Family & gender — Topics

9 Jan 2024

Incentivising Families to Use Public Transport, Taxi and Private Hire Cars as Attractive Alternative to Car Ownership

Gan Thiam Poh asked the Minister for Transport about incentives for families to prefer public transport, taxis, and private hire cars over owning cars.
The Minister highlighted that Singapore's trains, buses, and stations have family-friendly features to make public transport appealing.
Families can use point-to-point services like taxis and private hire cars as alternatives.
Car-sharing services were also noted as a way for families to meet their commuting needs without owning a vehicle.

Summary written by AI

Overview Original source

9 Jan 2024

Incidence of Teenage Pregnancy and Support Extended to Pregnant Teens

The average age of pregnant teenagers in Singapore over the last five years is 18 years old.
Hospitals and community organizations provide comprehensive support for pregnant teens, including antenatal care, screening, counselling, and educational resources through multi-disciplinary teams.
Teenagers who proceed with childbirth receive emotional and practical support, including information on financial assistance and follow-up care, with postnatal counselling on contraceptive options.
Those seeking abortions undergo mandatory pre-abortion counselling, with unmarried teens under 16 required to attend sessions focused on procedure information, responsible behavior, and social support to prevent repeat pregnancies.

Summary written by AI

Overview Original source

9 Jan 2024

Protection for Children at Childcare Centres from Unauthorised Access by Strangers

The Minister explained that all preschools are required to secure their premises with procedures like electronic locks and visitor checks to prevent unauthorised entry.
Before deployment, the Early Childhood Development Agency conducts background checks on all staff to identify criminal records or prior bans, ensuring risky individuals are barred from working with children.
Non-teaching staff may assist during key times but must be briefed on safety protocols, and teaching staff must be present where practicable to supervise children.
The overall approach is a multi-layered safeguard system involving checks, operational procedures, and supervision to protect children from strangers or non-teaching personnel.

Summary written by AI

Overview Original source

9 Jan 2024

Stillbirths and Births (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill

The Bill allows parents to officially name a stillborn child by registering the name within one year, providing dignity and support for bereavement, with a commemorative certificate available during a two-year system upgrade.
It raises the legal definition of stillbirth from 22 to 24 weeks of pregnancy to align with medical standards on fetal viability and avoid confusion, while maintaining that stillbirths do not include aborted fetuses.
The amendments also update related laws for consistency, such as tax benefits, and clarify that registration applies to all stillbirths in Singapore regardless of nationality.

Summary written by AI

Overview Original source

22 Nov 2023

Statistics of Children and Young Persons Removed by Child Protective Service

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Social and Family Development for the annual number of children and young persons removed by the Child Protective Service (CPS) and subsequently returned to the same family of origin more than once over the past five years.
Minister Masagos Zulkifli B M M responded that in the past few years, less than 1% of cases investigated annually by CPS involved children removed and reunified with their families more than once.
The exchange highlights concerns about the recurrence of family reunifications following removal by CPS.
The data provided indicates a very low percentage of such repeated removal and reunification cases.

Summary written by AI

Overview Original source

22 Nov 2023

Unannounced Inspections on Families with Children Returned from Place of Safety or Foster Home

Mr. Louis Ng requested the mean and median numbers of unannounced inspections over the past five years for families whose children returned from places of safety or foster homes.
Minister Masagos Zulkifli stated that reunifications only occur after safety concerns are addressed and that case officers conduct at least monthly safety checks, which can include both announced and unannounced home visits.
The frequency and type of checks are tailored to each case, with additional monitoring conducted through schools, social service agencies, and healthcare institutions.

Summary written by AI

Overview Original source

22 Nov 2023

Subsidies for Fertility Screening and Introduction of New Category of Fertility Screening for Use of MediSave

The government provides means-tested subsidies of up to 70% for medically indicated fertility tests, and continues to review financing schemes including MediSave to ensure affordability while balancing healthcare costs and CPF contribution rates.
MOH encourages couples to seek medical help based on age-related guidelines, and aims to raise awareness through partnerships, marriage and parenthood packages, and the Healthier SG initiative, rather than implementing population-wide screening.
Louis Ng highlighted that Singaporeans often delay seeking help for fertility issues and suggested extending subsidies universally, but MOH maintains that subsidies are targeted to medically indicated tests and there is currently no evidence for cost-effective population-level screening.
The Senior Parliamentary Secretary emphasized that fertility tests are couple-centric and that existing subsidies are sufficient when tests are medically recommended, while noting ongoing reviews of MediSave and other schemes.
MOH indicated that while cost-benefit analysis is considered, population-level fertility screening is not deemed cost-effective at present, but will be monitored for future changes in evidence or data.

