In 2018, the government launched a program to strengthen Taiwan's social safety net, implementing it in two phases through 2025. Through a family-centered, community-based service model, the program has helped support and protect numerous at-risk individuals and families. To address shifting social structures, growing mental health needs and emerging challenges from digital technologies, the Executive Yuan has approved version 2.0 of its social safety net program, covering 2026-2030. This extensively upgraded initiative aims to transform the nation's social safety net by expanding primary prevention, reaching a wider population, improving service delivery mechanisms and promoting cross-sector collaboration, thereby establishing a more institutionalized and interconnected service system.
Key strategies
■ Reaching a wider service population: Expand the service population to include seniors living alone, new parents, near-poor populations and victims of image-based sexual abuse, ensuring timely and appropriate support for all disadvantaged citizens.
■ Optimizing reporting mechanisms and protection services: Enhance reporting, investigation and case-handling mechanisms under the nation's social safety net. Implement a tiered intervention model and public-private collaboration. Improve services and referral processes. Integrate online monitoring and victim support systems to establish a safety net against digital gender-based violence.
■ Broadening the network of service centers: Expand service centers to 710 locations nationwide by 2030 to increase service accessibility.
■ Institutionalizing social safety nets at all levels: Deepen and regularize collaboration among government units at all levels in social welfare, civil affairs, health care, mental health and other relevant areas, while promoting the stable development of partnerships between the government and civil groups.
■ Retaining skilled professionals: Enhance salaries and promotion systems. Ensure effective deployment of professional supervisors and improve supervisory support mechanisms. Foster supportive work environments through tiered training, strengthened occupational safety protections and deeper integration of learning and practice.
■ Integrating technology to increase service effectiveness: Advance interoperable data infrastructure and standardized data exchange practices across the social welfare sector. Detect hidden risks early by developing and optimizing early warning models for social risks and establishing locally tailored service models.