ENG-2018 — Page 225

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Social Welfare

Clinical Psychological Services

During the year, 55 clinical psychologists from the department and NGOs provided 2,866 psychological assessments and 23,014 treatment sessions for 2,601 people.

Social Welfare Financial Assistance

Working Family Allowance Scheme

The Working Family Allowance (WFA) Scheme, administered by the Working Family Allowance Office, aims to relieve the financial burden of low-income working households, especially those with children, to encourage self-reliance and ease inter-generational poverty.

On 1 April, the government rolled out enhancements after a policy review of the Low-income Working Family Allowance (LIFA) Scheme and renamed it the Working Family Allowance Scheme. The enhancements included increasing the allowance and extending it to one-person households, and relaxing the income limits and working hour requirements. During the year, more than 66,500 applications under both schemes were approved out of about 86,000 received, granting allowances totalling around $895 million to more than 45,900 households and more than 155,800 individuals, covering about 64,800 children and youths.

Social Security

The Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) Scheme and Social Security Allowance (SSA) Scheme form the mainstay of Hong Kong's social security system, supplemented by three accident compensation schemes: the Criminal and Law Enforcement Injuries Compensation Scheme, Traffic Accident Victims Assistance Scheme and Emergency Relief Fund. These schemes are administered by 41 social security field units and two centralised offices.

The department's Special Investigation Section prevents and combats fraud and abuse of social security payment, to preserve the integrity of the social security system and ensure the proper use of public funds. It receives reports from the public via the hotline 2332 0101. In 2018, 99 abusers were jailed, bound over, ordered to perform community service, fined, or given warnings.

Comprehensive Social Security Assistance

The non-contributory CSSA scheme renders cash assistance to people in financial hardship to meet their basic needs. It is means-tested and applicants must satisfy a residence requirement. As at end-2018, there were 226,437 CSSA cases involving 323,023 beneficiaries. Total expenditure was about $22.8 billion in 2018, an increase of 5 per cent over the previous year.

The Portable CSSA Scheme allows elderly people who have obtained CSSA continuously for at least a year to continue receiving it in Guangdong or Fujian province if they retire there.

Employment Assistance

An Integrated Employment Assistance Programme for Self-reliance under the department helps unemployed able-bodied CSSA recipients aged 15 to 59 and single parents and child carers on CSSA with their youngest child aged 12 to 14 to find employment and become self-reliant. Up till end-2018, 96,324 CSSA recipients had taken part in the programme.

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