Rev. LAU Lap-mo
Chairman of the Social Services Committee
The "40. Partnership" service theme honours the 40th anniversary of community services by Lei Fook Neighbourhood Elderly Centre, Fu Shan Nursery School, and Shatin Nursery School. I'd like to thank my colleagues, church brothers and sisters, and community volunteers who offer a range of support services and walk alongside the elderly, parents, and children.
The C & M A's social service history dates back to the 1950s. While the church was being planted, C & M A actively developed different services, such as refugee relief and free school. After years of development, we currently have 10 subvented social service units, including four neighbourhood elderly centres and six nursery schools. In addition, there are self-financing service centres, study room services, and a number of time-limited projects to respond to social needs and provide services to those in need.
During the year, we operated flexibly in response to the actual scenario, meeting the support and learning needs of our service users, parents, and young children while maintaining the existing service volume. At the same time, the centres review and implement relevant policies and measures that are consistent with service quality standards to guarantee that service users receive high-quality care. In January and February 2024, the Social Services Committee (SSC) visited four neighbourhood elderly centres and Shatin Nursery School, and members were delighted to observe that the service units maintained high service quality, and service users provided positive feedback.
This year, I will continue to serve as Chairman of the Social Services Committee regarding corporate governance. The new Social Services Committee, consisting of 14 members, was formed in August 2023 and invited partners from service units, church representatives, and professionals to join in to promote the organisation's development and actualise the mission of "In the Spirit of Christ's Love, to preach the Gospel, to provide holistic care, to serve the community.” In 2023, the Social Services department began the "corporatisation" process. We expect that corporatisation will allow us to be more adaptable to the needs of modern society, consequently improving overall governance and operational efficiency and encouraging the long-term development of social services.
In March 2024, the SSC hosted an exchange event to invite SSC members, the heads of churches, and representatives from other units to collaborate on setting the organisation's future direction and strategy. We have referenced the recommendations of the Social Welfare Department's "Best Practice Guidelines" and are constantly reviewing our service development and remuneration structures. The Human Resources Sub-committee made timely recommendations to the Committee to improve human resources policies and management, such as improving frontline staff remuneration and increasing the entry pay of non-degree social workers, which were implemented on September 1, 2023, to address the challenges of frontline staff recruitment and retention. On early childhood services, we established a new term of the School Management Committee in September 2023, consisting of nine members.
We assess and revise our Lump Sum Grant measures on a regular basis to align with key policy suggestions, such as the reserve's five-year projection proposal, and provide specific recommendations for depository accounts. The organisation's Lump Sum Grant can provide regular service funding, and the reserve level is enough. However, self-financing services still require funding. Thank God for His provision that, despite the fact that we did not raise funds through flag-selling in 2023, we raised a total of $890,000 in other ways to support the operation of the self-financing service unit.
In the future, we will continue to deliver quality services and support to the community while also improving the quality and efficiency of our services. We will continue to observe and respond to the community's needs and difficulties in order to guarantee that our services can adapt to changing circumstances. Even as society and circumstances change swiftly, the Lord Jesus will always remain our rock. I wish everyone good health, and may the Lord's grace be with you always!
(From Christian & Missionary Alliance Church Union of Hong Kong Ltd. 2023-24 Annual Report of Social Service）