More and more people have neither family nor friends on whom they can rely, and when these people fall into difficulties, as their last resort, they come to the city office. However, the existing social security and welfare systems, such as pensions and public care, do not by themselves provide solutions to the complex problems faced by such people. In these cases, only the social provision of more family-like individualized care can guarantee a genuine sense of security.
In the field of child and parent support, government services, community members, and NPOs do, in fact, cooperate to provide individualized personal support, so that parents are not socially isolated. Such support helps parents to have better communications with and develop relationships in their communities, and therefore to feel happier about raising their children.
But there is debate as to whether or not family-like care ought or ought not to be provided socially. And even if we reach the conclusion that such social care ought to be provided, there are still questions as to whose responsibility it is to see that the provision is made, whose duty it is to supply the care, and how we can command the necessary resources. We also need to clarify what should be done as self-help, with cooperation from the community, or with public assistance.
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