Celebrating SG Families: Embracing Parenthood through Live, Work and Play

ADJOURNMENT MOTION

Ms Indranee Rajah: Mr Deputy Speaker, I beg to move, "That Parliament do now adjourn."

Question proposed.

Celebrating SG Families: Embracing Parenthood through Live, Work and Play

4.47 pm

Ms Hany Soh (Marsiling-Yew Tee): Mr Deputy Speaker, I have on several occasions shared with this House that in our Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC's Woodgrove division, we have a GEL Mission, where "G" pertains to "Green-Living initiatives"; "E" for "Embracing Parenthood" which entails creating opportunities to support parents with young children and helping them to achieve their aspirations while at the same time promoting multi-generational bonding amongst the young and old; and "L" is about raising "Law Awareness" in our community.

For the purpose of today's Adjournment Motion, I will be focusing my speech on "E", the "Embracing Parenthood" component, as the preservation and strengthening of family ties are an important part of our Singapore society.

Much effort has been made accordingly throughout the years in this aspect, such as the formation of the National Family Council, now known as Families for Life, and the introduction of family-oriented resources, including the parenting workshops and symposiums.

This endeavour continues today, as 2022 has been dedicated as a year in celebration of families in Singapore and the plan of "A Singapore Made for Families 2025", or "MFF 2025" in short, was launched recently as the Government's plan for creating a Singapore that values and supports family well-being.

In support, the Alliance for Action to Strengthen Marriages and Family Relation (AFAM) introduced an initiative for Singaporeans to pledge and commit towards strengthening our family bonds. In this pledge, one agrees, among others, to make time for one another, show love, care and concern, and support one another through good times and bad.

To help families and individuals turn these pledges into reality, I hope to take this opportunity to highlight some of the feedback which my Woodgrove residents and our PAP Women's Wing activists have shared with me pertaining to the challenges which many Singaporeans are facing as parents with young children, along with some recommendations on possible ways that the Government, employers and the community can play a supportive role in their own capacities, as well as suggestions to jumpstart new initiatives that aim to do so.

For the past two years, during my engagements through regular house visits and thematic townhalls, I have had numerous opportunities to interact with many of my Woodgrove residents who are working parents.

Out of the 11 zones of Residents' Network in Woodgrove, we have three zones comprising HDB BTO flats which were completed within the last 10 years. They are Tree Trail and Tree Grove at our Woodgrove Zone 3, Champions Court at Zone 4 and Woodlands Peak at Zone 10. Another two BTO projects are currently under construction, these being Champions Green and Woodgrove Ascent.

Most of the residents who are residing in these BTO flats have infant children. Many of them are small families with both parents holding full-time jobs, including working mummies who are about to return to work after fully utilising their maternity leave and would usually seek my assistance in securing a placement for their child in infant care.

While their own circumstances are unique, they all share the same dilemma, in that due to work commitment, they can no longer be always around to care for their little ones. They hope to entrust their child to a safe location, with responsible caregivers and, hopefully, within close proximity to their residences and at affordable rates. Many of them have searched high and low for such a facility but to no avail and are desperate for a solution when they came looking for help.

Recently, a resident sought for my help to obtain a placement in an infant care centre for her seven-month-old daughter. The child's grandmother used to look after her on behalf of the family but changing circumstances have made this arrangement no longer possible. Both the resident and her husband are also holding jobs that require on-site work, which meant that, without support, one of them would need to give up their job to look after their child.

In another case, a resident shared with me that his family is facing difficulties in securing a slot in the preschool just below their residence for their two-year-old son. They had applied last year but were informed that the infant care centres are full and have a waitlist stretching to 2023. In addition, the pandemic has required them to care for their son and new-born daughter without support from other family members who reside overseas. Although both he and his wife are employed, they had made it work thus far by hiring a helper and relying on his wife's maternity leave. But their time is running out as the helper is returning to her hometown and the agency is still sourcing for a new replacement for them, with the whole process likely to take many more months.

