With the epidemic subsided, the resumption of normalcy and lifting of social distancing restrictions facilitated the Association to launch various new services catering for the needs of community and equip itself for sustainable development to meet future challenges.

In the face of an ageing population and in order to alleviate the pressure on public healthcare system, the Government actively developed primary healthcare services in recent years, which paved the way for the enhancement of medical-social collaboration. Over the years, the Association has launched a range of services to promote community health, and was commissioned to operate North District Health Centre Express in 2021, to provide district-based primary healthcare services and enhance the capability in self-management of health among citizens through medical-social collaboration and public-private partnership. The centre has forged partnerships with nearly a hundred district organizations, charities, schools and churches to co-organize various health activities. It also teamed up with allied health professionals to support the chronically ill through a multi-disciplinary approach and enhance the access to primary healthcare services among different parties in the district.

The Association also joined hands with the Chinese University of Hong Kong and three other organizations to launch the “Jockey Club We WATCH Healthy Lifestyle Project”, and a new service unit, YWCA Jockey Club Healthy Lifestyle Service Centre (NT West) was set up in Yuen Long, to promote healthy lifestyle among the middle-aged in Yuen Long and Tin Shui Wai. Women-oriented perspective and gospel messages were also infused into our publicity activities and other initiatives with churches, organizations and women’s networks in the district.

The Association was commissioned by Social Welfare Department to operate the day care centre for the elderly at Queens Hill, Fanling. The Centre has commenced service and was named as Helen Lee Day Care Centre for the Elderly in gratitude for Mrs. Helen Lee’s enthusiastic support and generous donation. Apart from day care services for frail elders in the district, it also offers day respite services and supports carers through regular family gatherings and training sessions. Meanwhile, fitting-out works of another new service unit in the district, Y-Kids UPlace (Queens Hill), have been completed. It is expected to provide a hundred day care places for infants and young children, and serve the needy families with the Educare model. We hope that the two new service units will provide appropriate services for the residents and drive the community development.

Upholding the mission of “Enhancement of Life”, the Association is dedicated to promoting the holistic development of individuals and encouraging them to contribute to the community. During the year, the JC VOLUNTEER TOGETHER – 50+ and Retirees Programme was introduced to provide diversified volunteer training and service opportunities for 50+ and retired persons, and to leverage their rich social experience, network and knowledge to serve the community through volunteering. In the JC PROcruit C programme, we were invited to be one of the industry convenors to partner with employers to offer internships, bootcamps, on-the-job training and employment support for young people, so as to help them set career goals and enhance their employability, thereby promoting the development of local talents. In addition, the Association participated in the 21C@JC project, together with over 10 social service organizations offering integrated youth services in Hong Kong, to advocate joint participation of young people in exploring future possibilities of integrated youth services under the concepts of youth-adult partnership and social innovation. Our staff and young people discussed and engaged in design thinking to explore and create new physical space, new services and new user experience for youth services in the 21st century.

We believe that family is the cradle nurturing the healthy growth of children. Thus, a “family-based” approach is adopted in our children and family services, and we are committed to providing professional, continuous and systematic support to children with special educational needs (SEN) and their families. This year, “Linking Hub” Project – Community Support Service for Sub-divided Unit Families was launched to support SEN children living in sub-divided units and their families to handle challenges in their daily lives, child development and discipline, and to strengthen their support network. In view of the impact of the epidemic on the speech development of young children, the YWCA Jockey Club “Embracing Speech” Early Childhood Family-based Support Project provided support to families with children suffering from speech delay or disorder. Our multi-disciplinary team collaborated with the Education University of Hong Kong to introduce the evidence-based Family Milieu Conditions Assessment Tool and Home Training Kits to enhance the speech development of young children and alleviate the stress of parents. Besides, the YWCA Jockey Club Calm & Caring Family Project enabled upper primary students and their parents to learn how to effectively handle conflicts and disagreements, and to improve their communication and relationship. Early identification and intervention were also provided for families prone to parent-child conflicts.
 

To cope with the growing demand for social services, the Association has to enhance its administrative efficiency accordingly. Our strategic development plan 2020-2025 already outlined application of technology as one of the goals for promoting its sustainable development in preparation for the digital era. Since 2020, we have planned for the establishment of Enterprise Resources Planning (ERP) system, where procedures of finance, accounting, procurement and human resources were automated to enhance our administrative efficiency, for supporting the implementation of various social services. Thanks to the efforts of the project team and staff, the system rolled out in phases this year. It is hoped that the project will serve as a pioneer for the sector, demonstrating how social service organizations apply technology to give impetus to their future development.

In addition, the initial phase of e-Pass OPRS, an e-platform for on-site pre-school rehabilitation services (OPRS) jointly developed by the Association and three local social service organizations, was launched. The system, which covered applications such as case management, training content record and information exchange, not only helped optimize service delivery, enhance quality management and strengthen inter-organizational knowledge sharing, but also fostered a closer connection among the organizations, parents and schools. Looking forward, we foresee various development possibilities in terms of service mode, social innovation and management procedures, with the advancement of technology and society. The Association will strive to keep abreast of the times and launch innovative, professional and quality services for the betterment of the community by enhancing collaboration within and across sectors.

Finally, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to the Government and different sectors for their support in the launch of new services, as well as all Board Directors, committee members, members, volunteers and staff for their dedication in serving the needy. I hope that the community will continue to join hands with YWCA so that our services can benefit more people.