School Social Worker - Chung Ying Ha

Since January 2006, the school has opened a full-time school social worker position to support teachers, parents, students, and their families. As of 2021, school social work services have been in operation for 15 years. Our primary services include parent, child, teacher counseling services, parent education activities, personal spiritual development, various family support services, and parent volunteer services.

1. Our school social workers provide diversified counseling services.

(a)Child-centered Play Therapy

Play is the language of children, and "child-centered play therapy" is a treatment with clinical and theoretical foundations.

The treatment mainly helps children resolve inner depression, reduce emotional barriers, and strengthen the mind through games to have a healthy mental and emotional development. Play allows children to make their internal world external, bringing healing effects (Landreth, 1982).

"Child-centered play therapy" focuses on listening to children's voices expressed in games and conveying care and love to children to help children understand themselves and their world. It also helps children learn to control themselves and express themselves freely with a sense of responsibility, learn to respect and accept themselves, learn
to make choices, and be responsible for their choices.

In addition to establishing the relationship between social workers and children to stimulate children's motivation for transformation and growth, we also attach great importance to communication with parents to enhance parents' understanding of children's needs. We also aim to encourage parents to understand the feasibility and participation of parent-child games. When we uphold the same belief, understand and agree with children's feelings, accept their limitations, cherish their value as human beings, and show them care with a sincere attitude to help children develop healthy emotional and mental development. Children re-experience a trustworthy relationship and feel understood and loved.

To meet children's needs, our school has a complete play therapy room for children in need.

(b)Individual Counseling Services for Children, Parents, and Teachers

Through face-to-face interviews and sharing, we will provide appropriate care services to those in need to relieve individuals' pressure facing difficulties and improve their feelings. We also aim to accompany those in need to build a positive life force.

(c)Parent Education Groups and Activities

School social workers in our school provide value-added activities for parents, such as parent education groups, storytelling groups at home, and parent book clubs. Through group learning, a parent support network is established, and parents are trained to obtain parental education that keeps pace. School social workers will also contact different voluntary agencies to organize appropriate activities for those in need.

2. Personal Spiritual Development Activities

The development of the soul is an essential element of life. The school social worker cooperates with the C.C. & M.A Cheung Sha Wan Fuk Shing Church every year to organize Christian evangelism, a Christian-faith parent class, and a youth uniform group, the Boys' Brigade, Hong Kong, etc. These activities will help parents learn how they can enhance their lives through the Christian faith and cultivate the multi-dimensional development of parents' minds.

Besides, our school has designed a unique spiritual morning assembly, "Heavenly Father's Soul Garden," for young children since 2016. The meeting is to cultivate children's concentration and positive thinking through learning to listen and be quiet. We believe that training children's hearts will help their children in the face of pressure and setbacks in the future.

We are convinced that only a family with a healthy body, mind, and soul can nourish healthy children. Therefore, we hope that in the days to come, our school social worker can continue to maintain close contact and communication with parents so that lovely children can receive more flexible learning. Hence, they can grow up happily and smoothly transition to elementary school.

3. Family Support Service

Based on the belief that prevention is better than cure, we invite parents to fill out the family needs questionnaire every year to understand the growth of their children and their families' needs. It helps the school understand the difficulties of students and parents and provides appropriate guidance and counseling services to those in difficulty as soon as possible.

Besides, the school has participated in the "Pilot Scheme on Social Work Service for Early Childhood Schools" to identify and support pre-school children and their families in need as early as possible. The Social Welfare Department officially launched a three-year "Pilot Scheme on Social Work Service for Pre-primary Institutions" in the 2018-2019 school year. Since February 2020-22, the Heep Hong Society has launched the "Pilot Scheme on Social Work Service for Early Childhood Schools" to provide professional social work services for the school to support the needs of pre- school children, their parents, caregivers, and staff. The school-based social work service of the Heep Hong Society will be in school two days a week.

Also, the school has a "Parents Resources Shelf." The school regularly opens the "Parents Resources Shelf" for parents to borrow books and teaching materials to equip themselves, learn all kinds of knowledge from different media, share with their children, and grow together. For details, please refer to "Parents Resources Shelf".

4. Parent Volunteer Service

The school social labor union actively recruits and trains parents to participate in voluntary work. It has also established a parent volunteer group: Dorcas Volunteer Group, to encourage parents to participate in community volunteer services to help others help themselves. For details, please refer to the "Parent Volunteer Service Development" section.