ENG-2007 — Page 239

Chapter 10

Social Welfare

The Government is committed to

maintaining an environment in Hong Kong that is conducive to social harmony. It encourages family unity, fosters mutual care, and stimulates partnership among different segments of the community. While providing a safety net of last resort for its citizens in need, the Government also helps them to become self-reliant and to participate in the city's economic and social life.

The Labour and Welfare Bureau (LWB) is responsible for formulating social welfare policies and overseeing their implementation by the Social Welfare Department (SWD). The Social Welfare Advisory Committee, the Rehabilitation Advisory Committee (RAC), the Elderly Commission (EC) and the Women's Commission (WoC) advise the Government on the welfare policy.

In 2007, the total recurrent expenditure of the SWD was $33.8 billion, of which $24.2 billion (71.6 per cent) was for financial assistance payments, $6.8 billion (20.1 per cent) for recurrent subventions to non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and the remaining $2.8 billion (8.3 per cent) for departmental expenditure, including $500 million for hire of services.

Major Achievements

Targeted Efforts to Strengthen Support for Families in Need

The Government adopts a family-oriented policy in preserving and strengthening family solidarity. On top of the provision of a continuum of preventive, supportive and therapeutic family welfare services, the SWD places emphasis on proactively reaching out to needy families, especially those who are socially isolated. Through home visits, telephone contacts, and other outreach services, the Family Support Programme was launched to maintain regular contacts with the vulnerable families and encourage them to seek and accept appropriate assistance.

In 2007, the SWD secured additional resources and implemented a series of measures to strengthen its services and support for victims of domestic violence. A two-year pilot project, the Batterer Intervention Programme (BIP), first launched in January 2006 by the SWD and an NGO, continued to provide specialised treatment to

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