CS Daily：Foster Care Service Survey Reveals High Loss of Foster Families

Hong Kong Christian Service (HKCS) is one of the 11 institutions providing foster care services in Hong Kong, which coordinates about 20% of the city’s foster care services. However, the number of foster families has been insufficient for many years, making it difficult for matching children in need with suitable foster households. In order to gain an in-depth understanding of the issues, we conducted a questionnaire survey with 118 foster parents between April and June 2022 and sorted out the past data of foster care services. A survey conference was held on November 1, which was widely reported by the media and aroused public interest.

 

As of March 31 2022, there were more than 300 children waiting to be placed in foster care families, reflecting a severe shortage of foster homes. At the same time, nearly 20% of the respondents said they planned to cease the service in the coming three years. Their reasons for leaving included health issues and other life plans. And the aging of foster parents is another concern as more than 40% of foster parents aged over 60 years old. In this regard, we urged the government should take the lead in building a fostering friendly society by improving the support system and raising the allowances given to foster homes.

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