Hong Kong is set to add three more district-level “care teams” later this year, bringing the total number of government-sponsored community service groups to 455, the government has announced.
The secretary for home and youth affairs, Alice Mak, said on Friday that the government would invite the organisations currently behind the existing 452 care teams to continue their services after their terms expire in late September and mid-October.
Chief Executive John Lee announced the establishment of district-level care teams in his 2022 Policy Address, in a move to bolster the authorities’ capacity in “district governance.” A total of 452 teams began a two-year service period in 2023.
The teams are required to make regular visits to elderly people and other residents in need, respond to emergencies such as extreme weather events, and promote national security in communities, according to the Home Affairs Department.
On Friday, Mak praised the care teams for completing their services under the government’s requirements.
“Care Teams in all sub-districts have nearly completed their services in accordance with the key performance indicators (KPIs). Some teams have even exceeded the requirements,” Mak said in a statement.
She also announced that the government would make adjustments to the care teams’ service boundaries due to factors like demographic changes in the sub-districts.
Sha Ta in the North District will be split into two sub-districts due to its extensive area, while Sheung Shui Rural, also in the North District, and Hang Hau West, in the Sai Kung District, will each add a new team because of population growth, she said.
Boundaries of six other sub-districts will also be “fine-tuned,” she added. “With these adjustments, the total number of Care Teams will increase from 452 to 455.”
Last year, Lee announced that the government would regularise the funding and increase it by 50 per cent for care teams in the next term of service.
As of June this year, the care teams had visited about 530,000 elderly households and other residents in need, provided about 76,000 times of support services, and organised about 38,000 district-level activities, according to official figures released on Friday.
The work of the care teams came under the spotlight in January this year, after a student-made documentary found that some care teams sought to bolster numbers by inviting event participants to pose as volunteers for photos.
District officers also rejected the student journalists’ request for the care teams’ financial and performance reports.
Mak defended the non-disclosure at that time, saying it was “appropriate” to provide the information only after the care teams had completed their service period.
Each care team consists of eight to 12 members. Currently, each team receives government subsidies of around HK$800,000 to HK$1.2 million for a two-year term.
