Launch of FICS project

• Speech by Professor Paul Morris

• Speech by Dr Chris Forlin

• Speech by Mrs Henrietta Siu

Text of press release (English)

• Text of press release (Chinese)

In Hong Kong there are many children and adults who have some type of special educational need. Accessing the right service for these people is often fraught with difficulty. In many instances those seeking the services have no idea how to locate the most appropriate source and do not know how to begin their search.

There are a large number of service providers in Hong Kong that cater for the needs of students with a range of disabilities and learning difficulties, however, they all tend to focus on just one specific area.

For parents who are concerned about their children there is no central place where they can identify all service providers in one convenient searchable format. The Federation In Community Support web site launched through the Faculty of Professional and Early Childhood Education at the Hong Kong Institute of Education provides such a service to parents.

It also brings together all service providers so that schools, teachers, the medical profession and other support agencies are also able to locate the best options for those with special educational needs.

The Federation In Community Support web site will provide a central hub for locating support services across the whole of Hong Kong and act as an invaluable resource for the future.

I have great pleasure in launching the site.

In recent years there has been an enormous effort by both government and non-government groups to provide the type of support needed for children and adults with a range of special needs and learning difficulties. Most NGOs have been established by parents of children with specific disabilities and supported by major fund raising activities and by generous donations from philanthropic organizations. Today in Hong Kong there are numerous support agencies providing a wealth of assistance to children with special needs and their parents, schools, and other stakeholders.

One of the major challenges in accessing these support services is often the difficulty in identifying exactly what is available and what they provide. The Federation In Community Support web site will fill a huge vacuum in Hong Kong as this site will provide a central focal point for stakeholders to locate the range of relevant support services to meet their requirements.

Here at the Hong Kong Institute of Education we are delighted to be able to provide such a service to the people of Hong Kong. The Federation In Community Support web site will become an important resource for all involved in supporting children and adults who require additional support to achieve to their potential.

Dr Chris Forlin
FICS Project Leader

Joy of Learning

http://www.ied.edu.hk/jol/jol14/data14/index-e-8.htm#

When my children were young and there was little support around, I had to undergo a non-stop process of searching for the appropriate services. The lack of information left me so desperate that I once even tried to talk to another parent, a total stranger I bumped into at the supermarket.
The time I spent looking for relevant information and resources far exceeded the time I spent taking care of my children.....This websites is extremely useful. Parents like me - we do not need to exhaust ourselves on such unnecessary worry and stress anymore.

Mrs Herrletta Siu, mother of two children with special educational needs

HKIEd launches innovative website for supporting children with Special Educational Needs
http://www2.ied.edu.hk/fpece/fics

Numerous families having children with disabilities or learning difficulties are expected to become benefactors of a central hub of information and resources – the first of its kind in Hong Kong.

The Federation In Community Support (FICS) website, initiated by the Hong Kong Institute of Education (HKIEd), will help link up parents, schools, media and welfare professionals, as well as various stakeholders serving these needy families.

According to statistics across countries, among the age appropriate students, about 3-5% of them are with disabilities; while another 10-30% have special educational needs (SENs).

Officiating at the launching ceremony of the bilingual FICS website today (1 June), Professor Paul Morris, HKIEd President said: “The project exemplifies HKIEd’s continuous efforts in applying our expertise and strengths in response to identified needs of both the education sector and the community.”

Despite a growing number of service providers that cater for the needs of students with disabilities or SENs, Prof Morris observed that the families concerned often face difficulties in accessing the right types of services due to the lack of a central hub of information. The FICS website thus serves to fill a huge vacuum in Hong Kong.

With a searchable format, the FICS website provides continuously updated information of various agencies and organisations which provide education, counselling, assessment and other services for the needy children from early childhood, primary, secondary up to post-secondary levels. Up to date, the website contains linkage and information to more than 50 local support agencies and more than 30 major international sites. The number of entries is expected to expand continuously, with information sending in by various agencies.

It also contains special sections on the much needed information on “teacher training” and “parent workshops”.

Mrs Henrietta Siu, who is a mother of two sons with SENs and has experienced the continual hectic search for services for her children, believes that the FICS website will become a source of information that many desperate parents are able to not only trust, but also trust to be updated.

“The website can also provide a way for the parents to communicate with one another. This link between parents will allow them to share information, as well as to give support to each other in times of need,” said Mrs. Siu at the launching ceremony.

Dr Chris Forlin, FICS Project Leader, said that as children at different ages will have different special learning needs, easy access to timely information is essential for ensuring that each and every child obtains the right service at the right time.

She believes that with support from various service providers, educators and parents, the FICS website will further develop into not only a central hub of valuable resources, but also a platform for consolidating cooperation of various stakeholders for better serving the needy children.

教院推出創新網站
支援具特殊學習需要學童
http://www2.ied.edu.hk/fpece/fics

本港首個詳盡臚列為殘疾或具學習困難學童提供的各類資源服務的網站，今天 (六月一日) 正式啟用，為無數有需要的家庭，提供適時的支援。

這個名為「社區支援聯盟」(FICS / Federation In Community Support)的中、英對照網站，乃由香港教育學院 (下稱「教院」)設立。預期網站更能擔當聯繫的角色，促進各有關人士的溝通合作，包括家長、學校、教師、醫護與福利專業人員、以及不同的政府機構和民間組織，以期為殘疾或具特殊學習需要學童提供更佳的服務與支援。

根據國際研究顯示，在適齡學童人口中，一般約有 3 -5 %屬肢體或智力傷殘；另10-30%具特殊學習需要。此等數據對香港有借鑑作用。

教院校長莫禮時教授今天在主持網站啟用典禮時指出:「長期以來，教院師生均樂於貢獻我們的專長和能力，回應教育界與社會的需要；“社區支援聯盟” 網站的設立，正是我們服務社群的一個好例子。」

近年為殘疾或具特殊學習需要學童提供服務的機構數目日益增加，不過，莫教授發覺由於香港缺少相關服務的一站式資訊集放平台，這些父母在為子女找尋適當服務時，每每遇到百般困難。這個網站正好能填補香港在這方面的空隙。

「社區支援聯盟」網站提供不同機構和組織的網上鏈結和介紹，當中包括由幼兒、小學、中學至專上教育程度的各式各樣服務，如學習、評估、輔導等等，資料更會不時更新，網站具搜尋功能，以期為用者提供資源豐富兼使用方便的平台。截至今天，該網站已上載五十多個本港及逾三十個主要國際機構的鏈結和資料。

網站更特設「老師培訓」和「家長教育」的網頁，這些範疇的資訊，一向需求甚殷。

蕭何桂嫻女士的兩名兒子均有特殊學習需要，她今天出席網站啟用禮時，憶述多年來不斷為兒子尋覓適當服務時面對的困難與徬徨。她相信這個網站會成為有關父母信賴的一站式資訊平台，為他們提供可靠而且不時更新的資訊。

蕭太指出:「“社區支援聯盟” 網站更可成為有關家長的溝通渠道，讓他們交流資訊，並在有需要時互相支援扶持。」

「社區支援聯盟」項目統籌霍艾蓮博士表示，不同學童在不同階段，均有不同的學習需要。要確保每名學童能於適當的時候獲得適當服務，首要便是要確保家長能便捷地取得適時的資訊。

霍博士相信，透過不同服務機構、教育工作者和家長的支持，「社區支援聯盟」網站不單會成為寶貴資源的中央集放點，更能發展為凝聚各方力量的平台，合力為有需要的學童提供更佳服務。