When children experience emotional distress, appropriate counseling and therapy can help them overcome their difficulties. We provide two type of services: (1) counselling or therapy offered by our professionals for free or with subsidies, and (2) referrals to other professionals and institutions.
Whether the child requires counselling or therapy?
What type of counselling or therapy is needed?
Whether it is suitable for us to follow up or refer to other institutions?
If the assessment results indicate a need, the child will be directed to:
1. Our Counselling and Therapy Services
Format
4-8 sessions of counselling or therapy, primarily conducted through online meetings, while in-person sessions will depend on the availability and location of relevant specialists.
Service Providers
Registered clinical psychologists, art therapists, drama therapists, play therapists, and counsellors based in the UK.
Fees
Subject to an eligibility test, clients will receive free or subsidised services as follows:
Plan
Eligibility criteria
Fee
Details
Greater London government-funded services
Resides in Greater London; Children in need aged below 18; and BNO Visa holder
We are training local professionals to better understand Hongkongers We are please to announce Thrive LDN‘s commissioning of Hong Kong Well UK CIC and WAVE Trust to provide trauma-informed raining for teachers, NHS staff and social workers to improve their understanding of Hongkongers. We sincerely hope that a good mutual understanding will enhance the integration […]
Fully-funded Advisory and Counselling Services for BNO Visa holding families in Greater London
Living in Greater London and wanting to help your children adjust to the new life? Worrying about your child’s emotional health? Looking for SEN support? We are here to help you.
The Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities have funded Hong Kong Well UK CIC to provide free advisory and counseling services for children and parents migrated from Hong Kong to the UK under the BNO Visa scheme.
Our services
1. Advisory Services
You will speak to case officers who had social work training from Hong Kong. They will provide the following:
Information on local emotional health support services;
A step by step guide and tips on how to reach out for help with schools
Referral of children to HK Well UK triage assessment service
Referral of children to HK Well UK counselling service as recommended by the assessment
Contacts of Cantonese speaking therapists and psychologists
Information on special education needs (SEN) support in Greater London Area
2. Triage emotional health assessment and counselling
Registered psychologists, therapists and counsellors based either in the UK will provide the following:
Triage Assessment: One online session to assess whether the children need counselling or intervention.
Counselling Services: A maximum of six sessions of online counselling or therapy for the children. The clients may be referred to other local organisations or further services by HK Well UK upon completion.
Our charge
Services
Fee
Advisory Services
Free
Triage Emotional Health Assessment
Free upon recommendation by our case officer and the provision of address proof to show the applicant.
Counseling/Therapy Services
Free upon recommendation by our specialists after assessment and the provision of address proof to show the applicant. Address proof includes utilities bill, letters from the council and bank statements.
Who can apply
Hong Kong migrants under the BNO Visa scheme
Children in need aged above 16 and below 18; or parents of children aged below 18
Residents in the Greater London Area:
To confirm whether a residence is within the Greater London Area, an applicant can refer to this postal code map or input the postal code in this website. If no result can be found, the residence is not within the area and the applicant is not eligible to the funded scheme.
Hong Kong Well UK Donation-funded Counseling Service/Therapy
All applicants will be subject to an asset mean test to access the subsidised / counselling services/therapy which is funded purely by public donations. After the applicant submits an application, his or her child in need will undergo a mental health triage assessment and asset review. Eligible children and adolescents will be provided with free or subsidised counselling services/therapy. The details are as follows:
Service Provider
Registered clinical psychologists, therapists, or counsellors located in the UK or Hong Kong.
Service Format
Counselling or therapy conducted mainly through video conferences. In-person services will depend on the availability of the specialists.
