Key figures for social assistance by municipality and year (from 2005)

Social Welfare Benefit Statistics (SHS), Federal Statistical Office; Cantonal Population Statistics and Municipal Financial Statistics, Statistical Office Basel-LandschaftMethodical informationThe key figures of the social assistance BL are only reported for municipalities with 50 or more supported persons in the survey year. The number of designated municipalities may therefore vary from year to year.Social assistance case/supported person shall be counted all cases/persons who have received social assistance benefits at least once in the relevant year. One case may include several supported persons. The social assistance rate corresponds to the share of social assistance recipients in the housing population. The reference population for the calculation is the end of the previous year of the permanent resident population according to STATPOP (Federal Office for Statistics; by 2010 the end of the previous year’s population of the housing population according to cantonal population statistics).Double countsOne support unit can be supported in several cases per year. For example, if a change of residence takes place. In the case of social assistance cases and assisted persons, double counts are excluded in the district and cantonal total, but not in the new/closed cases and the newly entered/exited persons.Cases of social assistance are closed if no payment has been made for more than six months. Financial statements are also counted for the current year, which received a last payout in the previous year and were completed in the current year. If a request for social assistance is made again after an interruption of more than six months, a new case will be opened.Net expenses from municipal finance statisticsThe net expense applies to the costs (employment) that benefit the social assistance recipients ‘directly’ less the refunds received (return). It also includes integration measures. On the other hand, the administrative burden (social service and social assistance authority) is not included in the evaluation. The costs of the asylum system financed by the Federal Government are not included. Thus, the costs of those persons who are kept by the Social Welfare Benefit Statistics (SHS) of the Federal Statistical Office are considered. The net expenses will be available from 2014.