APSS Taiwan Study Trip 2025 for BA (Hons) in Social Work Students

APSS organised a study trip to Taiwan from 9 to 15 August 2025. A total of 20 BA (Hons) in Social Work (BASW) students participated in this trip that was led by Dr Kong YAM , Senior Lecturer of APSS and Programme Leader of the BASW, and Dr Chi Yuen LEUNG, Lecturer of APSS. Students engaged in a variety of activities, including a guided community tour, a traditional Taiwanese lunch, and a unique nose flute experience. They also visited various Taiwanese community associations and non-governmental organisations to examine various social and poverty issues and explored initiatives related to social community and welfare in Taiwan. This enriching experience enhanced students' understanding of social work in different cultural contexts, fostering valuable insights for their future careers.  

Embarking a New Chapter as Taught Postgraduate Students at APSS of PolyU

On 25 August 2025, the Department of Applied Social Sciences (APSS) held an Orientation Programme for the new cohort of taught postgraduate students, with a total of over 320 freshmen this year. Prof. Eric CHUI, Chair Professor of Social Work and Criminology, Head of APSS and Co-Director of the Policy Research Centre for Innovation and Technology, extended a warm welcome to all freshmen and gave a brief introduction of APSS. Dr Rodney CHU, Senior Lecturer of APSS and Chairperson of the Departmental Learning and Teaching Committee, gave an overview of the learning and teaching opportunities and facilities in APSS. Dr Kong YAM, Senior Lecturer of APSS and Chairperson of Students and Alumni Affairs Committees (SAAC), introduced the work of SAAC, which included career talks, mentorship programmes, social activities, and support services to our students. Subsequent to these welcoming remarks and introduction, freshmen were divided into several breakout sessions to meet their Programme Leaders and to further understand their own curriculum and course requirements before the commencement of the academic year. All APSS staff members wish our students every success and rewarding experience in the year ahead! 

Warm Welcome to New Undergraduate Students of APSS in the Academic Year 2025-26

The Undergraduate Programme Orientation for over 170 freshmen who are joining the APSS family was successfully held on 25 August 2025. It was an opportunity for incoming students to learn about the department, make new connections, and prepare for a new chapter in their lives. Representatives of the 32nd APSS Student Association (APSSSA) also extended their welcome to the freshmen, and shared their experiences, school life and learning tips with the incoming students. Programme Leaders and Academic Advisors were delighted to meet with new students in the break-out sessions in order to provide them with information necessary for a smooth and successful start to their university study. The Orientation session concluded on a high note, with many new happy faces and a sense of fun.

Rolling out the Welcome Mat for 2025 New Student-Athletes and Students with Outstanding Achievements in Leadership and Community Services

On 25th August 2025, APSS hosted a reception to welcome our newly admitted student-athletes and students in the areas of leadership and community services. During the reception, APSS outlined the resources and services available to them, ensuring that they would have the necessary guidance to thrive in their academic, athletic and community services endeavours. APSS is committed to supporting the development of our talented students and facilitating their growth in academics, sports, leadership and community services. Understanding their demanding training schedules and frequent involvement in local and international competitions and extra-curricular activities, APSS has been taking a number of supportive measures, such as matching student-athletes with APSS academic advisors, designing alternative assessments to replace group projects, and offering extensions of assignment deadlines. The list of incoming APSS student-athletes and students with outstanding achievements in leadership and community services (2025-2026) is shown below:  Student Name Area of Outstanding Achievement Chun Yee CAI Sports (Taekwondo) Chun Yu CHOW Sports (Wushu) Wing Ki LIU Sports (Basketball) Terry Wan Hei MAN Sports (Badminton) Hoi Ching CHOW Leadership and Community Services Ka Wai HUI Yan Ki LAU Chi Miu LEE  

APSSGA Joined a Futsal Match in the PolyU Alumni Sports and Wellness Day 2025

The APSS Graduates Association (APSSGA) proudly participated in a futsal match as part of the PolyU Alumni Sports and Wellness Day 2025, organised by the PolyU Alumni Affairs Office (AAO) on 26 July 2025. Our alumni not only enjoyed the games but also valued our friendship and showed good sportsmanship. It is a joy to see our alumni return and have fun, and this event is indeed an excellent opportunity to boost alumni engagement. The APSSGA will take part in similar events in the future to help strengthen our alumni network and support PolyU’s wellness initiatives.

APSS Co-Hosts Students at PolyU Summer Institute 2025

APSS is thrilled to share our recent experience as a co-host of the PolyU Summer Institute 2025 organised by the PolyU Global Engagement Office. This initiative allowed us to welcome a group of enthusiastic secondary school students who were eager to explore the fields of healthcare and social sciences, providing them with insights into cutting-edge practices in local integrated youth services.   On 23 July 2025, we had the pleasure of having 23 Form 4 and Form 5 students at the Shamshuipo West Happy Teens Club 「深滙樂Teen會」(the Club) for a designated experiential workshop (「同『理』深『匯』遊」). The Supervisor of the Club, Ms Apple NGO, highlighted some of its services, including career and life development, mental health support, and children and youth participation. Additionally, the JC LevelMind team facilitated interactive sessions to explore mental health topics with the students.   We express our heartfelt appreciation to the Club for providing the students with this invaluable opportunity to learn how its services enhance the well-being of children and young people. It is hoped that the initiative of APSS is able to inspire more young people to understand the recent development of social services and encourage them to care about their community!

