Pilot of Childminding Service for Low-income Parents

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) whether he can provide an update on the partnership between the Ministry and Daughters Of Tomorrow, a social service agency, to pilot a childminding service for low-income parents; (b) how many single unwed parents have used the services under this partnership; and (c) whether the services can be scaled up to benefit more single unwed parents.

MSF is partnering Daughters Of Tomorrow (DOT) to pilot a childminding service at Bedok and Punggol Community Link (ComLink) communities. This is for families living in rental housing with children aged three to nine who need care arrangements beyond the usual operating hours of childcare and student care centres.

As at end September 2022, about 30 individuals have indicated interest to be childminders and 13 families have requested for the service. Since the matching of childminders to families started in August 2022, two families have used the service, of which, one was headed by a single unwed parent. DOT is in the process of matching suitable childminders to the remaining families who have signed up.

The pilot is intended to help us assess the feasibility of such a service model.