Better Responses to Youth-at-Risk

The applied and interdisciplinary research of Prof Wing Lo and Prof Dennis Wong has aided the governments of Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, and Guangzhou in responding effectively to the service needs of at-risk youths. The welfare and restorative solutions proposed in this pioneering research have been implemented in partner regions through blueprints, government policies, and practice models such as the Service Blueprint for At-risk Youth in Macau, Youth and Children’s Home Policy in Macau, whole-school restorative practice models in Hong Kong, and Youth GO in Singapore. Tens of thousands of young people, their families and teachers have benefitted from the new practices, and hundreds of practitioners have undergone training devised and delivered by the research team that has enhanced the quality of the service they provide.

Prof Lo found that street youth are “Triadized” through three main channels. First, the Triads’ web-like structure draws young people in; second, the characteristics and knowledge of Triads are transmitted via routine activities; and third, the tacit but strongly enforced norms and controls of a youth gang lead its members to conform to Triad commands and assimilate gang values. Thus, these new recruits strengthen Triad societies. Prof Wing Lo and Prof Dennis Wong has advocated outreach work and community support service as a welfare response to youth gangs and street delinquents, whereby workers reach out to the youth in the ganglands controlled by the Triads. The relationships are based on trust, and programs that are tailored to their psychological and social needs can then be developed. To induce changes in the target youths, the youths’ energies are channeled toward more constructive goals and they are empowered by participating in volunteer services in the community, which can provide them with an alternative sense of belonging and achievement.

To address the problem of at-risk youth becoming street youth after dropping out of school, Prof Wing Lo and Prof Dennis Wong jointly developed the “Restorative Whole-School Approach” (RWSA). The RWSA integrates re-integrative shaming theory that advocates the use of tolerance and acceptance but simultaneously shows appropriate social disapproval of delinquency and mediation tactics in a new intervention approach for dealing with school bullying issues. It is contended that negative shaming practices in schools force some misbehaved students to feel being abandoned and seek recognitions from peers in the gang. Key ideas underlying the protective factors of delinquency are continuous forgiveness and acceptance of misbehaved students by the school authorities and the self-motivated respect that the students generate for parents or teachers. The development of restorative goals, clear instructions, team building, and good relationships among students, parents, teachers, and other stakeholders is emphasized. A quasi-experimental, longitudinal design across four schools was developed in their RWSA research, and a significant reduction in bullying, increased empathy, and higher self-esteem were reported. Prof Wing Lo and Prof Dennis Wong identified the factors of risk and protection in school delinquency, as well as effective intervention approaches that can help resolve conflicts among young people. The restorative practices and innovative approaches they recommend for addressing bullying in schools have informed social workers, teachers, parents, and criminal justice professionals when tackling youth violence.

Macau: Prof Wing Lo and Prof Dennis Wong were invited by the Macau Government to study youth problems in Macau, and they developed a youth service blueprint in 2005 with the following welfare aims: (1) to prevent street and gang delinquency through Community Youth Work Teams (CYWTs); (2) to enhance the efficacy of school youth and their families through Integrated Youth and Family Service Centers (IYFSCs), and (3) to help police-cautioned youth through the Community Support Scheme (CSS) (5.1). These three services were first implemented by the government in the mid-2000s and a follow-up study in 2014 confirmed that the services were effective. It showed a reduction in delinquent behavior and drug abuse (mean differences = -.16, p<.001; & -.04, p<.001, respectively) in a sample of 2,755 secondary students, and same reduction (mean differences = -.78, p<.05; & -.24, p<.001, respectively) in a sample of 422 delinquent youth (5.9, p.71). The government accepted the study’s recommendation that they became permanent measures. In 2015, 30 social workers and 30 police superintendents were trained to work with police-cautioned youths in the CSS. In 2018, about 13,000 service recipients benefited from the CYWT and 53,000 from the IYFSC (see 5.1). The research team was again invited to assess youth problems in Macau in the same year, and by examining their internet, drug, and gambling addictions, were able to provide the Macau Government with invaluable information at the end of the project in July 2019, enabling them to develop strategies for youth services.

Family breakdown and the subsequent removal of children into care are regarded as a main cause of delinquency. In 2007, Prof Lo worked with the Macau Government to develop the Youth and Children’s Home Policy in which the concept of the “small family group home” was proposed to replace the larger residential youth homes. The implementation of the concept was exemplified in the physical design of a new home built in 2015, and in improvements in the designs of older homes. In 2018, Prof Lo developed self-assessment mechanisms to ensure the homes adhered to internationally recognized service standards, and trained 100 home workers to apply the assessment criteria. Since 2015, the service has benefitted about 200 youths with special residential needs per year.