I sympathise with my residents going through such challenging tough situations.

Based on the two examples that I have just shared, the main bottleneck seems to be in the lack of available slots in preschool childcare, especially for infant care and playgroup sessions, particularly in areas with more young families where demand has grown over the COVID-19 period. In this regard, I am heartened to learn about the recent Government announcement that an additional 22,000 full-day preschool places will be created over the next two years, of which, 2,800 places will be set aside for infant care and 4,400 for playgroup programmes.

In relation to this Government offering more resources in this aspect, I hope to make the following suggestions.

Firstly, apart from building more preschool centres in BTO estates, I suggest that ECDA should look into working closely with LTA and URA to identify common travel routes taken by young parents to their potential workplaces and explore the possibility of establishing more of such services to be provided along their commute.

Secondly, to address the shortage of infant and childcare facilities for those preschools that are already observing long waiting lists, I suggest that ECDA consider providing more flexibility in regulations to allow such facilities to increase their capabilities, whether through the extension of premises, for example, for HDB or URA to allow direct allocation of void deck spaces or premises using market value without competition, or allowing anchor preschool operators to enrol more students by relaxing on staff-student ratio without compromising safety and quality, especially for those that are in close proximity to amenities.

I hope that ECDA can also consider encouraging the five anchor preschool operators to rent more premises near MRT and bus interchanges by appealing for and facilitating subsidised rental rates with Government support. This is akin to the concept behind the 21,500 square feet Space @ Woods Square that was donated by the developers of an integrated commercial development, with the aim of providing new community space in Woodlands, bringing together three non-profit organisations, such as the Care Corner Singapore, New Life Community Services and World Vision Singapore, so that they can more effectively partner and help Singaporeans in need who live in the northern part of the country. Currently, these spaces have looked into providing mental health screening and support for youth with mental health issues and operating a strength training gym for the seniors. It would be ideal if such community spaces can also be offered to preschools and non-profit organisations to provide after-school care services to support working parents, especially single parents and those who are on shift work.

One exemplary example of anchor preschool operators stepping forward is the PAP Community Foundation (PCF) Sparkletots. Its Cashew Centre, which is situated in Hillion Mall, spreads over 21,500 square feet, offering high-quality and accessible full-day childcare and infant care services for up to 287 children, ranging from the age of two months to six years old. Recently, PCF has further announced that another 2,500 preschool spaces will be added by the end of next year. We need more anchor preschool operators like PCF to step up, come forward and offer more of such facilities.

While it has been a rough two years for every Singaporean, the pandemic has shown that we, as a people, are resilient and highly capable of adapting to changing circumstances.

The era of safe distancing has encouraged innovations in our daily lifestyles, from rapid delivery of food and necessities, to e-learning and remote working.

In the context of family life, the shift towards flexible working arrangements may have allowed some to have more time and opportunities to enjoy the company of our families and increased our ability to assist one another during trying times.

I am glad to note that, for the past few months, our COVID-19 restrictions have been loosened to the point where many of us are able to see friends and extended family members again after a long time. But I also understand that the relaxed policies have also encouraged companies to recall their workers back to the office, in some cases, reverting to the pre-pandemic, five days a week schedule.

While it is, of course, the employers' prerogative as to how they wish to run their businesses, I would like to point out that the reinstatement of mandatory office attendance will likely cause some families to cut back on quality time once again, time that they had perhaps found as a pleasant surprise amidst the bleaker days of the pandemic.

Some parents may once again become more absorbed in their work away from home as their children re-adapt to their lack of presence. It is also worth considering that some families with dependants have come to rely on the flexibility of being available at home to better care for them, which will cause logistical issues if they were ever recalled back to the office on a permanent basis.

The pandemic has shown us that full remote working can be made possible across many industries and that the hybrid approach has proven to be very popular in the workforce. Not only will families regain precious time to spend with one another, they will, in turn, become highly motivated and loyal staff members for the companies that welcome it.