APSS Receives 13 Humanities and Social Sciences Prestigious Fellowship Scheme, General Research Fund and Early Career Schemes from the Research Grants Council (RGC) in 2025/26 Exercise

Congratulations to the following awardees in securing research funding in the RGC GRF/ESC and HSSPFS applications for the 2025/26 Exercise: Humanities and Social Sciences Prestigious Fellowship Scheme (HSSPFS) PI Scheme Project Title Fund Awarded (HK$) Prof. Jessica Li HSSPFS Sexual Exploitation: A Qualitative Study Using Video Vignettes 503,500   Early Career Schemes (ECS) Principal Investigator Scheme Project Title Fund Awarded ($) Prof. Dou Diya ECS High Tech as a Double-Edged Sword: A Longitudinal Study on Technostress and Well-being Among Chinese University Students 780,100   General Research Fund (GRF) Principal Investigator Scheme Project Title Fund Awarded ($) Prof. Janet Leung GRF ‘Hovering’ Parents and ‘Lying Flat’ Kids: Relationship between Perceived Over-parenting and Lying Flat Orientation among Chinese Emerging Adults in Hong Kong 929,190 Prof. Jessica Li GRF Navigating Procedural Justice and Social Inclusion: A Qualitative Comparative Study Using Vignettes with Chinese and Ethnic Minority Youth and Police Officers 800,400 Prof. Li Xiang GRF Problematic internet use among rural Chinese children: A longitudinal mixed methods study based on multiple informants 1,137,931 Prof. Li Xiaomin GRF Financial Literacy, Power, and Economic Abuse Among Rural and Urban Chinese Mothers with Young Children 987,140 Prof. Iris Lo GRF From silenced violence to help-seeking: LGBTQ+ people’s lived experiences of intimate partner violence 680,700 Prof. Jacky Ng GRF A Refined Approach for Second Stage Moderated Mediation Analysis 724,525 Prof. Grace Seo GRF Housing and the Healthy Development of Low-income Children in Hong Kong: A Prospective Longitudinal Cohort Study 828,300 Prof. Ting Tin Yuet GRF Intergenerational Dynamics in the Digital Creative Economy: How Hong Kong Families Grapple with the Promise and Pitfalls of Platform Careers 578,600 Prof. Elsie Yan GRF Educational Intervention for Resident-to-Resident Aggression: A Randomized Control Trial 1,198,100 Dr Cai Xinxin GRF Understanding Shared Decision Making in Mental Health Care for Older Adults in Hong Kong: A Mixed-Methods Study from a Family Perspective 842,700 Dr Portia Wong GRF Enhancing Social Skills in Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder through Immersive Gamified Virtual Reality-Based Training: A Mixed Methods Study 1,203,390   The total funding awarded in RGC GRF/ECS 2025/26 Exercise is $11,194,576   APSS houses a large group of interdisciplinary professorial and teaching staff in the social sciences in Hong Kong. Our colleagues include world-renowned scholars and veterans in their fields, as well as young, promising scholars with tremendous talent and passion. We are dedicated to advancing knowledge for effective and humanistic social policies and services through education and research excellence.

