No time limit on support, official says as 1,600 households matched with social workers

The Social Welfare Department (SWD) has pledged that its support for residents affected by the deadly Wang Fuk Court fire will carry no time limit, with the department continuing assistance until residents are fully settled.

SWD Director Edward To Wing-hang said on a radio program Thursday that more than 1,600 households have already registered and been matched with a dedicated case social worker under the government’s “one social worker per household” scheme, launched in response to the five-alarm blaze in Tai Po.

He urged households that have not yet come forward to contact the SWD’s 24-hour hotline at 182183 so that assistance can be arranged promptly.

Each household assigned a team: One social worker plus two civil servants

To explain that each household will be supported not only by a social worker providing professional welfare services but also by two additional civil servants from other government departments who will handle practical, day-to-day needs.

The social worker’s responsibilities include emotional counseling, psychological support, and helping arrange temporary care for elderly family members. The civil servants, meanwhile, handle on-the-ground tasks such as accompanying residents to medical follow-ups, assisting with packing belongings, and helping coordinate relocations.

To cited an example from Wednesday (Dec 4), when residents of Wang Chi House briefly returned to collect personal items. The social worker first notified residents of the arrangements and provided emotional support, while the two civil servants physically assisted with retrieving and packing belongings.

One-stop application support to avoid repeated paperwork

To noted that in the early days after the fire, various charities and relief organizations stepped in to provide assistance, often resulting in residents filling out multiple forms for different aid schemes.

Under the new support model, each social worker acts as a one-stop coordinator, helping residents complete applications for financial and material assistance across different organizations, eliminating the need for duplicate paperwork.

He added that the SWD had deployed social workers, clinical psychologists, and other professionals to hospitals and the Fu Shan Public Mortuary immediately after the disaster, and these households formed the first batch enrolled in the support scheme.

SWD teams are also visiting temporary accommodations and using information provided by NGOs to identify households not yet registered. To encourage residents who have already been matched with a social worker to remind neighbors to contact the SWD, stressing that the goal is to ensure every affected family receives help.