Committee of Supply – Head I (Ministry of Social and Family Development)

The Chairman: Head I, Ministry of Social and Family Development. Mr Seah Kian Peng.

Improvements to Social Safety Net

Mr Seah Kian Peng (Marine Parade): Mr Chairman, I beg to move, "That the total sum to be allocated for Head I of the Estimates be reduced by $100".

Today, there are many community agencies on the ground providing a variety of support services to those in need, from family matters to financial aid and also healthcare. Local Community Development Councils (CDCs) have schemes in place for both short-term and long-term assistance.

As social needs become more complex, individuals in need will require multiple forms of social support, which are being provided by different community agencies today. This can be an advantage – that agencies specialise in order to help individuals with specific problems. It increases efficiency and reduces transaction time on the part of people seeking help.

At the same time, problems do not respect bureaucratic borders – individuals that need help may not necessarily have the time and effort to "code-switch" across these agencies, whether it is about filling up forms or registering for means testing. Instead, they may delay their applications, sometimes causing their own situation to worsen by the time they seek help. This is certainly far from ideal. We do not want our social safety net to fail where it is most crucially needed.

On the other hand, there are also many different Singaporeans who want to contribute their time and money, but may not be able to commit for the long term, or at regular intervals. We should not ignore this important group of volunteers which add up to a significant number of volunteer hours. Again, the complexity exists on the supply end of this issue.

We need some special, specific and granular mechanisms to bridge complexity at both ends – coordination, planning and organisation. We can all do better if there are plans to help direct these efforts and other community efforts through better coordination and sharing of information about individuals and families in need in the community. Can Minister give an update on these plans?

If we fail to coordinate, there will be continued frustration, unmet urgent needs and a general sense of helplessness among many communities. But if we succeed, the outcome is both powerful and simple – a stronger, more beautiful fabric of Singapore, woven by all of us together.

Question proposed.

Transforming our Social Safety Net

Chairman, the Government has put in place many schemes and services to support Singaporeans in building strong families including various marriage preparation programmes for couples looking to get married. But some young people looking to get married get caught up in the romance and the emotions of the moment. They do not have the time nor the inclination to plan and prepare.

One useful way is to review the marriage courses available on the Registry of Marriage's website. I note that some of them cost about $300 and the titles include one called "Evidence-based Marriage Programme". Another is titled "PREP" or Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Programme. All this sounds like a cautionary tale. I am not sure, even after reading the syllabus, exactly what it is that the course is trying to prevent.

But some of the classes, "Negotiation and Conflict Resolution", for example, it is very useful indeed, especially like how the website said that the course was "proven to sustain up to five years" after the programme. I wonder what happens after five years.

I must assure Members of the House that I support these courses and I do think they are useful. But we must not approach them in the same benefit-and-cost analysis manner that we do in courses.

There is no KPI. If a marriage is abusive and unhappy, surely the best outcome is to step out of it. Divorce should not be seen as a failure but an option in human relationships.

Strong marriages are important to a nation as well as to couples themselves. We must start conversations about what strong marriages mean as well as how to build it. This, to me, is the true benefit of preparation courses.

Some of these courses cost a few hundred dollars and I understand that the Government provides a subsidy of $70. How can the Government make these programmes more accessible and affordable to better support couples in building strong foundations for their families?

Tackling Social Challenges Together

Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng (Jalan Besar): Mr Chairman, Singapore's social challenges are turning complicated and complex. The new normal is the recognition that Government can no longer do it alone.

Even the supposedly simple issue of "feeding the hungry" is, in truth, not as simple as it appears. The recent CNA documentary on "Food Insecurities" showed up problems such as overlapping of help efforts; reluctance of donors to work with each other; and wastage of donated items.

I myself have been involved in issues such as coordinating senior services and helping cardboard collectors in my constituency and district – not easy. MSF Minister Desmond Lee himself has personally led in bringing together groups to solve social concerns such as rough sleepers and also food distribution to the poor. We have to find a formula that goes beyond the interest, passion and intervention of a heroic Minister.

Tackling social challenges together, especially more challenging wicked ones, calls for several critical success factors: a strong sponsor who can back with the right links; a systems thinking approach; clarity in problem statement; an understanding of the overall landscape, driving and restraining forces; a strong facilitator; and implementation discipline for results.

