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Introduction of Child Development Fund
Background
The Government has accepted the recommendation of the former Commission
on Poverty to establish the Chid Development Fund (CDF), so as to draw
on and consolidate the resources from the family, the private sector,
the community and the Government effectively in support of the longer-term
development of children from a disadvantaged background. The Government
has already obtained the approval from the Legislative Council Finance
Committee on 25 April 2008, to establish the $300 million CDF, with a
view to trying out a new model for promoting the longer-term personal
development of children from a disadvantaged background.
Objectives of the CDF
The CDF seeks to provide the participating children with more personal
development opportunities. Through formulating and implementing personal
development plans, the CDF also seeks to encourage these children to develop
an asset-building habit and to accumulate financial assets as well as
non-financial assets (such as right attitudes and a proper mindset, personal
resilience and capacities as well as social networks), as such assets
are important for their future development.
Pioneer Projects
Please click here for the latest
information related to the pioneer projects for CDF.
Target Participants
The target participants for CDF are children aged 10-16, and
- their families are receiving Comprehensive Social Security Assistance
/ full grants from student finance schemes administered by the Student
Financial Assistance Agency; or
- whose household income is less than 75% of the Median Monthly Domestic
Household Income.
Besides, children aged 14-16 should constitute no less than 70% of the
participants in each pioneer projects.
Key Components of the CDF
The CDF has three major components, namely personal development plans,
mentorship programme and targeted savings. These three components are
to enhance the children's abilities to manage resources and plan for their
own future.
Personal Development Plans
The participating children are required to draw up personal development
plans with specific targets (both short-term and long-term ones) under
on-going guidance from mentors and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
They will also receive basic training provided / identified by the operating
NGOs. These training programmes are also intended to serve a broader objective
of helping participating children develop a more forward-planning perspective
and build up non-financial assets. These children will also be encouraged
to participate in community services.
CDF has set aside $15,000 per each participating child for the provision
of relevant training programmes.
Mentorship Programme
The operating NGOs will identify a personal mentor, who is a volunteer,
for each participating child. Mentors will provide guidance to children
in drawing up and implementing their personal development plans with specific
development targets.
Targeted Savings
There will be a savings programme under the CDF to help participating
children accumulate financial assets to realise their personal development
plans. The savings target for each participating child and his / her family
is set at $200 per month during the two-year savings period. They, however,
can agree with the operating NGOs to set a lower savings target so as
to address the special needs or circumstances of individual children and
their families.
The operating NGOs will seek partnership from the business sector as
well as individual donors to provide matching contribution for the resources
accumulated by participating children under the savings programme (at
least 1:1 matching contribution). The Government will also provide special
financial incentive ($3,000) for each participating child upon completion
of the two-year savings programme.
The participating children will spend the savings in accordance with
their personal development plans in the third year. In the third year,
the operating NGOs will monitor the progress of how the children have
achieved their development targets.
Monitoring and Evaluation
The Government has set up a Steering Committee
on Child Development Fund under the Labour and Welfare Bureau, to
give policy steer to the design as well as oversee and monitor the implementation
of the CDF. The Government will closely monitor the implementation of
the pioneer projects. The operating NGOs will also be required to present
progress reports to the Steering Committee.
The Government will conduct an evaluation of the first batch of the seven
pioneer projects, and take into account the results of the evaluation
in deciding how the CDF can be further developed into a longer-term model
to promote the personal development of children from a disadvantaged background.
CDF Papers
Papers related to CDF can be downloaded from the following websites:-
- The Former Commission of Poverty
- Legislative Council Panel on Welfare Services
- Legislative Council Finance Committee
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