202 Social Welfare
accident compensation schemes: the Criminal and Law Enforcement Injuries Compensation (CLEIC) Scheme, the Traffic Accident Victims Assistance (TAVA) Scheme and Emergency Relief. These schemes are administered by 37 Social Security Field Units and two centralised offices.
The CSSA Scheme
The CSSA Scheme is non-contributory but means-tested. It provides cash assistance to people suffering from financial hardship to enable them to meet basic needs. Applicants must satisfy the stipulated residence requirement. At year-end, there were 283 176 CSSA cases involving 466 006 beneficiaries. The scheme's total expenditure in 2010 amounted to $18.48 billion, representing a decrease of 2.4 per cent over the previous year.
Elderly people who have received CSSA continuously for at least one year are allowed under the Portable CSSA Scheme to continue receiving assistance in Guangdong Province or Fujian Province if they choose to retire there.
Employment Assistance Programmes
The SWD provides personalised employment assistance through various programmes to help able-bodied unemployed CSSA recipients and single parents move towards paid employment and become self-reliant.
The SWD commissioned NGOs to operate a three-year Integrated Employment Assistance Scheme (IEAS) from October 2008 to help able-bodied unemployed CSSA recipients aged between 15 and 59 secure full-time paid employment and become self-reliant. The scheme provides ordinary and intensive employment assistance services. At year-end, 84 268 people had participated in the IEAS.
To help long-term CSSA able-bodied unemployed youth aged between 15 and 29 return to the workforce, the SWD commissioned NGOs to operate the third phase of the Special Training and Enhancement Programme (My STEP) from October 2009 to September 2011. Participants are provided with counselling and structured motivational or disciplinary training to enhance their self-image, self-confidence and sense of responsibility. Participants aged between 15 and 24 are also provided with opportunities to participate in the Youth Pre-employment Training Programme and Youth Work Experience and Training Scheme (YPTP&YWETS) administered by the Labour Department, enabling them to gain work experience through job attachment. At year-end, 820 young people had participated in the third phase of My STEP.
The SWD commissioned NGOs to operate an 18-month third phase of the New Dawn Project from April 2010. This was designed to help single parents and child carers on the CSSA Scheme, whose youngest child was aged between 12 and 14, move towards self-reliance by engagement in paid employment. The NGOs provide employment assistance services to project participants to enhance their employability. At year-end, 3 495 people had participated in the project.
The SSA Scheme
The non-contributory SSA Scheme provides cash allowance to meet the special needs of elderly people and persons with severe disabilities. It comprises Normal