Vulnerable children need Hongkongers to open their homes and hearts
While the number of registered foster families has risen in the past five years, the average waiting time for placement has also increased
The charity organisation said on Saturday that it had 222 children on its official waiting list for placement. Its referrals increasingly involve complex backgrounds such as children of young mothers with a history of drug use, child abuse cases or mums unprepared to care for children. Mother’s Choice, which operates a conventional foster care service funded by the Social Welfare Department, launched an alternative programme called Project Bridge in 2016 to expand placements for children aged up to six awaiting adoption or family reunification. The self-financed project has recruited 111 foster families and supported 141 children with temporary homes and early intervention. It has attracted a mix of 91 per cent couples, including same-sex couples, and 9 per cent single carers. In a bid to expand the pool, the charity is pushing for fostering to be seen as not just limited to traditional family structures.
Authorities could still explore other policy changes, including a long-requested exemption of foster allowances from public housing income caps that could allow more working-class households to help. Meanwhile, fostering should be seen as a collective civic duty rather than an institutional problem. The city’s most vulnerable children have the best chance at a brighter future if enough people can open their hearts to provide caring temporary homes.