Committee of Supply − Head I (Ministry of Social and Family Development)

Madam, the family is the foundation for a strong community and a strong Singapore. I must say that parents play a key role in the family but, ironically, I think we all agree that while parenting is a big role, nothing quite prepares you for parenthood. MSF has initiated many family policies and programmes aimed at creating a total social environment conducive to family formation and the strengthening of family ties.

With smaller families, apart from the various initiatives to increase centre-based services for child and student care, what support and programmes are in place to support parents in providing platforms to build stronger relationships within the families, including the importance of the role of both father and mother, in the care and development of their children?

As our population is rapidly ageing, as we look at strengthening the family, we must also give attention to how we support families in helping the seniors in families age well, as well as help families prepare and cope with the challenges of ageing, such as mental and emotional wellness.

To make sure our children receive quality care and education in their foundation years, the Government and, specifically, ECDA, has made substantial investments in the early childhood sector over the past years.

Madam, more preschools are built to cater to growing demand and the Singapore Preschool Accreditation Framework has been put in place to make sure that the centres meet quality standards. The recent tightening of the regulatory framework to raise quality is another good move.

Given the rapid expansion of childcare facilities in recent years, what are the Ministry's plans to fill shortages in manpower, especially in the area of infant care? What else can an individual or centre operators do to contribute to the need for more manpower?

Can we explore new job roles, such as that of an allied role, to support and complement the work of the infant and childcare teachers? The scope of work can focus on child-minding, routine care of children and helping with early detection of symptoms of infectious diseases, such as Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease, or to look out for signs when a child is feeling unwell. They can also help with child-minding work on Saturdays, while the teachers concentrate on curriculum planning or attend training.

This allied role will open up new job opportunities for the elderly and stay-at-home moms who wish to take up this kind of job. Most would be a good natural fit for the job as they would have relevant experiences and skillsets caring for their children or grandchildren.

Will the Ministry also explore setting up a registry of allied care-takers? This registry can serve as an alternative solution for parents who are unable to take leave or seek childcare support from family members to care for their children when the kids are unwell or come down with infectious diseases, such as Hand, Foot and Mouth.

Can ECDA coordinate with Government agencies to operate schemes and grants to help preschools tap on or work with partner vendors to set up systems, whether in the design of their programme or setting up apps to tie up for this thing of a registry of allied care-takers so that parents can gain access to resources to help them in minding their children?

Mdm Chairman, in this Budget, Finance Minister Heng has announced a doubling in the capacity of centre-based infant care to be achieved by 2020. This is just the latest expansion in funding for this sector that we have seen over the last few years.

As the Finance Minister mentioned in his Budget Statement, the current capacity is already enough to accommodate more than half of all children between 18 months and six years of age.

Beyond increases in capacity, the Government has also been focused on quality of childcare provision and the training of manpower. Just last week, the House passed the Early Childhood Development Centres Bill which will impose additional requirements on all kindergartens and childcare centres, including a stricter licensing regime.

Since the number of births began its somewhat tentative recovery from the record lows around a decade ago, we have seen a large increase in childcare centres, with the number growing by two-thirds from 2008 to 2015. The number of centres providing infant care services grew by much more during that time, 245%.

Despite these increases, the strong growth in demand is likely to continue.

As average household sizes fall, as the number of households with both parents working rises, and as older persons extend their participation in the workforce, childcare needs will have to be increasingly taken up by service providers.

This is clearly a happy situation from a demographic perspective. Even though we are far from reversing low birth rates, this indicates that a combination of efforts is making inroads.

However, the day-to-day situation is much more complex and full of coordination challenges for both parents and childcare providers.

On the one hand, we have heard, as well as seen, rapid increases in demand for childcare and preschool services. Colleagues in this House often remind us that they come across working couples with young children who depend heavily on childcare and preschool support and, are very sensitive to gaps in supply. One common situation we have heard of often occurs in new housing developments, when there is a lag between new childcare centres that commence operations and when residents shift into a development.

This suggests that it is not just the quantity of demand that is increasing, the pattern of demand changes is also adding to the pressure on service providers.

These gaps occur against a backdrop in which there is not only no shortage of overall capacity, there has, in fact, been excess capacity of around 15% since 2008. According to the latest published figures, and even before taking into account the Finance Minister's recent Budget speech update, the excess capacity has been increasing and reached 23% in 2015. That is a lot of excess capacity.

This continuing growth will lead to an increase in pressure on skilled manpower, in competition with other sectors that have growing manpower needs.

At the same time, the improved regulatory regime will no doubt increase the requirements, including manpower training, for operators in this sector.

Only one question: despite the fact that the excess capacity is a sign of responsiveness by the Government, it comes at a cost. How has the Ministry been managing this cost?

Madam, with smaller families and many families having both parents working, there is an increasing need for quality, access and affordable childcare to enable our young children to have a safe and conducive environment for them to learn and grow. This will allow parents to have peace of mind that their children are in good care while they are at work.

To meet the demand, there has been a rapid increase and expansion of infant and childcare centres in Singapore. While capacity is important, what are the measures that the Ministry is taking to ensure that the quality of care is able to keep pace?

There has been focus on professional and career development to ensure qualified professionals for the sector. Can the Minister share what the progress has been in attracting and building the required talent base of professionals for this sector?

Many of my residents in the new BTOs told me that though they have shifted in, their children are still at their old place. This is because the childcare centre in the estate is not ready. So, for those few months, they have to keep sending the child to the old childcare centre which could be in another part of Singapore. Can the Ministry work with HDB to hand over the block with the childcare centre earlier, so that ECDA and the operator have time to set up the childcare centre?

Even when the childcare centre is ready, these parents are not guaranteed a place. According to Childcare Link, none of the centres in the Nee Soon South BTOs have any space right now.

The current provision is clearly inadequate. Therefore, some parents are not able to enrol their children in the nearest centre. For parents who do not drive, it is time-consuming to send their children to centres that are not near their homes. If they have two or three children under different care arrangements in different locations, then the problem is even greater. I hope the Ministry can work with HDB to review the provision of childcare spaces in new BTOs.

I understand from operators that the difficulty in expanding is the shortage of preschool teachers. Very often, they have the space but then they cannot take in so many students and this could be due to their salary being less than school teachers, even if both are graduates. What is more, preschool teachers have to bathe and clean up after the children. It is no wonder that many graduates and diploma holders do not want to become preschool teachers or quit shortly after joining. I hope the Ministry can look into this.

On this note, I would like to ask the Minister whether there will be any more mega centres setting up in Nee Soon because I have a lot of residents telling me that they have difficulty in getting a childcare centre?

Madam, today is International Women's Day. I wish all Happy Women's Day.

As more women and grandparents enter or remain in the workforce, the demand for infant care and childcare increases. We need to build a strong system of caregiving support to help young married couples in their parenthood journey.

Currently, parents with children in childcare and infant care centres benefit from a basic subsidy and an additional subsidy which help offset the centres' fees.

In order to encourage more couples to have children, in view of our low fertility rate, will the Government consider offering additional infant care and childcare subsidies for the second or third child? This will help these families cope with the higher expenses incurred in looking after more children.

I would also like to appeal for an increase in the provision of childcare and infant care facilities in Sengkang South.

Madam, we should continue in our efforts to enhance social mobility. In the face of the uncertain future economy and global competition, it is likely that lower income families will be affected more. Parents from low-income families may be struggling with day-to-day expenses and may have very little time, money or energy left to focus on things like enrichment or additional classes. These enrichment classes I am referring to are not only those for the children, but for the parents, too, like parenting skills or courses that will help them develop their children's potential. If they are not able to invest in these classes, their children may, in the long run, lose out because of the stiff competition in the world today. We should ensure that these families have access to as many programmes without having to worry about the cost so that their children can be as equipped as the children from a better-off family.

In this respect, I believe KidSTART is a key initiative that can help in this cause of enhancing social mobility. This was a pilot programme introduced last year to provide upstream support to low-income and vulnerable children. I would like to ask about the status of the implementation of this programme over the past year. What are the components of this programme and what is the number of children and families that have benefited from the programme?

It may still be too early to assess the effectiveness of the programme but I believe that any effort to help strengthen the capabilities of low-income families and help their children move up the social ladder is a good effort. Are there plans to enhance the programme in the future and reach out to a bigger group? I think it is useful to consider replicating these efforts beyond the pilot programme so that we could also collectively learn from experiences with different groups. I would also ask that the Ministry consider developing a template possibly that could be rolled out to various constituencies so that more families can benefit from such programmes.

Thank you, Madam. Some children are being looked after by their extended families when their parent or parents are in prison. These children are often neglected and have poor school attendance. The Kindergarten Fee Assistance Scheme (KiFAS), which provides assistance to some of these families, currently requires, a minimum school attendance of one day a month. Considering that one day a month is generally insufficient for the child to develop well in school, would the Ministry consider increasing the minimum number of days of school attendance to at least one week a month instead? What other measures are being taken to ensure that these children receive adequate schooling?

Our current policy appears to penalise stay-at-home mothers since they receive less subsidies for infant care and childcare as compared to working mothers. It does seem odd to provide more financial subsidies for working mothers who have an income and provide less financial subsidies for stay-at-home mothers who do not have an income. The quantum of subsidies for full-time or part-time care should be based solely on family income or per capita income instead. Can we level the playing field and not penalise parents who choose to spend more time with their children and sacrifice their careers?

Madam, I would like to appeal to the Ministry to consider giving to families and individual caregivers the equivalent grants or subsidies given to infant care and child-care centre operators. These are parents who have family members or caregivers from their neighbourhoods who can help to look after their babies and children. To ensure that these caregivers meet standards in caring for young ones, the Ministry can organise a training and certification process for them. Those who pass the training will then be entitled to the grants. People who provide such freelance care-giving services for children should be supported as professionals, too.

Madam, building of infrastructure to match community needs costs us money and time. It is also limited by how much more we can build. While it is essential to continue investing in these areas to enhance our social safety net, we need to balance this by enabling our elderly to age successfully at home. Can the Minister provide an update of the pilot programme for the Home-based Care Services (HBCS) under SG Enable? I know this is for those with disabilities, but the learnings can be equally relevant for the caring of our elderly.

With a smaller family unit, the responsibility of caring for our elderly will fall on the shoulders of a smaller pool of individuals. How can we encourage a shared caregiving model within our communities? Let me focus on two aspects − preventive care and community caregiving.

Preventive care begins with awareness. I feel that caregivers should be given courses on how and what it takes to care for the elderly. The caregivers who have to work should be further aided with digital apps. The apps are to be linked to intelligent sensors and gadgets that are installed at home or worn on the elderly to indicate their conditions, for example, in cases of falls, or for them to provide reminders for medication. These notifications can be sent to the caregivers. Will the Ministry work with MOH to provide the caregivers with free essential basic training? Also, can the Ministry work with healthcare providers to develop an information kit of proven digital gadgets that can be installed at home to assist the caregiver in monitoring?

The community can also play a part and serve as connectors. But who are the connectors and how can they contribute? Connectors are the family members, students, community groups and healthcare partners. To cater for the diverse needs in our society, we need to cultivate a culture where everyone plays a part, takes ownership of their lives and pays it forward.

I would suggest we train community groups similar to those like the SCDF myResponder volunteers. The trained individuals can register themselves on a system and, when a known case of an elderly calls for help, volunteers within the nearest location can respond swiftly to them. We can begin with training the healthy and socially-active seniors. They can contribute significantly when we help to connect them.

Another connector is the students. Today, they have the Community Engagement Programme (CEP), but I feel that the focus is diluted and the purpose of doing it is not well communicated. I suggest to refocus and begin with the Secondary and tertiary students. Allow them to focus their engagement in different neighbourhoods with elderly-related topics. This will help build stronger bonds within the communities and encourage our young to participate in active volunteerism.

Madam, the family plays an integral role in the development of children.

For families whose relationships have weakened due to various circumstances, parents may face challenges in providing the appropriate care and environment for their children.

I would like to acknowledge MSF's approach to support at-risk families. Can the Minister provide an update on the Safe and Secure Families pilot announced last year with its attention on "family preservation" and "family reunification" services? How is the programme supporting vulnerable families stay together? What services have been established to provide support to vulnerable children to allow them to stay in safe family environments?

Our demographics, in terms of families, are changing and our economy is changing as well. This confluence places great stress and pressure on families and this may strain relationships. Sadly, some may resort to violence. It is important that we keep our family ties strong.

What are MSF's plans to identify vulnerable families and intervene to strengthen the relationship and prevent escalation to family violence? What programmes are there to guide, counsel and support family members?

Madam, there are two broad ComCare schemes to assist those in financial difficulties − Temporary Assistance via the Short-to-Medium-Term Assistance Scheme, and Long-Term Assistance, the latter commonly known as the Public Assistance (PA) Allowance.

Regarding Temporary Assistance, I would like to clarify how the Government tracks its success. Is it simply based on the number of persons helped, or is there tracking as to how many persons managed to attain self-sufficiency to no longer need the scheme? Based on the cases I have encountered, there seems to be a rule or guideline that, after a number of months, the quantum of help is reduced and then help is refused altogether. While I support the rationale of incentivising persons to be self-sufficient, we sometimes see families stricken with illness and mental problems who have limited means of helping themselves.

Another issue about Temporary Assistance that has recently cropped up is how it interacts with the Silver Support Scheme. Some Singaporeans who receive both Silver Support and Temporary ComCare assistance were apparently advised that their Temporary ComCare assistance might be reduced in view of the Silver Support payments. Could the Ministry please clarify this?

Finally, I move to the Long-Term Assistance scheme. Currently, the Public Assistance allowance of $500 for a single person is meant for the person to defray his living expenses. The PA allowance is usually given in a cash lump sum, from which the recipient is expected to pay his bills, such as rent, utilities and Town Council S&CC. This is different from those on Temporary Assistance, where the Government commonly makes direct payment of utilities and S&CC bills to agencies. Many on Public Assistance are elderly and/or permanently unable to work, are usually not in robust health and have no relatives to help them. Would it not be more efficient for the Long-Term Assistance scheme to make direct payment to the relevant agencies?

Madam, ComCare Short-to-Medium-Term Assistance (SMTA) currently includes help for rental, utilities, S&CC, monthly cash grants, medical assistance and employment assistance, such as training. However, there are SMTA recipients who still struggle with additional expenses and who have few alternatives to turn to.

Although SMTA is able to cover basic daily expenses, it is still lacking in terms of ad hoc big-ticket expenses, for example, repairing of damaged household appliances or items and repairing damaged spectacles. These are expenses that do not occur daily but can rack up substantial costs when they do.

I would like to ask the Minister if he will set up a special claims fund to provide additional assistance for ad hoc repairs and one-off expenses. This can be modelled on the discretionary assistance under Public Assistance. I am putting up two recommendations for consideration.

First, allow recipients to claim up to 70% funding for ad hoc repair expenses, such as broken shoes, spectacles, damaged appliances, replacement of faulty light bulbs, up to a maximum claim of $300 annually. By allowing only up to 70% claim for annual repairs allowance, recipients still have to take responsibility for 30% of the expenses and the annual cap prevents excessive spending and abuse of the system. However, a more in-depth review should also be done to understand the amounts that these groups have to fork out for such expenses.

