Social Assistance
Social assistance, formerly called welfare, is not a social insurance. It operates according to the principle of need and ensures that in any case a minimum subsistence is guaranteed. This is especially true when people fall through gaps in the social safety net . Social assistance falls primarily within the competence of the cantons and is tailored to the particular conditions.
Further information
Swiss Conference on Social Assistance:
information available in German, French and Italian
Inventory of means-tested social benefits (Federal Statistical Office)