The Social Welfare Department held a fun day today to show appreciation for foster parents, while Secretary for Labour & Welfare Chris Sun inspired more people serve as foster parents.
 
The department invited around 400 foster parents and children from 100 families to join the fun day at Ocean Park. Stories on foster families were also shared at the event’s kick-off ceremony to appeal to more people to sign up as foster parents.
 
Addressing the ceremony, Mr Sun said that the Government has all along attached great importance to foster care service and is eager to encourage more people to serve as foster parents so that children who cannot be adequately taken care of by their own families due to different reasons can live in a homelike environment.
 
He stressed that the Chief Executive announced in the 2023 Policy Address that the Government will substantially increase the incentive payment for foster families starting from next April. Additional support will also be provided to foster families taking care of children with special learning or care needs, including arranging early assessment and professional rehabilitation therapy and training.
 
Apart from stepping up publicity efforts in promoting foster care service this year, Mr Sun noted that the department has launched a "one-plus-one" recruitment programme to encourage those interested in joining foster care service to pair up with their family and friends when signing up for the service so that they can take care of the same foster child and support each other.
 
Mr Sun called on foster parents to actively introduce foster care service to their families and friends to motivate more people to serve as foster parents.
 
Currently, there are about 950 foster homes. People who are interested in becoming foster parents may contact the department’s Central Foster Care Unit at 2573 2282.