Second, allow recipients to claim a one-off 100% funding for household item purchases, such as beds, furniture and so on. This can have a maximum lifetime cap of up to $300 per recipient. For one-off claims, it will be administratively more efficient to allow a 100% claim, since it is only a one-time funding and cannot be reclaimed.

This is to emulate part of discretionary assistance under PA to extend additional coverage support for SMTA recipients who are unable to qualify for additional welfare programmes.

Madam, the establishment of Social Service Office (SSO) in 2013 is with the objectives to provide better accessibility for low-income families who need assistance and also to play a role in integrating the social service delivery in their respective towns. I would appreciate if the Minister can provide updates on the SSO meeting its objectives, in particular, its role in integrating social service delivery.

In addition, I have two questions and one suggestion to make.

First, in reply to my 2013 Parliamentary Question (PQ) on whether SSO will be staffed by social work-trained officers and what is the proposed number, the Ministry mentioned that some of the staff may have social work training. It was further mentioned that the Ministry will provide the requisite training to enable all staff to perform their roles. Can the Minister share how many of the current SSO officers are social work-trained and also what are some of the requisite training provided to the staff?

[Deputy Speaker (Mr Charles Chong) in the Chair]

Secondly, whether SSO practises making referrals to ECDA to assist with childcare matters, such as placement and grant assistance, for low-income young parents who are open to seeking employment? I am asking this because I have come across many such cases where these young parents are receiving financial assistance from SSO but came to me to seek help with childcare placement.

As for my suggestion, can each SSO produce a mini directory with a map on all the social and community services available within its boundary so as to better assist residents, especially elderly residents to locate the services?

Mr Chairman, last year, my colleague, Assoc Prof Daniel Goh suggested establishing a Commissioner for the maintenance of families, empowered to recover maintenance on behalf of families and provide means-tested support where needed during the process. Today, coincidentally, is International Women's Day. I would like to repeat this call.

The Department of Human Services Child Support in Australia can collect child support payments on behalf of the parent, investigate cases of non-payment and issue overseas travel bans, amongst other actions. The UK, too, has a child maintenance service that is empowered to take action against the defaulting party if maintenance is not paid.

In our system, the onus still lies mainly on the claimant to make trips to Court to enforce the maintenance order. This can take a toll on the emotional well-being of spouses who are affected and may even affect their earning power if they have to repeatedly take leave from work to make visits to the Court. The current enforcement process is one that punishes claimants with unrepentant or spiteful ex-spouses. A central agency would help relieve this unjust burden.

I would like to ask the Minister if the situation in this regard has improved since new measures were introduced in 2011 to strengthen maintenance enforcement.

Lastly, the Minister also said last year that a maintenance records officer would be appointed to facilitate firm Court action against incorrigible defaulters. Has this officer been appointed? Can the Minister share more details on this office, including the staff and number of investigations that have commenced and concluded, as well as an assessment of the initial impact?

Mr Chairman, the Government has enabled unwed mothers to be given the same 16-week maternity leave that all mothers get in Singapore as well as a Child Development Account.

These changes are important. We should, however, still seek to provide a complete ecosystem of support. For example, unwed mothers are still not given the Baby Bonus cash gift and various tax rebates. Can the Ministry consider providing such support?

They are also not able to buy an HDB flat as they are deemed to not have a family nucleus. Hence, they can only buy a flat under the Singles Scheme or from the resale market. Yet, under the Singles Scheme, they get smaller grants, compared to first-time married couples. Resale flats are more expensive. Unwed mothers who need a home to bring up a child will find it challenging.

Could we re-look at the definition of a family nucleus so that unwed mothers can be granted with full housing grant and truly make it "Happy Women's Day".

We often say that the family is the "bedrock of society". In our ideal conception, family is where people are cared and provided for, protected and loved.

There are many people who do these things every day − for their spouse, their partner, their children, their parents. Yet, in the eyes of our laws and Government policies, they do not fit into the conventional and official definition of family. These are single parents, unwed mothers, foreign wives, cohabiting same-sex couples, and the list goes on. Because they do not qualify as family, access to basic necessities, like housing, is a real problem.

Single parents and children shuttle from one temporary home to another, live in overcrowded units and not having personal space to study and play are undesirable to a child's development. Not belonging to a heterosexual, nuclear family is not a personal failing − relationships fail, partners die, some are just not that into the opposite gender.

I urge the Government to make inclusive policies for family. Fellow Members have spoken about lowering the income cap for rental housing and I repeat the same call. I also urge the Government to allow unwed mothers and families consisting of one foreign spouse to form a family nucleus for the purposes of purchase and rental of HDB units.

Numerous policies continue to disadvantage unmarried mothers and their children, who are being classified as "illegitimate". These children will not inherit from their father's estate if the father dies without a will. They can inherit from their mother only if she has no other children from within a marriage. There are also tax reliefs that are available only to married mothers.

The Government has said that the distinctions are there to promote "strong marriages" and the norms of family. But is it really true that people will cultivate aspirations and norms based on these challenging technicalities?

The only real effect these policies have is to disadvantage some families by making their affairs more burdensome to manage and also stigmatise the children. Can we do away with the use of "illegitimacy" in inheritance and tax reliefs?

Ground experiences from VWOs working with single parents show that housing policies are hard to understand and that there is a lack of coordination between Ministries and Departments to provide support for families in transition who are usually in a stressful situation. Dealing with complicated policies or having to navigate the system adds to the stress. Could the Ministries consider setting up a central agency for such families? It could function as a one-stop shop where, for example, divorced parents can go to for assistance on legal matters, advice on housing options, post-divorce and child welfare-related services.

In a classroom, the students were once asked to make images of an ideal family. A group of male students formed this image: two guys sitting in front; two guys standing behind. So, the classmates asked, "Who played the mother?" Refusing to be seen as playing a female character, the male student said, "We are all males!" Some asked, "How come ideal family got no mother?" Then a student spoke up, "Why can this not be an ideal family? Father, uncle, two brothers." It was a very strong plea by this student, for whatever reason, this image meant a lot to her. And, so, I urge our policies not to bring further harm and hurt to these families.

Sir, from my observation, recently, there is increased awareness amongst my residents about the Lasting Power of Attorney and the need to make preparations before losing mental capacity or becoming incapacitated. This is possibly because of the talks conducted at the grassroots level on these matters. I have met some elderly residents who do not have children or family members whom they can depend on when they are no longer healthy. Naturally, some would have concerns about their options and what they can do to make the necessary preparation.

The Mental Capacity Act was amended last year to introduce the broad framework on professional donees and professional deputies. This was a very important move, in light of difficulties faced by the elderly who may not have any family members or close friends to rely on to make arrangements when he or she loses mental capacity.

During the debates on the Mental Capacity (Amendment) Bill, the Minister acknowledged the need for robust registration criteria and regulation of professional deputies and donees. There were also concerns raised about the costs that may be charged by these professionals.

In light of the matters raised during the debates, I would like to get an update on the development of the training and regulatory framework for these professional donees and professional deputies. In addition, could more be done to ensure access to services to the elderly, especially those without next-of-kin, to help them prepare and plan for the situation when they lose capacity and are not able to care for themselves?

The social problem of "abuse of vulnerable adults" is unacceptable in any society. I have spoken in Parliament on this topic many a time since 1999. May I ask MSF when will the "Vulnerable Adults Act" be translated into law and allow actions for early reprieve for those who are presently in this predicament?

Today, some vulnerable adults are suffering in pain because the state has been unable to enter their homes to give timely assistance. The earlier we can have the Vulnerable Adults Act, the better. In many cases of abuse, the best way to end their plight is to remove the vulnerable seniors from their homes and place them at designated facilities that can provide better support and care.

May I ask MSF whether we have such avenues and such facilities available? It is for fear of losing whatever little care and support they are getting that many vulnerable adults rather suffer in silence and not report their predicament. Thus, whilst we intend to have the Vulnerable Adults Act in place, we need to ensure that alternative assistance is also readily available to them.

It is a pity that very few people will come forward to report cases of abuse. This may be due to lack of awareness, fear of being worse off without their own families or being afraid of their liabilities, especially with Court proceedings. I hope the Vulnerable Adults Act will change this. Could MSF start raising awareness of elderly abuse? Has there been a study on the prevalence of elderly abuse? Could MSF publish the prevalence of elderly abuse cases in Singapore?

Knowledge about cases of abuse is often limited to some family members, neighbours and friends. We can help more of these abuse cases only when more people are made aware of elderly abuse, its prevalence and what help is available. And for a start, we need a facility for easy one-stop reporting and good follow-up by MSF.

Whilst the Vulnerable Adults Act will cover physical abuse, psychological abuse and neglect, there is no mention of financial abuse. Social workers are seeing more seniors being cheated or financially abused by their children. A 2014 study by Trans Safe Centre, a charity that specialises in tackling elder abuse, showed about one in three involved a senior who had been financially abused. Financial abuse cuts across all income groups. Could MSF start equipping seniors on abuses, especially financial abuse, as a first step to assist seniors to safeguard their money? What kind of assistance can MSF provide to such cases who seek help? Can MSF consider setting up a bureau to investigate, mediate and counsel the parties involved following complaints of abuse? Can MSF enable the bureau, if all else fails, to prosecute the offenders for abuse of the elderly?

Sir, our population is ageing, families are getting smaller and our needs are growing. This is especially so for seniors living alone in HDB rental flats. They usually do not have family members to depend on.

Has there been any "needs analysis study" done to ascertain the vulnerable seniors requiring assistance for various reasons, such as financial need, daily living difficulty, loneliness and depression? How is MSF helping this group presently? Would MSF extend comprehensive social assistance to the vulnerable seniors, especially those with mobility disability, to enable them to age gracefully in their own homes?

The proportion of seniors among those who take their lives each year has risen. It had been reported that there was a near 60% jump in elderly suicides in 2014, compared to 2000, and 126 seniors aged 60 and above killed themselves in 2014. Although the causes of suicides are often multi-factorial and they include physical and mental illness and social isolation, the latter, leading to loneliness and depression in seniors, is one of the more important contributing factors for the seniors here to take their own lives. Long-term social isolation may also result in deterioration of physical well-being and health.

Many seniors, especially the frail ones, usually prefer not to go out of their own homes. Thus, having volunteers and befrienders visiting them will be helpful. Could MSF implement measures to combat loneliness amongst the seniors as part of comprehensive assistance to vulnerable seniors?

The challenge is how to ensure a steady stream of volunteers, especially those who are willing to commit long-term and build lasting relationships with seniors. Having befrienders who stay for a long time makes for greater continuity. It is this kind of relationship that the seniors value.

Will MSF consider providing more funds to ensure sustainability in this scheme? Funds are needed for the running and training costs. More mature jobseekers and able-bodied seniors, especially those who are interested to contribute back to society, can be recruited as permanent befrienders. MSF can encourage this group of befrienders by providing a reasonable amount of allowance for them to befriend seniors closer to their homes.

Volunteers can go through training sessions to understand basic know-how at identifying any potential psychological issues, such as suicidal thoughts. Volunteers can also be taught how to refer the seniors they visit for social needs like food delivery, financial assistance, home help or medical escorts and so on.

MSF can collaborate with other Ministries, such as MOH, VWOs and companies for better coordination of services. Young families who wish to inculcate good values, such as filial piety, in their children might consider visiting the seniors on a regular basis as a befriender family. Could MSF facilitate "adopt a grandparent" scheme by families?

On the group of persons with disability, will MSF enlighten this House on the Enabling Masterplan 3? How does the Government plan to build an ecosystem of support for persons with disabilities? What is the plan on supporting caregivers of persons with disabilities on care-giving issues, such as physical and emotional burnout? What is the Government doing to improve the employability and employment options of persons with disabilities?

Chairman, while we restructure the economy to be vibrant, let us also continue to help our disabled jobseekers and their needs. SG Enable's open-door programme has helped many Singaporeans with training and jobs. This is good progress. Can the Ministry also update on the latest progress? Are there enough positions to meet the demand? Which sector has been the most progressive in hiring Singaporeans with special needs?

Acceptance and opening our office doors to Singaporeans with disabilities require a shared appreciation of each other's capabilities. This must be ingrained from the very start. I encourage creating funding and platforms for our schools and youths to start joint projects where the disabled and able-bodied youths will get the opportunity to work together. Through these activities and interactions, mutual respect and understanding can germinate early, reaping returns of greater inclusivity at the workplace at the later stages.

Sir, the Assistive Technology Fund provides means-tested subsidies of up to 90% for persons with disabilities to purchase assistive technology devices, such as motorised chairs, wheelchairs, hearing aids and screen readers. The fund has a fixed lifetime cap of $40,000 per person.

While the changes that have been made to the scheme are encouraging, we believe that the Assistive Technology Fund can be enhanced if the financial burden for persons with disabilities and special needs is over their lifetime. Somebody who is diagnosed with special needs or has a disability from a young age will use up the grant much faster than a person who is diagnosed later in life, as will a person whose disability may require more expensive assistive devices. If required, is it possible for the Ministry to assess the needs of these individuals on a case-by-case basis and exercise flexibility, even if they have exceeded the cap?

The purpose of the fund will be better served if it can be made more flexible to take into consideration the lifetime needs of individuals. It is also stated that after the approval of an application to use the fund, touchpoints such as hospitals and VWOs, will assist individuals to purchase the devices and reimbursement will either be made to the touchpoint or to the vendor. Will it be more cost effective for SG Enable to consolidate these orders, so that it can negotiate with vendors and pass cost savings to the end-consumers?

The benefits of bulk purchasing of assistive technology devices could be extended to those whose household income puts them just above the income eligibility cap but who will still find it onerous to fork out thousands of dollars for an assistive device.

Mr Chairman, as Singapore matures and ages as a nation, the demand for quality early childhood and social services increases. Having a pipeline of quality manpower in this sector is critical. Can the Ministry update on the progress in attracting, retaining and deepening competencies of manpower in the childcare and social services sector? Mid-career candidates have shared that they can take 1.5 to two years to be qualified to work in these sectors. Can the Ministry look at shortening the training period for prospective entrants without compromising the necessary depth of training?

Mr Chairman, let me continue in Mandarin.

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] A career in childcare or social services is very meaningful. Yet, many workers have told me that the remuneration and opportunities for career development lag behind other professions.

This may become a barrier, as many new entrants decide to switch jobs so that they can establish a good economic foundation for themselves. Hence, I would like to suggest that we actively promote a shared-services business model which can do away with unnecessary expenses, and benefits can be shared with the workers. This will not only strengthen organisational capabilities, but also help better childcare and social service centres expand quickly. The Government can work with social enterprises under the union movement to promote this.

My next cut. Helping those with special needs speaks of the conscience and grace of our nation. Both corporations and the larger community have important roles in weaving our tapestry of social hope and support. The SHARE as One programme is a meaningful platform for Singaporeans to give towards charities through their workplaces. It also helps companies to build CSR programmes. Can the Government provide an update on the scheme? Are there plans to further enhance the scheme?

