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During the epidemic, school classes were suspended and families’ living pressure emerged. The risk of child abuses and domestic violence has come under the spotlight. With a view to preventing child abuse, the Regional Crime Prevention Office of New Territories South (RCPO NTS) hosted a seminar for the social workers of Heep Hong Society, which is one of the participating organisations of the Pilot Scheme on Social Work Service for Pre-primary Institutions implemented by the Social Welfare Department (SWD), to exchange multi-disciplinary views and perspectives on child abuse.
Twenty social workers, stationed at 24 kindergartens across the territory, participated in the seminar on June 3. The RCPO NTS invited the officer in-charge of Team 3C of Regional Crime Unit of New Territories South (The Regional Child Abuse Investigation Unit) to talk about relevant legislations, criminal investigations, judicial processes and experiences on multi-disciplinary cooperation. Officers of the RCPO NTS also led discussions about the handling of and points of view on child abuse incidents through real cases.
After the seminar, the speakers arranged a group discussion on a stimulated child abuse case. During the discussion, concerns and approaches of the Police and social workers when handling family conflicts and child abuse cases were highlighted. Scenarios and the referral mechanism of handling such cases were also explained. Through an in-depth discussion with the officers, the social workers had a better understanding of the Police’s role in child abuse cases, which helps enhance mutual trust and cooperation.
The SWD has implemented a three-year Pilot Scheme on Social Work Service for Pre-primary Institutions in phases since the 2018/2019 academic year for early identification of and provision of assistance to pre-primary children and their families with welfare needs. Social workers are assigned to different pre-primary institutions for identifying children or families with potential risks and providing services such as counselling and referral.
