Neglectful parents 'made slow progress'
The couple arrested for leaving their two young children home alone had made 'very slow progress' in improving their parenting and child care over the past couple of years, even with the help of social workers, according to an agency.
The parents, aged 32 and 55, had a history of child neglect with police records, said Elinor Chu Wai-yin, publicity and liaison manager of the Hong Kong Family Welfare Society, which has served the family since August 2004.
'The couple squabble all the time and some people [in the neighbourhood] had reported them to police for child neglect for similar incidents,' Ms Chu said.
'But we found the mother home during our home visits. Only once, the children were left unattended outside the flat when the mother was asleep. But we gave her a verbal warning.'
She said the agency had provided services to the family, including a nursery for the children and counselling for the couple on both their marital relationship and parenting. 'But their progress in making improvements has been very slow.'
Ms Chu said the agency would continue to provide counselling for the parents but admitted the case might need to be handled by the Social Welfare Department if the pair did not do better.
'We do not have power to enter the flat if it happens again,' she said. The case raised public concern after police and firefighters broke into the family's flat to rescue the two children, aged two and three, who had been left home alone. Loud cries of the two brothers alerted neighbours before dawn in Lai Kwai House, Lai Kwok Estate, in Shamshuipo.
The couple were arrested and released on bail of $1,000 each on Thursday. No charge was laid, but the couple have to report to police on August 11. After the incident, the Social Welfare Department arranged temporary accommodation for the children.
The department confirmed the couple, who are unemployed, were on welfare. But the husband had joined a job-seeking programme arranged by the department.
Speaking on RTHK yesterday, Director of Social Welfare Paul Tang Kwok-wai, refused to comment on the case. But he warned the department would intervene in cases of child neglect, such as by applying for a court order to take custody of the children.
'But we still strongly believe that parents have a duty to take care of their children. Parents should not simply claim they are not good at parenting and pass their responsibility to the department,' he added.