A growing group that requires support are parents of autistic children. Treatment and therapy can be costly. Anecdotally, children might wait for a year or more to get into a special education or SPED school or centre. As these families have to cope with the high cost of raising the child, could subsidies or greater tax considerations be given to them?

The community which embraces special needs persons is critical to making Singapore inclusive. Can the Ministry also share on other public education and outreach programmes they have, to educate the public about autism and the challenges in raising an autistic child? Would the Ministry also consider the further implementation of the very popular and successful inclusive playgrounds in the heartlands?

Sir, I would like to call out for better pay structure and pay increments for our social workers, as well as increased professionalisation of the social work profession.

According to figures released by MSF last year, the number of social workers doubled from 2012 to reach 1,600 in 2016. However, this number is still far from what Singapore needs. Social workers play an integral role in alleviating the problems faced by vulnerable members of our society and they deserve remuneration that reflects the job complexity and high amounts of stress they face in their line of work.

Despite pay increments announced in Budget 2015, the wages of fresh graduates in social work are still a distance from the overall median wage of fresh graduates. Even though the Government has pledged to review and provide salary guidelines "based on market data and benchmarks", it is not clear exactly how the benchmarking is conducted.

I would like to propose that the Government benchmark the pay of social workers to another noble profession − teachers. Back when the Government was looking to make teaching an attractive profession, it raised the salaries of teachers and increased the quality of their training. I ask that the Government do the same for social workers. I would also like to appeal to the Government for transparency in the salary benchmarking process and to set a timeline for regular wage reviews for social workers.

Sir, I am heartened to note that there is more support for families with infants or children under 18 months of age. The Government's support for families, especially the Additional CPF Housing Grant for first-timer couples buying resale flats and the increase in capacity of centre-based infant care to 8,000 by 2020, is, indeed, welcomed.

As we move towards a more caring and inclusive society, people with disabilities are also included in the Government's initiatives for lower income families, such as the U-Save rebates, to mitigate the increase in water tax.

However, many sceptics doubt these measures are sufficient to moderate the cost of living and believe that consumers will take the brunt of the price increase. There is fear that cost increases can potentially spiral and this should be addressed in two prongs. First, to ensure that sellers are not exploiting and profiteering from the situation; and, second, to educate the people to be prudent in all aspects of their daily consumption.

The sandwiched class is usually the most affected but given the least support. These are the mid-level professionals, managers and executives (PMEs) − the new vulnerable group of people, both in terms of securing employment and managing the family's cost of living. Perhaps the Government can provide more short-term support for this group, especially when the economic prospect looks bleak with lower employment rate.

Next, I am glad that the Ministry will be doing more to help caregivers and assisting people with disabilities find work. The third Enabling Masterplan aims to better integrate people with disabilities into the workforce by giving more support to caregivers. This is the joint effort and initiative by the committee comprising both private and public sector representatives. The Disability Caregiver Support Centre is one promising initiative.

I do hope that more can be done in assisting people with disabilities gain employment so that they can earn a dignified living. For this, we will need corporate organisations to support the employment of people with not just mild disability but also moderate disabilities.

My personal experience working with people with disabilities has been a promising one. They are consistent, reliable and diligent; performing well in their given job scope. SG Enable has instituted programmes to create awareness among companies and conduct training for potential corporate organisations which show a keen interest in hiring people with disabilities. We must applaud such organisations for their willingness and pursuit to do good in Corporate Social Responsibility.

With that in mind, I urge the Government to consider providing some wage support for companies hiring people with disabilities as a permanent employee, instead of offering them contract-based employment. This will give the individuals and their care-giving families more certainty and assurance.

I am also heartened that, over the next five years, the Ministry will provide additional funding, up to $100 million in total, to further develop the capabilities of our VWOs and charities. In an effort to attract and retain talents, will the funding for VWOs-Charities Capability Fund be used to provide staff with training and better remuneration, especially for VWOs-Charities that provide some form of healthcare services? In this way, we can enhance the attractiveness of the sector, strengthen ability and build up the Singapore Core.

Sir, in a newspaper article in June 2015, it was reported that the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) was looking into ways to help smaller VWOs with weak or no fund-raising capabilities. It was stated that NCSS intends to help these VWOs strengthen their organisations and develop alternative resources to support their functions.

The same report cited that in 2012, less than 1% of the total funds raised went to small charities with annual receipts of less than $250,000 while large charities with annual receipts of above $10 million took the lion's share of 85%.

Hougang has been blessed with the presence of these small charities. I am sure these outfits are doing good work in other parts of Singapore as well. These smaller VWOs are able to complement and contribute to the collective effort of big charities and the Ministry to help needy Singaporeans in filling the gaps and providing very targeted assistance at times. They are able to reach out to the needy at a personal level and with great speed. Thus, I wish to seek an update from the Ministry on the reported effort to help these smaller charities serve the community. What are the possible alternative ways to help them raise the much-needed funds effectively?

It was reported that grassroots organisations raised about $7 million from community trade fairs in the last financial year. The GROs were also given $206 million to spend the same year. Would the Ministry consider allowing smaller VWOs to raise funds through trade fairs instead, as these charities do not have many opportunities to raise meaningful donations effectively? Giving the trade fair quotas to these VWOs will also help bring awareness to their presence in the community and the good work they have done to serve the needy residents there.

Sir, I would like to thank the Government for the Budget measures in making provision for persons with disabilities and strengthening community bonds. However, given the limited resources and the limited expertise of VWOs in applying for grants and engaging competent service providers. I would like to know if the Government would be streamlining and simplifying the criteria for the application process for Government grants, whether the Government could provide consultancy services to help VWOs to put up their proposals, and whether also the Government could recommend suitable consultants and service providers that could help improve the services as well as the operations of VWOs.

Providing a helping hand should not just be the job of social workers or VWOs. I believe all of us can be our brothers or sisters' keepers. As we continue to professionalise the social service sector, what are the plans to tap on the wider community of volunteers? Volunteers can supplement the tight manpower in the social service sector. I hope we can empower and encourage more Singaporeans to play a part, no matter how small, to reach out to Singaporeans in need of assistance.

It takes a village to raise a child. Likewise, a community plays an important role in caring for the vulnerable and in engendering social cohesion. But it is increasingly important for practical reasons, too.

Manpower shortage cuts across various sectors. Even with new workforce entrants, there will always be stiff competition for manpower. But with calls for more and higher quality programmes to address unfulfilled needs, the need for people will only increase.

The community has so far demonstrated how we can organise ourselves and achieve many things. With the manpower shortage and increasing needs, we should look more to the community as a new resource pool − perhaps having "gig volunteers".

We have corporates and residents who have diverse skillsets and knowledge. They may also have the capacity outside of work and family time to help. Does the Ministry intend to leverage on them more? How can we rally, incentivise and organise the community better to address unfulfilled social needs?

Sir, I would like to start my speech by speaking in Mandarin.

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] I would like to thank Members of the House for the suggestions on making Singapore a more caring society. My Ministry is on a constant lookout for new ways to make our social support system more responsive to the changing needs of Singaporeans.

The global economy is slowing and we expect greater uncertainties in the labour market. Naturally, some of us may be concerned about the challenges in the coming years. I would like to assure everyone that my Ministry is ready to respond to these challenges, through the existing schemes and upcoming initiatives.

In the coming years, my Ministry's efforts will remain focused on these three areas.

First, we will stay committed towards building an inclusive society in Singapore where no one will be left behind.

Second, we will also work on strengthening families so that families can continue to serve as a pillar of support for individuals and the basic building block of society.

Third, we will continue to enhance the capabilities of the people sector, so that they can continue to do good work for our community.

Amidst the economic uncertainties, MSF stands ready to provide the necessary additional support to the families and individuals who have fallen on hard times and are trying to bounce back. We believe that for those who can work, apart from tiding them over difficult times in the short term, the best support we can provide for them is to enable them to find and sustain work. Only then can they be empowered to improve the situation of their families and themselves.

We will try to do this through our Social Service Offices (SSOs). The majority of our SSOs now are standalone SSOs that are not co-located with WSG and e2i. At these SSOs, appointments are made for clients requiring employment assistance to see WSG or e2i officers who come down to the SSOs once a week. At some SSOs, the wait time can be two to three weeks or more. Last year, we experimented with bringing together social assistance and employment services under one roof at two SSOs. This year, we will extend the pilot delivery of both social and employment assistance by the same SSO officer to three more SSOs. The goal is to provide unemployed clients who are able to work easier access to employment assistance so that they can get back to work sooner. They can also get more holistic support and assistance, with employment goals tied closely to social assistance.

This is one of the many ways that MSF innovates to make service delivery more client-centric. We will continue to explore other possible ways to make it easier for those in need to get the help they need and to do so in a manner that does not diminish personal responsibility, self-reliance, as well as family and community support.

We are making progress in better supporting persons with disabilities. The third Enabling Masterplan submitted by the 22-member committee to my Ministry in December last year put forth a number of recommendations. The recommendations range from improving the quality of lives of persons with disabilities and supporting their caregivers, to building up the community's capabilities in supporting them and charting the way forward in building an inclusive society.

The recommendations highlight the importance of building an ecosystem of support for persons with disabilities in enabling them as integral and contributing members of our society. Family members form the core in the ecosystem of support. The larger community, comprising the health, education and social services and the society at large, provides the other layers of support in the ecosystem. My Ministry will continue to work on strengthening this ecosystem in enabling more holistic support and a smoother transition for persons with disabilities at different stages of their lives.

We will also continue to ensure Singapore remains a great place to raise children and form stable families. For families facing challenges, we will continue to support them at critical junctures of their lives, to strengthen both immediate and extended family bonds. It is every parent's hope that their child can start off on a strong footing. We, too, want every child to have a good start in life. This is why we piloted KidSTART for low-income and vulnerable children who may need additional support since last July. KidSTART seeks to proactively identify children aged six and below, provide them with early access to health, learning and developmental support, as well as monitor their progress during their early years. Under KidSTART today, some Anchor Operator centres are provided additional manpower to engage Child Enabling Executives to work closely with parents of low-income and vulnerable children enrolled at these centres, and, if need be, work with parents to improve their children's attendance. Today, we have supported more than 300 children in three pilot sites. Parents and partners have responded positively to the support provided under KidSTART so far. We have also been receiving encouraging feedback on improved parent-child interaction and preschool attendance.

While good efforts have been made, we know very well that our work is not finished. There are many opportunities ahead for us to improve the quality of our lives, and extend our help to vulnerable ones. To achieve our vision of a caring society, the Government's efforts alone are not enough. I would like to encourage more people to step forward and work with us in making Singapore a more caring society.

(In English): Mdm Chairman, I would like to thank all Members for sharing their thoughts on fostering a more caring Singapore.

As we progressed economically in the past 50 years, we created opportunities for Singaporeans to pursue their dreams and to provide for their families. Individual effort, strong families and active involvement by the community remain important principles. Our growth also allowed us to enhance support for families and to give our children a good start, regardless of background.

We increased assistance to those who need help and improved the quality of life for the elderly and persons with disabilities. We also strengthened protection for the vulnerable. We now have better support for young couples as they plan to start families and raise their children.

Now, looking ahead, we face different challenges: ageing population, shrinking family sizes and more people working abroad have resulted in fewer members within the family to share the care-giving load. While our elderly enjoy longer life expectancy, they also require sufficient resources to see them through their twilight years. More of them are developing disabilities as they age.

Family structures are evolving as we have more choosing to remain single or childless, or living alone. We are also seeing more remarriages and intercultural marriages. More children are being diagnosed with autism earlier. Social services, therefore, have been expanding to meet these needs. But like many sectors, getting more manpower to keep pace with demand remains a continuing challenge.

During the Budget debate, Members spoke about new economic realities, such as evolving business models, disruptions and labour market uncertainties. What does this mean? It will probably mean that more persons will require support and, probably, for longer periods, during job transitions. Therefore, it is imperative for us to take a whole-of-Government approach to enable all Singaporeans, including the vulnerable, to adapt to these changes.

Keeping our economy healthy with good jobs growth remains key because it helps our people stay employed. Work, I think, in many ways represents the best form of welfare because it enables dignity and self-respect.

Secondly, we will continue investing in education and training, to ensure our workforce remains skilled and competitive. We will also help workers to upgrade their skills on an ongoing basis, so that they remain relevant as the economy evolves. We will also help with job matching where we can. While seemingly economic in nature, I would suggest that many of the measures taken by CFE and with SkillsFuture have a lot of bearing on our social well-being as well.

But, lastly, invariably, where individuals fall on hard times, this is where the social safety net − by which I mean families, the community and the Government − will all have to come together to strengthen support. We believe that, as we help, we must foster hope for the future and a very real improvement in lives.

If Members noticed, and many of us often ask, what is MSF doing, what is the Government doing? But I think it is important for us to realise that we all have a role to play. So, I would like to reiterate these principles and values that I believe should guide us.

Firstly, dignity and self-reliance. Every Singaporean must be able to stand on their own two feet and live a life of dignity. Enabling those who can work to work helps to maintain self-respect and empowers one to improve his or her circumstances. We must not only help individuals with short-term needs, but help them to help themselves in the long term.

Secondly, family support. Families, we all know, form the foundation of any society and, definitely, in our society, and they should be the first line of support. Family bonds help us get through tough times. Fostering strong families is a key imperative. Imagine a society where, when there are troubles, the first thing people ask is not so much what are the families doing, what is the individual doing, but what is the community doing about it. I think it would represent something that we should be worried about. But I think these are values that many of us continue to hold true today.

Lastly, community support. The wider community plays a part, which is all of us here, as leaders in our own respective spaces. I think different players − some of you have suggested about how volunteers can play a part − and, certainly, different players like VWOs, grassroots, philanthropists and volunteers from all walks of life – can and should come together to provide care and support in big and small ways and they, definitely, augment the support provided by the Government.

So, we need to prepare for the future. While the underlying values and principles that guide us do not change, we do need to redesign assistance to meet changing and diverse needs. At the same time, we still have to pay attention to sustainability, to ensure that resources are going to where they are most needed.

My Parliamentary Secretary and I will be elaborating on the Ministry's work in three key areas.

Firstly, to Build an Inclusive Society. An inclusive society is one where each Singaporean is enabled to lead a fulfilling life, regardless of their starting point. Developing this sense of inclusiveness is and has to be a whole-of-society effort. Beyond initiatives and programmes, we need a mindset shift in the way we support the needs of fellow Singaporeans, the way we look at them, especially those with more disadvantaged circumstances and different abilities.

Secondly, it is about Strengthening Families. The family plays a critical role in preserving a closely-knit society and in serving as a pillar of support for individuals. We want to ensure that Singapore remains a great place to raise children and give them a good start in life. We want to establish stable family units, while supporting families that do face difficulties.

A strong family goes a long way in helping individuals overcome challenges. I am talking not just about immediate family, but also the extended family. As individual family units come under strain, such as through difficult life events like illness, extended family members can play an important role in providing support, especially when family units are becoming smaller. However, there will be families whose ties have been weakened and help from within is not immediately available. It will happen. And that is where the Government and community partners, neighbours, can help them to resolve their issues and rebuild their ties.

