Support Schemes and Respite Care Options for Families with Special Needs Children

Mr Christopher de Souza asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) what are the current schemes in place and what support do families with special needs children receive; and (b) whether more financial support can be given to all families of special needs children given the expenditures needed for education and therapy from infant years into adulthood.

Mr Christopher de Souza asked the Minister for Social and Family Development whether more respite care options can be made available to alleviate the load on caregivers of special needs individuals.

MSF, MOE, the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) and SG Enable offer a range of services and programmes to support persons with disabilities and their families, from the early years to adulthood.

SG Enable was set up in 2013 to support persons with disabilities and is now the single touchpoint for disability and caregiver support services. Caregivers of persons with disabilities who need information to better care for their loved ones and themselves may access the Enabling Guide at www.enablingguide.sg. They can also access information on disabilities in general, as well as available disability services, schemes, caregiver training opportunities and informal caregiver support groups. Caregivers who need referrals to disability services for their loved ones may also approach SG Enable.

Today, there are preschools and early intervention (EI) centres which enrol and provide support for children under the age of seven with developmental needs. Children under the age of seven with developmental needs can receive intervention through Government-funded EI programmes. Children who require low levels of EI support are supported by the Development Support - Learning Support (DS-LS) and Development Support Plus (DS-Plus) programmes, in a preschool setting. For children who require medium to high levels of EI support, they are supported through the Early Intervention Programme for Infants and Children (EIPIC), provided at EI centres. Additionally, ECDA is piloting an Inclusive Support Programme (InSP) which integrates both early childhood and EI services at preschools for children aged three to six, who require medium levels of EI support. These EI programmes also provide training for caregivers to equip them with the skills and knowledge to support their child at home.

As they reach schooling age, students with special educational needs receive support in mainstream schools or in SPED schools depending on their level of need. In mainstream schools, Allied Educators (Learning and Behaviour Support) and Teachers Trained in Special Educational Needs partner closely with parents. In SPED schools, in addition to trained SPED teachers, students are supported by Allied Professionals including psychologists and occupational therapists and families can receive support from each school's Social Worker.

Beyond their schooling years, persons with disabilities can tap on various MSF-funded services to meet their needs. The Open Door Programme helps those who are work-capable and independent with job placement and job support. The School-to-Work (S2W) Transition Programme provides work-capable SPED graduates with supported work placements and job coaches to prepare them for open employment. Sheltered Workshops (SWs) offer skills training and work therapy for those who are not yet ready for, or unable to take up open employment. Day Activity Centres (DACs) provide day care programmes for persons with disabilities who are not work-capable and live with their families. Adult Disability Homes (ADHs) provide residential care and the Home-based Behavioural Intervention Services (HBIS) pilot programme supports those with behavioural needs who are unsuitable for centre-based services.

We also offer services to support caregivers who need respite. Special Student Care Centres (SSCCs) provide before-and-after school care service for students aged seven to 18. DACs offer part-time day programmes, while Children Disability Homes and ADHs provide short-term residential care. We have also piloted the "Take-A-Break" programme, which provides home-based care on a short-term basis to give caregivers some respite.

We have been taking steps to improve the affordability and quality of our disability services. Fees for Government-funded EI programmes are subsidised to ensure affordability, with means-tested subsidies ensuring that lower-income families pay less. For instance, a family with a per capita household income (PCHI) of $1,000 per month pays $10 monthly for EIPIC while a family with a PCHI of $1,400 per month would pay $50. Eligible Singapore Citizen (SC) students in SPED schools from lower-income families are supported by the SPED Financial Assistance Scheme (funded by MOE and Community Chest), which covers full waiver of school fees, free textbooks and school attire, school meals and public transport subsidies. They may also be eligible for other support schemes.

In July 2020, MSF enhanced subsidies and broadened the income criteria so that more households would qualify for the Student Care Financial Assistance Scheme (SCFA), thus improving the affordability of SSCC services for students with special needs. In October 2021, fee caps were put in place for DAC clients from households with gross per capita household income of $2,800 per month or less, to help lower their out-of-pocket expenses. MSF has also enhanced funding support for ADHs (from 1 July 2021) and DACs (from 1 October 2021) to raise their quality of care and service standards.

MSF subsidises the cost of purchasing assistive technology devices through the Assistive Technology Fund (ATF). ATF was enhanced in February 2022 to cover a wider range of devices to enable independent living and to provide higher subsidies for Singaporeans of PCHI between $801 and $2,000.

To further defray the costs of caregiving in the community, MOH provides the Home Caregiving Grant to eligible individuals with at least permanent moderate disability. Eligible caregivers of persons with disabilities can also apply for the Migrant Domestic Worker Levy Concession if they need more help to look after their loved ones.

Support for persons with disabilities and their families can be more effective when there is a whole-of-society effort involving the Government and the larger community. One community-led example is Project 3i under the SG Together Alliance for Action for Caregivers of Persons with Disabilities, formed by the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) and SG Enable. Project 3i was started by CaringSG, an organisation set up and led by caregivers, for caregivers. Project 3i aims to strengthen community support for caregivers by connecting them with others in the community, providing befriending and peer mentorship, and offering professional advisory support to help caregivers better navigate and access mainstream health and social services.

We recognise that more can be done to support persons with disabilities and their families and have plans under the next Enabling Masterplan 2030 to improve and expand our services. We will share more about these when ready.