While I understand that some employees, whether due to personal preference or their particular job scope, may deem it more suitable for themselves to return physically to work, I would also like to highlight the possibility that some workers may actually prove to be more productive at home, as compared to being in the office. In that regard, there is really no one-size-fits-all solution.

In fact, in the recent Straits Times article titled "Making Flexible Arrangements Work", both the pros and cons of flexible work arrangements were highlighted.

It would, therefore, make sense, and I urge more employers and employees to better understand each other's needs and concerns and explore whether a hybrid work arrangement by adopting the Tripartite Standard on Flexible Work Arrangements (FWAs) is viable, with a common view towards achieving a goal-oriented approach, in the interest of maximising productivity.

It is one thing to mandate that families should make the effort to create family bonding activities whenever possible, but it can be difficult to research and plan interesting outings after a long week at work. Moreover, with rising costs due to inflation, affordability has quickly become another main concern.

As tiny as Singapore might be in geographical terms, there are many hidden and inexpensive attractions that would make for great outing ideas for families. Just recently, my husband and I took our three-year-old daughter to visit the Live Turtle and Tortoise Museum, which is located somewhere within Yishun and we spent a very enjoyable afternoon there.

I believe that the community can play a bigger part in highlighting lesser-known attractions that are situated within their neighbourhoods, so that families have more options when it comes to spending precious time together.

Woodgrove has already made some progress in this regard by collaborating with community partners, such as ActiveSG, on several occasions to create grassroots events, most of which focus on physical activity and exercise.

One example is Sporting Day, which allows families to bond through weekly sporting activities that promote play. Friday evenings, in particular, are specially reserved for family time, when parents and their children can each pursue their own interests all within the same venue in our Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC divisions.

Another example is the school holiday camp, where families each occupies a four-man tent together and participate in camp-related activities throughout their stay.

In addition to that, the collaborations with ActiveSG have also created special events, such as pool parties, where parents and their children can roam around the pool filled with animal floats, and terrarium creation workshops in which families learn to make their own forests in a jar.

I hope that more funding support can be provided to partners, such as ActiveSG, to encourage even more collaborations with the community to form Made For Families interest groups and organise sports surrounding this theme on a weekly basis.

Woodgrove is prepared and looks forward to furthering our collaboration with partners, such as ActiveSG, to develop even more Made For Families events in the future in these aspects. Besides direct collaborations with community partners, we may be able to tap on Government resources to nudge other organisations to contribute. In Mandarin, please.

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] The usual prices for admission tickets to some local attractions were usually out of the budget for some families. However, in the recent two years, several of my residents have informed me that they were, finally, able to afford them, thanks to the SingapoRediscovers Vouchers. As such, to consider offering another round of such concessions will likely be well-received by Singaporeans, especially those families with young children and grandparents.

I would, therefore, propose that the Government and the Community work together again to reintroduce the vouchers in some capacity, branding it as an initiative to encourage family bonding in Singapore.

Many countries, such as China, have offered free admission to locals to encourage local tourism and create vibrancy at their local attractions. This has also supported many F&B shops at or near the attractions and created more employment opportunities. For a start in Singapore, apart from the introduction of incentive vouchers, I hope we can have free Sunday admissions to selected local attractions, such as the Zoo, museums, Gardens by the Bay and so on. This will encourage families to go for outings together. If possible, build hawker centres to provide affordable local food at these attractions as well.

Not only will these initiatives offer families yet another opportunity to forge stronger ties with one another, but also result in a further boost for establishments within the tourism industry.

(In English): COVID-19 has made a significant impact on individuals, families and businesses. It has changed our lifestyles and working habits.