My Parliamentary Secretary will speak on how we will strengthen and support families through better childcare and infant care services, as well as early intervention measures for young families. He will also outline how we will help families to mend fractured ties, and how we should deal with domestic violence.

Thirdly, we will enrich our social assets by Strengthening the People Sector. Our community partners are doing very, very good work and I urge them to continue. Given the nature and complexity of needs, all of us need to play our part to provide holistic help to those in need. This way, we can achieve greater impact and we can scale what we do. When you scale, you can begin to go upstream and look at preventing problems and not just dealing with problems when they happen. So, developing our social service organisations, as well as enabling and empowering caring communities, continues to be an important priority for MSF.

At the end of the day, all our efforts − family, community and Government − contribute towards our vision of a caring and inclusive society.

For this first section, I will elaborate on our work in building an inclusive society.

Individuals who are disadvantaged and have complex needs will feel the challenges of livelihood most acutely. If displaced from their jobs, they might not have sufficient savings or other sources of income to tide them through these rough patches. Those without family support will require greater support from the community and the Government.

It is not only about extending more help. We need to be innovative to help them more holistically and try to break the cycle of disadvantage. Just providing and disbursing help is the easy part in some sense, but helping them to break out of the circumstances so that they can fundamentally change their circumstances, that is where the important work lies.

Another group that we will strengthen support for are persons with disabilities. They face different challenges and, invariably, have less options than the rest of us. In the past few years, we have made good progress in areas, such as early intervention, education, employment and in raising awareness and recognition of persons with disabilities. The recommendations in the third Enabling Master Plan set out quite a few areas where we can further strengthen support over the next five years.

I will elaborate more on our plans, starting with how we intend to support those who need financial help.

In recent years, we have progressively strengthened our social safety nets. Let me provide an update on the Social Service Offices (SSOs), as requested by Mr Faisal Manap.

The SSOs are the cornerstone of our social assistance framework. In 2013, we started rolling out a network of SSOs to bring more accessible and coordinated social assistance to Singaporeans. By 2015, we had set up the full network of 24 physical offices across the island. Today, 95% of SSO clients live or work within two kilometres of an SSO. For seniors who may require social assistance but are unable to travel to the office, our officers can conduct the assessment at their homes. For immobile seniors who are already on our schemes, our officers can also directly credit the payment to agencies for their household bills if there is such a request or when officers assess that doing so will be helpful to the seniors. Ms Sylvia Lim asked about some of these possible arrangements. We have those options available.

Being forward deployed, SSOs develop a good sense of the local community's needs and enjoy better collaboration. The SSOs are not the only players in the community. There are various stakeholders, VWOs, FSCs, so the partnership with them also enables the SSOs to get a better feel of the situation on the ground.

What are some of the products as a result of these partnerships? For instance, one of the SSOs has partnered North East CDC to pay for pest control services to assist rental flat residents deal with their bed bugs. In Bukit Merah, for example, our SSO initiated a Spooner Road POW WOW platform where all partners could coordinate their action plan for vulnerable families in the area. This enabled clients to be better served in a holistic manner and avoided duplication of effort among the agencies. The various partner agencies continue to meet through this platform to share best practices and resolve complex cases.

This is something that we want to encourage, we want to see it happening on a wider basis. Some of us, as advisors, are playing an active role trying to pull together the different stakeholders. It is important for the stakeholders to get together because when they talk, they build relationships, they exchange information, that is when there is real coordination and the real coordinated work happens on the ground. It is much more effective that way.

Mr Faisal Manap also asked about the training received by SSO officers. One out of six officers have social work training. Officers also undergo training in areas pertinent to their work, such as engagement and interviewing skills, the assessment of needs and financial literacy. It is also important to realise, as I mentioned earlier, that the SSO does not exist on its own. It works very closely with the local Family Service Centre where the social workers will then follow up with the individual clients. There are also other players, such as the SAC and other stakeholders where the partnership is established. So, the social work community that exists on the ground comprises SSOs and the key partners who work together to try and address some of the needs that our residents face.

Mr Faisal Manap and Ms Sylvia Lim asked about the ComCare Scheme. We have extended the coverage to more families. Since 2014, we have increased the monthly household income cap for families seeking Short-to-Medium-Term Assistance from $1,700 to $1,900, and the cap on income per person was raised from $550 to $650. So, basically, we have extended the coverage in terms of those who may need ComCare assistance. We have also increased the quantum of Long-Term Assistance. The most recent enhancement was last year, where financial support for one-person households on Long-Term Assistance was increased from $450 to $500 a month. The rates were also increased for larger households. Households may also receive additional support to meet other needs, such as medical consumables, adult diapers and one-off items like commodes and wheelchairs for their frail elderly. So, these are some of the ad hoc needs that may sometimes arise and assistance can be provided.

These are system-level improvements and scheme enhancements. At the individual-level, SSO officers are empowered to exercise flexibility when providing social assistance to low-income families under the ComCare scheme. That is something that is important. It is important for officers not to just follow a rule rigidly. But the space is accorded to them to make some of these discretionary calls.

Our officers will then calibrate both the amount and the duration of Short-to-Medium-Term Assistance according to the different needs of families. For one-off and ad-hoc expenses, as mentioned by Mr Faisal Manap, they also exercise flexibility and also tap on community resources to assist. I think many of us are familiar, at the CDC level, initiatives are initiated by us, working with the various stakeholders − the local merchants, the local VWOs. Collectively, we also help to provide some of these means to assist individuals on a need basis. We do want to help families get back on their feet, but some will progress faster than others.

Ms Sylvia Lim asked, "How do you measure?" The honest truth is that it is actually quite difficult. Is it about the numbers we are talking about? By extending the coverage, we do have more numbers of those we are assisting. Is it about how long they remain on help? But the reality is that it really depends. Some are temporary because they have lost their jobs, so they need something to tide them over. Others have more chronic family problems, but they are not work-capable; some have health issues and that is a bit more long-drawn. But the key thing is: when they need help, are we able to provide help? And even though it may be short or medium-term, it does not mean that after a few months, we will cut it off. We do have the capacity and we do actually extend it when they continue to have those issues. Of course, those on long-term assistance are very different. We will review them from time to time. For those on Short-to-Medium-Term Assistance, we will adjust accordingly and will not cut off the assistance prematurely. And if you do meet individuals who seem to have some of these challenges, do flag it to us and let us know because we will be quite happy to adjust as we do make those accommodations. As we all know, on the ground, the stories that we receive are not always necessarily complete. But, when in doubt, surface it and we will be more than happy to assess it. So, we do look at it from a needs-based approach and we consider all sources of income.

Ms Sylvia Lim also asked about Silver Support. For those on Short-to-Medium-Term Assistance, there will be some that are not receiving Silver Support. Some of those who receive Silver Support do not need Short-to-Medium Term Assistance. But for those who are on Short-to-Medium-Term Assistance but are also eligible for Silver Support, in these cases, we do compute the Silver Support quantum into the overall assistance. Because, otherwise, the quantum increases quite significantly. We are also quite mindful as to how to calibrate the amount. So, Silver Support is factored in for the Short-to-Medium-Term assistance recipients.

Ms Denise Phua asked about families facing problems with debt and arrears. In fact, I was just having a discussion on this recently with an expert from overseas. These families can approach their nearest SSO. The SSOs will work with relevant agencies, such as Singapore Power, HDB, Town Councils, to see if the debt can be restructured. That is a very simple step, but it goes a very long way and, for many, it makes a lot of difference. For example, it allows these families to go on instalment plans. Concurrently, our officers will assess the family's situation and they will look at ComCare to support their basic living expenses, if necessary. And these efforts will resolve some of the pressing issues for many of them.

However, ComCare cannot be used for the repayment of debts, to ensure we also do not erode the values of personal responsibility. Can you imagine a scenario where, if you are in debt and, therefore, public monies are then re-directed to service your debt? Invariably, you can imagine the kind of behaviours that this can create. But we are also aware that, for some families − and I do face them, I think many of us in this House face them − where for whatever reason, the mistakes that they made, wrong decisions in life, they end up mired in quite serious debt and it seems almost impossible to break out of that cycle. So, in these instances, we would refer them to VWOs who are looking at these issues from a more specialised perspective where they provide debt-related support and advice, or refer them to organisations like the Institute of Financial Literacy and Credit Counselling Singapore. Basically, exploring different ideas to see how best to equip our social workers with the ability to integrate financial advice into their intervention plans for vulnerable families. So, we welcome partners who are keen to explore such solutions. I am aware that Methodist Welfare Services provides some of these. I think it is early days yet. I think it is too early to conclude. And for those who are operating in that space, they would realise it is not quite so straightforward either.

But we are mindful that, for a number of families, this is a serious issue, and we are looking at whether there are better ways to support them. The ideal way is to prevent them from getting into that position in the first place. That is where providing better financial planning advice and education early would be important. It is also important for us to surface problems earlier so that we are able to step in, because a range of assistance schemes is available to help families, rather than let them try and figure out solutions on their own, incurring more debt and, thereby, creating much more complex problems for themselves. So, this is where the community needs to step in to support them, surface the problems, so that we can step in and see what we can do, early on.

We do need to be forward-thinking. We need to try new methods because social safety nets also need to evolve with changing conditions. So, I am keen for us to be as proactive as we can to go upstream to pre-empt issues. At the same time, it is also important to reiterate that we have to strike a balance in terms of being resilient and preventing a sense of entitlement. Because by being so proactive, before you surface a problem, you come in and help somebody. I am not sure that is always a wise thing to do either. So, it is a balance that we need to strike, but I am very mindful that I would like to look at prevention as far as I can.

Prof Michael Sherradan, a distinguished professor of social development at the Washington University in St Louis in the US, described Singapore as "a relatively young and very tiny nation, but it has some of the most innovative social policies in the world". He has also said that "social policies can never be perfect − trade-offs are always involved − but overall Singapore has made thoughtful and effective choices."

I actually believe we can do better, especially in the way we provide more seamless and holistic help to individuals and families. When you meet individuals, they have a range of different problems and it is multi-dimensional. They do not organise their lives according to the way we organise ourselves in the Ministries and agencies. So, we, at the backend, need to see how to wrap around services to support them.

For those with multi-faceted needs and challenges, clearly, financial assistance is just one part of the solution. It does not solve everything. There are other difficulties − family problems, relationship problems at home, challenges in finding and holding down stable employment, health concerns, mental health issues and so on. Therefore, our SSO officers need to work with them on an action plan to achieve financial and job stability, link them up with other agencies and community partners that can help them address their other challenges, such as childcare placement. So, as mentioned earlier, I think we can do better in trying to make this as seamless as possible. If you have one individual who is able to do everything, it will be challenging, because I do not think he will have that level of competency. So, you do need to leverage on the experts that are providing those services within the community. But what we can do is to link them up much better. Basically, it is a team attending to the individual − but how do you help them navigate and how do you hand them over from one individual to the other and, collectively, try to address these issues? I think that can go a very long way and that is something we can do better.

We recognise that it is very taxing. These individuals and families are already having a lot of emotional stress, a lot of concerns on their minds and then they have to approach multiple agencies for help, and to repeat their stories. So, having technology to help streamline that so that there is a common database will help to go a very long way to prevent social workers from asking the individuals to repeat some of these instances. These experiences, we know, can be demoralising and can diminish their will to follow through with their action plans. In the first place, for many, I would suggest do have a great deal of dignity and self-reliance, which is why sometimes they actually come to us rather late. But because of that, it is also very painful to keep repeating why you are needing help. That is something that we recognise and, through SS Net, we are trying to address some of these issues. Also, the processes at the backend, I think we can do better and we will.

So, we will constantly explore better ways to be more client-centric. One area of focus, to illustrate, is employment assistance to enable job stability. Some of our SSOs are co-located with WSG or e2i Career Centres, and clients can immediately follow up with WSG or e2i for employment assistance. Two SSOs − Taman Jurong and Kreta Ayer − have social assistance, family services and employment services all under one roof. At these two SSOs, the same SSO officer provides both social and employment assistance, an arrangement that clients have found helpful. At the other SSOs, separate appointments for employment assistance are made for clients to see the WSG or e2i officers who come to the SSOs once a week.

This year, we will extend the pilot delivery of both social and employment assistance by the same SSO officer, to three more SSOs. For clients who are unemployed but able to work, this will provide easier and quicker access to employment assistance. They can also get more holistic help with employment goals tied closely to social assistance. Much as we want to help, individuals must walk that last mile themselves. Many of us who have been in this field, working with individuals, we will also meet individuals that, for one reason or other, somehow, are not prepared to embark on that. How do we nudge them on that journey, especially when they are work-capable? So, we will train our officers to provide employment assistance.

This is just one example, amongst various others, that we will need to continue to pursue to make sure that we can provide help as effectively as possible but also in a manner that helps the individual retain his dignity and, at the same time, not to erode the importance of self-reliance and also to include the families because family support remains important and, again, the community, which is where we are in. We have also a responsibility in our local community to look out for our neighbours and our residents. There are many different ideas and schemes that can actually work on the ground, and many of us have tried that. All of us play a part.

Let me move on to persons with disabilities. The Enabling Masterplans are five-year blueprints that guide the development of policies, programmes and support services. The third Enabling Masterplan Steering Committee concluded their work in 2016. They seek to improve the quality of lives of persons with disabilities, importantly, to support caregivers and also to build up the community's capabilities and chart the way forward in building a more inclusive society. The third Masterplan builds on the progress of earlier Masterplans. Focus group discussions were carried out with many stakeholders − persons with disabilities, caregivers, VWOs providing disability services, employers and members of the public. I would like to place on record my thanks to the 22-member Steering Committee, which comprised the people, private and public sectors, including persons with disabilities and caregivers, for their hard work and recommendations.

The recommendations highlight the importance of building an ecosystem of support for persons with disabilities. This ecosystem starts with family members and encompasses the larger community, such as health, education and social services and the society at large. We will focus on strengthening this ecosystem to enable more holistic help and a smoother transition for persons with disabilities at different stages of their lives.

Let me share some upcoming initiatives in early intervention, education, training and employment, adult care and also caregiver support, which Dr Lily Neo and Ms Denise Phua have asked about. I will also touch on the plans to build the community's capabilities to better support persons with disabilities and their families.

Early intervention will remain a key area of focus for children with developmental needs. Timely and appropriate support in the early years can maximise their potential. The Developmental Support Programme (DSP) provides learning support and therapy for children with mild developmental delays, such as speech and language learning difficulties and behavioural issues. The programme is available in the mainstream preschools. Since its inception, it has helped about 4,000 children across 350 preschools. DSP will be expanded to another 50 preschools this year. We are also studying how it can be enhanced to support children with moderate developmental needs.

We will build up the capability and capacity of the preschool sector. This includes training a pool of 200 preschool teachers called Learning Support Educators or LSEds, over the next five years. LSEds provide targeted intervention for children with mild developmental needs and they support classroom teachers in integrating these children with typically developing children in a group setting.

We will also promote greater inclusiveness within the educational setting. So, we are looking at the feasibility of an inclusive preschool model that enables special needs children to attend preschool with other children. Such a model will need to be supported by LSEds and early intervention teachers.

