ENG-2010 — Page 245

Social Welfare 199

in May 2010. The report recommended that the IFSC service mode should continue to be adopted for publicly-funded family services. The SWD has accepted all 26 recommendations of the report and is working closely with stakeholders to take them forward for the continuous improvement of IFSC services.

On combating domestic violence, the SWD launched the Victim Support Programme for Victims of Family Violence (VSP) in June 2010. The programme, run by an NGO with funding provided by the SWD, aims to enhance support services to victims of domestic violence, including those undergoing the judicial process. Through the VSP, the victims will be provided with information on the legal proceedings and community resources (such as legal aid service, accommodation, treatment and childcare support, etc.) that are available to them. They will also be provided with emotional support and company while going through the judicial process to alleviate their fear and sense of helplessness. It is expected that through close collaboration with case workers, the victims will be empowered and supported to resume normal life and functioning.

A Pilot Project on Child Fatality Review was launched in February 2008 aiming to identify good practices and areas of improvements in the system and service provision as well as 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. The first report of the Review Panel was issued in January 2010. By the end of 2010, the Review Panel had completed the review of child death cases that occurred in 2006 and 2007 as well as the evaluation of the pilot project.

In 2010, the SWD also developed the Batterer Intervention Programme further and continued to strengthen public education on combating domestic violence.

Relief Measures

To alleviate the burden of social security recipients who have not yet benefited from the economic recovery, the SWD provided in June one additional month of the standard rate of Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) payment for CSSA recipients and one additional month of allowance for recipients of Disability Allowance and Old Age Allowance; and in August a one-off grant of $1,000 each for students in kindergarten to secondary education who were eligible for the flat- rate grant for school-related expenses under the CSSA Scheme in the 2010-11 school year.

Enhanced Support for the Elderly and their Carers

In 2007, the Government launched the District-based Scheme on Carer Training to enhance support for needy elders and carers. Elderly centres were invited to collaborate with community organisations in running elderly-care training courses and to develop carer services. Each participating centre was provided with seed money of $50,000 to run carer

carer training courses and engage those who had completed training to offer carer services in the neighbourhood. A total of 114 elderly centres have participated in the scheme since 2007.