Mr L, in his 50s, divorced in the 1990s and custody of his young son, X, was given to his ex-wife. He eventually lost contact with them.
As he aged, Mr L suffered from medical issues and was certified permanently unfit for work. He had been living on financial assistance from the Social Service Office (SSO) and stayed with his younger brother, who provided free accommodation.
Mr L was referred to the Office of the Commissioner for the Maintenance of Parents (CMP) to seek maintenance from his son. Although he was below the minimum age of 60 years old, he could apply for a maintenance claim because he was unable to maintain himself due to his illness.
CMP helped to locate X who was now in his 30s. He shared that his father abandoned him when he was 2 years old, and they had no contact in the past 30 years. X, having never known his father, did not feel that he should be expected to financially support him. Mr L accepted this and withdrew his maintenance claim.
CMP continued to assist Mr L by working with the SSO for his financial assistance.