Welcome to Heep Hong Society's website.

Heep Hong Society embarks on its sixtieth year. We having walked together with the local community for over half a century. Drawing from our past experiences, Heep Hong Society steadily develops and continues to pioneer innovative and suitable services in response to the needs of the times, walking hand-in-hand with our service users. To mark this significant milestone of our sixtieth anniversary, we collected slogan suggestions from our colleagues. Through careful selection, we ultimately decided on “Walk Together for 60 Years, Nurturing Seedlings for a Brighter Future” as the theme for our 60th anniversary.

“Early Identification, Timely Support” is our primary principle of preschool rehabilitation services. We made strenuous effort in providing preschool rehabilitation services for every child on the waiting list. From the implementation of the “Early Intervention and Comprehensive Support Programme for Children with Special Needs in Kindergartens” in 2014 to subsequent initiatives like the Wise Project and JC IQ Project, the goal has been to identify children showing signs of developmental disorders early and provide support to prevent further aggravation. We are grateful to the government for announcing the regularisation of the “The Pilot Scheme on Tier 1 Support Services for Kindergarten/Kindergarten-cum-child Care Centres (Tier 1)” and its expansion to 900 kindergartens/child care centres across Hong Kong earlier this year. We began preparation immediately. Starting from September, Heep Hong Society provides Tier 1 services to nearly 100 kindergartens. Both school teachers and parents have expressed that in the past, when they observed children who seemed to have some difficulties, they did not know how to approach it. Now witnessing the progress of these children with the help of a cross-disciplinary professional team is truly meaningful!

We have always believed that children with different abilities have their own unique talents. In the past year, the Heep Hong Talent School offered roller skating, soccer, and pottery classes, encouraging children to develop their athletic and artistic talents. Furthermore, in collaboration with the Education Bureau, the Society continued to provide new strength-based courses for students with ASD in mainstream secondary schools, such as drama, stop-motion animation, and robotic arm design. The facilitators incorporated training elements like social communication into the curriculum, allowing them to discover the students’ talents while enhancing students’ participation and training effectiveness. As for youth support services, the teams employed a strength-based approach to assess the young people’s individual traits, strengths and work skills. Individualised inclusive employment frameworks. They can be center assistants and members of an inclusive band at the same time. The youth at the STAR Light Centre even formed the STAR Light Choir with students from Lingnan University, performing together and singing at our 60th-anniversary event with a spectacularly impressive performance.

A stable family is the cornerstone of a child's growth. When schools resumed full operation earlier this year, parents and students had to face the challenge of readjusting to school life. The SEN Family Academy specially and timely launched the transitional parent support programme to help parents and children navigate the challenges of returning to regular school and transitioning to the next form. In addition, ethnic minority families face difficulties in seeking appropriate services due to a lack of knowledge of SEN. The Society implemented Project EMbrace to provide assessments and family support for ethnic minority children under the age of six who are suspected to have developmental disorders, so that they would not miss their golden period for intervention.

Talent development and leveraging the use of technology were also key focuses in the past year. In addition to the timely review of salary levels and benefits, the Society introduced various wellness measures to encourage employees to enhance their physical and mental health. Meanwhile, active communication with employees and appropriate training were provided. In terms of the application of technology, the Society launched the new Problem Solving Kit 2 application and conducted research on using robots to provide training for children with ASD. The positive results were greatly encouraging for the team. In addition, the Society established the first online assessment platform for children with ASD in Mainland China, as well as an online self-learning course for preschool inclusive education. This promotes the opportunities for exchange and training among rehabilitation professionals in Mainland China and Hong Kong, breaking through the geographical and time limitations.

Looking back on the past 60 years, Heep Hong Society has developed one decade after another. I extend my heartfelt thanks to our dedicated colleagues, partners, and supporters who have tirelessly worked together even when faced with many changes and challenges. Our initial intention to serve remain strong and the same even after 60 years. It is succinctly summarised in the final lines of our 60th-anniversary theme song: 

"Following our original aspiration and staying true to our beliefs on this journey
Both you and I will be by each other's side
Come, let's set sail for the future
Let’s go forward together."

Everyone of Heep Hong Society, from top to bottom, will continue to uphold our initial intention and walk alongside SEN children, young people, and families in the days to come!

Rachel Leung
Chief Executive Officer
Heep Hong Society