We are keen on earlier detection and clearer classification of developmental needs to facilitate timely and appropriate intervention. In Singapore, this is something that we can do. Personnel in the health and preschool sectors, they actually form a network of early touchpoints for our children. These include doctors and family medical practitioners as well as preschool teachers. We will work with MOH to see how to better train these personnel to pick up signs of developmental delay and also to raise awareness and to deliberately look out for some of these indicators so that the children can be noticed at the early stage. And where it is appropriate, they can be referred for early and quicker intervention and appropriate support. The earlier the intervention, especially for those with issues, the better it is.

MOE will introduce Compulsory Education for special needs children from 2019. Children with special educational needs (SEN) who are able to benefit from formal education will be supported to access mainstream or Government-funded Special Education (SPED) schools.

Employment is integral to enabling persons with disabilities to live independently and integrate with society. It is something that also weighs on the minds of all parents with children with disabilities. We share Ms Denise Phua's and Mr Desmond Choo's concerns on employment opportunities. We will continue to do more to improve employability and employment options and support the acquisition of relevant skills. Over the past three years, SG Enable and its VWO partners have collectively placed more than 1,200 persons with disabilities into employment through job support and placement assistance, mainly in the hospitality, food and beverage, retail and administrative support sectors. SG Enable has also supported internships for about 80 tertiary students with disabilities in our Institutes of Higher Learning.

MSF, together with MOE and SG Enable, has piloted the School-to-Work Transition Programme with five SPED schools in 2014. This programme provides counselling, motivation, soft skills training and work trial opportunities for SPED students before they are matched for employment.

The feedback has been very good. I am heartened to hear the feedback from students, parents and employers about how the programme has allowed students with special needs to acquire work skills, develop good work habits and build a sense of self-worth and confidence to carry out daily activities on their own.

I am pleased to announce that we will extend the School-to-Work Transition Programme to more SPED schools and students who are work-capable but not work-ready. This will include those with higher needs. The programme will be expanded from supporting about 30 students last year, to about 60 work-capable students a year by 2019.

Training and lifelong learning are also crucial for persons with disabilities to keep current and relevant in this changing economy. It is challenging for us, but more challenging for those with disabilities. Since 2014, more than 1,400 persons with disabilities have enrolled in training courses and more than 2,200 employers and co-workers have undergone training to learn how to recruit and integrate persons with disabilities at their workplace. This effort at the workplace is important.

Let me share an example. Mr Shahidir was diagnosed with mild autism at a young age and has difficulty in verbal communications. Following a vocational assessment at Autism Resource Centre (ARC)'s Employability and Employment Centre in 2015, he was trained in work-related hard and soft skills. His job coach recognised his strengths in reading and ability to follow visual instructions, and matched him to an administrative role in DataPost Pte Ltd in April last year. His employer has been pleased with his consistent work performance so far. Shahidir, like many of his peers, are assisted through job placement and job support services by SG Enable and its partners, and managed to become independent through employment.

SG Enable will work with training providers to enhance the availability and affordability of training. Persons with disabilities are now able to use their Post-Secondary Education Account (PSEA), in addition to SkillsFuture Credits, to offset costs across a wider range of courses, such as those offered by SG Enable.

Persons with disabilities can also tap on other schemes to enhance their independence, such as the Assistive Technology Fund (ATF). This was introduced in 2003 to defray the cost of assistive technology devices. In our recent review of the ATF in 2015, Mr Faisal Manap will be glad to note – and he is aware of it as well – that we doubled the lifetime cap from $20,000 to $40,000. We raised the monthly household per capita income from $1,500 to $1,800. We broadened the scope of coverage. Persons with disabilities can now use ATF to purchase devices for rehabilitation or for assistance in daily living, in addition to work and education purposes.

With these changes, the number of supported ATF applications went up from 175 in 2014 to about 1,600 in 2016.

For those who still face difficulties in financing their purchases, our VWOs will work with them on a case-to-case basis. We will monitor the needs of persons with disabilities and consider further enhancements in future.

Mr Faisal Manap suggested to keep prices affordable by aggregating demand. I think that is a useful idea; we will study the matter further as many AT devices are used by persons with disabilities. While some are standard, some actually do require customisation as well. Sometimes, bulk purchases may not be quite so applicable. But this is something worth pursuing and we will study it.

Ms Thanaletchimi asked about wage support for companies employing persons with disabilities. The Special Employment Credit (SEC) scheme was introduced in 2012 to support companies that employ persons with disabilities earning $4,000 and below a month. These employers receive support of up to 16% of employees' wages, capped at $240. For persons with disabilities in low-wage jobs, the Wage Income Supplement (WIS) scheme further supplements their income and savings through cash payments and CPF in Workfare. As at December 2016, $59 million in Special Employment Credit has been given to employers of about 10,000 eligible persons with disabilities. Twenty-eight million dollars in WIS has supplemented persons with disabilities' salaries in low-wage jobs.

Some special needs children graduating from the education system might not be able to enter employment, and they require longer term care services. For older adults with disabilities, their elderly parents who are their primary caregivers may find it harder to continue to care for them. So, a gap in caregiving may also be more keenly felt. As I have mentioned earlier, our families are becoming smaller.

The call for more support for caregivers is a key area of focus in the Third Enabling Masterplan. The role of a caregiver is physically and emotionally demanding and they can really be at risk of burn-out. In fact, it is not a risk. Burn-out is very likely to happen.

The National Council of Social Service (NCSS), together with VWOs in the sector, will develop a network of support for caregivers. I do note Ms Denise Phua's point about the need to be clear about the needs in the sector. We will work with various stakeholders to tap on their experience in this particular space.

This network will enable better access to information and resources, services, such as respite care, and capability-building resources, so that caregivers can perform their role with greater confidence. This is important because, sometimes, the stress comes from a lack of awareness. They feel that they may not be getting the support they need when, actually, some of these measures are available. A lot of it is about improving training and providing awareness. The greater the awareness, the lower the uncertainty. It also helps in managing stress. So, this is something that we will help to ensure – that information and resources are made available to families. This will also enable caregivers to, more importantly, be able to care for themselves, even as they care for their loved ones.

VWOs and Family Service Centres in this network will help to link caregivers for further assistance based on their needs. Caregivers will also have access to support groups that offer emotional support. VWOs will also provide caregivers access and connectivity with specialised services, such as counselling and specialised training.

As part of this network, NCSS will establish the Disability Caregiver Support Centre. Ms Chia Yong Yong has asked about this. The Centre will focus on new caregivers or caregivers of persons with disabilities who are currently not accessing services. Adopting a "Hub and Spoke" model, the Centre will link these caregivers to VWO service providers in their community and other resources. The centre will also explore new support initiatives needed by caregivers.

We agree with Ms Denise Phua that this network has to be forward-looking. NCSS will ensure the Centre stays open to incorporating new care-giving ideas, innovation and practices. In order to make sure that it is forward-looking and it remains innovative, we ask stakeholders in the community to step forward and provide us some of these inputs and to work closely with NCSS on this front.

One foremost concern by caregivers is what would happen to their child with special needs when they no longer are able to care for them. The Special Needs Trust Company (SNTC) will provide more assistance in future care planning and trust services and step up its outreach and engagement efforts to assist caregivers. SNTC will also collaborate with key community partners, such as the Institute of Financial Literacy, in their outreach efforts.

Earlier, Ms Denise Phua touched on the range of residential living options for persons with disabilities. The family, as I mentioned, is the first line of support. The majority of persons with disabilities today are living with their family members. Some are supported by home-based or community-based services. For a small group of higher functioning persons with disabilities where family support is unavailable, we have Adult Disability Hostels and the Community Group Home. For those whose only option is to stay in residential care facilities due to high support needs, the Adult Disability Homes provide them with the required care and support.

My Ministry will continue working with stakeholders to expand the continuum of support for persons with disabilities living in different residential settings. Together with MOH, we will explore synergies across the health and social services. This would require collaboration amongst VWOs in areas of manpower training and transition management.

I would say that one part that all of us can play is really in the community because persons with disabilities live amongst us. Their families live amongst us. This is where, I think, the community can play a very active role, whether in terms of volunteers, whether in terms of the local neighbourhood, because we are there in the community with them. We would urge that, even as we look at NCSS' initiatives, we look at the Government, the VWOs, I would remind us that, apart from the family, the community plays a very big part.

We can go a very long way in terms of providing support and respite for caregivers. When they are out and about in the community, you see them. But when we are less than sympathetic, when their children act up, when we are less empathetic, and we react in ways that are insensitive, it does not help at all. It makes them retreat into their own shell. They dare not come out; they are reluctant to come out. How do they then draw on support? But the more we are able to actively involve them on a day-to-day basis in our community activities, let us deliberately plan for it, bring them out. If we are able to provide some form of care for their children or their family members, at least a couple of hours, half a day here or there, that can go a very long way in terms of making a real difference.

That is something all of us can do. We do not need to mandate that from the agencies. That is for us, as leaders in the community; that is something we can do. And we should think about how to embark on it.

Over the years, in terms of building community capabilities, my Ministry has introduced initiatives to build up the capabilities of our community partners so that they can do their work more efficiently and effectively. In the next phase of the Social Service ICT Master Plan, we will look into the automation of work processes in terms of case management, transition management, as well as case monitoring. VWOs providing disability services would be able to reap the benefits of having a holistic view of clients and timely delivery of services enabled through technology. Just as we embark on Smart Nation initiatives, the Smart Nation initiatives must be all-encompassing in every facet of our lives; no difference in this space as well.

Studies have also shown that Singaporeans are unsure about the appropriate behaviour when interacting with persons with disabilities. As I mentioned earlier, the more we are able to interact, the more we are consciously able to learn, the more we are able to be empathetic. This is one reason that employers are still apprehensive in hiring persons with disabilities.

There are many little things that we can do to start creating greater inclusiveness. Employers, for example, can look at designing more inclusive workplaces. Our schools and communal places are natural settings, as I mentioned. For starters, my Ministry will work with MCCY to provide more opportunities for persons with disabilities to participate in sports, cultural, community and youth activities. MSF and our partners, NCSS, SG Enable and VWOs in the disability sector will continue to promote disability awareness and support efforts to bridge the social distance between members of the public and persons with disabilities. Of course, we can bridge that gap as well.

But as much as we create the opportunities, again, for the rest of us, we must take that step. There are limits to how much we can force this down all our throats. We create the opportunities, create the platforms but we must step forward and be there, be present, be involved. It does not take much. Those who have been involved have found it enlightening. They began to have greater insights and that is the start of that journey. I think we are progressing but surveys show that we still have a long way to go. There is every possibility that we can make good improvements on this front.

As shared by the Finance Minister, including existing initiatives, we expect to spend around $400 million per year in supporting persons with disabilities. While I have elaborated on the upcoming new initiatives under the Enabling Masterplan, I think it is important for us to note that the on-going support for persons with disabilities range from early intervention, special education, wage support to supporting caregivers. And it straddles across many, many different Ministries and agencies as well. Together, the key thing for us is to make sure that these schemes are able to come together, are able to be interwoven effectively to enable the holistic support to be provided.

Sir, a truly inclusive society requires commitment from the wider community to play their part which is why I have reiterated some of the principles earlier. As a society, we all must subscribe to that, rather than to just turn to the Government, agencies, VWOs, and ask: what are you doing about it? Because all of us can play a part.

We need to be more aware, we need to remind ourselves, ask ourselves what role we can play to be more inclusive towards persons who have more needs than us, or whose capabilities differ from ours.

It is our people that make this country special, and inclusiveness for the less fortunate amongst us should be an abiding value of our society. I hope that we remember that even as we provide initiatives to help those who are disabled, those who have special needs, those who are disadvantaged, really, it is not just about helping them. In the process, it is about us helping ourselves change. Because when we participate in the process, that is the change that will happen.

I do urge all of us, that, in this effort to build an inclusive society, it is not just about coming up with the schemes, it is not just throwing money at the problem, building infrastructure. It is about the people being involved. And that is something all of us can do.

Sir, please allow me to begin my speech in Malay.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Sir, strengthening families has always been a key priority of my Ministry. Over the past few years, my Ministry has implemented several broad measures to strengthen families. We will continue to support families across life stages, from pre-marriage to new parenthood and the challenging teenage years. For instance, we have enhanced paternity leave and introduced the Child Development Account (CDA) First Step for all parents.

Since 2012, the number of childcare places has increased by more than 40% to about 140,000 places today. We will continue to support families with small children by adding another 10,000 childcare places in housing estates that have many young families. We will also enhance support for families with infants, by increasing the number of infant care places from 4,000 infants enrolled today, to over 8,000 by 2020.

In order to support this increase in infant care and childcare places, we will enhance our efforts to attract more workers to this important sector. We will pilot a new approach to training, to attract capable and experienced individuals to take care of infants. We will also improve career prospects and professional development in the early childhood sector.

We will also provide targeted support for children from needy families. This is to ensure that they also receive quality early childhood development support. I would like to share the progress of the KidSTART pilot programme that we launched in July last year.

Under this pilot programme, we worked with the Social Service Offices, Family Service Centres, hospitals and community partners that manage the KidSTART programme. We identified, reached out to and then provided holistic support to these children and families. For instance, KidSTART home visitors regularly visit parents who have infants at home to share knowledge and skills about the child's growth, health and nutrition.

One of the families that benefited from this pilot programme is the family of Mdm Azlinah Binte Jumali. Mdm Azlinah is a mother of four. Two of her children attend a childcare centre and her youngest child is waiting to enrol in infant care. Under the KidSTART programme, she has learnt more about early childhood development issues. Mdm Azlinah was also able to socialise with other mothers participating in the programme and received help for her children's necessities. This initiative had a positive impact on her children's development and her family's well-being. We hope that KidSTART can continue to create such success stories for parents and their children.

So far, more than 300 children in Bukit Merah-Kreta Ayer, Boon Lay-Taman Jurong and Geylang Serai have been assisted by this programme. Although we are still in the midst of rolling out this pilot programme, we are encouraged by its positive impact on the interaction and relationship between parents and their children so far.

In the near term, the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) will partner community organisations to roll out more community playgroups in areas where the KidSTART programme is being piloted. We plan to support 1,000 children through KidSTART over the next three years.

Families are the basic building blocks of society and key pillars of support for individuals. We want to make Singapore a great place to raise children and build families. We will do all we can to continue to support families through significant milestones and life-stages, especially those who need help to stay together and strong. I would like to urge all Singaporeans to work together with us to make Singapore a great place for our families and for future generations.

(In English): Strengthening families has always been a key priority of my Ministry. Families are the basic building blocks of society and key pillars of support for individuals. We want Singapore to be a great place to raise children and build families. We will do all we can to continue to support families through significant milestones and life-stages, especially those who need help to stay together and strong. We want every child to have a good start in life and grow to become caring, resilient and engaged individuals in society. Starting from the early years is key.

To realise these aspirations, my Ministry has undertaken various initiatives in recent years.

We have introduced broad-based measures that support families across life stages, from pre-marriage to new parenthood and the challenging teenage years. We have enhanced paternity leave and introduced the Child Development Account (CDA) First Step. We have also extended Government-Paid Maternity Leave and the CDA benefits to unwed mothers.

