FAMILIES BENEFIT FROM PHASE TWO OF NATIONAL CHILD BENEFIT

Social Services Minister Harry Van Mulligen today released the first

progress report on the National Child Benefit, which noted that

100,000 Saskatchewan children in 50,000 families have benefited from

this program providing support to lower income families and their

children. More than 60,000 of those children are in low income

families that do not receive social assistance.



Saskatchewan's Building Independence program, launched in July 1998,

included three new programs to reduce child poverty as part of the

National Child Benefit initiative. "Since these new programs were

implemented last July, an estimated 1,100 fewer families are receiving

Social Assistance," Van Mulligen said.



Approximately 50,000 low income families, with more than 100,000

children receive the Saskatchewan Child Benefit. Of all of these

recipients, 60 per cent are single parent families and 70 per cent

have incomes less than $16,000 per annum.



The Saskatchewan Employment Supplement provides a supplement for lower

income working families. In the first six months of the program, over

7,700 working families received the supplement, with an average

payment per family of $137 per month.



Family Health Benefits provide additional health benefits for

lower income families and their children. As of April 1999, more

than 23,000 families receive Family Health Benefits, including

36,000 adults and more than 43,000 children.



"When Saskatchewan announced its participation in this program

our province fully-funded its contribution, rather than phasing

it in as other jurisdictions did," Van Mulligen said. "This

allowed Saskatchewan families to benefit from these new programs

for children immediately, without having to wait for the federal

phase-in over several years. This year, Saskatchewan has added

an additional $11.5 million in new funding to support the

programs."



- 30 -



For more information contact:

Bill Carney

Social Services

Regina

787-0916