Future Innovators Shine at PolyU’s Fun-Tech Competition 2024/25 Awards

  With the support of the Innovation and Technology Commission, PolyU’s Department of Applied Social Sciences (APSS) ran the “Fun-Tech Competition 2024/25” (the Project) from September 2024 to May 2025, aiming to ignite secondary school students’ interest in I&T through diverse teaching activities and competition. Attracting over 1,000 students from 29 schools, the Project concluded on 21 June 2025 with an award presentation ceremony, hosted by APSS in collaboration with the University’s Policy Research Centre for Innovation and Technology (PReCIT), to recognise students who demonstrated outstanding creativity and digital skills.   The Project organised an academic conference, as well as a series of workshops, online classes and guided tours, enabling students to keep abreast of the latest technology trends and master cutting-edge digital skills associated with virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and radio-frequency identification (RFID) technologies. It also included a competition which involved participants either producing VR videos or designing innovative applications for RFID. Divided into junior and senior secondary student groups, the competition encouraged students to unlock their innovative spirit and apply the skills they had learnt to everyday scenarios or to addressing social issues.   The award presentation ceremony was officiated by Dr Jeff SZE, JP, Under Secretary for Education of the Education Bureau of the HKSAR Government, along with Prof. Wing-tak WONG, PolyU Deputy President and Provost, and Prof. Eric CHUI, Chair Professor of Social Work and Criminology, Head of APSS and Co-Director of the Policy Research Centre for Innovation and Technology. Distinguished guests exchanged insights with the winning students, while principals and teachers from participating schools attended in a strong show of support.   Prof. Eric CHUI said, “APSS is committed to fostering the exchange of knowledge and practice through the integration of education, research and service, and to providing more effective and empathetic social services. PReCIT, on the other hand, brings together scholars from different disciplines and professions to promote interdisciplinary cooperation and policy research. In this competition, the students identified the needs of vulnerable communities and utilised innovative technology to raise social awareness of relevant issues, aligning with APSS’s mission to cultivate socially responsible future leaders.”   The Project leader Dr Rodney CHU, Senior Lecturer of APSS, explained the project outcomes at the Ceremony. He applauded the remarkable perseverance and resilience demonstrated by the participating teachers and students throughout the Competition’s midterm evaluations, rehearsals, on-site presentation, Q&A sessions and other activities.  He added, “Our team has maintained close contact with the participating schools since the Project began nearly a year ago. We not only designed activities for students but also engaged teachers in training workshops. This experience has fostered meaningful teaching and learning exchange and collaboration between the University and secondary schools.”   After evaluation by the judging panel, the champions and the first runners-up of the VR video creation competition were the teams from SKH Lui Ming Choi Secondary School and St. Stephen’s Church College for the senior group, and teams from STFA Cheng Yu Tung Secondary School and St. Clare’s Girls’ School for the junior group. For the RFID application design competition, in senior category, teams from Po Leung Kuk Ngan Po Ling College and Salesians of Don Bosco Ng Siu Mui Secondary School were crowned the co-champions and Po Chiu Catholic Secondary School won the first runners-up prize, while in the junior category teams from Chinese Y.M.C.A. Secondary School and Ju Ching Chu Secondary School (Yuen Long) were declared co-champions. For more information on the results and the winning projects, please visit the Project website (http://polyufuntech.com/%E7%8D%B2%E7%8D%8E%E8%80%85/?lang=zh-hant)   Following the award ceremony, a Teaching and Learning Summit focusing on educational innovation was held. Prof. Manuel CASTRO, Professor of Electronics Technology of the National University of Distance Education in Spain, shared his insights into STEM tools and remote laboratories for secondary school settings. His talk sparked dynamic discussion among principals, teachers and students on integrating educational technology into secondary school education.   “Fun-Tech Competition 2024/25”, supported by the Innovation and Technology Fund of the Innovation and Technology Commission, aspired to equip secondary school students with knowledge of cutting-edge technologies and to enable them to apply technological innovations to their daily life and learning. The project also aims to facilitate interaction between teachers, students, schools and industry, advancing Hong Kong’s technological culture and nurturing a new generation of I&T talents with technical capabilities and humanistic care.   Online coverage: Commercial Radio: https://www.881903.com/news/local/2583741 HKCD: https://www.hkcd.com.hk/content_app/2025-06/21/content_8700661.html Fashion Value Chain: https://fashionvaluechain.com/polyu-nurtures-future-tech-talent-through-fun-tech-2025/ PolyU: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/media/Media-Releases/2025/0621_PolyU-Fun-Tech-Competition-2024-25-concludes Hong Kong China News Agency - https://polyu.me/3ToFhHs   SingTao: https://polyu.me/4k3yrBN  (subscription required) PolyU PReCIT: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/16YDkNBb98/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:ugcPost:7342122200717545473/  

PolyU’s Social Sciences and Public Health came on top in Hong Kong in the 2025-2026 U.S. News and World Report Best Global Universities Rankings

According to the 2025-2026 U.S. News and World Report Best Global Universities rankings, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) was the 58th in the Best Global Universities. For subject ranking, PolyU sat in #13th in Best Universities for Social Sciences and Public Health; and that PolyU ranked first in Hong Kong.   Find out more: Best Global Universities for Social Sciences and Public Health: https://www.usnews.com/education/best-global-universities/social-sciences-public-health The Hong Kong Polytechnic University: https://www.usnews.com/education/best-global-universities/hong-kong-polytechnic-university-500421

2025 Centre for Social Policy and Social Entrepreneurship Symposium on Linking Housing with Welfare and Care

On 17 June 2025, the Centre for Social Policy and Social Entrepreneurship (CSPSE) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University hosted a one-day symposium titled "Linking Housing with Welfare and Care: Experience from Hong Kong and South Korea." The symposium brought together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to discuss the vital role of the third sector in affordable housing and integrated care models. The panel sessions featured insightful presentations and engaging discussions, highlighting the importance of collaborative approaches in addressing social issues in Hong Kong and South Korea. APSS is grateful to have Prof. Rebecca L. H. CHIU (Honorary Professor, Department of Urban Planning and Design, HKU), Mr KyungHo CHOE (Research Fellow, Institute for Green Transition), Ms Tracy LI (Project-in-charge, Social Housing Service, St. James’ Settlement), Mr Yun Hyung LEE (Social Developer Group, DEOHAM), Mr Charles Chun Kit HO, (Director, The Hong Kong Council of Social Service) and Prof. Ahyoung SONG (School of Social Welfare, Yonsei University) for sharing their views and experiences in the symposium. Participants exchanged valuable insights and explored innovative solutions, thereby fostering a deeper understanding of the interplay between housing, welfare, and care. The symposium concluded with a call for ongoing collaboration to enhance support systems for vulnerable populations.