Since 2012, the number of childcare places has increased by more than 40% to about 140,000 places today. We have also enhanced means-tested childcare and kindergarten subsidies. Since 2012, the number of beneficiaries from these means-tested subsidies has doubled to about 45,000 children. To support low-income and vulnerable children, we have piloted the KidSTART and Safe and Strong Families initiatives, which I will talk more about later.

This year, we will continue efforts to build strong families, support parenthood and ensure a good start for every child. We will provide comprehensive support for families who experience abuse and neglect.

Ms Jessica Tan asked about the measures to support parents and build stronger family relationships. We believe that building strong family relationships should be supported from the very start. Children grow well when they are raised in a close-knit family. This starts with a strong marriage. Hence, we work with community partners to provide marriage preparation programmes, covering communication, problem-solving and conflict resolution between couples.

Parenting skills have to evolve as children become tweens and teens. Under the FamilyMatters! initiative, we piloted the Positive Parenting Programme (Triple P) and signposts in schools to support parents during their children's transition years. Based on our study, parents who completed the programmes reported greater parenting competence, lower parenting stress, improved emotional states and reduced behavioural problems in their children. We are encouraged by the positive results and plan to expand reach out to 175 schools by 2018.

Partnerships with the community are critical in rejuvenating and reinforcing family ties. We work with family champions, such as the Families for Life Council and the Centre for Fathering, to reach out to families. I would like to thank Mr Murali Pillai for his suggestions to appreciate seniors in our community and celebrate strong marriages. We will explore them further. Last year, the Registry of Marriages sent commemorative certificates to couples celebrating their 55th anniversary. Families for Life also organises meaningful and celebratory programmes, such as the 2017 Marriage Convention, for couples to reaffirm their lifelong commitment.

Mr Kok Heng Leun and Mr Desmond Choo asked about the support for single-parent families. Over the years, we have reviewed and introduced new programmes to better support children from families with single parents, who may be divorced, widowed or unwed.

Today, we already extend benefits that support children's growth and development to all children, regardless of their parents' marital status. Single parents in need of financial and socio-emotional support can also approach our Social Service Offices and Family Service Centres.

We have stepped up support for divorced and widowed single parents, who form the bulk of single-parent families. Four Divorce Support Specialist Agencies have been appointed to help divorcing couples understand the impact of divorce on their children and look out for their children's well-being. In our housing policies, divorced and widowed parents with children are recognised as a family nucleus, similar to married parents. HDB's Assistance Scheme for Second-Timers (ASSIST) also gives priority to divorced and widowed parents. As our policies may not address every circumstance, HDB exercises flexibility to help single parents with their housing needs on a case-by-case basis.

Mr Kok asked if we could do away with the use of "illegitimacy" in inheritance and tax reliefs. This suggestion has far reaching implications and will need careful consideration. Our society continues to desire parenthood within marriages and we should promote it.

Mr Leon Perera spoke about the role of the Government in collecting maintenance payments. Maintenance of children as well as spouses and ex-spouses is, first and foremost, a family responsibility. A collection agency may not guarantee that claimants receive maintenance, if it is unable to obtain payment from the other party. There is thus a need to differentiate between those who can afford but refuse to pay maintenance, from those who are genuinely unable to pay.

To this end, we are piloting the Maintenance Record Officer initiative, which the Member mentioned, to help the Courts identify recalcitrant defaulters earlier. Concurrently, the referral system to the Social Service Offices has been enhanced, to help families and individuals in financial need if they are identified. We will continue to explore ways to make our enforcement regime more effective and robust, without eroding the principle of family responsibility.

Let me now share our plans to support families with young children.

Given the ramp-up in childcare places, we have already exceeded our 2017 target of providing one place for every two children. We agree with Er Dr Lee Bee Wah that there is still unmet demand in estates with more young families. Over the next year, we will add another 10,000 childcare places and the market should be able to better meet demand within the next few years. At the Second Reading of the Early Childhood Development Centres Bill, Ms Joan Pereira also suggested building childcare centres and HDB flats concurrently. ECDA is already looking into this. They will work with HDB to bring forward the completion of childcare centres for new Build-To-Order (BTO) developments as much as possible.

Mr Ang Hin Kee asked about our plans to expand infant and childcare services. As announced at Budget 2017, we will increase the number of infant care places from 4,000 infants enrolled today, to over 8,000 by 2020. Many of these new places will be in new housing areas, such as Punggol, Sengkang, Tampines, Woodlands and Yishun.

Overall, parents now have more options for affordable and quality childcare. Almost half of all the preschool children are enrolled in an Anchor or Partner Operator centre where fees are capped.

Mr Louis Ng also asked for childcare to be made more affordable for stay-at-home mothers. We do see more working mothers requiring full-day childcare services to help manage their work and care-giving responsibilities. For non-working mothers, they can choose to place their children in shorter kindergarten programmes that focus more on child development. These are generally more affordable, with a median monthly fee of $170 compared to around $850 for childcare before subsidies.

Regardless of the mother's working status, low- and middle income children enrolled in Anchor Operator or MOE kindergartens receive further support with the Kindergarten Fee Assistance Scheme (KiFAS). With KiFAS, a low-income family can pay as little as $1 a month for preschool.

We will continue to pay close attention to the cost of raising children and regularly review the affordability of preschool.

While we continue to improve centre-based infant and childcare, we acknowledge that some parents may prefer to have their children cared for at home, as mentioned by Miss Cheryl Chan and Mr Gan Thiam Poh.

It is not feasible to extend centre-based grants to home-based care. While our centres are governed by regulations to ensure quality and service standards, home-based care is more informal and based on mutual trust and support. As home-based care is varied in nature, it is impractical to apply common standards. Also, while we recognise the contributions of these home caregivers, we must be careful not to monetise personal relationships. Nevertheless, we have been progressively enhancing parental leave schemes to support parents who prefer home-based care. Parents can also tap on the CDA First Step to help defray approved child-related expenses.

Er Dr Lee Bee Wah, Assoc Prof Randolph Tan, Mr Ang Hin Kee and Ms Jessica Tan mentioned the need to increase the supply, salaries and capability of educators to support the expansion of early childhood services.

Our work with operators and training agencies to attract, retain and develop early childhood educators has started to bear fruit. Salaries have been rising steadily across all job roles − salaries of entry-level diploma trained teachers are competitive and comparable to other sectors. Student intake for early childhood diploma courses has also grown by more than 70% last year from 400 to 700 places. To further support these efforts, my Minister launched the Early Childhood Manpower Plan last October to provide professional development opportunities, better recognition and a more supportive working environment for early childhood educators.

Even as we attract fresh school leavers, the early childhood sector offers meaningful and attractive careers for mid-career workers who want to switch sectors and women wanting to re-join the workforce.

To support our expansion plans for infant care, we will need about 1,000 more infant educarers over the next four years. To meet this large demand, I am pleased to share that my Ministry will pilot a new job role called Allied Infant Educarers. These Allied Infant Educarers will work with existing infant care staff to provide holistic care and development for infants aged two to 18 months.

To train Allied Infant Educarers, we will also pilot a new training approach. We understand that some people with the interest, aptitude and competence to care for infants may be unable to join the sector, either because they do not want to attend classroom-based training, or they lack the appropriate academic records. Under this pilot, ECDA will work with the SEED Institute and Anchor Operators to provide new entrants with on-the-job training and coaching to work as Allied Infant Educarers. Our emphasis will be on aptitude and competency, rather than academic qualifications. This is in line with Mr Ang Hin Kee's suggestion to look into allied job roles.

Training for the first batch of Allied Infant Educarers will begin later this month. With the Allied Infant Educarers supporting our existing infant educarers, the more experienced ones can then progress to become Senior Infant Educarers. These Senior Infant Educarers will receive training to coach and mentor new entrants. Some will play a more active role in facilitating developmental activities for our infants. Overall, parents can feel assured that their infants will benefit from higher-quality infant care.

Ms Nyaneswari d/o Paramasivam is a mother of two. She previously worked as an untrained staff at a childcare centre but, more recently, worked in other jobs in security, administration and after-school care. With this new opportunity to become an Allied Infant Educarer, she has decided to come back to the sector. Ms Nyaneswari welcomes the new training approach with more hands-on practice. This is similar to how she learnt to care for her own children; by observing how her mother cared for her and her siblings. We need more individuals like her to join this meaningful profession.

Mr Ang Hin Kee and Ms Jessica Tan rightly highlighted the need to ensure quality, even as we scale up these early childhood services. The Early Childhood Development Centres Bill recently passed in Parliament is one initiative to raise and ensure consistent quality standards across the sector. To enhance quality in the sector, we will provide more structured professional and career development opportunities for our educators.

Today, I am happy to announce that we will be launching the Professional Development Programme (PDP) for Educarers this month. Educarers are early childhood professionals who work with infants, toddlers and nursery-age children.

Similar to an earlier PDP for preschool teachers, educarers will undergo a structured training over three years to deepen their skills and prepare them for larger job roles, such as team leaders and mentors to newer colleagues. Educarers will also receive cash awards ranging from $3,000 to $5,000 at the end of each professional development milestone.

Overall, our approach towards raising the quality and professionalism in the early childhood sector is aligned with the SkillsFuture movement. Early childhood educators should be provided opportunities to deepen competencies throughout their career. Last year, ECDA launched the Skills Framework for the early childhood sector to map out career pathways and competencies for various job roles.

To enhance the skills of our early childhood teachers, I am pleased to announce the launch of a new Advanced Diploma in Early Childhood Teaching and Learning. We will extend the SkillsFuture Study Award, worth $5,000, to support preschool teachers embarking on this programme. With this Advanced Diploma, teachers will be better prepared to take on larger roles, such as lead teachers and curriculum specialists, and thereby raise the quality of our preschools.

We recognise that low-income and vulnerable children will need more support to get a good start in life. Mr Louis Ng asked whether we could strengthen the Kindergarten Fee Assistance Scheme (KiFAS) to improve the attendance of preschoolers in kindergartens. He has rightly highlighted that the reasons behind irregular preschool attendance are not so straightforward. There are many other needs of the child, such as health, social skills and emotional development. This is why we introduced the KidSTART pilot last year to proactively identify and support these children in their early years. Let me provide an update on this programme.

Since KidSTART was launched in July 2016, we have supported more than 300 children at the pilot sites in Bukit Merah, Kreta Ayer, Boon Lay, Taman Jurong and Geylang Serai. As part of the programme, KidSTART home visitors regularly visit parents and their infants. They support parents with practical skills and knowledge for the child's growth, health and nutrition. These home visitors also work closely with social service agencies, such as Family Service Centres, to address the multiple challenges faced by some of these parents.

Any success under KidSTART depends on close partnerships with the community. Ms Nur Azlinah Binte Jumali is a mother of four, with two children in childcare and the youngest waiting to enrol in infant care. Under KidSTART, she learnt more about early childhood development issues from professionals, socialised with other mothers in the community and received help for her children's necessities. Her children also attend preschool more regularly. These have improved the children's development and her family's well-being. We hope that KidSTART can continue to create such success stories.

We are also piloting an enhanced support model at preschools. Today, 10 Anchor Operator centres are provided additional manpower to better engage parents of children from low-income and vulnerable families enrolled at these centres. These Child Enabling Executives closely monitor the children's developmental needs and improve their school attendance.

Ms Rahayu Mahzam asked about the plans for KidSTART. We have had an encouraging start and plan to support 1,000 children over the next three years. We will need to review and refine our processes before introducing KidSTART to more locations. In the near term, ECDA will partner the community to roll out more playgroups and enhance support for preschools in the pilot areas.

Let me move on to talk about how we are supporting children who have experienced abuse and neglect. We believe that children grow best in families where they can bond with familiar persons who can help them develop socially and emotionally. Unfortunately, there are times when a child cannot be safe in his family because of abuse and neglect. In such times, my Ministry believes in empowering these families to provide proper and safe care for the child where possible. If this is not feasible, the child should be cared for in a nurturing foster family, where available, until we are able to reunite them safely with their natural families.

To better care for abused, neglected children, my Ministry began efforts to transform the out-of-home care sector in 2013. The emphasis is on creating more options for family-based care by growing fostering capacity and providing intensive support to keep children with their families.

My Ministry has been expanding our fostering capacity by stepping up outreach and setting up two fostering agencies. Run by MCYC Community Services Society and Boys' Town, these fostering agencies are currently supporting 150 children. We plan to set up a third fostering agency later in the year.

We previously aimed to recruit 500 foster families by 2019. After intensive recruitment efforts, we are closer to that target with 420 foster families today, which is 70% more compared to 2013. With more foster families, we have been able to place 40% more children in foster care as compared to 2013. This achievement is very encouraging and I would like to thank these warm-hearted foster parents for opening their hearts and homes to vulnerable children who need love and care.

Last year, my Ministry celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Fostering Scheme and published a commemorative book. One of my favourite stories is that of Mr Tan Kah Poh and his wife, Mdm Chua Siew Gek. They previously managed a chicken rice stall. When their first foster child came to them, he was traumatised and anxious. Through their daily care and nurturing, the foster child is now well-adjusted. The couple have even taken in a second foster child. I hear that the foster children like their delicious chicken rice and this was the secret to their "chemistry". We often take simple family meals for granted. Yet, as shown in this story, these little family rituals make such a positive difference to our children.

While we encourage fostering, it would be even better if more natural families can care safely for their own children and not require out-of-home care at all. Many caregivers who come to our attention through the child welfare system do want to care for their children. With additional support and links to resources, it is possible for them to learn how to provide better and safer care for their children.

Hence, MSF announced the Safe and Strong Families (SSF) pilot last year. The pilot aims to preserve the care of children within their families and reunify children who were temporarily removed, back with their families when conditions are safe and stable. Under SSF, professionals work intensively with parents at home to rebuild their relationships with their children and learn how to care for them safely.

Ms Jessica Tan asked for an update on the SSF pilot. It is well on track. We have eight newly appointed agencies. These are AMKFSC Community Services, Boys' Town, Chen Su Lan Methodist Children's Home, Kampong Kapor Family Service Centre, Montfort Care, Muhammadiyah Welfare Home, Singapore Children's Society and The Salvation Army. Families and children have started receiving services. We expect to reach out to 400 families over three years.

Ms Kuik Shiao-Yin asked whether national surveys could be conducted to understand youth well-being and improve interventions for youths-at-risk. Today, many agencies already do so, to better understand our youth trends and concerns. These include the Student Health Survey by the Health Promotion Board, the National Youth Survey by the National Youth Council as well as the Youth Perception Survey by the National Council Against Drug Abuse. In addition, the National Committee on Youth Guidance and Rehabilitation has commissioned an inter-agency longitudinal study to better understand the factors that affect offending and drug abuse, as well as successful rehabilitation and reintegration among at-risk youths.