Number of sessions
4-8 sessions depending on the conditions of the child in need
Service Fee
Category
Financial condition of the applicant
Service provider
Fee per session (approximately 45 minutes)
Free subsidised services
Family asset lower than the floor threshold
Clinical Psychologist/ Therapist/ Counsellor
Free
Partly subsidised services
Family asset above the floor threshold but below the ceiling threshold
Clinical Psychologist
GBP40 (Other services such as written report excluded)
Therapist
GBP30(Other services such as written report excluded)
Counsellor
GBP25 (Other services such as written report excluded)
Eligibility Criteria
Parents of children aged below 18 or children aged 16-17 can apply but they must satisfy ALL of the following conditions:
BNO Visa holder or their dependent
Assessment by specialists from our organisation indicates a need for counselling/therapy for the children;
Pass the family asset mean test;
The council tax band of the family’s residence falls under categories A, B, C, or D
The family should own no more than one property worldwide.
Family Asset Mean Test
The asset thresholds employed in this test is referenced on maximum income thresholds employed by the UK government in its free school meal eligibility assessment for households with no recourse to public funds including those holding BNO visa.
Family asset threshold
Family condition
Family saving(GBP)
Eligible services
Floor threshold
Families outside of London with 1 child
<136,200
Full subsidised services
Families outside of London with 2 or more children
<157,800
Full subsidised services
Families within London with 1 child
<187,200
Full subsidised services
Families within London with 2 or more children
<208,800
Full subsidised services
Ceiling threshold
Families outside of London with 1 child
<181,600
Partly subsidised services
Families outside of London with 2 or more children
Our volunteers with social workers training will contact the applicant to understand their situation and determine whether a referral for the triage assessment service is necessary.
Proof of the child’s age such as birth certificate
Bank statements of both parents for the last three months. In the case of single-parent households, only the bank statements of the custodial parent are required (bank statements from online banks like Revolut, Monzo, etc. are not accepted)
Proof of Council Tax payment
Children of families that have satisfied the asset mean test will be arranged for assessment.
If the assessor finds intervention necessary, he or she will recommend the required number of counselling sessions and the type of professional intervention to Hong Kong Well UK for the final decision. We will assign the appropriate specialists to provide the counselling/therapy.
We will discuss the counselling/therapy arrangement with the parents and children in need if aged over 16.
The applicant or their parent for those aged 16-17 is required to sign the counselling/therapy service agreement and pay the fees (in the case of partly-subsidised services) within 48 hours before each counselling session.
Applicants must ensure the accuracy and truthfulness of the submitted information. False declaration would result in the immediate termination of services and other appropriate actions.
“Hong Kong Well UK – Kent County Counselling Enquiry Service” In supporting young migrants from Hong Kong to secure mental wellbeing & smooth integration into their UK life. As part of the Regional Voluntary Community Social Enterprise (VCSE) Grant Scheme, Hong Kong Well UK has entered into a partnership with Kent County Council (KCC) in […]
Hong Kong Well Mental Health Triage Assessment Service
It is hard to get a child to speak up. Asking them to talk about their feelings in a foreign language is even more difficult. Our team will help to overcome the language barrier by providing triage assessment for children from Hong Kong in their mother tongue – Cantonese. An English referral letter will be prepared for their parents to follow up with teachers and NHS specialists.
Our team
They are clinical psychologists, family therapists and art therapists with registration either or both in the United Kingdom and/or Hong Kong. Details of the professional qualification will be provided upon confirmation of a meeting.
Who are we serving?
Children aged under 18 of families applying for or have been granted the British National (Overseas) Visa.
How do we meet?
1-2 online session(s) lasting 60 minutes each. Most of the meetings will be conducted online in Cantonese.
How to apply
Find a referrer (teachers, school nurses, Special Education Need Coordinator (SENCO) , educational psychologists, clinical psychologists, general practitioners(GP), social workers, ordained ministers or lay pastors) to fill in the referral form.
We will only process the application upon receiving both forms. Due to the small size of our professional team, please be patient. Emergency cases will have the priority.
Sign and send us the service agreement upon receiving a confirmation email on the appointment. This must be done 24 hours prior to the appointment time.
What do we charge?
We don’t charge for the moment but we would recommend a donation of £30 so that a more members of the wider Hongkonger community can be helped by our non-profit making services. For applicants with financial pressures, please contact us. Click here to make the donation 24 hours before before the initial session. All donations are non-refundable in the event of absence without 24 hours prior notice.
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