With the aging population and increasing pressure on public healthcare, people are focusing on how to equip themselves at various stages so that when they undergo aging, they can live healthily and meaningfully in the community. They can also plan ahead for arrangements such as advance medical directive before losing mental competency, and after death, other arrangements including funeral planning, handling of personal belongings, and support for the bereaved, ensuring that their wishes are carried out. The Hong Kong Council of Social Service recently launched the "Life Management and Care Information Platform - Compassionate Community" with the aim of consolidating service information that assists the public in managing their lives and care. The platform encourages people to manage their lives for themselves and even for their families. Within about a year of its launch, the platform has attracted nearly 20,000 views. Therefore, we hope to collect more social supporting services to provide the public with more comprehensive information. If your organization aspires to raise public awareness of more services related to life management and care support, please fill out the service information collection form (see attachment), and we will publish your information on the platform. Additionally, many organizations have been ...

With aging population, the number of people with chronic diseases is increasing and medical resources get overstretching. The World Health Organization (WHO) hereby recommends to establish comprehensive primary healthcare services in various regions. It emphasizes the need for a preventive approach, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and community participation to improve the overall health of citizens. The Social Prescription Programs launched in different areas aim to foster collaboration among healthcare and community stakeholders, providing patients with continuous medical and social services. In late November of last year, the Hong Kong Council of Social Service formed a delegation to visit Singapore, which has recently incorporated social prescriptions into its healthcare policy. The purpose of the visit was to learn about the implementation and experiences of primary healthcare and social prescriptions there. The delegation comprised professionals from various fields, including social workers, doctors, nurses, and researchers, all of whom provide primary health services at the community level. They visited government agencies, community hospitals, and clinics, and joined the ‘Asia-Pacific Conference on Social Prescription and Population Health’ organized by Singapore Community Hospital. This allowed them to reflect on the issues surrounding primary healthcare in Hong Kong and explore alternative ways for social-medical collaboration. 11 delegation members ...

With the aging population, the burden on public hospitals is increasing, and the concern over quality of services for patients in hospitals becomes wildly prominent, especially for terminally ill patients. With increasing concern over end-of-life care issue, many social service organizations have initiated diversified services to provide end-of-life support for terminally ill patients and their bereaved families. Meanwhile, the society is still exploring how to strengthen collaboration between medical and social sector, utilizing community resources to support terminally ill patients and their families in hospitals. The Hong Kong Council of Social Service is planning to visit the Accident & Emergency (A&E) Service of Queen Elizabeth Hospital on 8th of April, 2025, particularly the Osiris Room within A&E to understand how timely palliative care services are provided to terminally ill patients and their families in A&E. We sincerely invite colleagues with bereavement and related services to participate in this visit, exchange ideas, and discuss potential collaborations. Details are as follows: Date: 8th April, 2025 (Tuesday) Time: 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm Venue: Queen Elizabeth Hospital Target Audience: Colleagues engaged in bereavement and related services (If there are too many applicants, priority will be given to the first registrants from the relevant ...

The Hong Kong Council of Social Service (the Council) has ever committed through research and advocacy to the co-discovery of social needs and the promotion of service and policy development with the sector. In the past years, the Council has organized conferences and workshops related to research and advocacy, aiming to encourage the sector to share relevant frontline experiences, thereby fostering learning and knowledge exchange. The Council is going to host a strategic meeting titled “Building a Community of Practice for Research and Advocacy and Exploring the Way Forward” inviting practitioners in the social sector who engaged in research and advocacy for participation. The meeting aims to foster a relaxed atmosphere for participants to share experiences and expertise, as well as to explore directions for advancing research and advocacy together. Participants will discuss in groups on topics including: recent areas of focus in research and issues, views on the training capabilities needed for developing research advocacy in the sector, and proposing new solutions to problems encountered during the research and advocacy process. Event details as followed: Date:               20th March, 2025 (Thursday) Time:              5:30 PM to 7:00 PM (Registration: 5:15 ...

The Hong Kong Council of Social Service (the Council) has ever committed through policy research and advocacy to the co-discovery of social needs and the promotion of service and policy development within the social service sector. In the past years, the Council has organized conferences and workshops related to policy research and advocacy, aiming to encourage the social service sector to share relevant frontline experiences, thereby fostering learning and knowledge exchange. Hong Kong is undergoing various changes, including an aging population, shifts in demographics and family structures, awareness-rising on physical, mental, and social well-being, and challenges brought by new technologies and data. The social service sector is also adjusting its scope and target groups in response to these new environments and needs. More importantly, it strives to maintain optimism and vibrancy amidst societal changes while caring for families and individuals in need. The social service sector primarily collects data from service users or scholars. Using those data, we tell interesting stories. Other sectors also offer varied perspectives on social development and issues. In this occasion, we aim to foster collaboration to understand the data and narratives from other sectors. We have conceptualized 6 areas in line with social development trends ...