One key programme that has yielded positive results is the Youth GO! Programme which was launched in 2012 to reach out to at-risk youths on the streets. Under this programme, social and youth workers keep a look out for youths on the streets who may be at risk and befriend them over multiple sessions to better understand their situation as well as build trust. During these sessions, the Youth GO! workers also help youths who may be experiencing trouble in school or with peers and family, and work closely with them to resolve or cope with these issues better. Early findings showed that youths engaged under the Youth GO! Programme displayed a positive change in attitude towards their parents, studies and career plans.

Mr Amrin Amin asked a timely question about our plans to strengthen family relationships and prevent escalation to family violence. While the number of reported family violence cases is low and stable, every case is of concern to us. Furthermore, family violence is often a hidden problem and cases may go unreported. We have completed a study to understand public perceptions on family violence. Findings showed that awareness about family violence remains low. Four in 10 respondents were unsure what family violence meant. In addition, children were less likely to seek help compared to adults. What does this mean for us?

We need to go upstream and educate all segments of our society that strong, positive relationships are the best way to prevent escalation of family violence. We will focus on family violence prevention strategies targeted at different stages of a person's life.

For the young, we will continue to cultivate understanding about respectful relationships in schools. In Character and Citizenship Education, students learn how to develop positive relationships with their family members, manage family conflicts effectively and seek help when the situation calls for it. For couples who intend to get married, we have worked with community partners to enhance marriage preparation courses to emphasise respectful relationships.

It just takes a small act to prevent the escalation of family violence. Last November, MSF launched a three-year "Break the Silence" campaign to encourage all persons, especially bystanders, who have witnessed family violence to report it early.

Family violence is unacceptable and should not be allowed to perpetuate. It is not a private affair. We should continue to encourage those affected by family violence to seek assistance and urge the community to play their part by reporting abuse immediately. Let us "Break the Silence" against family violence.

Dr Lily Neo asked about the progress of the Vulnerable Adults Act. We are working towards introducing the Bill in Parliament in 2018.

There are two key principles under the Vulnerable Adults Act. Firstly, family remains as a first line of care and protection, and the community plays a critical role to support families. Secondly, a vulnerable adult who does not lack mental capacity is best placed to decide how he wishes to live and whether or not to accept any assistance. If the vulnerable adult has to be removed from the place where he is staying, MSF will explore if he or she can be placed with any suitable relatives. We will also work with community agencies, such as Social Service Offices and Family Service Centres, to provide additional support. If community and family options are not feasible, MSF will be empowered to place the vulnerable adult at gazetted places of temporary care and protection and places of safety.

Ms Rahayu Mahzam also asked about the progress of the Mental Capacity Act which was amended last year. We are developing the framework for the professional deputy and donee scheme. When the scheme is launched at the end of this year, professionals, such as lawyers, accountants, social workers, doctors and nurses, may register to be professional deputies or donees. Interested applicants will have to undergo certification. We are finalising the details.

I would like to encourage all Singaporeans to pre-plan and appoint someone they trust to make decisions on their behalf if they lose mental capacity.

Miss Cheryl Chan asked whether the Government is working with the community to provide home-based care options for the elderly, many of whom prefer to age in their homes with their loved ones for as long as they can.

In addition to programmes by MOH, MSF also has Senior Cluster Networks to coordinate and integrate services for vulnerable seniors living in rental flats, within each town. The Networks reach out to low-income and vulnerable seniors living alone so that they can age within the community. In addition to that, we have the Smart Elderly Monitoring and Alert System (SEMAS) which is piloted by HDB in Yuhua and this will provide another form of support to our seniors.

Sir, as a Ministry, we can develop meaningful programmes and services to support families. However, there is much more that goes into enabling and sustaining strong families.

At the individual level, we have to make deliberate efforts to make time for our own families and engage them through quality activities and conversations. Relationships will only grow stronger if we invest the necessary time and effort in building them.

At the corporate level, employers can create supportive environments for families by providing flexible working arrangements for employees to strike a balance between family and work.

At the community level, we should extend support to fellow peers, neighbours and co-workers if they face marital or familial distress. We can encourage them to invest quality-time with their spouses and families, resolve their issues amicably and seek professional help when needed. Where there is reason to suspect that there is abuse or neglect, everyone has the responsibility to "break the silence" and alert the authorities.

Let us work together to make Singapore a great place to raise children and build strong and resilient families.

Sir, I would like now to talk about how we will develop the social service sector, and how all of us, both within and beyond the sector, can be a vehicle for social change.

MSF and the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) have worked steadily with partners on a number of fronts.

First, developing manpower pipelines. We expanded these, for example, by starting the UniSIM full-time Social Worker degree programme last year. This programme has the capacity to produce up to 50 social work graduates a year. We also expanded professional hubs for therapists and started one for psychologists.

Second, up-skilling the workforce. In the areas of manpower development and skills upgrading, the Social Service Institute under NCSS has expanded its range of courses and learning platforms and, today, offers close to 700 courses for social sector leaders, professionals and volunteers.

Third, improving career prospects. We enhanced career development opportunities in the sector. And this helps retain our professionals and attract more to join the sector. Assoc Prof Daniel Goh asked about improving wages for social workers. NCSS publishes salary guidelines for the social service sector and these are updated every year to ensure salaries keep pace with wage movements in the market. Every three years, there is a major review of salary benchmarks for the different professions. The last major review was in 2015 and the recommended salary increases for social service professionals ranged from 3% to 19%. In between the major reviews, there are salary guidelines that incorporate a recommended salary increment. In 2016, this was about 4%.

To ensure that the salaries remain competitive, the benchmarks are pegged to professions in the main competing markets, for example, the healthcare and public sectors. The salary guidelines for social workers take reference from those in the Civil Service.

As we all know, beyond salaries, other factors contribute to retention. NCSS launched the People Practice Consultancy last year to help VWOs improve their human resource practices. These efforts at the organisational level continue to be important. Well-run organisations are better able to retain their professionals and provide better service to their clients as well.

While we have made progress on some fronts, the sector faces certain challenges going forward, such as – and we are all familiar with them − an ageing workforce, slower workforce growth and increasing complexity of demands. These challenges raise questions on whether our service models are sustainable and whether our skills will remain relevant in future. We also need to prepare our workforce for these challenges.

Achieving our vision of a caring Singapore in this environment requires all of us to play a role. The three key groups are the VWOs; secondly, the social service workforce, and lastly, volunteers.

Let me deal with the first − VWOs. There are over 450 VWOs registered as members of NCSS. They ensure that social services are able to meet clients' needs even as resources get leaner.

Mr Png Eng Huat asked how we are helping and funding VWOs, especially the smaller ones. MSF and NCSS have been supporting VWOs in strengthening their organisational capabilities, so that they can be more effective. The VWOs-Charities Capability Fund, or VCF, was started in 2002 to support these initiatives. Through the VCF, VWOs can grow and they can develop their organisations.

Ms K Thanaletchmi asked if the VCF could be directed towards talent attraction and retention. This is done through the Professional Capability Grant. VWOs can apply for subsidies for their staff to undergo local or overseas training, upgrade their professional qualifications and introduce supervision frameworks for professional development. With stronger skills, they can make better progress in their careers and take on larger job roles.

The Organisational Development Grant supports VWOs in improving their effectiveness as organisations. VWOs can engage consultants to help them in strategy development, as well as review and improve internal work processes, such as HR practices and service delivery.

The Innovation and Productivity Grant helps build a culture of continuous improvement. It funds applied research that leads to improved services and productivity gains. These include IT systems and other efforts to make better use of resources.

All these grants are open to all NCSS members regardless of their size. Over the past five years, the VCF has benefited around 400 organisations. NCSS has enhanced its website over the past year to improve the availability and clarity of information on the VCF. It will also be sharing information on past projects supported by the VCF on its website, so that VWOs can consider relevant ideas or collaborate with one another. Allow me to share one example.

The Association for Persons with Special Needs, or APSN, tapped on the VCF Innovation and Productivity Grant to develop a Student Management System. This would automate previously manual tasks, such as class and academic management, at the Special Needs Schools and Centres that it runs. The first phase of the system was implemented last year. With the system, teachers now have more time for teaching and supporting their students' learning and development. I encourage more VWOs to also make use of the available VCF resources to gear up for the future.

To continue our support for VWOs, the Government and Tote Board will commit additional funding to the VCF, up to $100 million over the next five years. In addition to the existing areas of support, we encourage the sector to utilise the VCF to scale up adoption of capability and productivity initiatives.

Ms Chia Yong Yong asked about support in project scoping and the use of consultants. For some key areas of capability building, NCSS will pre-select consultants to work with our VWOs. This was done for the on-going People Practice Consultancy that I mentioned earlier. And in the later part of this year, NCSS will also launch other pre-scoped consultancy projects, in areas with potential productivity improvements, like financial processes and space utilisation.

Secondly, let me talk about the social service workforce. We have care workers who tend to the daily needs of clients, professionals who deliver specialised interventions and executives who head the VWOs. All of them play critical roles in caring for the vulnerable in our society.

Some of you asked how we are developing them and improving their competencies. Firstly, we put in place clear career and competency maps through the Social Service Sectoral Skills Framework. This framework will provide more information on the job opportunities available and the qualifications required. It will also inform social service professionals on the career development pathways and the skills required to perform the key jobs.

Both MSF and NCSS are working with SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) to develop this framework. Professionals, such as social workers, psychologists, early intervention teachers, youth workers and care workers, will be able to use this to guide their growth in the sector. We aim to complete this in 2018. We are also working with MOH in developing a Skills Framework for therapists.

Secondly, we will contextualise and implement SkillsFuture initiatives in the sector. In 2015, the SkillsFuture Study Award was launched to enable Singaporeans with some working experience to deepen their skills in the social service and early childhood sectors. Last year, we also launched the SkillsFuture Study Award for persons with disabilities and disability employment professionals. As Assoc Prof Dr Faishal Ibrahim mentioned, we will extend the SkillsFuture Study Award later this year to support preschool teachers who are embarking on the new Advanced Diploma in Early Childhood Teaching and Learning. To date, a total of 122 individuals in the social service and early childhood sectors have received the SkillsFuture Study Award.

Thirdly, it is the volunteers. Mr Amrin Amin and Ms Tin Pei Ling highlighted the important role that the community and volunteers play in complementing the work of our professionals. During the Budget debate, a number of Members talked about growing the community network of support. Indeed, VWOs need to work with the members of the communities they serve for them to be effective. Everyone can play a part.

Let me share with you Shafik's journey. Shafik was a Secondary 1 Normal (Technical) student at St Gabriel's Secondary School. His father was incarcerated. His mother became the sole breadwinner, working two jobs to support Shafik and his three sisters. With the troubles he faced at home, his self-esteem was affected; he nose-dived. He was involved in bullying, fighting with other boys and even teachers.

Along the way, he was selected by his school for the ""Uth" Power!" Programme. This is a motivational support programme by CARE Singapore, a VWO, which aims to help at-risk students stay in school. Derek, who is a CARE Singapore staff, reached out to Shafik and spent extra time with him after school. Shafik refused to respond for more than a year, but eventually came around owing to Derek's fatherly presence and persistence and the continual support of the volunteers that supported this programme.

After graduating, Shafik volunteered with CARE as often as possible. In 2010, he was employed by CARE as a youth support worker and continues to grow as a professional. He is aiming to complete his diploma in counselling in June this year. He is also planning to eventually obtain a degree and a masters in counselling.

He has touched the lives of many students, first as a volunteer, then as a professional. His journey was made possible through the support of many members of the community, including those who played the role of volunteers.

I strongly believe that as we care through volunteering, we are tending to the soul of the nation. Why? It is in giving that we receive. It is in receiving that we change. It is in changing that we become better people. It is in having better people that we begin to become a more caring and inclusive society, a better society. That is why we must find ways to grow our community of support and encourage even more to volunteer. It is not just about helping the disadvantaged, the disabled, the elderly. It is very much about helping us all change.

First of all, we can catalyse, support and publicise volunteering initiatives using Singapore Cares (SG Cares) as a platform.

The Singapore Cares movement aims to involve more individuals to get them involved in building a compassionate and inclusive society.

Jointly coordinated by the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) and NCSS, Singapore Cares seeks to create an environment where we all feel empowered to make a difference. We want to mobilise the community to meet real needs. We celebrate ground-up efforts. We can also help by fostering partnerships between corporates, non-profit organisations, schools and other partners. The biggest partners in this movement are the volunteers. By organising ourselves better, by sharing information and by enabling volunteers through training and effective use of technology, we can not only help more but help more effectively as well.

SG Cares is not a Government scheme. It is really about more giving and volunteering by individuals and groups, and a lot of this is already taking place in the community. SG Cares provides an overall umbrella to encourage and support these efforts, to help and facilitate even more outreach.

Why be part of SG Cares? For one, we can help with training of volunteers. Secondly, we could share information that can help groups be more targeted and effective, avoiding wasteful duplication of efforts that we often see on the ground.

To facilitate the volunteerism efforts, NCSS is launching an e-learning module for volunteers on "Working Effectively with Youths" later this year. Other e-learning courses will also be developed to equip volunteers to work with persons with disabilities, with the elderly, children with special needs and so on. NCSS is also working on an app to better match interested volunteers to opportunities at VWOs. Many people want to help but are not sure where to go, what to do. NCSS targets to release the app at the end of the year.

Volunteer work takes many forms. With SG Cares, we aim to work with various community partners to facilitate collaboration.

In our schools, we want to make volunteerism a way of life for all our children. For example, the WonderKids programme is a partnership between student leaders at Hai Sing Catholic School and the Pasir Ris Family Service Centre. As part of this programme, the students befriend and mentor children from lower income households. They interact through games and study sessions. Besides benefiting these children, Hai Sing students have also grown to have a deeper understanding of community needs.

In the workplaces, we are helping corporates to partner with VWOs within the same neighbourhood, making it easier. We want to facilitate long-term, meaningful partnerships to meet real needs in the local community. For example, the Singapore Power Group partnered TOUCH Senior Activity Centre in Geylang Bahru. Located in close proximity, staff from Singapore Power Group are able to commit to regular visits to the Centre and accompany the elderly for their morning exercises and then prepare and serve them breakfast. We would like to see more of such local partnerships leading to long-term and meaningful impact.

At home in the community, we are working with community Advisors on how to grow a network on the ground. Collaboration is key. We need stakeholders to come together, share information and coordinate. VWOs, GPs, childcare centres, merchants and other independent groups are examples of stakeholders who may be able to pick up early indicators of problems of people in need and then we are able to then match them with sources of help, to be more attractive and to be able to deal with it upstream.

Dr Lily Neo talked about recruiting volunteers to reach out to lonely seniors. MSF and MOH have been funding befriending programmes for seniors, such as the Caring Assistance from Neighbours, or the CAN programme, Befriending Service and the Community Befriending Programme. As part of these programmes, volunteers pay regular visits to seniors, befriend and engage them. This helps to reduce social isolation. These three programmes have almost 2,000 volunteers serving over 6,000 seniors. MOH's Community Befriending Programme is currently found in 33 constituencies, with plans to expand to 50 constituencies by 2020.

Ageing, we all know, will be a significant feature of our landscape. Without volunteers, it is very difficult for us to just depend on healthcare and social workers to deal with all the needs that we know will be facing us in the community in the years to come.

