Highlights of the Year 2020-21

Additional Places for Rehabilitation Services
To meet the demand for services, SWD provided 1 230 additional places for rehabilitation services in 2020-21, including 267 places for pre-school rehabilitation services, 397 places for day rehabilitation services and 566 places for residential rehabilitation services.

On-Site Pre-School Rehabilitation Services
SWD further increased the number of service places under On-site Pre-school Rehabilitation Services (OPRS) to over 8 000 in the 2020/21 school year. As at September 2020, there were 21 NGOs providing rehabilitation training for children with special needs studying in about 860 Kindergartens (KGs)/KG-cum-CCCs. The Government will further increase the number of service places by 1 000 in each school year in 2021/22 and 2022/23 to bring the total number of places to 10 000 with the aim of achieving zero-waiting time.

Pilot Project on Tier 1 Support Services in Kindergartens/ Kindergartens-Cum-Child Care Centres
The Government launched the Pilot Project on Tier 1 Support Services in Kindergartens/Kindergarten-cum-Child Care Centres in the 2020/21 school year for kindergartens participating in OPRS to provide earlier support to children awaiting assessments by the Child Assessment Centres under DH and those assessed as having only mild developmental problems.

Social and Recreational Centres for the Disabled
Social and Recreational Centres for the Disabled (S&RCs) provide PWDs with opportunities to participate in and organise a variety of activities which meet their social, recreational and developmental needs. In 2020-21, SWD provided additional resources for S&RCs to strengthen their community support function, particularly the support for family members/carers.

Bought Place Scheme for Private Residential Care Homes for Persons with Disabilities
SWD launched the pilot Bought Place Scheme (BPS) in October 2010 to encourage private RCHDs to upgrade their service standards, increase the supply of subsidised residential care places and provide more service options for PWDs. The pilot BPS has become a regular service since October 2014. As at 31 March 2021, 18 private RCHDs under BPS provided a total of 1 018 purchased places. Since March 2021, SWD has purchased over 40 places from private RCHDs under BPS to provide designated residential respite service.

Financial Support Scheme for Self-Help Organisations of Persons with Disabilities/Chronic Illnesses (2020-22)
SWD provided an annual funding of about $21 million to 96 self-help organisations of PWDs or chronic illnesses in 2020-22 to help support their development and promote the spirit of self-help among PWDs/chronic illnesses and their carers.

Special Subsidy Scheme for Persons with Permanent Stoma
The “Pilot Scheme on Providing Special Subsidy for Persons with Permanent Stoma from Low-income Families for Purchasing Medical Consumables” was launched by the Community Care Fund in September 2017, providing persons with permanent stoma from low-income families with a special subsidy to relieve their financial burdens. With effect from March 2021, SWD has regularised the scheme and renamed it as the “Special Subsidy Scheme for Persons with Permanent Stoma” to provide continuous support for eligible and needy persons with permanent stoma (excretory stoma).