Debated in Parliament on 3 Aug 2023.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Social and Family Development what help does the Ministry provide to social service agencies which are unable to meet the salary guidelines for the Social Service Sector, beyond offering clinics and workshops.
The Government has adjusted programme funding to the Social Service Agencies (SSAs), incorporating changes in manpower cost based on the revised Social Service Sector Salary Guidelines.
Beyond this, the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) has engaged SSAs through human resource (HR) clinics and workshops since the publication of the revised Guidelines in April 2023. This is to support them in implementing the guidelines based on their unique circumstances and to guide SSAs on broader compensation and rewards topics. Grants under the Community Capability Trust will also be made available to SSAs to support them in enhancing their HR practices, including improving their talent attraction measures and compensation and benefit practices.
The challenge facing the sector is that unless salaries remain competitive, it will not be able to attract sufficient manpower to sustainably provide the services. Besides Government programme funding, SSAs also raise funds from donors for additional programmes. They will need to engage their donors, so that the value of these additional programmes, as well as the reality of the labour market, are better appreciated by donors. NCSS will support SSAs in this effort. NCSS will be publishing a playbook later in the year to guide SSAs in enhancing their fundraising capabilities. The Singapore Centre for Social Enterprise has also been working with SSAs to develop new initiatives to expand their income streams.
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