Heep Hong Society Launches Project EMbrace to Support Ethnic Minority SEN Families
On.cc · 2 SOURCESabout 5 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Heep Hong Society has launched Project EMbrace, a cross-sector initiative running from March 2023 to February 2025 that provided support services to 171 ethnic minority families with children with special educational needs. The programme offered rapid developmental assessments for 70 children, reducing waiting times from months to approximately two months while cutting assessment costs from thousands of dollars to just HK$500. An evaluation by Oxfam found that 95.7 percent of participating children showed significant improvements across six developmental domains.
Key Points
- Project EMbrace served 171 ethnic minority families with SEN children between March 2023 and February 2025, providing developmental assessments for 70 children
- The programme shortened assessment waiting times from several months to approximately two months, with costs reduced from thousands of dollars to HK$500 per child
- According to the 2021 Census, Hong Kong's ethnic minority population increased by 37 percent over the past decade, reaching 8.4 percent of the total population
- Oxfam's social impact assessment revealed that 95.7 percent of 115 participating children showed marked improvement in activity participation, environmental adaptation, and following instructions
- Filipino parent Cherry, whose two sons are autistic, described how the programme helped her four-year-old son Ethan improve communication skills while learning supportive strategies
Why It Matters
The programme addresses a critical gap in Hong Kong's preschool rehabilitation services, where government Child Assessment Centres achieved only 68-72 percent of the 90 percent target for completing new case assessments within six months in 2024-2025 . Ethnic minority families face compounded barriers including language obstacles, cultural misunderstandings, and limited access to information, making targeted support essential for ensuring children with SEN can access timely intervention during their critical developmental period .
The programme addresses a critical gap in Hong Kong's preschool rehabilitation services, where government Child Assessment Centres achieved only 68-72 percent of the 90 percent target for completing new case assessments within six months in 2024-2025 . Ethnic minority families face compounded barriers including language obstacles, cultural misunderstandings, and limited access to information, making targeted support essential for ensuring children with SEN can access timely intervention during their critical developmental period .