Dear Friends,
I am honoured to have served the Hong Kong Society for the Protection of Children (HKSPC) since 2013 and chaired its Management Committee for the last two years. At the Executive Committee (ExCo) meeting of December 7, I was elected the new Chairman for a two-year term.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to our immediate past ExCo Chairman, Mr. Robin Hammond, for driving and leading many changes in HKSPC in these exceptional times. My gratitude also goes to Mr. Timothy Lam, Jr., who just stepped down as President of HKSPC, and Mr. Peter Wong, who will shortly step down as Chairman of the Audit and Risk Management Committee, for their remarkable work and foresight.
Change to Improve
Rebuilding the Children’s Residential Home (CRH) is the top priority for HKSPC. There is no doubt that we disappointed our service users, donors, friends and supporters over the CRH incident. We are profoundly sorry for what happened. Since then, HKSPC has been wholeheartedly striving for long-lasting changes at the CRH, as well as strengthening the governance, management and workings of the Society more generally. Our work has been guided by three simple beliefs:
1. Better care for children in need
2. Looking after our employees
3. Good governance to sustain what we do
To date, CRH has made substantial progress. We have added new Child Care Workers to improve the day-time staff to child ratio to 1:5, well above the regulatory minimum of 1:8. We have implemented a new educare model to better nurture our children. We have set aside additional resources to ensure adequate training for our staff in the CRH. We have installed a full-time Child Safeguarding Consultant, the first among local NGOs, who reports independently to the Director and a designated member of our ExCo, who is herself an experienced pediatrician, on issues relating to child protection.
At the Society level, we carried out a review of the employment terms and conditions of our staff and have made adjustments to ensure that we stay competitive in attracting and retaining talents. We are about to embark on a digitalisation programme to upgrade our IT systems for greater efficiency. We have established the Risk Management, Compliance and Internal Audit Department to be more forward-looking on risk matters and a whistleblowing policy to put a stop to unacceptable behaviour. These are just some of the positive changes we have introduced in the last two years. We are committed to listening and being responsive to our employees’ concerns.
Planning for the Future
We will be front-footed in planning our child care services and empowering our employees. We will ensure that our staff are properly prepared for the new regime on mandatory reporting of child abuse. We are planning for HKSPC to be in a position to better support the Government’s objectives, as set out in the Chief Executive’s 2023 Policy Address, to support families with newborns, assist working families in childbearing, and promote family education. We will announce new / enhanced services in due course.
A Strong Culture for Growth
A key foundation for our future development is the cultivation of an inclusive, open and performance-based culture at HKSPC. Better connection with and between our staff to build a common purpose and promoting lifelong learning for them is key. The recent founding of the HKSPC Child Safeguarding Academy will support meeting this objective. I have been visiting our service units to meet colleagues, whom I encourage to come forward with new ideas as we continue to review and put in place measures to reinforce a strong and positive culture in the Society.
Thank You All
I want to sincerely thank our friends and supporters for their unwavering belief in the mission of the Society, and our staff for their steadfast commitment to serving children, particularly those from an underprivileged background and those with special education needs. The Society will collaborate closely with the Government, professionals from various sectors including social work and education, community leaders, donors, and other stakeholders to do a better job. Our goal is to share our beliefs and experiences in sustaining a child safeguarding culture, and to foster a community that cares for children and families.
We are fast approaching the centenary of HKSPC in 2026. Few institutions enjoy such a long and distinguished history. We are committed to the core values that have sustained the Society for nearly a century and would ensure that, going forward, they are always reflected in our services. We must also be forward looking. As the new Chairman of HKSPC, I will uphold the faith of past ExCo Chairmen and members and persevere in leading the Society forward to be more proactive in engaging with the community and the people we serve. I look forward to writing the next chapter of the HKSPC story together with you!
As the year will soon come to a close, I would like to extend my warmest wishes to all of you, your family and loved ones.
Best wishes,
Vincent Lee
Chairman of Executive Committee