A detailed analysis of targeted social assistance and child poverty

Highlights

In Georgia, the government’s primary mechanism for supporting poor families is the Targeted Social Assistance (TSA) programme which provides cash transfers and some in-kind benefits. As of October 2018, 121,345 households or approximately, 11.2 per cent of population were receiving TSA cash benefits.

However, the demand for social assistance is much higher, reflecting a high incidence of poverty despite progress made in recent years. According to the UNICEF-commissioned Welfare Monitoring Survey (WMS), in the 12 months preceding the 2017 survey, 15.2 per cent of Georgian households applied for some form of social assistance, either through the TSA programme or from other public and non-governmental organisations. Of these, 8.6 per cent of households applied for TSA; 6 per cent for other social assistance and 0.4 per cent for both TSA and some other form of assistance. The most frequently cited reasons for seeking assistance is cash benefits and medical services.