With the easing of safety measures and with our country now embarking on Forward SG conversations, consulting and planning for the next 50 years and beyond, I believe it is now the right opportunity for all relevant stakeholders to review existing family-related policies, regulations and family-friendly work practices moving forward so as to build more support networks and resilience among Singaporeans, their families and the business community.

Businesses must be prepared to face future disruptions, prepare their workers to stay employable and be more pro-family to retain talent in their firms. Both employers and employees need to recognise that workplace productivity can be preserved even outside of the office through the use of technology and smart mobile devices. At the same time, individuals should take the initiative in strengthening familial bonds to better cope with future life challenges.

In other words, just as businesses must have business continuity plans (BCP), so should families create their emergency preparedness plans (EPP).

The Government, together with the community, would always stand ready to provide the support needed for one another and create opportunities for fellow Singaporeans to embrace the various milestones in life and to care for our future generations, both in good times and in bad.

In Woodgrove, we look forward to continuing our deep partnership with the relevant agencies and community partners to realise the plans as set forth in A Singapore Made For Families 2025 (MFF 2025) and champion Made for Families in our division.

Mr Deputy Speaker: Minister of State Sun Xueling.

5.06 pm

The Minister of State for Social and Family Development (Ms Sun Xueling): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I thank the Member Ms Hany Soh for reaffirming the importance of the institution of the family in Singapore's society and for her suggestions.

Strong families are the bedrock of our society. They can be an individual's first pillar of support in good and bad times. Strong families also help to build resilient individuals who can then be able to tackle challenges that come their way.

The Government is fully committed to strengthening our families throughout their life journey and had designated this year as the Year of Celebrating SG Families (YCF).

Just yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat launched A Singapore Made For Families 2025 plan (MFF 2025). This is a national plan that affirms our whole-of-society effort to create a family-friendly Singapore. It encapsulates the aspirations arising from numerous engagements with families, community partners and faith groups and builds on the work of the Alliance for Action to Strengthen Marriages and Family Relationships (AFAM).

I will now respond specifically to the issues Ms Hany Soh had highlighted.

First, Ms Hany Soh spoke about the availability of infant care. Providing access to quality, affordable preschools remains a key priority for the Government. We have made preschools more affordable by enhancing preschool subsidies and lowering fee caps at Government-supported preschools. Over the last five years, we have increased the national supply of preschool places significantly – infant care places by around 60%, from 7,500 places in 2017 to over 12,000 places today, and childcare places by 35%, from 143,000 places in 2017 to 195,000 places.

As Ms Hany Soh shared, Minister Masagos Zulkifli had recently announced an expansion of another 22,000 places over the next two years, including about 2,800 places and 4,400 places set aside for infant care and playgroups respectively. With this, we are on track to ensure that 80% of preschoolers can have a place in Government-supported preschools by about 2025.

Currently, over 90% of children are enrolled in preschool by the age of four but we recognise that the situation remains tight for the earlier years, especially in newer housing developments with many young families. We are working closely with HDB and anchor operators to ramp up operations and manpower, where possible, to enrol more infants and children in newly opened centres in the coming months.

Similar to what Ms Hany Soh suggested, we are also exploring if it is possible to build extensions, such as through activating available void deck space or communal spaces, and also whether there is room to increase capacity and the capabilities of our existing preschools while balancing the needs of our children and our educators.

Even as we continue to develop more preschools closer to homes, we also seek parents' understanding that it is not always possible to ensure all families have a preschool right next door, near to their homes, as there can be various constraints both in terms of manpower as well as physical infrastructure constraints.

Hence, we echo Ms Hany Soh's suggestion that a possibility could be to look at preschools near workplaces. We are already doing so – exploring this – but we would also need parents to be amenable to these suggestions.

I had earlier mentioned working closely with anchor operators to ramp up operations and manpower. These include increasing recruitment, reallocating and optimising manpower.

Despite the number of early childhood educators increasing steadily from 18,000 in 2018 to over 23,000 in 2021, the workforce will require about 3,500 more educators by 2025 to meet the demands of the growing number of preschool places in Singapore.