MSF should be given resources to start an establishment that is nimble and competent enough to facilitate and pull in the right internal and external resources to address identified prioritised social challenges – a SWAT team of sorts.

I seek the Ministry's inputs on how it intends to lead and facilitate the imperative of tackling social challenges together with others in the community. What are the outcomes and obstacles to date?

Ending Food Insecurity and Malnutrition

Assoc Prof Walter Theseira (Nominated Member): Chairman, Singapore was ranked by the Economist Intelligence Unit as the fourth most food-secure nation in the world. Yet nearly half of a sample of 236 families in Singapore reported moderate to severe food insecurity. These were the findings of the 2018 report "Hunger in a Food Lover's Paradise" by the Lien Centre for Social Innovation at SMU. The report finds no lack of help. There were some 125 food support groups operating in Singapore, in addition to food support from ethnic self-help groups and community organisations.

A basic question is how much food is enough. But the question is, enough for what?

The 2019 Minimum Income Standards study led by Dr Ng Kok Hoe of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy found that a single elderly household requires about $400 a month for food, about 29% of their budget. More importantly, that study reveals that Singaporeans consider food to be more than calories for the body; it is nourishment for the soul. It includes having meaningful choice and variety, the opportunity to eat healthily but also enjoy the occasional indulgence and the chance to meet friends at the hawker centre or to invite others to a home-cooked meal. It is not three restaurant meals a day. It is three meals with dignity.

Despite good intentions, charity struggles to meet these varied needs. Esther, a retiree, told CNA Insider in a report on food insecurity published this month, and I quote: "We can’t give feedback because the food is free… It feels like we are beggars, what they give, we must eat." But Esther has diabetes and high blood pressure. She needs a healthier diet for her health conditions. She does not always have a meaningful choice. Chairman, with your permission, may I display a slide on the LCD screen.

The Chairman: Yes, please. [A slide was shown to hon Members.]

Assoc Prof Walter Theseira: Thank you, Sir. Ms Diana Ong from the Chinese Development Assistance Council (CDAC) conducted a study under the mentorship of Dr Ong Qiyan from the Social Service Research Centre at NUS. The purpose was to understand consumption of food in 77 low-income Chinese families with young children. They found that families who ate a healthier diet – more fresh fruits, vegetables and meat, less processed food – spent significantly more each month than families who did not – $204 per capita, per month, instead of $168. The big difference in spending is not in eating out. It is in trying to eat a healthier home-cooked diet.

These results are consistent with the food insecurity-obesity paradox: that in a rich country, food insecurity manifests not as starvation, but as an inadequate and unhealthy diet that exposes the poor to risks of obesity and malnutrition. And when children are affected by a less healthy diet, as in the CDAC study, then these consequences can last a lifetime.

What can government food aid achieve? Research from the United States has found that government food stamps reduced food insecurity, increased birth weight, improved children’s health, and even reduced metabolic linked diseases such as obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes, many years down the road, for people who benefited from food stamps when they were children.

So, Budget 2020’s initiative to grant $100 in grocery vouchers, for two years, for needy Singaporeans is a step in the right direction. But much more can be done if addressing food insecurity is made a priority of government policy, rather than left to voluntary groups.

Food Insecurity in Singapore

Mr Mohamed Irshad (Nominated Member): Chairman, this cut concerns food insecurity in Singapore. Individuals are food insecure when they are not confident of having economic and physical access to sufficient acceptable food for a healthy life. CNA recently did a feature on food insecure families as cited by Members previously, and I have three specific questions.

First, above the $100 in grocery vouchers between FY 2020 and FY 2021, is the Ministry implementing any long-term programme to reduce the number of food insecure households in Singapore?

Secondly, with regard to our "Many Helping Hands" approach, has (a) the Ministry identify any gaps in our food insecure population currently not served by any Ministry or NGO; and (b) has the Ministry identified areas for improved coordination and efficiency, which require further funding or investment?

Thirdly, what efforts are being taken by the Ministry to ensure that our food insecure households are able to afford healthy and nutritious food? What additional investment is required to improve access to nutritious food? Does the Ministry intend to make these investments?

