Professor Ilse Julkunen

Department of Social Research, Social Work, Helsinki University

Topic: Practice Research and Co-creative Knowledge Production in Social Work

Social work is working with ever more ambitious agendas, increasing numbers of actors and stakeholders, and more complex change processes. As we learn by doing, real learning becomes even more important.

Practice research involves curiosity about practice. It involves the generation of knowledge of direct relevance to professional practice and therefore will normally involve knowledge generated directly from practice itself in a grounded way. The point of departure is that real operational change in practices requires the involvement and participation of several different stakeholders and actors. Still, despite emphasis on learning and knowledge creation, many practitioners feel they are trapped in a vicious cycle. Practitioners are not rewarded for reflecting on their work, for systematizing and sharing the experiences. Yet increased complexity increases demands on staff and strains existing infrastructure, meaning there is even less time for reflection and learning. Can practice research serve as an alternative and supporting strategy?

In this keynote the underlying assumptions and critical elements of knowledge development processes in social work in Finland is described and discussed.

Topic:Hong Chi Life Story Work

Hong Chi Life Story Work is a program specially designed for elderly with intellectual disability. Participants could design their own life story book with important events and memories with their family and friends. While connecting their past with their present and future, the program aims at improving participants’ mood, quality of life and their social relationship.

Ms. LAM Kam Lee

Service Director (Elderly Service)
ELCHK Social Service

Ms. NG Yuen Yee

Project Officer
ELCHK Project Life Story

Topic:Project Life Story - From Life Review to Life Integrity

Project Life Story of ELCHK has made persistent effort to integrate knowledge and practice. It synthesizes developmental theory, strengths-based practice, positive psychology, gerontology, grief work and narrative approach to support the needy persons to have journeys of life review and reconstruct the meanings of life. We believe that life experiences of the seniors and their encounters with unique social backgrounds are invaluable assets to promote intergenerational integration and restore cultural heritage.

With an evidence-based research conducted by University of Hong Kong, Life Story Approach is proven significantly effective to improve depressive symptoms of elders, with sustainable effect. The service team strives to reach wider user groups in recent years, including chronic and terminally-ill patients, carers, young people, teachers, professionals and corporate volunteers. It is a high touch, trans-age, trans-social economic and cross-sector project.

To share knowledge and practice wisdom, a series of seven thematic publications have been released. Besides, over 100 professionals from various service settings were trained in our train-the-trainer scheme. It is to further advocate indigenous use of Life Story Approach.

Mr. Henry NG Yan Ho

General Secretary
Chinese Evangelical Zion Church Social Service Division

Ms. YU Wai Man

PhD Candidate
Department of Social Work and Social Administration
The University of Hong Kong

Topic:“Regain Momentum” Animal-Assisted Therapy Mentorship Program

The program is the first program using Animal-Assisted Therapy to help the withdrawn youth in Hong Kong and the world. As the withdrawn youth are afraid of people, they would not be interested in traditional programs. However, animal’s therapeutic factors, such as positive regard, acceptance, and being a social catalyst, help the withdrawn youth to overcome the fear of making contact with people, and alleviate their withdrawn behavior in the end.

Ms. Rachel LEUNG Wai Ling

Children Language Development Fundamental Series
Regional Manager
Heep Hong Society

Ms. Jane LAM

Project Officer
Read & Write: A Jockey Club Learning Support Network
Heep Hong Society

Topic:District-based Language Learning Support Project – Supporting Preschool Children at-risk of Dyslexia

Dozens of literatures and researches pointed out that early identification and intervention to support preschool children at-risk of Dyslexia could help reducing the incidence of Dyslexia among school-aged population. This project adopted a district-based model to support pre-school children at-risk of Dyslexia by building up the social capital and formulating a community-based support network. Evidence-based language learning support programs developed by multi-disciplinary professional team have been provided to children at-risk to strengthen their essential knowledge and skills in literacy development, thus improving their capacity and motivation in language learning.

Ms. Linda WOO Siu Lai

Occupational Therapist I
Hong Kong Christian Service Tuen Mun Early Education and Training Centre

Ms. LAM Pui Shan

Principal
Hong Kong Christian Service Times Nursery School

Topic:Children Language Development Fundamental Series

“Children Language Development Fundamental Series” is a project developed with evidence-based practice. Collaborated with different professionals, we have designed our activities and learning materials according to the ability and interest of two-to-six-year-old children with or without special needs, which also help enhance parents’ and teachers’ knowledge and practical skill of children language development. The result from the programme evaluation has proven the outstanding performance of the project.

Topic:Community Support Scheme of Interpretation and Translation Service for Ethnic Minorities

This project provides Ethnic Minorities with translation and interpretation services, such that they can overcome language barriers in their first foray of integration in the mainstream society. By actively collecting feedbacks and views from our users and stakeholders through interviews, feedback forms, and service monitoring system, we are able to optimize the types and qualities of service provided, thus improving our service in a persistent manner.

Mr. Foster LAM Yuen Ho

Social Work Supervisor
Hong Kong Young Women’s Christian Association

Topic:An Evaluation Study on the Employment Support Services in Hong Kong Y.W.C.A.

Hong Kong Y.W.C.A. provides a wide range of employment support services to those unemployed youth and school leavers to help them to engage in labor market through offering a series of job-related enhancement skills training activities, such as promotion of sense of confidence and responsibility, acquisition of work-related knowledge, provision of job attachment/ placement, as well as post-placement support. This project is to evaluate the process and outcome effectiveness of the employment support services in order for continuous improvement and enhancement of services.

Mr. LEUNG Sai Kit

Senior Staff Officer
Hong Kong Red Cross

Topic:Experience Sharing on Importance of Project Evaluation for Service Development – HKRC International Humanitarian Service Leadership Programme Illustrated

International Humanitarian Service Leadership Program (ISLP) is a pilot project in humanitarian education launched by the Hong Kong Red Cross (HKRC). It aims to expand the humanitarian global vision, voluntary service skill and humanitarian leadership qualities of students in tertiary institutions. The project has collaborated with different institutions to develop this project in their institutions.

After 7 years of experiment, HKRC conducted a programme evaluation for the ISLP. The University of Hong Kong was commissioned with this evaluation study, which assessed the effectiveness of ISLP, and recommended possible future direction for its development.

This sharing will focus on the background and implementation of the project, challenges encountered during the study process, together with the project officer’s self-reflection afterwards.

Ms. Candy LING Yuet Man

Registered Clinical Psychologist
New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association

Mr. Kenneth LAW Ka Ping

Professional Service Manager
New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association

Topic:Project of Alliance for Recovery and Care (ARC) – System Transformation towards Recovery

New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association has started her system transformation towards Recovery-oriented services since 2009. Through the strategy of “from knowledge to practice, establishing mindset and ability to promote the system transformation”, we have successfully established cross-sectoral partnership and involved the participation of our stakeholders in the system transformation process. We have also actualized the recovery-oriented practices into our daily work by carrying out diversified pilot schemes and evidence-informed researches, including organization assessment as well as multiple recovery tools and programs so as to examine the endeavor of contextualizing mental health recovery concept in the local culture.