April 11, 2025

Language: Cantonese

The World Health Organization – Caregiver Skills Training Program has undergone multiple improvements since it was introduced in Hong Kong in 2018 by JC A-Connect. This program has been localized into courses for parents and facilitators, while also continuously updating in the international arena, with a new course design published in 2022.

A webinar titled “Building Home and Play Routines: The World Health Organization Caregiver Skills Training 2022 International Version” was held on April 11, 2025 to present the framework, materials, and key techniques of the programme. The speakers are master trainers trained directly by the professors who designed the World Health Organization Caregiver Skills Training.

July 16, 2024

Language: Cantonese

JC A-Connect introduced the World Health Organisation Caregiver Skills Training Programme to Hong Kong in 2018 through the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Hong Kong and various non-governmental organisations. From 2021 onwards, the programme has been localised by several non-governmental organisations to better meet the needs of caregivers in Hong Kong. This programme aims to train caregivers of children aged 2 to 6 years old who are suspected of or diagnosed with ASD or developmental delays. It enables caregivers to better understand their children’s needs, develop self-care, and learn skills to promote children’s growth, thereby transforming into joyful learning companions for their children. In addition to training local caregivers, the localised WHO-CST programme also offers certified facilitator training programmes, facilitating the expansion and continuation of the project.

To explore the effectiveness and development blueprint of the programme, the research team of HKU conducted interviews with education workers, caregivers, and certified facilitators over the past year. A webinar titled “A Table: Engaging Children with Developmental Delays through Play and Home Routines” was held on July 16, 2024, to release the research findings.

December 15, 2023

Language: Cantonese

The localised World Health Organisation – Caregiver Skills Training (WHO-CST) is the first caregiver training programme in Hong Kong specifically designed for caregivers of children aged 2-6 who are suspected to have or diagnosed with ASD, developmental delays or disabilities. The content of the course is developed by WHO, in collaboration with Autism Speaks, and localised by The University of Hong Kong and several non-governmental organisations to cater for the needs of local parents.

The programme has been implemented in Hong Kong for more than two years since 2021. In order to benefit more children with ASD and their parents, JC A-Connect organised the “World Health Organization Caregiver Skills Training Programme Webinar for Parents” on December 15, 2023. Professor Paul Wong, Associate Professor of the Department of Social Work and Social Administration at The University of Hong Kong, as well as two professionals from different non-governmental organisations, were invited to further introduce the course, allowing parents to learn more parenting skills and become effective caregivers. The webinar was conducted online and received positive feedback from participants, who expressed great interest in the programme.

May 23, 2023

Language: Cantonese

JC A-Connect’s Teacher Training Seminar (Primary) based on the topic of “self-advocacy” from the Group Training Resource Package for Students with ASD was held on May 23, 2023. The seminar taught school personnel the ways to prepare primary school students for possible choices in the future through training, such as participating in extra-curricular activities, developing strengths and interests, and hence, reaching their personal goals.

“Self-advocacy” refers to the skills of reaching one’s goals and realising aspirations, including decision and choice making. To help students developing such skills, it is not about the amount of knowledge or skills they learn but the mastery of their own characteristics and needs to make choices that are suitable for them, to cope with difficulties and to be responsible for their own decisions and actions.

In this seminar, educational psychologists, Dr. Sonia Chan and Ms. Elsa Chiu from the Department of Psychology at the University of Hong Kong, were invited to introduce and explain the training skills, followed with a professional from a social welfare organisation, who shared her experiences in group training. The seminar was conducted online and positive feedback from the participants were received.

May 19, 2023

Language: Cantonese

JC A-Connect’s Teacher Training Seminar (Secondary) based on the topic of “self-advocacy” from the Group Training Resource Package for Students with ASD was held on May 19, 2023. The seminar taught school personnel the ways to prepare secondary school students for adulthood through training and hence, reaching their personal goals.

“Self-advocacy” refers to the skills of reaching one’s goals and realising aspirations. It could be life planning or decision making in daily lives, including leisure activities, ways of birthday celebrations, making friends, further studies and career development. To help students develop such skills, it is not about the amount of knowledge or skills they learn but the mastery of their own characteristics and needs to make choices that are suitable for them, such as developing strengths and interests, further studies and career development. In the meantime, students should be able to adjust their targets, find solutions, be responsible for their own decisions and actions when facing challenges.

In this seminar, educational psychologists, Dr. Sonia Chan and Ms. Elsa Chiu from the Department of Psychology at the University of Hong Kong, were invited to introduce and explain the training skills, followed with professionals from two social welfare organisations, who shared their experiences in group training. The seminar was conducted online and positive feedback from the participants were received.