{
  "id": 13614581,
  "title": "More support needed for ethnic minority children with special needs, charity says",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/11/more-support-needed-for-ethnic-minority-children-with-special-needs",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-11T02:00:18.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "South China Morning Post",
    "slug": "south-china-morning-post",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3370458/more-support-needed-ethnic-minority-children-special-needs-charity-says"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "The Heep Hong Society, a non-profit children's education organisation in Hong Kong, has called for expanded support services for preschool-aged ethnic minority children with special needs across more districts. The charity's pilot project, Project Embrace, found that 95 percent of participants showed improvement, but many families face multiple barriers, including language difficulties, financial constraints, and cultural stigma, when seeking support. According to the Education Bureau, early identification of special educational needs is crucial for timely intervention and support, and children must have a diagnosis to attend government-funded Early Education and Training Centres or Special Child Care Centres. In the 2025-26 school year, the number of non-Chinese-speaking children receiving preschool rehabilitation services through such centres increased from 741 in 2023-24 to 968. Dr Kwok Chun-chuen, deputy chief executive officer for services at Heep Hong Society, highlighted the additional challenges faced by ethnic minority families due to language barriers and lack of information.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "South China Morning Post - Hong Kong",
        "title": "More support needed for ethnic minority children with special needs, charity says",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/11/more-support-needed-for-ethnic-minority-children-with-special-needs-13615134",
        "published": "2026-10-11T02:00:18.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}