Chief Executive　
Mr Ng Shui Lai

Most of the Voluntary Agencies (VAs) in Hong Kong depend heavily on government subvention; hence they operate under set patterns with limited flexibility. Changes began when the government enacted the Lump Sum Grant Mode in April 2000 on all social welfare subventions. Many VAs modify their operational structure to ensure the efficiency of reaching their mission under the new method.

Our due diligence in the same area has brought about the following principle of actions:

1. Categorize all services and units into core businesses with fewer layers.
2. Create a structure that enables effective integration of services in response to social needs.
3. Increase flexibility and participation from staff.
4. Emphasize professionalism and service quality.
5. Strengthen the role and function of the agency in district services.

Identify staff attributes in contributing to new service development, dministration, resource development, and alike.

Under these six principle actions led by our Chief Executive team, almost all existing services were categorized into 8 core business areas that further divided into two major groups. Each of these areas was headed by a General Manager.

The first of the two major groups consists of frontline services. They are: "Elderly & Health", "Growth & Social Rehabilitation", "Family & Community", and "Education & Training".

The second group encompasses all staff-oriented services, such as : "Service Development & Research", "Professional Development & Quality Assurance", "Administration" and "Corporate Affairs & Community Relations".

There are still service units that cannot be categorized into any of these core business areas due to their specific reasons; thereby, will be operated as special projects under the new structure. Currently, we have 2 of such special projects in operation. The first one is the Employee Development Service. Due to its specific nature, it does not fit into any of the current core business area. The second one, the Mainland China Social Service Project, may potentially become an additional core business area, while at this stage it still requires inputs from various sources. Since policy research and advocacy are important elements in contributing to quality services, a Professional Assistant is assigned to help the Chief Executive in this particular area.

The utmost importance of having a proficient organization structure is the intent to accomplish what it is built for. We believe the change that was initiated would enable our agency to better respond to the needs of society and to carry forth our mission even more faithfully and vigorously.