STRATEGIC AREAS

KEY SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AGENDA AND OBJECTIVES  2023-24

DELIVERABLES AND IMPACT
2023-24

1. Agenda Setting –Advocacy of policy and service response to selected social agendas, in partnership with the social service sector and key stakeholders

1.1  Maintain an annual agenda setting process to engage concerned key government officials and the welfare sector in the deliberation of emerging social service needs and identification of policy and service responses. 

• • Organize Welfare Agenda and Priorities Setting 2023 exercise (WAPS) with LWB and SWD to engage welfare sector members in driving agenda setting and coordinate the submission of proposal for WAPS / Annual Submission.
  • Engage related Bureaus and Departments to discuss the selected agenda before policy address.

1.2  Follow up on selected social agenda for sustained social impact, including:

• • Carer-centred carer policy and enhancement of community support for carer, together with other initiatives including: carer support forum for the sector to prioritize carer related agenda and identify future actions, pilot projects to demonstrate viable service models and enhance the accessibility of existing information platform.

• • Organize “Support for Carers – Policy Advocacy and Service Development” Symposium 2023″ to promote the knowledge exchange of frontline experience, academic research, best practices of service model, and relevant policies & measures to prioritize the agenda and develop innovative strategies to support the carers.
  • Review and consolidate the Project: “Community Support for Carers: Call for Ideas,” co-organized with PolyU Jockey Club Design Institute for Social Innovation (JCDISI) to promote public awareness of carers’ needs and incubate innovative carer support service ideas & interventions in the community.
  • Conduct research with publication on carer support service & policy.
  • Organize “Carer Month 2023” to enhance public awareness of selected carer issues and agenda through radio broadcasting and social media promotions.
  • Work together with concerned NGOs to explore new service intervention models for the identification and support of high-risk carers.
  • Establish an Agenda Group on Carer Support under Standing Committee on Service Development to steer the policy advocacy and service development for carer support.

• • The development of palliative and end-of-life care policy, particularly consolidating palliative and end of care network at community level to improve the quality of life of patients with life-limiting illness and their carer, promoting advanced care plan, life and death education, develop more community or home-based palliative measures, grief and bereavement supporting services, to provide support for patients with life limiting illness and their carers.

• • Engage the welfare sector to follow-up the end-of-life care public consultation and advocate the policy reform by relevant bill introduced to the Legislative Council in coming legislative term.
  • Organize Life and Death Cultural Festival to promote public awareness on end-of-life care and palliative care.
  • Conduct a research to study the profile of those with terminal illness and special needs of their carers in end-of-life care.

• • Long-term care case management pilot project to build the sector’s competence and test out a case management model to promote seamless care path for elderly with long term care service needs.

• • To identify core competence items of case management practitioners and trial run courses to build up training curriculum.
  • Advocate the introduction of a case management component in Community Care Service Voucher (CSSV) and test out the effectiveness.
  • Consolidate good practices of case management practice in elderly service.

2. Impact-oriented culture –Transform HKCSS’s culture and systems towards driving impact

2.1 Consolidate the experience and review the impact of HKCSS Convention cum Hong Kong Social Service Expo 2023 for the planning and implementation of Convention cum Expo 2024, as a platform for engaging key stakeholders from social service and other sectors, to discuss selected key social issues and set agenda for policy advocacy and service development as well as to address the root causes of social problems through integrated efforts of policy advocacy, service development and research.

• • Implement HKCSS Convention 2024 to deepen the discussion on the selected agenda and formulate specific direction and strategy with cross sectoral sectors; Organize a social service expo with an expectation to provide rooms for nurturing collaboration across NGOs, funders, private companies and other professionals.
  • Engage smaller and non-subvented members to participate in the discussion of social agenda for nurturing a diversified NGO sector.

2.2 Implement the agreed changes of the governance structure as well as the Council’s staffing structure, including the formation of Social Agenda Team and agenda group(s).  Identification and adoption of impact-related KPIs for selected projects/agenda so as to apply principles from impact goals to day-to-day operation.

