Child Protection Conference

Child Protection Conference: Dialogue on Pathways to Family was held in March 2017. Please check back for details on our next conference!

What is the Conference about?

This pioneering conference presents an opportunity to mobilize, connect, and equip the community of child welfare professionals in Hong Kong and across the Asia Pacific region with cutting edge knowledge of emerging best practices in child welfare. It will offer an opportunity to reflect on the role of the state, its institutions and various actors, including social workers, lawyers, judges, and healthcare professionals, in identifying, assessing and managing the short and long-term welfare of at-risk children through appropriately designed, child-centered interventions. The conference’s primary goal is to build the capacity of our professional bodies and individuals as they support children to grow up in safe, loving, and permanent families, and to challenge the high numbers of children growing up in institutional care.

What are Pathways to Family?

Every child has a right to be raised in a safe, loving, and permanent family context. Research demonstrates that institutional care can be damaging to a child’s prospects to lead a healthy, productive life as many children pass through the institutions with very little love and support as they develop.  With many children trapped in institutional care due to various systemic factors, this model does not lead to life-enriching outcomes for children. What is a more suitable alternative that enhances the life prospects of each child?

Over the two days of the conference, world class specialists will present evidence-based approaches and best practices to adopt in providing care, support, and resources to children, including:

• Taking a child-centered approach to intake and assessment
• Identifying at-risk children
• Maximizing early-intervention support from multi-disciplinary teams
• Following up on complex cases
• Applying the law to protect the best interests of children

Why do we want to see you there?

This will be a unique opportunity for multi-sector engagement within the child welfare community to share experiences, learn from each other’s successful and failed approaches, and to inspire one another. If you belong to one of the following influential groups, this conference is for YOU!

• Social workers
• Family lawyers & judges
• Medical practitioners working with children
• Students and researchers
• Legislators and policy makers
• Other champions for children

For further enquiries, please email events@motherschoice.org.

We looking forward to having you stand with us to support the next generation of Hong Kong!