Rental Flat Residents

Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong (Non-Constituency Member): Chairman, Sir, last year's Household Expenditure Survey revealed that between 2013 and 2018, Singaporeans living in 1-room and 2-room flats have increased their monthly spending by 3.7% on average, while families in private apartments saw expenditure fall by 0.1%. Households living in landed property, who spent nearly 5% more on average every year between 2008 and 2013, tightened the purse strings to spending just 0.2% more every year between 2013 and 2018.

Singstat also reported that households in the lowest 20% income group experienced an expenditure increase which was more than their income growth. If this trend continues, it does not bode well for the financial well-being of lower income households even when income inequality is mitigated.

Does MSF have a programme to track the income, expenditures and financial well-being of lower income HDB residents? Tracking such data can help MSF provide better and targeted assistance.

Sir, according to Household Expenditure Survey, expenditure on Housing and Utilities make up 14.4% of total expenditure for households living in 1-room and 2-room flats. This is much higher than the 8.1% on average for all HDB households. In absolute terms, the average household expenditure per household member on Housing and Utilities for those living in 1-room and 2-room flats is higher than those living in 4-room and 5-room flats. This is quite anomalous and warrants study, as housing costs should be a progressive burden and not tax the lower income more.

Coordination Care Provision

Mr Darryl David (Ang Mo Kio): Mr Chairman, the past two years have seen the production of several media shows that highlighted the complex social issues that Singapore faces, and in that process, offered us a deeper glimpse into the challenges and struggles that some Singapore families have to grapple with.

Channel News Asia’s thought-provoking documentaries, "Don’t Call Us Poor", "Inside the Children’s ICU", and "Inside the Child Protective Service" have highlighted the crucial point that there will never be a simple solution, there will never be a simple solution to tackle social issues because of the inherent complex inter-dependencies that reside in them. Indeed, these could be what philosopher and management scholar, C West Churchman, referred to as "wicked problems".

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Classic examples of wicked problems include economic, environmental, political and social problems whose solution requires a great number of actors to come together to deliver a holistic whole-of-the-problem solution. Wicked problems are impossible to resolve in a piecemeal manner as the inherent complex inter-dependencies that exist between the variables in these problems will render any effort to solve one aspect of the problem to reveal or create other problems.

Singapore has always adopted the "many helping hands" approach when it comes to community assistance. Many community agencies on the ground provide a variety of support services to those in need, from family matters to financial aid and even healthcare. As social needs become more complex however, individuals and families in need may require multiple forms of social support, which could be provided by different community agencies today.

I would like to ask the Government are there plans to help these individuals and families through better coordination and sharing of information across Government agencies, NGOs and VWOs?

Support for Families in Need

Dr Lily Neo (Jalan Besar): There are many families who are in need in our society. They face many issues, such as financial inadequacy, poor health, low education, unemployment, single parenthood, many members to support, physical or mental disability and so on. According to a survey, there are least 20% of Singaporeans who are earning less than their monthly expenditure. Many families, when faced with multiple problems and stresses, become overwhelmed and ill equipped to care and provide for their children. These children will not enjoy the same fighting chance as their better-off peers, and thus may grow up to be in the same predicament as their parents if intervention and help are not rendered in time or in a sustainable manner.

These families require intensive, holistic and coordinated assistance. Would MSF look into the following issues of such families?

One, how do we identify such families? Has there been any survey done to see how many of such families who are in need? We need to know who they are before we can reach out to them. Can MSF provide the resources for good outreach to touch base with these families, to understand their needs, to assist them with their urgent needs and to coordinate and follow-up with them in a sustainable manner? These families need intense hand holding, because just informing them on the many assistance schemes that they can tap on will not work for them.

Two, do we have plans and effective programmes in place that are able to collectively solve the needs of these families in areas such as financial, education of children, medical health referrals, childcare placement, re-employment and so on. More social workers who can understand the needs of each family, sorting out the families' issues; by tapping into the various Government schemes, by working and coordinating with social service agencies (SSAs) to benefit these families.

Three, do we have an upstream measure in place to handhold such families? Many of these families have disadvantaged children that need longer follow-up, especially the young children. The reason is that such families may have entrenched problems that cannot be solved overnight. Priority must be given to their children in their well-being as they grow up especially in their education, health and character development. Our system must be robust to ensure that these children are on track to get out of their families' predicament and the chance to climb the social ladder or to break the poverty cycles.

