Home Affairs Hosts Sharing Session Highlighting Care Teams' Impact on Community Support and Services

Sharing Session on Good People · Good Deeds of Care Teams successfully held today (with photos/video)

The Home Affairs Department today (April 10) held a Sharing Session on Good People· Good Deeds of Care Teams, providing a platform for District Services and Community Care Teams members to share their experiences in serving the public, thereby demonstrating the selfless dedication and caring spirit of Care Teams and allowing the public to gain a better understanding of the work of Care Teams.

In the 2022 Policy Address, the Chief Executive announced the establishment of Care Teams in the 18 districts to consolidate community resources to support district work and strengthen community network. They form an integral part of the Government's efforts to improve district governance. Since its full launch in the third quarter of 2023, Care Teams have been actively providing diverse services, including visiting elderly households and other households in need on a regular basis, as well as organising various district caring activities. In cases of incidents and emergencies, Care Teams also mobilise their members and volunteers quickly to attend to the needs of those affected and provide assistance as appropriate. In addition, Care Teams help the Government publicise policies, serving as an important bridge between the Government and the community.

The Sharing Session was attended by Care Teams members, volunteers and representatives of partnering organisations from different districts, who shared on the caring services provided in the community in various ways. The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki; the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Cheuk Wing-hing; the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak; the Permanent Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Ms Shirley Lam; the Under Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Mr Clarence Leung; and the Director of Home Affairs, Ms Priscilla To, officiated at the Sharing Session today.

Speaking at the Sharing Session, Mr Chan said that since its full launch, Care Teams had not only actively provided and organised caring services and activities and helped disseminate government information, but also assisted in providing relief during incidents and emergencies on many occasions, displaying their benevolence and righteousness. He emphasised that the selfless dedication of Care Teams had been witnessed by society and won wide acclaim from the public.

Mr Chan pointed out that, as announced in the 2024 Policy Address, the Government will regularise the establishment of Care Teams and increase their funding by 50 per cent in the next term of service to strengthen support for Care Teams. The Government hopes that Care Teams will continue to consolidate community resources to provide more in-depth and extensive caring services and enhance the people's sense of achievement and satisfaction.

There are countless good deeds done by Caring Teams. During the Sharing Session, Care Teams members shared some of these stories. They include the fire incident at New Lucky House, where Care Teams quickly assisted in evacuating residents and continued to visit each household for several days to provide emotional support and emergency supplies. When the water supply in Tung Chung and the electricity supply in Wong Tai Sin were affected in extensive areas, Care Teams provided support to residents overnight. At the Sharing Session, we also had the youngest and oldest volunteers share their experiences. A Form Five student has begun the journey to serve the community because of his participation in Care Teams' activities, displaying the new generation's caring hearts for others. An 86-year-old volunteer at Wah Fu Estate has been visiting the elderly and participating in cultural activities for a long time, inspiring neighbours to join the ranks of volunteers. These examples fully reflect the people-oriented service spirit of Care Teams.

Speaking at the ceremony, Miss Mak said that the stories of Care Teams serving the public show that true care is often hidden in the details, and these details are the cornerstone of building a harmonious community. With the next funding agreement, Care Teams will be able to further promote their services and continue to work closely with partnering organisations to pool more community resources, upholding the spirit of "We Care We Serve" to benefit more people in need.

As of end-January 2025, Care Teams have visited a total of about 390 000 elderly households and other households in need and provided about 43 000 times of basic home or other support services, as well as organising about 23 000 district activities.

Sharing Session on Good People · Good Deeds of Care Teams successfully held today (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Sharing Session on Good People · Good Deeds of Care Teams successfully held today (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Sharing Session on Good People · Good Deeds of Care Teams successfully held today (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Sharing Session on Good People · Good Deeds of Care Teams successfully held today (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

New requirements for mandatory fitting and wearing of seat belts and placing of mobile telecommunications devices while driving to be implemented from January 25

The Government today (January 8) reminded members of the public that, starting from January 25, all public transport and commercial vehicles' seated passengers must wear seat belts, and all drivers must not place more than two mobile telecommunications devices (MTDs) in front of them during driving, further enhancing road, passenger and driving safety.

All passenger's seats in public and private buses, rear passenger's seats in private light buses and goods vehicles (GVs), and driver's seats and all passenger's seats of special purpose vehicles (SPVs) must be equipped with seat belts in these vehicles first registered on or after January 25. Drivers and passengers occupying the seats of these vehicles (whether newly registered or not), where seat belts are fitted, are required to wear them. Studies show that wearing seat belts will reduce the risk of death and serious injury of drivers and passengers in head-on collisions by about 40 per cent and 70 per cent respectively.

Offending vehicle owners, drivers or passengers will be liable to a maximum fine of $5,000 and imprisonment for up to three months. All passengers occupying seats shall be responsible for wearing seat belts. Among them, any driver who still drives with a passenger aged under 15 seated in the rear seat of a GV or the passenger's seat of an SPV without wearing a seat belt will be subject to a maximum fine of $2,000.

The Government noted that the transport trades are ready for the new requirements. In franchised buses, all seats in newly procured buses have been equipped with seat belts. Together with existing double-deck buses retrofitted with seat belts on the upper-deck seats by operators under government subsidy, to date, around 3500 buses are now equipped with seat belts, representing about 60 per cent of the entire fleet in Hong Kong.

In addition, from the same day onwards, any driver must not place more than two MTDs (i.e. mobile phones, tablet computers or laptop computers) in front of them during driving. The diagonal length of each screen must not exceed 19 centimetres. The MTDs must not obstruct the driver's view of the road and traffic, as well as any mirror, device or camera-monitor fitted for viewing the roads. Offenders will be liable to a maximum fine of $2,000.

The Government has stepped up publicity and public education since November 2025. The Transport Department (TD) has strengthened collaboration with the Police, the Education Bureau, the Information Services Department, the Road Safety Council and the transport trades including public transport operators to introduce the legal requirements through websites, videos, media, social media, the "e-Bulletin for Parents" and publicity posters on traffic signal controllers across various districts. Franchised bus operators have also strengthened publicity and broadcast inside compartments and at bus stops to alert passengers to the new requirement of wearing seat belts.

Members of the public may refer to the TD's webpage on the new requirements on seat belts (www.td.gov.hk/en/road_safety/sb) and placing MTDs during driving (www.td.gov.hk/en/road_safety/mtd) or the Agent T Facebook page (www.facebook.com/AgentT.hk), or call the hotline 28042600 for details.

New requirements for mandatory fitting and wearing of seat belts and placing of mobile telecommunications devices while driving to be implemented from January 25 Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

New requirements for mandatory fitting and wearing of seat belts and placing of mobile telecommunications devices while driving to be implemented from January 25 Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

New requirements for mandatory fitting and wearing of seat belts and placing of mobile telecommunications devices while driving to be implemented from January 25 Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

New requirements for mandatory fitting and wearing of seat belts and placing of mobile telecommunications devices while driving to be implemented from January 25 Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases