A Hong Kong Juvenile Court has granted a three-year guardianship order placing two-month-old baby Danny under the care of social welfare authorities following the arrest of his parents on suspicion of child neglect. The court’s decision was made during a closed-door hearing this week.
Danny’s father, Tsang Wai-bong, confirmed that the Social Welfare Department secured the protection order, which will keep the infant in a residential child care centre managed by professionals. The baby has been in protective custody since early June. Both Tsang and his partner, Kwan Pui-sin, had not registered Danny’s birth and only consented to DNA testing after their arrest earlier this month.
The couple has described Danny as a “high-risk” child due to concerns raised by social workers, and they have been allowed weekly visitation. Following the court ruling, Tsang said they will not appeal but hope to regain custody within one to two years by meeting the required assessments. He criticized the authorities and the court for prioritizing medical interventions Danny should receive without sufficiently considering the parents’ wishes to avoid invasive procedures when symptoms improved.
Danny developed a fever and cough recently, leading to hospitalisation since Sunday, according to the parents. Kwan said the baby’s condition improved after breastfeeding, and expressed a preference to avoid certain diagnostic tests such as blood draws and X-rays if symptoms abated. Tsang stated the couple intends to cooperate with social workers and seek more frequent visits in the future.
A Social Welfare Department representative said a multidisciplinary team of professionals had conducted a comprehensive assessment and found evidence of child neglect. The department submitted a welfare plan to the court recommending that Danny remain in the care facility under professional supervision. The spokesman added counselling services would be offered to the family.
Authorities’ intervention followed extensive social media posts by the couple last month concerning their four-year-old daughter Lily, who has been under Swedish social services’ care since 2023. Court documents from Sweden indicate the family previously lived in Finland, where their eldest daughter Constance died as an infant after a home birth in 2019. Lily was also born at home before the family relocated to Sweden. In June, a Swedish court rejected Tsang and Kwan’s appeal against transferring Lily’s guardianship to a foster family.
The professionals in the multidisciplinary case conference cited the parents’ refusal of vaccinations and health check-ups among factors contributing to the decision that Danny remain in protective custody.