The Experiences of Receiving Economic Assistance of the Youth in Low-income Households

• Main Authors: Ching-Fen Huang, 黃靖芬
• Other Authors: Shu-Yun Wu
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2013
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/16122841818460555130

碩士 === 國立暨南國際大學 === 社會政策與社會工作學系 === 101 === This research aims to realize of the youth in low-income families’ processes of receiving economic assistance, the experiences and feelings they got, and the interpretations for their lives after receiving economic assistance. In addition, this research provides some suggestions to practice work and policy by means of the viewpoints from those low-income teenagers who receive economic assistance. The qualitative research is adopted by this study and the data used is collected through a series of in-depth interviews. Besides, purposeful sampling is used as a tool with the following criteria: the youth in low-income households, the youth living in Nantou County, and the youth in low-income households receiving economic assistance for more than a year. Six teenagers have been interviewed in this research. The main purpose of this study is to discuss the reality of their experiences when receiving economic assistance, the identification and the feelings of being in low-income families, and the lives they have now after receiving economic assistance. The results are as follows: 1. The economic assistance in Taiwan is enough to provide the basic needs for the youth in low-income households, whereas it is not enough to give what they want. Because of the financial difficulties, the youth live with limited money, and hence have fewer options for social participation and their daily lives. Therefore, they urge to take part-time jobs for their own or their families’ needs. 2. Through their guardians and teachers, the youth in low-income households have further understanding about the qualification of the low-income family. However, some guardians resist mentioning it. As a result, the youth may make free-association about low-income households, which may further leads them to inappropriate or negative associations. 3. The youth in low-income households consider others’ responses to the reception of economic assistance, and then decide whether to disclose the welfare identity or not. 4. Teachers hold the information of economic assistance, and thus play important roles to help the youth to receive the economic assistance. Their attitude towards the youth and their ways to investigate welfare identity affect the feelings of the youth in low-income households as well as the privacy of welfare identity. 5. The attitudes and behaviors of officers in the social welfare institution affect the feelings of the youth in low-income households. When the youth have negative feelings, in most cases, they choose to keep silent and accept it. Only a few teenagers reject to accept the social services. 6. To receive economic assistance, the youth in low-income households have to meet the qualifications which set by the social welfare institution and to complete the requirements right after receiving it. Sometimes, nevertheless the officers in the social welfare institution measure the qualification based on the teenagers’ behaviors, which somehow forms a kind of manipulation.