Four, a higher percentage of the children of these families is not in pre-schools when it is even more crucial for them to do so. Can MSF ensure that all of these children are placed in pre-schools? Evidence shows that the developmental years, especially the first few years of a child's life are fundamentally important. Special attention and assistance given to the first few years of children's lives lead to better economic, social and emotional benefits later on.

In disadvantaged families, many parents are unable to support their children's education due to limited resources and their own educational level. Others tend to be permissive and take a hands-off approach. This results in higher absenteeism from schools. These families and children need closer follow-up and supervision by MSF.

Five, many community agencies on the ground can be roped in to provide a variety of support services to those families in need, from family matters to financial aid and even healthcare. As social needs become more complex, individuals in needs may require multiple forms of social support, which could be provided by the different community agencies today.

Are there plans to help direct these efforts through better coordination and sharing of information about individuals or families in need in the community? Comprehensive assistance can be facilitated by data and digital technologies, on implementations and on follow-up. I hope MSF can facilitate the adoption and wider use of such technology. This will enable good coordination and good outreach to families in need by the various agencies, but more importantly, it is to spread the resources for better coverage and to prevent duplication or uneven distribution of help.

Social service agencies are critical partners in providing such support programmes and services to help individuals and families overcome their difficult circumstances. The social service sector will have to adopt more productive and innovative processes, as well as continually build up new competencies. What are the Ministry's plans to strengthen capability development amongst social service agencies, to meet growing social needs?

Six, there is higher chance of those from low-income single parent families of being disadvantaged. Can there be priority given to these families to assist their children better?

Seven, there are more transnational families who belong to the families in need. Apart from assisting their children's education and well-being, the spouses of these families also require hand holding assistance in finding employment.

Helping Rough Sleepers in in Public Areas

Mr Murali Pillai (Bukit Batok): Sir, the reasons why people may sleep in public places instead of their homes are manifold and be complex. I quote the hon Member of Parliament, Dr Lily Neo on a speech during the COS debates in 2018. She said, "Many of them may have a variety of problems, such as family feuds, HDB housing issues, mental issues, employment and financial issues".

In response, the hon Minister for Social and Family Development, Mr Desmond Lee stated, "We need a more coordinated, whole-of-society approach to address the underlying issues and needs of these individuals. MSF works closely with other frontline agencies and the community to reach out and coordinate the help that they need." This approach makes eminent sense.

Currently, however, the issue still persists. In the LKY School of Public Policy report published in November 2019, it was revealed that there are about 1,000 rough sleepers on the streets of Singapore. The report also identified that a good number of rough sleepers have residences but decided not to stay at home for one reason or another.

I recently came across one such case. I tried to persuade the rough sleeper, who refused to go back home owing to a combination of family and mental health issues, to go to a shelter instead. However, he refused. Over time, he became more and more frail. This was obviously concerning. Now he is missing and that is doubly concerning.

I would like to suggest that MSF be given more legislative support to enable it to intervene and help these rough sleepers to ensure their well-being. As currently worded, a "destitute person" under the Destitute Persons Act is defined as, inter alia, "any idle person found in a public place, who has no place of residence". Based on this definition, there is no ability to require a rough sleeper who has a residence to take shelter in welfare homes for the sake of his health and welfare under the Destitute Persons Act.

I believe there is a case to remove the residency requirement. With the rough sleeper brought into institutionalised care, I would think there will consequently be a better opportunity to resolve the underlying issues that gave rise to him not returning to his residence.

I wish to stress though that any exercise of power under the Act must be done with the health and welfare of the rough sleeper in mind.

An Inclusive Break the Silence Campaign

Assoc Prof Walter Theseira: Chairman, the "Break the Silence" campaign which you launched when you were Minister has brought crucial awareness to domestic violence issues. While many domestic violence cases fall within traditional family contexts, vulnerable groups, such as LGBTQ+ persons, face specific challenges.

The NGO Sayoni found that LBTQ women are at increased risk of facing domestic violence, but they do not often seek help, due to the fear of disclosing their stigmatised identity and a lack of understanding that state institutions will protect them. Initiatives like "Break the Silence" often do not explicitly include LGBTQ+ persons in the campaign resources. If vulnerable groups are not represented or acknowledged, they are less likely to seek help as they may not believe their specific needs will be addressed.