• • Implementation new governance structure after AGM 2023
  • Full implementation of staff team restructuring with clear division of responsibilities while facilitating cross-team collaboration and co-creation.
  • Agenda team and agenda groups will take the lead to facilitate the Council to analyze and address the root causes of selected social needs/problems through integrated efforts of policy advocacy, service development and research through existing mechanisms such as a retreat, staff meeting, senior management meeting or ad hoc sharing.
  • Develop strategies (such as designing agenda classification and prioritization tool, sectoral engagement, etc.) to facilitate identification and prioritization of agenda, formation of agenda groups, cross-sectoral engagement and strategic collaboration.
  • Impact-related KPIs are adopted for selected projects/agenda and monitored regularly.

3. Co-creation –Joint efforts within HKCSS and across the sector to develop innovative approaches to address underserved social issues

3.1 Mobilize joint efforts of social service and other sectors to co-create impact-driven and viable solutions for addressing selected underserved issues with a common vision.  Key initiatives in 2023/24 include:

• • Revamp Caring Company Scheme to further strengthen our partnership with business and professional sectors;
  • Identify and incubate impact-driven solutions in the NGO and social enterprise sectors through various grant-making schemes;
  • Launch the second phase of the Care Food initiative, with a focus on community engagement and marketization of care food products through cross-sectoral partnership in the coming 2-3 years;
  • Pioneer solutions in selected areas, including youth mental health support and social inclusion, with joint efforts between Council, community organizations and corporations.
  • Promote co-operation between DECC/NEC with medical and health service providers to pursue healthy ageing.

• • Continue to review and adjust the internal Co-creation team structure, as well as the division of work between sub-teams, so as to ensure that the Council has the internal capacity and capability to enhance our co-creation initiatives.
  • Stakeholders Engagement:
    • analyze and re-categorize our current database of over 4,000 organizations according to their stage of development and business nature, and develop engagement activities correspondingly. Additionally, launch a series of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) capacity building activities to facilitate the adoption of ESG in corporations, especially for SMEs. Finally, streamline the nomination process by leveraging technology internally.
  • Impact Giving:
    • Launch the third IP service of SIE Fund, as well as new rounds of grant schemes such as HKEX, LINK initiative, HSBC CPP, etc. Besides, facilitate networking among funders, NGOs, and social enterprises and liaise for external resources to build the capacity of the grantees.
  • Solutions Hub:
    • Care Food: Launch the second phase of the Care Food project and work with community and business partners to facilitate the adoption of the Care Food guidelines in the community and market. In addition, select and groom catering partners to speed up the market adoption process.
    • Online chat counselling for youngsters (to be co-organized with the C&Y team): Co-create a training curriculum and digital engagement tools with the engagement of youngsters, psychologists, social workers, design experts, and design students to promote the adoption of online chat counseling among youth social workers.
    • P.R.A.I.S.E.: Continue our previous efforts in facilitating the integration of Ethnic Minorities through the model building of the “EM Model Family” in Kwai Chung and Yuen Long districts. Besides, identify a few focus areas, such as EM youth leadership training and employment, and make extra efforts to deepen the project’s impact.
    • Engagement of DECC/NECs: DECC/NECs will be engaged to understand service needs/ pain points and collaborative ideas to promote Gerontech & healthy ageing at the district level jointly with supply-side members of the Gerontechnology Platform.

4. Tech-enablement – Improve the sector’s tech capability for more efficient and modernized service delivery, as well as service planning and advocacy

4.1 Expedite the adoption of digital solutions in welfare sector by providing replicable models and solutions for the enhancement of social service quality with improved efficiency.

• • Launch a new Project: Digital Transformation Acceleration Platform (DTAP) for the implementation of Digital Solutions, Digital Transformation Practice Portal and Capacity Building to promote innovation with adoption of technologies in welfare sector.

4.2 Enhance accessibility and transparency of social service and enable data-driven social service planning through an online social service search platform.

• • Upgrade the Directory of Social Service for the development of a center-level and project-level social service map for public use to enhance accessibility and transparency of social services

4.3 Using technique of data science in identifying possible solution of implementing rent control and promoting data sharing related to Subdivided units (SDU) to tackle information asymmetry of SDU tenants and facilitate better service planning for NGO

• • Conduct a research by with a data science research centre of a tertiary institute on the possible solution on implementing rent control and to maintain an interactive platform for sharing rental data of sub-divided unit, which could be used by NGOs and SDU tenants 

4.4 Pilot a tele-practice project and engage NGOs and service users to examine the feasibility of developing a joint platform for providing training and rehabilitation programmes to elderly people and people with disabilities at home.

• • The all-in-one Tele-practice Platform targeting at the elderly and persons with disabilities would be ready for internal testing in July,  and demo sessions and workshops would be organized for therapists accordingly.  After the first batch of a three-month trial, to be started in August 2023, the Council would invite service users and participating professional staff to a knowledge-building workshop in early November. The workshop aims to facilitate the exchange of ideas and knowledge among the sector, creating an environment to foster collaboration of interested social service units and co-design the service model with the wisdom of service providers and users.
  • The platform will facilitate teleconsultation and build a training resource library. The function of video recording would be developed per request to allow therapists to keep track of service users’ progress at home.

4.5 Continue to organise the Gerontech and Innovation Expo cum Summit, and foster an ecosystem and cross-sectoral collaboration, to facilitate technology adoption in elderly and rehabilitation services, and to raise the quality of life of elderly people and people with disabilities.

• • The 2023 GIES is tentatively scheduled for 23-26 November 2023 (Thursday to Sunday) at the HKCEC Hall 1ABC. 
  • Applications for funding from Innovation and Technology Commission and China Merchants Foundation are in progress, with approval expected by May 2023.   We are exploring suitable speakers for the Summit and propose topics including Healthy Ageing, Primary care, AI in Social Service, etc. Since travel restrictions have been released, we are planning to invite some mainland and overseas speakers, exhibitors and visitors to attend the Summit and Expo physically.

5. Talent Development –Develop new initiatives for talent acquisition, development, and retention at HKCSS and the sector

5.1 Talent Development of NGO Middle Management and Middle-Senior Management, with the enagement of the welfare sector.

• • Plan and launch the 2nd cohort of leadership development programme for NGO middle management, to build their capacities for an impact-driven social service sector, and to build a talent community for practice wisdom sharing and consolidation.
  • Plan and launch a leadership development programme for NGO middle-senior management, to build their capacities for an impact-driven social service sector, and to build a talent community for practice wisdom sharing and consolidation.

5.2 Capacity Building for NGO Governance and Management

• • To promote best practices and experience sharing in NGO governance and management
  • To build up and strengthen competencies as well as capacity and community building of the governing boards and senior management of NGOs or their deputies
  • To maintain and expand the established knowledge base around NGO governance and management issues

• • Plan and launch a learning platform on NGO governance and management, to enhance and consolidate the capacity of the directors and the management in NGO governance and management.

5.3 Identification and analysis of talent trends and issues in the context of social development of Hong Kong

• • Conduct survey / focus group meeting with different stakeholders in the sector and develop effective strategies for the development of talent for the social service sector.

5.4 NGO Changemakers Incubation Scheme

• • Equip mid-level NGO future leaders with knowledge and skills in design thinking and cross-sectoral partnership to induce internal changes.

• • Launch the second and third rounds of the incubation scheme with the engagement of 10+ mid-level NGO workers. Placements at private and social enterprises will be arranged to enhance practitioners’ exposure. Form an alumni group to facilitate knowledge transfer and peer learning. Additionally, review the scheme and plan for scaling up.

5.5 Explore the implementation of a Gerontech and Innovation Training Hub, with a new training curriculum and training programmes, to enhance the standard of practice in adopting technology in social welfare services, and to attract young people to work in such services.

• • One summary report to be completed on Technology adoption, including service needs, pain points and suggested components of Gerontech and Innovation Training Hub based on cases collected from the consultancy cases from at least 30 NGOs.
  • One district-level Gerontech & Innovation Support Service Catalog (for NGOs) to be completed and disseminated to the sector to invite collaboration in setting up of Gerontech and Innovation Training Hub.