Care homes ordinance to take effect on 10 June

Licence or certificate of exemption now strictly required.

According to the Labour & Welfare Bureau, the second part of the Residential Care Homes (Persons with Disabilities) Ordinance regarding sanctions will come into effect on June 10 after vetting procedures are complete.

After this date, it will be an offence to operate, keep, or manage a care home for disabled people without a valid licence or certificate of exemption. Offenders may be prosecuted by the Social Welfare Department.

The ordinance has been in force since November 18, 2011, except for Part 2 regarding sanctions for offences. To allow sufficient time for care homes to apply for a new licence or certificate of exemption and for the department to process applications, a grace period of 18 months has been given during which no sanctions have been imposed.

This grace period expires on Monday, when Part 2 of the Ordinance comes into operation.

Through a statutory licensing scheme and complementary measures, the Government can ensure service quality on one hand, and help the market develop different types of residential care homes on the other, providing more service options for people with disabilities.