In 2016, The Straits Times reported that social workers "feel ill-equipped to deal with LGBT clients". Sayoni's research found LBTQ persons face additional challenges in seeking help because social workers may lack a sensitive understanding of their identities.

For instance, Jamie, who was experiencing psychological violence from her family, approached an area-based counselling service for anger management issues. The counsellor did not directly address Jamie's anger management problem, but instead, offered to address the, I quote, "gay problem", thereby framing being gay as the cause of Jamie's distress. The possibility of being misunderstood or discriminated against by social workers deters many LGBTQ+ persons from seeking help.

Could the next Break the Silence campaign be made more inclusive, by explicitly recognising the vulnerabilities of LGBTQ+ persons and other marginalised groups? Could the Ministry provide in-depth sensitivity training for social workers and other first responders to address the specific needs of these marginalised groups?

Digital Rights for Children

Prof Lim Sun Sun (Nominated Member): Hon Members, it is my right today to speak to you for four minutes and no longer. Just as it is our right as Singaporeans to contest elections to enter this House or in my case, to be appointed. Fundamentally, rights are legal, social, or ethical principles of freedom or entitlement, stipulating what is allowed of people or owed to people according to legal doctrine, social convention or ethical theory.

In Singapore, the rights of children are protected by the Children and Young Persons Act. I am glad to have been in the House when we passed the amendments to extend identity protection for young people involved in court proceedings to children aged 17 and 18. Identity protection for all our children is critical in a digitalising age. For today's young people, the digital world is ripe with opportunity but fraught with risk. I would thus like to highlight the issue of the digital rights of children.

When I started researching into young people's media use 20 years ago, I was speaking to teens. In my most recent research, some of my interviewees reached just above my knee. Indeed, with device use creeping ever lower, we must think of more concerted protection for our children from commercial and sexual exploitation on online platforms.

Commercial exploitation is stealthy and widespread. Children are the target of media content that shows the unboxing of attractive toys they cannot afford and the allure of fast food, fast fashion and unhealthy habits such as vaping. Young people's data is being collected and used for commercial purposes and they are aggresively marketed to across all platforms, including movies, internet connected toys, apps, online games and social media. Even in the face of COVID-19, I believe our children are under greater threat of from influencers than from influenza!

More egregiously, young people are also the target of sexual grooming in online platforms and exposure to sexually explicit content.

In Singapore, we have done well to ensure children's rights to access digital devices, services and digital literacy education to children from all socio-economic backgrounds. But there is much more we can do to expressly protect children's digital rights, especially in the areas of the privacy and data protection. We must take more active measures to ensure that their personal data is processed fairly, lawfully, accurately and securely, for specific purposes and with the free, explicit, informed and unambiguous consent of children and their parents. One key issue is that the terms and conditions of digital products and services are couched in obtuse language that adults cannot understand, let alone children.

Given MSF's significant efforts in advancing the welfare of children, I would like to ask the Ministry to lead the charge in driving a whole-of- Government effort to recognise, concretise and protect the digital rights of children. Importantly, we should also involve our young people in the process of identifying what they believe their digital rights currently are and should be. For differently-abled children in particular, we must also develop more schemes to pioneer innovation so that they too can enjoy greater access to digital devices and services.

At-risk Youth

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye (Tanjong Pagar): Our children are the future capital of our nation. It is therefore important that we provide them with the resources to achieve their maximum potential in life, regardless of the starting point that they are born into.

However, not every child is fortunate enough to be born into an environment filled with love. To help this group of vulnerable children, Parliament amended the Children and Young Persons Act in 2019, to strengthen support for children who have been neglected or abused. Can the Ministry provide an update on the new initiatives that have been implemented since the Act's amendment?

Various studies on at-risk youths in Singapore has found that peer and family influence may have an impact in influencing youths' attitudes towards gangs and juvenile delinquency. We should therefore work towards identifying early signposts that would identify a child to be at-risk, and adopt a more preventive and integrative approach towards helping them and their families.

