Hong Kong community care teams for vulnerable groups to get HK$240,000 in extra subsidies
- Services under scheme, set to kick off later this month, to include visiting and contacting households of elderly people, carers in need of assistance
- ‘We have a rough idea of which households need our support … but only those in need and are willing to accept our services will be counted in the KPIs,’ care team captain says
Community care teams tasked by the Hong Kong government with reaching out to needy households, as well as those looking after them, will receive up to HK$240,000 (US$30,675) in extra subsidies.
The pilot scheme by the Social Welfare Department is set to begin later this month, and authorities plan to provide training to team members to equip them with basic communication skills and information on the welfare resources available.
The programme will complement an existing Home Affairs Department scheme, under which district care teams are required to serve a certain number of elderly households through visits or contacts.
In a paper submitted to the legislature on Tuesday, the government revealed that each team in the pilot programme would receive subsidies ranging from HK$160,000 to HK$240,000 based service volume over the initial 12-month run of the programme.
“Key Performance Indicators [KPIs] will be set out for the services provided by the care teams under the pilot scheme, including visiting or contacting needy households,” the paper said.
The District Welfare Offices of the Social Welfare Department will formulate the KPIs “flexibly through consultation with the respective care teams of the subdistricts”.
The population of the districts is expected to be taken into account when deciding the KPIs, which will cover the number of visits to households, contacts with needy residents and follow-ups on caring and support services, among others.