Tripartite Partnership Among the Government, the Business Sector, and the Community in Child Poverty Alleviation in Hong Kong

Despite being an affluent city, a significant number of children in Hong Kong experience multidimensional poverty. Amid rising social inequality, an income-based welfare approach has been unable to effectively reach the most vulnerable and those most in need. In 2022, the Hong Kong Government adopted the targeted poverty alleviation (TPA) strategy, directing resources to those most in need, including residents of subdivided units and single-parent families. This approach emphasizes the benefits of tripartite partnerships between the government, the private sector, and the community to leverage the unique strengths and resources of multiple stakeholders. Drawing on insights from selected social work theoretical models, this chapter discusses the implementation of three targeted interventions, including the Strive and Rise Programme, the Pilot Programme on Community Living Room, and the School-Based After-School Care Service Scheme—all of which aim to break intergenerational poverty through capability expansion and comprehensive support beyond income. Despite the adoption of tripartite partnerships, their long-term effectiveness and sustainability within the Hong Kong context remain underexplored. This chapter argues that applying the principles of collaborative governance can provide a robust framework to address this gap. It further highlights the pivotal role of social workers as agents of social change and inclusion and as advocates for the sustainability of tripartite partnerships by building trust, fostering inclusivity, facilitating communication, and promoting ethical practice. We conclude that child poverty alleviation is a shared responsibility of multiple actors and that tripartite partnerships offer a practical pathway to advance progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals.