Hong Kong YWCA is dedicated to promoting the development of core social services and building a caring and inclusive society based on the spirit of Christ and the purpose of “Enhancement of Life” by collaborating closely with Government departments, corporate partners and various sectors of society.

We emphasize the holistic development of young people. We are committed to nurturing young people with aspirations and positive thinking by supporting the Government’s youth policies and fostering meaningful youth participation. In the second cohort of Strive and Rise Programme, as one of the district organizers in Kowloon West, mentorship and group activities were offered for secondary school students from grassroots families to reinforce their self-confidence, broaden their horizons and establish social networks, thereby opening up more possibilities for personal development.

We are also concerned about the mental wellness of young people and strive to provide professional support and intervention for youth, parents and schools. These included the “Jockey Club Embrace Life Series 2.0 – Embrace Emotions Programme for the Youth” which adopted diverse intervention methods and theories to address the emotional needs of junior secondary school students. The Jockey Club “The Year of Go!” Series was also launched to motivate teenagers to explore and discover the wonder and excitement in daily lives with their peers.
 

In response to the ageing population, increasing prevalence of chronic diseases and growing demand for public healthcare services, the Government has actively promoted community-based primary healthcare services to enhance public health through a medical-social collaboration model and optimal use of community resources. In view of this trend, our Elderly Service Department has been renamed Aged Care and Community Health Service Department with effect from 1 April 2024, to accentuate our commitment to promoting community health through comprehensive services in collaboration with community stakeholders and partners.

Indeed, we have developed various community health services over the years based on the notion of holistic care. In 2021, we were commissioned by the Government to operate the North District Health Centre (DHC) Express, marking a milestone in our community health service development. Funded by the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) Charities Trust, we operate the PHARM+ YWCA Community Pharmacy this year, offering accessible and affordable medication dispensing and consultation services as well as proper medication use and healthy living advice. The community pharmacy will liaise with the North DHC Express for serving the North District.

With the ageing trend of the population continues, support for carers has become particularly important and is regarded as a key factor in achieving ageing in place. Thus, we have operated three Carer Spaces respectively in Sai Wan Ho, Sheung Shui and Tsing Yi under the “Jockey Club Carer Space Project” this year, where carers not only received all-round support, but also shared their experiences with others. Daytime respite services for the elderly were also offered. Besides, our social enterprise “Y Senior Care” has launched the “Y Good Helper” training service which provided foreign domestic helpers with professional assessments as well as personalized and on-site training to enhance their knowledge and skills in elderly care.
 

In the Chief Executive’s 2023 Policy Address, a series of measures were proposed to strengthen support for working families in childbearing and unleash their labour force. Following Tin Shui Wai, our second aided standalone child care centre, Y-Kids UPlace (Queens Hill) in Fanling has commenced service this year to provide Educare service for families, with the goal of promoting the holistic development and healthy growth of children. 

Over the years, the multidisciplinary team of Y SENse has provided diverse services for children with special educational needs (SEN) and their families, including assessments, occupational therapy, speech therapy and training since its launch in 2020. Teaching materials for teachers and parents were also designed. It has gained widespread recognition and accumulated solid experience. This year, we established the Y SENse Special Educational Needs Service Centre in San Po Kong. Along with the service points in Ho Man Tin and Tin Shui Wai, Y SENse now has three service points, which enable us to serve more children, families, schools and sector partners.

To cater for the needs of society and future development, we have invested in technology, aiming to enhance and innovate our social services through the application of technology and statistics in an effective manner. Funded by the HKJC Charities Trust, we have developed the HKJC e-Platform to Achieve Smart Service for On-site Preschool Rehabilitation Services (e-Pass OPRS) in collaboration with three social service organizations, to enhance case management and intervention, and strengthen connections between families, schools and service providers. A sharing session cum seminar was organized to share the achievements with service operators and pre-school institutions, which was well received and several organizations were interested in trialing the system. Besides, since the launch of Enterprise Resources Planning (ERP) system in phases in 2022, we continued to review system efficiency and optimize its functions. Evaluation on system effectiveness was also conducted. By sharing our experiences with various sector partners, we demonstrated how the ERP system enhanced administrative efficiency, strengthened organizational governance and reinforced service development through flexible data analysis and application.

Over the past year, our services have developed smoothly with the guidance of the Lord. I would like to thank everyone who has joined hands with us and we look forward to continued guidance and support from the society so that we can carry forward our mission.