CHINA – Media OutReach – 3 November 2020 – Hugill & Ip and Mother’s Choice are excited to launch a joint campaign to raise funds to benefit our community including the many children without families and pregnant teenagers in Hong Kong.
The #ProtectYourChildren campaign officially kicks off on 9 November 2020. The date marks World Adoption Day which aims to raise awareness for adoption and to support families in the adoption process. Every year ambassadors from all over the world organise a series of events, bringing together people from all walks of life to mark #WorldAdoptionDay.
Mother’s Choice celebrates Adoption Awareness Month, hosting events and publishing materials to support families in the Hong Kong community. This year Hugill & Ip will also participate to raise awareness about legal issues related to the protection of children.
Hugill & Ip’s Estate Planning team will prepare temporary and/or permanent Deeds of Guardianship, on a pro-bono basis, in exchange for direct charitable donations to Mother’s Choice — the minimum donation is HK$4,800 and all money will go to Mother’s Choice. The goal is to benefit parents, friends or allies of Mother’s Choice to prepare for their families’ future arrangements and security.
While donations can only be received from 9 November to 6 December 2020, the period for taking appointments and the preparation of Deeds of Guardianship with the Estate Planning team at Hugill & Ip will run until 30 April 2021. This is a great opportunity for everyone who has not yet put in place or needs to update their guardianship wishes, while supporting an important charitable organisation. Donations are tax-deductible.
It’s sad to imagine, but should something happen to parents, children need a guardian to take care of them and make fundamental life decisions. Every parent should appoint guardians. A person appointed as the guardian will acquire full parental rights and authority in respect of the child. Temporary guardianship should be considered where, for example, a permanent guardian lives overseas, but the child is alone in Hong Kong.
In absence of a Deed of Guardianship, children could become wards of the Social Welfare Department, even if there are other family members in Hong Kong to care of them.
During the campaign, there will be a series of events regarding adoption legal issues. Mother’s Choice supports each member of the adoption triangle, the birth parents, adoptive parents and most importantly, the child. The organisation received accreditation from the Adoption Unit of the Hong Kong Social Welfare Department in 2010, becoming one of three partner agencies providing adoption services and conduct adoption suitability assessments for prospective families.
Social responsibility has been an important part of Hugill & Ip’s DNA since its early days. The firm is committed to advancing policies that address all aspects of social responsibility. These include good ethical behaviour, care for the environment and involvement in the community, in fact social and environmental responsibility can create a chain of personal and professional behaviours that positively impact our society, in Hong Kong and globally.
The firm
Hugill & Ip’s view is long term and endeavours to build lasting client relationships based on trust, professionalism and discretion.
As a young independent law firm, yet its lawyers bring decades of experience providing bespoke legal advice and exceptional client service to individuals, families, entrepreneurs and businesses, in Hong Kong and internationally.
The charity
Mother’s Choice is a local charity serving the many children without families and pregnant teenagers in Hong Kong. Mother’s Choice has a Hong Kong IRD s88 charitable status (1987).
The organisation joins hands with our community to give hope and change the life stories of vulnerable girls and babies. The goal is to see every child in a loving family. Through the Pregnant Girls Services, the organisation helps young girls facing crisis pregnancy and provides tailored support based on the choice that they make for themselves and their future, including placing the children for adoption.
Through the Child Care Home and Foster Care Services, Mother’s Choice also provides temporary care for children without families, some of whom may be awaiting adoption. Their Adoption Services fights for every child to have the opportunity to thrive, by helping them to join a forever family.
