Waiting Time for Placement in Early Intervention Programme for Infants and Children

Mr Murali Pillai asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) to date, how many special needs children are on the waitlist for placement in an early intervention (EI) centre for the Early Intervention Programme for Infants and Children (EIPIC) despite being older than the respective ages for the programmes they are supposed to be enrolled; (b) what is the average waiting time for these children from the point when they attained the age appropriate for enrolment; and (c) what steps are being taken to ensure that these children are enrolled on time when they reach the respective ages for the special programmes tailored for them at the EI centres.

The Early Intervention Programme for Infants and Children (EIPIC) is a Government-funded service that supports children aged six and below who require medium to high levels of early intervention (EI) support. Enrolment in EIPIC depends on a paediatrician's assessment of the child’s needs and level of support required, rather than the child’s age. We have, however, seen more children assessed to require intervention under EIPIC from a younger age in recent years.

As at end 2021, there were around 2,400 children on the waitlist to be enrolled in a Government-funded EI centre for EIPIC. Where possible, we will prioritise EIPIC placement for older children between five and six years old, who comprise about 10% of the waitlist. For children who were enrolled in 2021, their average waiting time from referral to enrolment is about seven months. Waiting times vary across EI centres and regions, depending on demand and parents’ preference for specific centres and timeslots. We understand from some EI centres that there are slots available in the early afternoon and we encourage parents with children on the EIPIC waitlist to enrol for timeslots with vacancies so that their children can receive the intervention as soon as possible.

To alleviate the waiting time, the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) has also appointed private EI centres to run the Enhanced Pilot for Private Intervention Providers (PPIP) programme as a complement to EIPIC. Parents whose children are referred to EIPIC can also choose to enrol their child in a PPIP programme.

ECDA has been ramping up the provision of Government-funded EI services for children with developmental needs. First, we are working with EIPIC providers to streamline processes to reduce the waiting time. Second, we have recently expanded the number of centres providing the PPIP programme from 10 to 16, increasing places by 40%. Third, we plan to open two new EI centres by mid-2023.

ECDA will continue to grow the number of EIPIC and PPIP programme places to address the increased demand for subsidised EI services and reduce waiting times.