World Health Organization – Caregiver Skills Training (WHO-CST)

Experts from WHO, the Parent Association and the autism advocacy organization in America – “Autism Speaks” designed the WHO’s “Caregiver Skills Training” and implemented it in more than 30 regions around the world. The Programme aims to alleviate the needs of parents around the world to take care of children with developmental delays or ASD. The principal distinguishing characteristic of the WHO-CST is that a formal diagnosis of any childhood disorder of the children is NOT required as a prerequisite for the caregiver’s entry into the Programme, for obtaining the best result during early intervention.
JC A-Connect adopted WHO-CST with the University of Hong Kong and a number of NGOs in 2018, with opinions and experiences of professionals and caregivers to localise the curriculum to better meet the needs of Hong Kong caregivers. While also trained up a number of certified master trainers and facilitators to provide parent training courses, to facilitate caregivers to learn how to participate in daily activities at ease and have good quality shared time with their children. Since 2021, JC A-Connect joined hands with various NGOs to localise the WHO-CST, expecting to train up more certified facilitators to carry out more parent training courses in Hong Kong.
Target
The localised WHO-CST aims at facilitating parents of those 2 to 6-year-old children who are suspected to have or diagnosed with ASD or developmental delay to master communication and interactive skills. Brain development before 6 years old matters and impacts children’s ability to learn. Parents can apply the communication skills taught to interact with their children, letting them to learn step by step to participate in activities with and learn to pay attention to others.

Uniqueness
“Joint engagement” is the core idea of WHO-CST and an important cornerstone for children to develop language and social skills, and skills of learning new things in the future. “Synchronize” with the children, which is also the meaning of “Synchronize” in the Chinese name of WHO-CST (星語童遊).
10 parent-child interactive skills
- The localised WHO-CST has 10 interactive skills, including attention, persistence, sitting, picking, liking, following, demonstrating, speaking, requesting and sharing. Simply from how to set up a parent-child environment, to teach parents to integrate into their children’s games, then finally to create opportunities for children to pro-actively communicate with parents.
- Parents can improve children’s ability to pay attention to and participate in activities with others anytime and anywhere. The interactive skills in the course are very practical and also suitable for ordinary parents.
Appropriate social behaviour and learn new skills
- WHO-CST will let parents learn and understand how to communicate with their children through behaviour, then teach them to use appropriate methods to respond to their children.
- Parents will also learn how to break down new skills taught into smaller steps to teach children to learn gradually.
Care of the well-being of caregivers
- The Programme encourages caregivers to take care of themselves through different physical and spiritual exercises. Caregivers can then have room to take break through practising in daily live.
- Participating parents will be divided into groups and each group member becomes parents’ fellow. Sharing, support and encouragement in each group can let parents understand their own abilities and efforts, and prioritise their own physical and spiritual health. When they believe that if they feel empowered, they can then better support, not only the children but a wider family network.
In addition to courses provided to parents, WHO-CST also provides a number of training courses suitable for professionals or people working for early childhood education. A trainer certificate will be issued after completing the course and internship. These certified trainers can set up caregiver groups in the future to make this training course popular.
WHO-CST NGO Partners:

TWGHs

HKYWCA
List of Accredited WHO-CST Master Trainers and Facilitators
Master Trainers | |
Professor | Paul Wai-ching WONG |
Dr. | Janet Siu-ping LAU |
Dr. | Nelly Ying TONG |
Ms. | Kit-sum WONG |
Miss | Ka-ying LUNG |
Ms. | See-wai LEUNG |
Ms. | Ka-mun WONG |
Ms. | Kwan-yu LEE |
Ms. | Kit-ping CHAN |
Miss | Oi-kwan CHAN |
Facilitators | |
Ms. | Ching-man CHEUNG |
Ms. | Ho-fung LEUNG |
Mr. | Ka-fai YEE |
Miss | Chiu-yee LUI |
Mr. | Kwok-hei CHIU |
Miss | Mancy Man-sze WAN |
Miss | Daby Tak-yi WAN |
Miss | Kathy Yuk-yin LAI |
Miss | Wing-tung LEUNG |
Miss | Jessie Kam-yu WONG |
Miss | Ka-yan WU |
Miss | Mei-wa LAI |
Miss | Ka-ki SIN |
Miss | Yuen-chee FUNG |
Miss | Wing-yan CHUNG |
Ms. | Man-yee WONG |
Ms. | Yuk-man FOK |
Ms. | Man-lai TSE |
Ms. | Man-wai NG |
Ms. | See-man LEI |
Ms. | Ka-man CHING |
Ms. | Pui-man CHAN |
Ms. | Oi-win YEUNG |
Ms. | Sui-yee LEE |
Ms. | Tsz-yan CHAN |
Ms. | Ka-fun HUNG |
Ms. | Yin-shan SHIH |
Ms. | Siu-ching SZE |
Ms. | Rui-qin LI |
Ms. | Phybe Pui-ling CHEUNG |
Ms. | Ka-wing HUI |
Ms. | Jing SZETO |
Ms. | Tsz-ying SHUM |
Ms. | Ka-yue CHAN |
Dr. | Nga-ki KONG |
Ms. | Mei-kei SUEN |
Ms. | Ho-ki TAM |
Ms. | Wing-man LEE |
Ms. | Chi-wing CHAN |
Ms. | Wing-man KWOK |
Mr. | Ivan Chung-leung LEE |
Ms. | Shan-ni LI |
Ms. | Wing-chi WONG |
Ms. | Lai-ting CHENG |
Ms. | Kane CHAN |
Ms. | Joey Ho-yi CHUNG |
Ms. | Lai-ha NG |
Ms. | Wing-kiu SIU |
Ms. | Ting CHEUNG |
Ms. | Yuen-chi WONG |
Ms. | Fung-sheung IP |
Ms. | Ka-pik HO |
Mr. | Tsz-long CHAN |
Ms. | Mei-fung TANG |
Ms. | Pui-shan CHIN |
Ms. | Ka-yin POON |
Ms. | Hiu-yan WOO |
Ms. | Yee-man KWOK |
Ms. | Lai-hung SUEN |
Miss | Ka-hei TSO |
Miss | Lut-Ieng VONG |
Miss | Hoi-kuan PANG |
Miss | Chui-ha LAU |
Miss | Mei-shun CHEUNG |
Miss | Siu-lee WAN |
Miss | Yin-lai CHAN |
Miss | Oi-ting TO |
Miss | Kei-yi HO |
Ms. | Natalie Tsz-yau LEUNG |
Miss | Sin-man TSANG |
Miss | Ada Man-ling CHONG |
Ms. | Po-yee LEE |
Ms. | Yau-kam CHEUNG |
Ms. | Ka-yee SIN |
Ms. | Cheuk-man CHAN |
Ms. | Yan-yin LOU |
Ms. | Sze-man LIN |
Ms. | Man-nga TSANG |
Ms. | Chui-ling LAM |
Miss | Nga-yi YIP |
Miss | Tsz-yu FUNG |
Miss | Kit-ling KAM |
Miss | Ka-yee WONG |
Miss | Sin-man TING |
Miss | Chi-kio LAU |
Miss | Nola Sze-man YUEN |
Miss | Chau-yee CHAN |
Mr | Kai-chung LO |
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