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The following is issued on behalf of the Community Care Fund Secretariat:
The Community Care Fund (CCF) announced today (February 5) the invitation of a new round of applications for the Training Subsidy for Children who are on the Waiting List of Subvented Pre-school Rehabilitation Services Programme to benefit more pre-school children in need. Existing beneficiaries who are confirmed as remaining eligible for the Programme can have the subsidy period extended until September 30, 2014.
The Programme is administered by the Social Welfare Department (SWD). It aims at providing a training subsidy for pre-school children who are from low-income families and in need of rehabilitation services, so as to enable them to receive timely services to facilitate their learning and development.
Beneficiaries of the new round of applications should meet the eligibility criteria as follows:
- being on the waiting list for subvented pre-school rehabilitation services on or before January 31, 2014; and
- having a monthly family income not exceeding 75 per cent of the Median Monthly Domestic Household Income.
Eligible children may receive subsidised training services provided by special child care workers, psychologists or occupational therapists/physiotherapists/speech therapists, and family support services from service providers recognised by the SWD, up to September 30, 2014. The maximum monthly subsidy for the training services for each eligible child is $2,615.
The SWD will issue letters to invite applications from parents/guardians of children who may be eligible for the Programme. Applicants should submit the completed application forms together with all necessary documents by post or by hand to the CCF Team of SWD on or before April 30, 2014. Applicants will be informed of the application result by post, and it is expected that eligible children who are new applicants will start receiving services from March 2014 at the earliest.
The Programme was first rolled out in December 2011, and was extended in November 2012 with a further round of applications invited in July 2013. Children who are existing beneficiaries of this Programme are not required to submit new applications. The SWD will separately inform the parents/guardians concerned of the necessary arrangements.
For details, please visit the CCF website (www.communitycarefund.hk) or SWD website (www.swd.gov.hk). For enquiries, please call the CCF Team of SWD at 3422 3090 during office hours.
Ends/Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Issued at HKT 15:01
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