline had assisted with over 3 900 cases identified by the Data Platform, with three cases requiring emergency support.
(4) The SWD will regularly assess the performance and service effectiveness of service providers through its existing service performance monitoring system, and closely communicate with them to keep optimising service content and model. The SWD will announce key statistical data on the operation and service utilisation of the Hotline to the public through various channels as and when appropriate.
Ends/Wednesday, March 18, 2026
Issued at HKT 11:15
Issued at HKT 11:15
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