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Beyond the Government’s effort, I also urge community groups to come together to rally our youths and help them stay out of trouble. One good example of a community initiative targeting at-risk youths is the Delta League programme. Created in 2011, Delta League engages our youths through football during the long June and December school holidays. To keep them meaningfully occupied and away from crime, besides attending football clinics and playing matches, the youths also participate in crime prevention and other activities to enhance their awareness of crime and its consequences. Delta League marks its 10th year this year, with over 20,000 youths benefiting from its programmes in the past nine years. Some of our Delta League boys have since gone on to fulfill their dreams of becoming professional footballers. With support from MSF, I hope to see more of such initiatives from the ground to help our at-risk youths in this new decade.

Chairman, we can and we must, help our vulnerable groups of children and at-risk youths to achieve their maximum potential in life, regardless of their starting point. Because in Singapore every child matters.

Persons With Disabilities

Ms Sylvia Lim (Aljunied): Singapore ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2013. The Government has also issued Enabling Masterplans and the leadership of some colleagues in this House towards realising this vision is well-known.

Recently a disabled resident asked me to raise the topic of training and employment prospects for persons with disabilities.

The Government has had schemes to boost the hiring of persons with disabilities, including the latest announcement of the Enabling Employment Credit, to provide stronger wage support for open employment. Non-governmental organisations also have initiatives such as sheltered workshops to provide training and employment.

In a recent Parliamentary answer, MOM stated that the resident employment rate of persons with disabilities in the working age of 15 to 64 was about 29%, with the resident unemployment rate at 13%. What is the Government’s assessment of how far Singapore has implemented the UN Convention, particularly Article 27 on Work and Employment?

Support for the Special Needs Community

Ms Rahayu Mahzam (Jurong): My son Ayden has Down Syndrome. He will be three years old in April. Time really flies but I remember vividly the emotions I felt when my husband and I were figuring out how to support his developments. We have a challenging start but found most of the information, guidance and support we needed online, through talking other parents and people in the sector.

SG Enable was one of the agencies which my husband and I became familiar with very earlier on in our journey. We were informed about SG Enable through the social worker at the hospital and she helped us apply for the Early Intervention Programme for Infants and Children (EIPIC) through SG Enable. In the course of my work as Member of Parliament, I found out more about the work that is done by SG Enable, especially in providing information and referral services of various schemes and providing employment support for persons with disabilities (PWDs).

I believe that over the years, SG Enable has started to establish itself as a trusted partner to PWDs, their care-givers and social service agencies. It is important to build on this and make the infrastructure and services more pervasive and accessible to families.

Parents sometimes find that the services and spaces that are conducive for their children with needs are not located to where they live. It would be ideal if more spaces like Enabling Village, for example, could be replicated all around Singapore.

I am appreciative of the efforts that have been put in to provide support to families with children with special needs. However, what else can be done to bring greater convenience to PWDs and their care-givers in accessing social services.

Third Enabling Masterplan

Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng: Sir, the latest Enabling Masterplan for persons with disabilities (PWDs) will be expiring in 2021.

Several pieces in the Masterplan have progressed. Two workgroups, for instance, were commissioned – one to look at employment and the other on independent living. SPD President Ms Chia Yong Yong, a PWD herself and me in my volunteering capacity as ARC President and a parent of a PWD co-chair the workgroup with Minister of State Mr Sam Tan.

Many Singaporeans, especially PWDs and their families are not aware of the progress of the latest Enabling Masterplan. Can the Ministry provide an update on the progress of the Masterplan and what has so far been done by the two workgroups?

I would also like to focus on three other issues which are not covered by the two workgroups.

First on life of PWDs after their parents' death. One common grievance by families with children with disabilities is the question of, “What would happen to my child when I am no longer around?” I have heard this at many focus groups for the last 20 years. Their worries range from financial, legal, housing, healthcare and other issues.

In recent years, there are books, portals and even agencies to help families plan for the future. However, if these families are still living with worry and fear, then there is more to be done in this space. The question ought to be shifted to, “What is going to happen in the future when I am gone, and how can I shape it?”

I urge MSF to assemble a team to improve the current state of future planning for families with disabled children.

Next, on residential options of adults with disabilities. The current options of where adult PWDs can live and be supported appropriately, are too limiting. PWDs are expected to live with their families, with whoever relatives are left or in costly residential homes for those with higher support needs and less family support.

The existing models do not cater sufficiently to a continuum of adult PWDs with varying support needs and abilities. Some interesting models like the TOUCH Ubi Hostel for PWDs are some of the best kept secrets in the community.