Summary written by AI

Overview Original source

22 Nov 2023

Measures to Tackle Rising Number of Telegram Channels Selling Sexually Explicit Materials

The Government has updated laws, including the Online Criminal Harms Act, to allow police to issue directions to online platforms like Telegram to disable access to non-consensual sexually explicit materials in Singapore, with penalties for non-compliance.
The Infocomm Media Development Authority enforces a Code of Practice for Online Safety, requiring designated social media services to minimize harmful content, and may expand this to include Telegram if necessary.
There is a need for upstream measures, such as education and campaigns to foster respectful culture between genders and support for survivors of sexual crimes, alongside specialized police units for better victim management.
Parliamentary questions raised include exploring age verification mechanisms to protect minors from accessing harmful apps, which falls under the purview of the Ministry of Communications and Information and IMDA.

Summary written by AI

Overview Original source

7 Nov 2023

Child Protection Service Officers' Statistics

Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Social and Family Development about the number of Child Protection Service officers and their average caseload over the past five years.
The number of Child Protection Officers has increased by about 33% over the last five years, reaching around 60 officers in 2022.
Each Child Protection Service officer handles approximately 40 cases at any given time.

Summary written by AI

Overview Original source

7 Nov 2023

Flexible Work Arrangements for Lower-wage Frontline and Blue-collar Workers to Grant Time-off for Caregiving and Skills Training

The Tripartite Workgroup is developing guidelines for flexible work arrangements (FWAs) that will consider the needs of lower-wage frontline and blue-collar workers, including options like flexible-shift scheduling for caregiving or upskilling, without being overly prescriptive to preserve business and worker needs.
The guidelines will require employers to fairly assess FWA requests and manage employees on FWAs in line with fair employment practices, aiming to balance business productivity with worker support.
Employers who adopt FWAs are recognized through existing schemes like the Tripartite Standard and Awards, and the Workgroup will explore ways to profile and promote best practices for progressive FWA implementation.

Summary written by AI

Overview Original source

7 Nov 2023

Criteria for Return of Child to Biological Family after Being Placed in Foster Care

Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Social and Family Development about the criteria for returning a child to their biological family after placement in a place of safety or foster home.
Masagos Zulkifli B M M stated that a child will be returned only after safety and risk concerns are resolved through interventions and the family shows positive progress toward reunification.
The criteria focus on addressing safety issues and demonstrating family improvement before reunification.
The response highlights the importance of structured support and progress in the family for child welfare.
Both speakers addressed the need for careful assessment and intervention in family reunification cases.

Summary written by AI

Overview Original source

7 Nov 2023

Stillbirths and Births (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill

The Bill aims to amend the Registration of Births and Deaths Act 2021 and the Income Tax Act 1947 to provide legal recognition and tax relief for stillbirths, ensuring consistent treatment across relevant statutes.
The Minister of State for Home Affairs presented the Bill, highlighting its purpose to support families affected by stillbirths through administrative and financial adjustments.
Parliament proceeded with the First Reading of the Bill and scheduled its Second Reading for the next available sitting, with the text to be printed for review.

Summary written by AI

Overview Original source

7 Nov 2023

Training for Corporate Partners in Family100 Programme

Assoc Prof Razwana Begum Abdul Rahim asked whether the training for OCBC volunteers in the Families100 Programme includes issues like mental health, domestic violence, and abuse, and whether there are standard referral procedures.
The Senior Parliamentary Secretary confirmed that volunteers are trained on these issues but do not provide intervention; they are always paired with a professional MSF Family Coach and refer cases to social service agencies when needed.
The Ministry stated there is no separate evaluation for the Families100 Programme as progress is tracked under the broader ComLink initiative, which monitors all families in rental housing.
Assoc Prof Razwana suggested evaluating the programme to showcase positive outcomes and encourage more corporate partners, to which the Ministry agreed but noted that ComLink is still in its early stages and meaningful outcome indicators will take time to develop.
The Ministry expressed openness to expanding the programme to more corporate partners and community groups as ComLink continues to roll out across Singapore.