Secondly, let me talk about Share as One where we can rally and mobilise corporates and other organisations.

As Members know, last year, ComChest launched the Share as One programme to encourage more individual giving and create more workplace giving and volunteering opportunities.

Under Share as One, the Government will provide dollar-for-dollar matching for all new and incremental donations to the SHARE programme till March 2019. Please spread the word. Encourage companies to come on board.

In 2015, 2,590 companies participated in SHARE. Last year, around 300 new companies came on board, which is an increase of about 11% from 2015. In addition, more than 630 companies have increased their SHARE donations. These are improvements but, frankly, we really can and should do more. Many companies are not on board but more of them can be. Please do encourage them to come on board and we will do our part as well.

In closing, let me highlight that our VWOs, social service workforce and volunteers collectively form the community that my Ministry and our partner agencies are working to empower, so that each can have a stronger and more lasting impact on society, particularly for those who are most in need.

As Ms Tin Pei Ling has noted, values really lie at the heart of all we do. Values, such as care and compassion, resilience, as well as strong and supportive families and communities, these will stand us in good stead as we face the various and many challenges that are looming ahead on the horizon. We need the concerted effort and commitment of the people, private and public sectors to come together, to work hand-in-hand, to overcome these challenges.

Through the process, we will forge stronger bonds between the sectors, stronger communities, stronger families, more resilient individuals and we will create the bonds that will bind us as a society. That is the kind of resilience that we will need.

Together, we will build a more inclusive and caring society. It is really about enabling us to be not just compassionate, but to look at ourselves as a community. To not just look at "my own interests alone", but to look at "us" as a community, not just for the present but for the long term. That is where, perhaps, you deal with the issues of self-entitlement; that is also where we deal with the issues of sacrifice, where we deal with the issues of community. Where there is a sense of that, that is where we can truly see that we have an inclusive society. That is when we can begin to build the best home possible for all Singaporeans. [Applause.]

Thank you. I have two questions. Firstly, I am heartened to hear the Minister say that it will be helpful to surface more of the Singaporean households or families who may be in need of assistance, especially in this uncertain climate. I would like to ask, how does the Ministry plan to do so? On one hand, the community can definitely play a role but, sometimes, the community cannot comprehensively identify these families whereas the Government, as a whole, may be able to identify them in a more effective manner, such as escalating arrears in HDB rent, utilities and, perhaps, even S&CC. May I know what is the Ministry intending to do in terms of looking at these indicators and coordinating the assistance that is available?

The second question would be, I am heartened to also hear that MSF is going to introduce the allied infant educarer programme. I would like to know whether introducing this will compromise the quality of care in infant care.

Let me take the first question. I will leave it to my Parliamentary Secretary to take the second question on allied infant educarers.

In terms of identifying problems early, there are many indicators in society. For example, we will arrears not just in Town Council, but arrears in terms of utility bills. You also sometimes pick up indicators from the local kindergartens, where we note certain families are having issues paying fees.

This is something that we are looking at, how best to tap on information and data. Partly, there is also information protection that we need to deal with across the different agencies. But we are also very mindful, as I mentioned earlier, if we are too proactive, because from time to time, individuals may have cash flow problems, they can deal with it. Do we step in at that stage? We are quite clear that our agencies need to collaborate better at the backend. For example, we are picking indicators as one agency; another agency might be picking up another indictor within their realms of responsibility. When you put it all together, the picture begins to surface that certain families might be facing financial duress, for example. That is something that we are looking at, in terms of how do we facilitate the sharing of information that can better address some of these problems earlier.

The other issue to me is the community which is why I think there are efforts that we can put in at the local level to pull in the different stakeholders. We are living there, we are encountering the individuals in different capacities − whether they will be going to the local mosque, to the local church or the marketplace, at the hawker centres, or the GPs. Sometimes, conversations may arise when the individuals are facing some stress. One, is to make sure that the information is available. They know where to go − they can look for the Advisor, they can look for the ComCare hotline or the SSO. The increase in numbers is not just because we have increased our coverage, but because it has become more accessible, a lot more awareness is beginning to arise amongst the public. More are coming forward. We see residents surfacing to us that their neighbours or their friends may be having some of these issues.

The key is, when problems arise, individuals must know what is available. We encourage them to step forward where they can. But that is where the community can also play a big part. At the backend, at the agencies, as I have said, what we can do better is between the agencies – watching that space, could we share the information a lot better? This is something that we are working on.

We are mindful of confidentiality issues but we are trying to deal with that as well. But as I have said, as we are dealing with this, I am very mindful that we need to strike that balance − how intrusive you want us to be. We can be very, very intrusive but I am not sure that is necessarily a wise way to deal with it. But the main thing is make sure information is available, people know where to go. Please come forward to see us when help is needed.

I thank the Member for the supplementary question. Essentially, we will make sure that the new approach of training will not compromise the quality.

What will happen is that ECDA works with the SEED Institute and the anchor operators to ensure that we train the Allied Infant Educarers (AIEs) carefully and well. There are a few things that we will do.

First, we make sure that the anchor operators nominate only experienced senior infant educarers with the relevant experience as mentors. We want to make sure that the right person becomes the mentor.

Secondly, we also develop the structure in such a way that there is a proper structured framework. There are milestones that need to be met so that the On-the-Job training (OJT) will be very meaningful and can replicate what is really out there.

We will work with the pilot centres and we will have visits and make sure that developmental and regulation kind of processes will be in place. With all these, I strongly believe it will help the educarers to focus on their job. With the additional support by the AIEs, this will translate into better quality services for our infants and our parents.

I have two requests. First, on the youth surveys, there is a very distinct difference between the questions that are currently asked in youth surveys and the kind of questions that the Icelandic researchers did. So, I will request that the Ministry take a look at it. But, anyway, I am thankful that you mentioned all those surveys. Could I request that the National Youth Council compile any youth-oriented surveys and share it on an annual basis with the youth development ecosystem so that we can all be on the same page about what we should be looking out for?

My second request is about the single unwed mothers issue. I understand the desire to protect the principle of encouraging childbirth in the context of marriage. I personally stand by this principle and I believe it serves society well. However, the Parliamentary Secretary mentioned just now that responsibility to the family is a critical guiding principle to protect in Singapore. So, in the case of unwed mums, are they not demonstrating responsibility to the family in their choice to keep and raise their child? And if we say, "Yes, they are exercising responsibility to family", then are we not —

Right. So, are we saying then that we actually do define the unwed mother and child as family? Based on that, I would request, could we still reconsider including them sometime down the road as part of family?

I thank Ms Kuik for the question. On the first question, we will take note of the Member's request. On the second question, as I have said, if we look at how our society has evolved, we have been making progress on this front. Nevertheless, we will help, wherever possible, whoever we can, every Singaporean. I want to assure Members of this. I mentioned earlier that there are policies that cannot cover everything but we will look at issues on a case-by-case basis. I, personally, have seen my residents who may not come under certain policies, but they are being helped. At the end of the day, we want to make a difference to the lives of Singaporeans.

Many of our residents want to have childcare centres near their home. I would like to ask the Parliamentary Secretary whether the Ministry is going to review with HDB on the childcare provision for new BTOs, for future projects. The current provision is clearly not adequate because our residents have to send their children elsewhere. The 90-100 places per BTO is grossly inadequate.

Sir, I thank the Member for the question. We will take back the Member's feedback.

I thank the Parliamentary Secretary for his explanation on KidSTART. I would just like to seek clarification on the different components that he mentioned in his speech: in particular, what is the breakdown of the numbers of children that have been reached out to by the Ministry per component of the programme?

Sir, in my speech, I mentioned more than 300 children have been reached out to. We have three components: one is the home visitation; second, the KidSTART groups; the third is the KidSTART enhanced support to preschools. The actual number is more than 300 − which is 389. For home visitation, it involved 89 infants; for the KidSTART group, it involved 50 children and 45 parents; for the KidSTART enhanced support to preschools, it involved about 250 children across the selected preschools receiving enhanced support.

It is a very good mix. And it has been an enriching process, not only for the parents and children but for the people involved in KidSTART. Again, I would like to encourage more Singaporeans to come forward to play a part in making a difference in the lives of our fellow Singaporeans, especially the needy ones.

I thank the Minister and Parliamentary Secretary. I just want to say that meaning and policies do affect the way people perceive things. And so, here, I hope you also would agree that the word "illegitimate" is actually quite negative. When you were saying that if we do away with the "illegitimate" issues on tax relief and inheritance issue, that would have a far-reaching impact. I would like to know what that far-reaching impact would be. We must be able to justify this impact or else these kids are going to bear this stigma for the rest of their lives. So, we need to see how we justify that.

A second question. I just want to seek a clarification on whether those families consisting of one foreign spouse, would you still consider them as part of a family nucleus so that they can then purchase and rent HDB flats.

It has to be how our society has evolved. So, as I have said earlier, it is something that we have to consider carefully. It is not an overnight issue. We hear the different groups of people and we want to make sure that we journey on this together with our society. About the question on foreign spouses, as I have said, even though policies may not allow as such but, more importantly, if you know of anyone facing such an issue, ask them to see their Members of Parliament and we will see how we can facilitate that.

I have this question for the Minister. I agree that community involvement is very important in society. I have raised in my question just now about the need to improve on the community engagement programmes for our students because they do spend a substantial number of hours contributing to community today. But I have also seen many cases because of the ineffective management of the programmes, we have kind of lost the interest of all these youths and, eventually, we could not bring them towards active volunteerism. Can the Minister respond to it?

I would suggest that it is not just schools but, I think, every platform, including corporates − doing it for corporate branding reason, corporate social responsibility motivation − notwithstanding that, if done well, it can have a transformative effect. We have seen how it has happened for some, whether in schools or elsewhere.

We are working with schools. I, myself, am a parent. I have experienced the various Values-in-Action (VIA) programmes. Some, you know, connect emotionally with the children and you can see that even though children may do it compulsorily because they have to – they have got to clock up the hours, they want to enhance their CV – but, as a result of the experience, it changes them. Which is why volunteering is not just about doing the thing, it is about changing lives. You can imagine the individual wanting to continue to give and to be involved, perhaps, for life.

Imagine if every child can leave the school system having some semblance of that. That is a vision that is worth working towards. Is it impossible? Well, I am sure it is difficult to get everyone to be converted that way. But I think it is possible because they are still in school, you have a captive audience. You can run and curate structured programmes where you are able to enable such learning to take place. It is not about forcing it down their throats but by making sure that their journey is meaningful. The school plays a very big part; I think how the school appoints the teachers. It is not just being arrowed to do that, but putting heart and mind into how do you educate the child in the process.

My message is also to VWOs as well. Your KPI cannot be just about people coming in, helping you and, therefore, doing the thing that you need to do to service your clients and to look after those you are looking after. But your responsibility is also to make sure that every volunteer that joins you believes in your cause and wants to come back. So, you pay attention to the volunteer journey as well.

I would say that this is something that we can do better and we are working with the schools on this. MOE is supportive. They do very much believe that values can be inculcated. The very term "Values-in-Action", I think it is a very apt term for the programme because values are realised in action. We are working with them to see how to curate some of these experiences. We know some schools have done a fantastic job − very good outcomes – and we would like to see more of this happening. But I would also suggest that not just for schools but even corporates and even other organisations that are looking at volunteering, I think we can pay attention to their journey as well.

With regard to VWOs, how integrated in terms of systems are they in the social sector so that the case management of individuals that come for help is well taken care of? The second question is, have you considered shared services for certain operational admin services which VWOs, about 400 of them, require in commonality? These shared services can bring down the so-called operational costs. And the third question is: have we considered forming an association in the social sector for VWOs so that they can learn the best practices and even complement each other with the resources and exchange views?

Sir, with regard to the last point, it has been done via sharing in the community of practices. We have gatherings of the leaders and the various VWOs coming together; sometimes,there are focus areas of discussion. I have participated in some of these and they have been quite energising sessions. It serves to re-motivate many of them as well. They establish relationships and friendships, renew them and establish new ones which are very important in terms of collaboration work and, importantly, the exchange of good practices. We can do more and we aim to work with the social work fraternity to grow this.

Secondly, in terms of shared services, we definitely would like to support this. You have many, many different VWOs. Some are very small. So, the scale is really not quite so ideal in terms of your own resourcing, in terms of your HR system, financial system. We are supportive of them trying to develop more shared services. That is the direction that we would like to see it going so that some of these services can, indeed, be shared and allow the social workers and the set-ups to really focus on the social work.

The first question on how integrated we are. Well, SS Net, which I have mentioned, and some Members will be familiar with, is a database that we have made available not just for SSOs but, eventually, to push down to the Family Service Centres as well. What it means is that the social workers can also tap onto the same base where we look at the individual. It is not just the SSO. We are not only linking up at the backend but at the front end as well so that at least there is a common database. As I have mentioned earlier, they do not need to repeat the same story again.

Different social workers may pick up different issues but, collectively, when we put them all together, some semblance of the truth might emerge and we have better clarity. That is something that we are doing and we are unfolding on the ground.

Strengthening of processes goes beyond technology. I would suggest a very big part of it is the relationships. The more the different stakeholders get together to know one another, the more they are prepared to share information and a lot of this is tacit information and makes a lot of difference. We are embarking on the journey and I think we can do better.

Just one clarification to the Parliamentary Secretary regarding the Maintenance Records Officer that he mentioned which the Minister announced last year. I would like to ask if this MRO has been appointed and started work and, if so, what sort of actions is the MRO currently taking to help the Courts take firmer action against those recalcitrant defaulters that the Parliamentary Secretary referred to. What sort of actions are underway?

Sir, the MRO's task is help us to identify those who can pay but do not want to pay. So, this will help the whole process on focusing on which among the spouses can pay and do not want to pay. There are cases whereby they really cannot pay. So, we have the SSOs to help. We believe this will help to somehow close the gap and to improve the processes and the system.

I share Mr Kok Heng Leun's sentiments about how the wording and how our policies are very important. The Parliamentary Secretary rightly pointed out that working mothers usually need full-day childcare and stay-at-home mothers usually need the half-day childcare. Can we just base the level of subsidy on that, on whether one is full-day or half-day? This is so that we do not make it seem like we are penalising stay-at-home mothers, especially at a time when we are urging parents to spend more time with their children.

A second clarification is about KiFAS. I raised it, that the requirement is just for one day of attendance a month. Can we understand why we have set the requirement so low − for only one day of attendance a month?

With regard to the two different categories of childcare highlighted by Mr Louis Ng, I personally feel that we should not go into that danger zone of monetising personal relationships. The Government has been helping so much, to support families to take care of their children. The calibration needs to be very carefully done. If we are not careful, we enter a danger zone where our future generations will start to monetise all aspects of personal relationships. This is something we are watching. We want to make sure that it is affordable and we want to support family and child development but we do not want to go that line of monetising personal relationships, and go into the deep end.

Secondly, about KiFAS, as I mentioned earlier, we have KidSTART. This is an area where we want to identify as many kids as possible in the future. We are doing a pilot now. We are not only going to minimise the incidence of not attending school, but we want to develop the child fully and holistically, so that even the needy among us have the opportunity to develop to the fullest.