Singapore is unique in itself in the social eco-system. Public housing is the pride of the nation and every Singaporean is encouraged to own a home. Yet, at the same time, taxation on personal income and corporate taxes are low, contributing to lower public spendings on social services, especially for PWDs compared to other countries.

I urge MSF to develop our uniquely Singapore continuum of housing and support choices for PWDs depending on: the level of family support and financial ability; the level of ability of the PWD himself in independent daily living and work; and the level of support services needed by them in care supervision, healthcare, daily living and work.

This will empower PWDs and families to make their choices and become part of the solution.

Lastly, on community access and inclusion. Research has shown that although most people in Singapore welcome the idea of an inclusive society, not everyone is willing to or feel comfortable interacting with PWDs.

Both the disability community and the rest of Singapore need to organise ourselves better for better outcomes in community access and inclusion. Can Government streamline Government-linked agencies so that there is less overlap and greater clarity to the public on the "who", the "what" and the "how" in disability support and inclusion?

Can more "mainstream" services be tapped upon to increase the presence and inclusion of PWDs? For instance, can the community clubs and the grassroots movement identify PWDs and include they and their families in their midst of their activities and their plans?

Can a continuum of housing options for PWDs be designed into all new and existing public housing estates so that PWDs can live with the appropriate support there, seeing and be heard and felt? Can every Government ministry appoint Disability Champions or teams to look out for and include PWDs in both their work and other parts of life?

Enhance Special Needs Education

Mr Desmond Choo (Tampines): It is a basic societal tenet that we should provide all children with opportunities to learn, grow and contribute to society. We need to further enhance support for children with special needs and disabilities, especially those who have early childhood intervention is especially critical.

For example, the Government-subsidised Early Intervention Programme for Infants and Children (EIPIC) helps to pay for therapy and intervention programmes that typically offer up to 12 hours of intervention a week. But this is less than half of the lower bound of the range of between 25 to 40 hours a week, that some experts postulated is needed for effectiveness. Moreover, EIPIC programmes are usually not integrated with mainstream childcare programmes, where educators are largely not trained to teach children with special needs. As a result, the children may feel excluded and be deterred from interacting or participating. Such disjointed arrangements also exact a toll on working parents who have to shuttle their children back and forth from EIPIC centres to childcare and it also wears the children out as well.

I will like to suggest a couple of approaches to improve the system capacity. One, we need to have more inclusive pre-schools. The initial slower pace is only to be expected because we need mainstream acceptance. Alternatively, we can consider widening the eligibility for pre-school/childcare subsidies to more private operators of schools for students with special needs under the Enhanced Pilot for Private Intervention Providers scheme. Currently, only 10 operators are listed under the scheme.

Two, we can leverage on the childcare anchor operators by providing subsidies to train their educators, hire specialist therapists and upgrade their facilities to be inclusive schools.

Three, we can also consider having special needs care as one of the components of teachers’ basic training.

Enabling Persons of All Abilities

Mr Seah Kian Peng: Special Student Care Centres (SSCCs) offer subsidised before and after school care services for students with special needs aged seven years to 18 years. They are key to providing care-giving and educational support and skills for independent living for these Special Education (SPED) students.

With the support of SSCCs, parents have more options and time available to them. SPED students are also given more opportunities to interact with their community and plan for their future. However, the number of such SSCCs remains small. The fees at $832 a month are not low.

We need to ensure that such services remain affordable. Although subsidies are available for those who need them, the fees quickly run into the hundreds of dollars, with surcharges during school holiday periods.

Subsidies are generous now for low-income families – those with income of less than $1,500, they get 90% subsidy. However, for those who earn more than $3,500, they get a subsidy of only 10% – leaving them to pay more than $700 each month.

Families with special needs children already face many challenges. Surely, we can support them better, especially when the systems are already in place.

So, I like to ask the Minister what measures are in place to ensure that SSCCs remain affordable for families who require these services, especially for those with multiple needs?

Mandatory Parenting Course

Ms Irene Quay Siew Ching (Nominated Member): Mr Chairman, Sir, I would like to address the challenges of teenage health, both physical and emotional, and the necessary roles that parents can play in providing a nurturing and loving environment to secure a bright future for their offsprings.