Summary written by AI

Overview Original source

6 Nov 2023

Additional Ballot Chances for Unsuccessful Applicants for HDB Rental Flats under Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme

Murali Pillai asked if unsuccessful applicants for HDB rental flats under the Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme could receive additional ballot chances, similar to the priority scheme for first-time BTO flat buyers.
The government revised the PPHS eligibility and balloting process in August 2021 to prioritize families with greater need, such as married couples with children aged 18 and below or those expecting a first child.
The supply of PPHS units has more than doubled from 800 in 2021 to about 2,000 currently, with plans to reach 4,000 units by 2025, reducing the application rate from over 20 times to around three times per flat.
Recent exercises have allowed all married couple applicants with children, along with other PPHS applicants, to have a chance to select a flat.
The government currently has no plans to provide additional ballot chances to any applicant group.

Summary written by AI

Overview Original source

6 Nov 2023

Child Protection Service Cases Where Family of Origin Is Deemed Unfit for Child to Return to

Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked for the number of CPS cases over the past five years where families of origin were deemed unfit for the child to return and the top three reasons for such unfitness.
Masagos Zulkifli B M M stated that about 2% of CPS cases annually result in the child being unable to return home due to family unfitness.
The top three reasons for unfitness are parents' chronic incarceration, serious mental health conditions, and unwillingness to provide a safe environment despite support.

Summary written by AI

Overview Original source

6 Nov 2023

Programmes to Educate Parents on Associated Risks of Cyber-addiction Among Youths and Guidelines for Conducive Home Environment

Edward Chia asked the Ministry of Education to expand parent education programmes on cyber-addiction risks and to provide home environment guidelines.
Chan Chun Sing emphasized the critical role of parents in guiding children’s digital use and noted that schools collaborate with parents through resources, expert insights, and Parent Support Groups.
The Ministry is working with other agencies under the Interagency Taskforce for Mental Health and Well-being to develop a Parents’ Toolbox to help manage children’s device use safely.

Summary written by AI

Overview Original source

6 Nov 2023

Commemorative Birth Certificates For Parents of Stillborn Babies

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim questioned why commemorative birth certificates for stillborn babies are issued only on a case-by-case basis rather than automatically, and whether parents are informed of this option.
K Shanmugam explained that commemorative birth certificates are issued only upon request because naming a stillborn child is a personal and sensitive decision.
He stated that immigration authorities have liaised with maternity hospitals to inform affected parents about the option and have published the information online.
The government's approach prioritizes parental choice and sensitivity while ensuring awareness through hospital communications and public resources.

Summary written by AI

Overview Original source

6 Nov 2023

Child Safety and Well-being: A Collective Responsibility

Assoc Prof Razwana Begum commended Singapore's strong record in child safety and well-being, but urged the nation to move faster through a collective, family-centered approach, proposing a national framework for child protection, child impact assessments for new policies, and a dedicated Office for Children.
Senior Parliamentary Secretary Eric Chua affirmed the government's commitment, highlighting existing robust systems like the Child Protective Service, strong inter-agency coordination, and support programs for families, while noting that current low child abuse rates suggest a standalone agency may not be necessary.
Both speakers emphasized the importance of listening to children's voices, with the Forward Singapore initiative cited as an example of ongoing national consultations to shape a better future for the younger generation.

Summary written by AI

Overview Original source

4 Oct 2023

Steps to Ensure Proper Informed Consent Taken from Parents of Children Undergoing Medical Procedures

The Singapore Medical Council’s 2016 Ethical Code and Ethical Guidelines outline the components of informed consent for minors, requiring parents to be adequately informed of risks and benefits.
These guidelines align with international best practices and mandate that doctors act in the child’s best interest if a parent objects to a medically necessary procedure.
Under the Healthcare Services Act 2020, licensed healthcare providers must establish systems to obtain informed consent consistent with prevailing laws and the ethical guidelines.

Summary written by AI

Overview Original source

4 Oct 2023

Operation Status of Women’s Clinic in Department of Sexually Transmitted Infections Control Clinic

Ms He Ting Ru inquired about the current operation status of the women’s clinic in the Department of Sexually Transmitted Infections Control Clinic, including reasons for its continued suspension and a potential reopening timeline.
The clinic was suspended in February 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic to create isolation facilities, and attrition among female healthcare workers has made it difficult to maintain a dedicated women’s clinic.
Full services remain available with a women-only care team upon request, and the department is exploring the feasibility of resuming the women’s clinic in the future.

Summary written by AI

Overview Original source