A review of features and outcomes of the Hong Kong Child Development Fund

Abstract

Highlighting the policy background and programme innovations of the HKD 300 million Child Development Fund Pioneer Projects, this article presents results from a quasi-experimental study of 750 adolescents in the first-batch projects. The projects combine a matched-savings programme, a mentorship programme and personal development plans. These features demonstrate the impact of financial and non-financial assets developed over a three-year period, so that participating children are more likely to leave poverty in the long term. Findings are largely positive, showing a high rate of saving completions and identifying programme effects on life-goal planning. Reciprocal and mutual trust between mentor and mentee are associated with adolescent psychosocial development. Furthermore, the community becomes more prepared to use an asset-building approach to alleviate intergenerational poverty. Nevertheless, the results suggest that training and support for mentors and financial literacy for parents need to be strengthened to increase the programme's influence.

本文强调了 3 亿港元儿童发展基金amp;#20808;amp;#23548;amp;#35745;amp;#21010;的政策背景和项目创新，并陈述了一项准实验的结果，此准实验的参与者为 750 名青少年和第一批参与此项目的家庭。这则项目由香港特别行政区政府于2008年发起，通过结合带配款的储蓄项目、amp;#24072;amp;#21451;amp;#35745;amp;#21010;和个人发展amp;#35268;划，用以解决贫困跨代传递问题。这个为期三年项目同时也对金融和非金融资产的影响进行研究。儿童发展基金的目标是总共招募13600名青少年及他们的家庭。大多数结果都是积极的，因为这些结果显示出完成储蓄的比例非常高，并确定了项目对终身计划的影响。这些结果还显示出amp;#21451;amp;#24072;和amp;#21451;amp;#21592;之间的互惠信任与青少年的心理发展有关。研究结果表明，对amp;#21451;amp;#24072;的培训和支持及家长的金融知识还有待加强。

Keywords:

• financial and non-financial assets
• financial literacy
• Hong Kong Child Development Fund Pioneer Projects
• intergenerational poverty transmission
• matched savings
• mentorship programme
• personal development plan

Notes

1. In the first and second years, participants completed forms on PDPs, and the NGOs collected these forms. At the end of the third year, we asked the NGOs for an update on the progress of implementation of participants' PDPs and received updates for nearly half of the records. Despite efforts to follow up, we have not received further updates from the operating NGOs. Also, some youth with updates did not develop action targets (thus, the number of participants with action targets is fewer than 346). We continue to collect data from the NGOs on participants' PDP spending and are considering other ways to complete the data on spending, which we deem important to understanding the function of the savings and its benefits for participating youth.