Over 4,700 people used Aġenzija Sapport services in 2020

4,778 people made use of Aġenzija Sapport services during 2020, with a majority benefiting from the Assessment and Intervention Service.

The agency’s annual report for 2020 indicates that 1,126 people made use of its Assessment and Intervention (A&I) Services.

The A&I team incorporates the former Social Work team, but in 2020 introduced new professionals to the system, now including social workers, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and speech & language therapists.

Since the introduction of these services in 2020, the team received 195 new referrals, and in total followed 1,126 cases. There were also 144 reactivated cases.

Julia Farrugia Portelli, the Minister for Social Wellbeing and Inclusion, presented the report on Monday, highlighting the investments made during the previous year.

“We’re seeing a major jump in investment and finances in this agency. A point of interest in 2020 was the €1.2 million in assistance to people with disability through the direct payment scheme, independent community living scheme, and personal assistance fund,” she said.

In total, €1,128,520 was provided in assistance, with €201,338 funds allocated to persons with disability through the empowerment scheme.

Ruth Rose Sciberras, the agency’s Chief Executive Officer, mentioned that people with disability suffered a lot over the past year, as did their families.

“Despite the difficulties, we reached hundreds of people with disability,” she said.

She mentioned the Sharing Lives scheme, which celebrated its third anniversary in 2020, where volunteers help people with disability in their free time, with the added benefit of widening their social network and allowing people with disability to engage with the community.

In 2020, as physical activities diminished in frequency due to the pandemic, more volunteers offered to act as a social contact to people with disability.

Another important service offered during the pandemic year was the Sign Language Interpreting Service. Interpreters helped inteerpret the COVID-19 briefings conducted by the Superintendent of Public Health, as well as other briefings organised by the Ministry of Health and the Office of the Prime Minister.

“This was all made possible thanks to the management team and workers, together with minister support,” the CEO said.