Home and Youth Affairs Bureau announces second-term service arrangements for District Services and Community Care Teams
As the first-term service agreements for the District Services and Community Care Teams are coming to an end between late September and mid-October 2025, after reviewing the Care Teams' service outcomes and resource utilisation, the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB) today (July 25) announced the arrangements for the services in the second term of the Care Teams.
Since the full launch in the third quarter of 2023, Care Teams have been providing caring services to residents in various sub-districts in accordance with their service agreements. As a key component of the Government's efforts to enhance district governance, Care Teams, together with the District Councils and the "three district committees", form a well-defined and synergistic "troika" governance structure. By consolidating community resources, Care Teams deliver diversified caring and support services to enhance people's sense of well-being and fulfilment, while continuously strengthening the collaboration mechanism with the District Councils and the "three district committees" to comprehensively enhance service effectiveness through co-ordinated efforts.
The Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs (SHYA), Miss Alice Mak, said, "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. In terms of resource utilisation, Care Teams adhere to the principle of making optimal use of community and government resources, consolidating community efforts to promote diverse caring services and activities. We are confident that all 452 Care Teams will meet or even surpass the KPIs by the end of the first-term service period."
Miss Mak added, "Care Teams have established a solid service foundation in the community. The second-term services will be optimised in three key directions: seamless continuity, tailored to district needs, and deeper and broader services. To ensure uninterrupted services and leverage the established service networks from the first term, the Government will invite the current operating organisations to consider continuing their services in the sub-districts."
Miss Mak continued, "The HYAB has assessed the service coverage and demographic changes in each sub-district and will make appropriate refinements to the service boundaries. Sha Ta (North District), due to its extensive coverage, will be split into two sub-districts to enhance service efficiency. Meanwhile, Sheung Shui Rural (North District) and Hang Hau West (Sai Kung District) will each add a new team in response to continued population growth. In addition, the boundaries of six sub-district clusters will be fine-tuned to better align services with local needs. With these adjustments, the total number of Care Teams will increase from 452 to 455."
Miss Mak noted, "The Government expects Care Teams to fully utilise the additional resources to deepen and broaden their services. The Home Affairs Department will work closely with relevant government departments to provide training for Care Team members and volunteers, covering practical skills such as emergency response, communication skills and health support, enabling them to better equip themselves to serve and care for the community."
District Offices will first invite existing operating organisations to submit proposed project plans for the second term. For the three new sub-districts and any individual teams unable to continue their services for various reasons, District Offices will invite the previously shortlisted organisations to submit proposals. All proposed project plans and related forms must reach the respective District Offices by August 15, 2025 (Friday).
The proposed project plans will be reviewed by the District Assessment and Coordinating Panels on Care Teams led by the District Officers. The results will then be submitted to the Territory-wide Assessment and Steering Group on Care Teams chaired by the SHYA for final approval.
As announced by the Chief Executive in the 2024 Policy Address, the Government will regularise Care Teams and increase funding by 50 per cent in the next term of service in support of their work. By the end of the second quarter of 2025, Care Teams have visited about 530 000 elderly households and other households in need, provided about 76 000 times of basic home or other support services, and organised about 38 000 district-level activities. The performance of Care Teams has been witnessed by the community. During emergencies and incidents (including the fire at New Lucky House in Jordan, the massive power cut in Wong Tai Sin, and the emergency water outage in Tung Chung), Care Teams have swiftly mobilised members and volunteers to attend to the needs of affected individuals and provide them with appropriate assistance. Care Teams have also achieved remarkable results in assisting in policy promotion, including collaboration with the Police to promote anti-fraud messages and supporting the Department of Health in disseminating messages about disease prevention.
Source: AI-found images
