Plans for More Social Service Offices

Mr Seah Kian Peng asked the Minister for Social and Family Development with regard to the Social Service Office (SSO) (a) whether there are plans to set up more of such offices and, if so, where will these be located; (b) whether the results have met the Ministry's expectations and objectives; and (c) whether the operating procedures, including operating hours, are the same throughout all SSOs.

In 2013, the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) started setting up Social Service Offices (SSOs) in Housing and Development Board (HDB) towns to provide more accessible and coordinated social assistance to Singaporeans in need. The rollout of the full network of 24 SSOs was completed in 2015, and 95% of ComCare beneficiaries now live or work within two kilometres of an SSO. There are no immediate plans to set up more SSOs.

Our SSOs have largely been successful in meeting our broad objectives. Physical accessibility and awareness of ComCare have increased because of the SSOs, and this has made it easier for needy families to seek help.

Aside from providing ComCare assistance directly, SSOs also do ground-sensing and collaborate with voluntary welfare organisations and community partners to identify needs within each HDB town to provide more holistic support for those in need. We will continue to explore better ways to be more client-centric and improve service delivery.

We have established standard operating procedures and guidelines so that there is consistency in service delivery across SSOs. Notwithstanding this, SSO officers are empowered to exercise flexibility for individual cases, such as in the amount and duration of Short-to-Medium Term Assistance provided, so that social assistance is calibrated according to the needs of the household.

With regard to operating hours, standalone SSOs are open on weekdays from 9.00 am to 6.00 pm and closed for lunch from 1.00 pm to 2.00 pm. The four SSOs which are co-located with Workforce Singapore (WSG) and the Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) Career Centres have adopted the same operating hours as WSG and e2i centres. These SSOs close at 5.00 pm on weekdays and remain open during lunch, and on Saturdays from 9.00 am to 1.00 pm.