Breaking the Cycle of Disadvantage: Educational Needs of Out-of-Home Care Children in Hong Kong

Abstract

This chapter examines how far education and the school context meet the educational needs of out-of-home care children in Hong Kong from the perspective of inclusive education. The author argues that the learning support for children in care should be distinguished from that of children cared for at home as most of the children in care come from disadvantaged family backgrounds and have been through traumatic family experiences such as child abuse, parents suffering from mental illnesses and so on, resulting in an increased risk of poor educational attainment. The Chapter includes a discussion on the concept of inclusive education and its relevance to children with a care background, an overview of their individual and family profiles, a critical appraisal of the current education policy and specifically the special schools and the whole school approach to integrated education for these children. Finally, it makes recommendations on strategies to serve the educational needs of out-of-home care children better.