Parents of baby Danny to get 1-hour weekly visits, list 3 possible outcomes

A Hong Kong couple whose baby was born at home and placed in court-ordered care has said they can visit their son for up to one hour a week while they work to prove their parenting capability, as they outlined three potential outcomes for custody listed by social welfare authorities.

The unmarried couple, Tsang Wai-bong and Kwan Pui-sin, told the South China Morning Post on Sunday that they were scheduled to meet government social workers and be granted supervised visits with their son Danny this week.

During the assessment period, they could spend no more than one hour each week with the two-month-old, they said.

“If the Social Welfare Department believes we constitute an immediate threat to Danny and are unsuitable to take care of him, it will apply for a formal care order and hand him to a social welfare facility. In that case, we would have limited rights to visit him,” the couple said.

“But if the department believes our capability has improved, it would advise the court to order us to enter into recognisance to exercise proper care and guardianship for Danny.”

The parents also noted that the department might withdraw the care order entirely if officials deemed them to be “without major problems”.