Hong Kong has begun selecting community care teams, with Tsuen Wan and Southern districts being the first to try out the new scheme.
The teams, announced by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu in his maiden Policy Address in October, will be set up in all of the city’s 18 districts to support the HKSAR government’s district programs and strengthen its community network.
The responsibilities of care teams include visiting residents in need, sending support materials, helping the government in handling emergencies, delivering information, and reflecting the community’s views to the government
The responsibilities of care teams include visiting residents in need, sending support materials, helping the government in handling emergencies, delivering information, and reflecting the community’s views to the government.
Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak Mei-kuen has said the duties of the care teams and the District Councils will not overlap, as the former mainly play an advisory role, while the latter, to a large extent, offers community services.
READ MORE: New lawmakers sworn in after Hong Kong by-election win
All applications for establishing community care teams should be submitted on or before Jan 9 next year, a government statement said on Wednesday.
Following Tsuen Wan and Southern districts, other districts will gradually set up their units, drawing on the experiences of Tsuen Wan and Southern.
The government will delineate each district into sub-districts, with a care team for each sub-district. Tsuen Wan will have 19 sub-districts, while Southern will have 17.
ALSO READ: HKO issues frost warning as city braces for more cold weather
The selection process for the care teams will be conducted in two phases. Initially, interested organizations will be chosen, based on their experience in providing community services, organizing activities, their district network and mobilization capability. They’ll be asked to submit service proposals, based on the key performance indicators for individual sub-districts if they get through the first round of selections.