Extending Annual Six Days of Paid Childcare Leave to Cover Family Members Who Need Help with Three or More Activities of Daily Living

Mr Shawn Loh asked the Minister for Social and Family Development with elderly caregiving burdens and the emphasis on family being the first stop for care, whether the Government will consider extending the annual six days of paid childcare leave to cover not just workers' children, but also their disabled family members if they need help with three or more activities of daily living, which benchmark is assessed under CareShield Life.

The Government recognises the challenges of caregiving, including balancing work responsibilities and caregiving for one's family members.

There is no single solution for all caregivers. For working caregivers, the Government balances the effectiveness of measures to meet diverse caregiving needs sustainably against employers' operational needs and caregiver employability. Extending childcare leave to caregivers of persons with disabilities could help in situations, such as specific bouts of illness, but flexible work arrangements (FWA) offer more sustainable solutions for longer-term caregiving needs. Hence, we focus on encouraging the adoption of FWAs to help caregivers balance work and personal commitments. This is done through the Tripartite Guidelines on FWA Requests, as well as FWA implementation resources and training by tripartite partners and the Institute of Human Resource Professionals.

The Government remains committed to supporting the needs of working caregivers and will continue to work with tripartite partners to foster more family-friendly workplaces.