Debated in Parliament on 10 Sep 2026.
Mr Gabriel Lam asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) what proportion of children of single-income unwed mothers fully utilise the Government's Child Development Account co-matching grant, compared with children from dual-income married households; (b) whether the Ministry has assessed if the co-matching structure presents greater challenges for single-income families; and (c) what additional support, beyond existing targeted support, is being considered to address the needs of such families holistically.
As of 2 September 2026, about 30% of children of single unwed parents had reached the maximum Child Development Account (CDA) co-matching grant limit, compared to about 70% of children from married households. This is based on data for children born between 1 September 2016 and 31 December 2020, who are now at least six years old, by which age the CDA co-matching grant would have been fully utilised in most instances.
We recognise that lower-income families, including some single-income families, may face greater difficulty saving to benefit from the co-matching structure. This was why the First Step Grant was introduced, to provide upfront financial support for early childhood expenses without requiring parents to first deposit their own funds. In addition, as announced at the National Day Rally 2026, under the new SG Child Support Package that will be provided to all Singapore Citizen children, a larger proportion of support will be given via direct cash grants instead of co-matching.
Irrespective of marital status, lower-income families are further supported through higher means-tested subsidies for services, such as education and healthcare.
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