We hope that the recently announced salary revisions of a 10% to 30% pay raise for preschool educators can help to meet this demand but, fundamentally, to echo what Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong had said before, we, as a society, have to value the work of social service professionals and early childhood educators in order to attract more people into the sector. Without a core workforce to support our early childhood sector, we will face constraints growing capacity.

I agree with Ms Hany Soh that working from home has given many parents the joy of spending more time with their families and that working parents sometimes need the flexibility to leave office earlier or to adjust their work schedules to tend to family commitments.

This brings me to the second point on flexible work arrangements (FWAs) and the critical role that employers play here.

The pandemic has made FWAs like telecommuting and staggered work hours much more prevalent, such as the hybrid work arrangements practised by the Public Service. More employers have also come to realise how FWAs can help them both strengthen business resilience and enhance their ability to attract and retain talent. Employees also appreciate how FWAs enable them to spend more quality family time, which, in turn, energises them to go the extra mile in their work.

When implemented well, FWAs achieve a win-win outcome for employers and employees.

This is why the Government and our tripartite partners have urged employers to sustain their FWAs through the Tripartite Statement released in April this year. The tripartite partners have been steadily bringing more companies on board the Tripartite Standard on FWAs and we encourage employers who intend to or already provide FWAs to adopt the Standard and be recognised as a progressive employer of choice.

By 2024, we will introduce the Tripartite Guidelines on FWAs, which will require all employers to consider requests for FWAs fairly and properly.

Families for Life (FFL), the national movement to strengthen and support families, has also been working closely with trade associations and companies to champion family-friendly practices in the workplace, such as leaving work early for Eat With Your Family days, something that was also highlighted by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat yesterday. Companies with family-friendly programmes are encouraged to adopt the Made For Families brand mark and are recognised through the Centre for Fathering's annual "Great Companies for Dads Awards".

Of course, family time is not just about quantity but also quality. The AFAM's Focal Area 3: Parenting Together has been working together with our community partners and myself to share parenting tips to better support quality family time.

I note Ms Soh's suggestion on the importance of having affordable options for family bonding activities. Although the SingapoRediscovers Vouchers scheme has ended, there are still deals and promotions for family activities, such as those by our Made For Families partners.

As Ms Soh has mentioned, there are many hidden gems in Singapore that families can discover together. From child-friendly museums to nature playgrounds, the options for the perfect family day out are endless.

Quite a few of these activities are admission-free and of high quality, such as the heritage trails found around the various heartlands in Singapore that allow families to discover the untold stories behind our well-known neighbourhoods.

At the grassroots level, families can find workshops, carnivals and festival celebrations within their neighbourhoods.

I am glad to hear of the initiatives Ms Hany Soh mentioned. With the school holidays coming up, families can look forward to activities and courses run by People's Association (PA) under their School Holidays Series, which are specially curated courses catered for families. Parents can also spend quality time bonding with their children through parent-child craft workshops or learn more through various parenting courses.

I would like to assure her that the Government firmly believes that amenities and activities which are family-friendly should, as far as possible, be made available to as many residents as possible and we will try our best to nudge corporates and organisations to contribute.

As part of the Made for Families 2025 plan, Families for Life will also be working with partners to organise events, such as family picnics and family days.

Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, building a Singapore Made For Families takes a whole-of-society effort. The Government is committed to doing its part and we will work closely with employers, community partners and the wider society so that all can play this very important role to nurture a supportive ecosystem for families to live, play and work in Singapore.

In this Year of Celebrating SG Families, it is timely for us to reflect on how each and every one of us can come together in our own ways to make Singapore truly a home, a playground and a caring society that values and supports families at every stage of life. Let us, collectively, work towards achieving A Singapore Made for Families.

Question put, and agreed to.

Resolved, "That Parliament do now adjourn."

Adjourned accordingly at 5.16 pm.