Social Welfare 191
• continuing to strengthen public education on combating domestic violence.
Apart from strengthening the support services provided by the four refuge centres for women, the SWD commissioned the fifth refuge centre in December 2009, thus increasing the number of places for people seeking residence in these centres to 260.
The SWD launched a BIP pilot project in 2006. This aimed to develop specialised local group treatment for abusers. The pilot project showed that the programme was effective in reducing the use of violence by abusers and in improving their marital satisfaction. In 2009, a follow-up study on the pilot project showed that the programme effects were sustainable after a one-year period. Accordingly, the SWD has incorporated BIP as one of the regular interventions for batterers. The SWD will continue to develop further suitable treatment models to cater for different types of abusers, their spouses or partners and their children.
In addition, the SWD, in collaboration with NGOs, will continue to operate the Anti-Violence Programme. This programme is applicable to all perpetrators of domestic violence referred by the court under the ordinance irrespective of their gender, age or sexual orientation, for the purpose of changing their attitudes and behaviour.
The Pilot Project on Child Fatality Review, launched in February 2008, will publish its first report in January 2010. The project aims to identify patterns and trends of child deaths, with a view to formulating prevention strategies and promoting multi-disciplinary and inter-agency co-operation in the prevention of child death. An evaluation will be conducted after the pilot period.
The SWD injected further funding into the CEASE Crisis Centre and Family Crisis Support Centre to enable continued operation of the 24-hour Financial Crisis. Emotional Support Hotline manned by registered social workers. This provides a counselling service, support groups and a referral service to people with emotional and family problems arising from personal financial crisis amid the global financial turmoil. In light of the outbreak of Human Swine Influenza, the SWD provided the two centres with additional funding to set up and run a 24-hour emotional support hotline providing easily accessible and readily available support and assistance to people with emotional and family problems as a result of Human Swine Influenza for a period of six months from May to November 2009.
The SWD launched a three-year pilot 'Neighbourhood Support Child Care Project' (NSCCP) starting from October 2008. Operated by local non-governmental organisations, the NSCCP serves children under six and comprises a centre-based care group and a home-based child care service. The operating hours of the NSCCP are flexible, covering evenings, some weekends and some public holidays.
Relief of Impact of the Financial Crisis
To ease the pressure on social security recipients during the difficulties arising from the financial crisis, the SWD provided one additional month of the standard rate of Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) payment for CSSA recipients
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