Teens in Singapore face a multitude of issues ranging from body image, struggles to find their place in society, peer influence, parental pressure, physical health changes, school-related stress, bullying, substance abuse, just to name a few.

Healthcare professionals caring for school-aged children and adolescents are also seeing an increased cases of eating disorders, a form of psychiatric illness with significant, life-threatening medical complications as well as teenage suicide cases.

Although there are many contributing factors to these problems, I believe that parents can do more to help and support their teenagers in this challenging journey.

Parenting is a complex balancing act, which requires both making hard decisions between giving the child freedom to grow and being there for them when needed.

I noticed, with regret, that data from MSF showed a gradual rise in the number of children referred to MSF for various forms of abuse.

Hence, there is a need for us to work on and improve parenting skills of our adults in Singapore because I believe that all parents want the best for their children. However, we should acknowledge that not all parents may be equipped with the right skillset and mindset to raise the child.

Hence, I would like to propose to MSF to consider making parenting courses mandatory for all new parents and incentivise parents to attend such courses by making it a prerequisite to receive their Baby Bonus entitlements.

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I am sure that all parents in this Chamber, myself included, will agree that parenting is one of the most complex jobs out there. There is a widely held and unfounded perception that parents should or naturally know what to do to parent their children and everything will be fine as long as we love them enough. But I am sorry to say that this is not always the case. As such, I find it quite perplexing that we are not using available science, expertise and valuable experiences from those who have gone through the journey to better prepare new parents.

Parenting courses will be useful to help new parents eliminate unnecessary fears of unknowns while bringing awareness to what may be expected when raising a child. It will also help them understand and learn different parenting styles for different personalities and how to engage their kids to create a supportive family structure through mindfulness and conscious parenting. At the end of the day, we should prepare our kids for what lies ahead by providing them with a strong mental, emotional and moral foundation. We cannot just leave this to MOE or MSF alone because no one can be a better role model to our children than us, parents.

As a working mother with four children, I can fully understand that this is not easy. We cannot be perfect but we must keep trying and keep working on it, using the right parenting skills – like speaking to my kids sitting in the Gallery today. [Laughter.]

Coming back to my speech, sorry, Chairman. They are quite a distraction.

The Chairman: I can throw them out if you want me to. [Laughter.]

Ms Irene Quay Siew Ching: I understand that MSF has implemented the Triple P Positive Parenting Programme nation-wide in schools and I would like to find out more about the attendance and success rates of these courses.

I have attended such courses at my children's schools and a common remark from the teachers at the start of the course is that, often, the parents who do not make time or do not have the time for these programmes are the ones that the teachers need to reach out to.

Sir, I believe that there are two extreme types of parents that we need to be mindful of – those that are ignorant or do not have enough time for their children, and the overly-concerned parents who subconsciously impart unnecessary stress to children, teachers and the people around them.

This brings me to an enlightened quote from Dr Shefali Tsabary, a renowned clinical psychologist and writer of the award-winning New York Times bestselling book, "The Conscious Parent – Transforming Ourselves, Empowering our Children". Her revolutionary wisdom focuses on a parent-centric way of upbringing, rather than on the child.

And I end with a quote, "To be an awakened parent who is aware that traditional paradigms of parenting, where parent is seen as greater than the child are obsolete in the modern world, producing dysfunction and disconnections in families. When parents are aware in the present moment, learning and growing alongside their children, the entire family thrives. Free to actualise their individual destiny, each family member lives unencumbered and unafraid. Empowered with self-awareness, boundless in self-belief, liberated in self-expression, each feels free to explore, discover and manifest their authentic being."

Reforms in the Family Justice System

Ms Rahayu Mahzam: We often hear of how children become embroiled in your parents' acrimonious divorce proceedings and are made emotional pawns. I am a lawyer in family practice and I see that happening often. In such situations, I often ask my client to think about the child's best interests. Divorcing parties are, however, often caught up in their emotions and are not able to think rationally.

One area that is particularly challenging relates to arrangements of custody, care and control and access of the children. It would help processes in the family justice system better support divorcing parties and encourage more positive outcomes and arrangements.

Last year, the Committee to review and enhance reforms in the family justice system submitted its recommendations to make various processes less acrimonious for families undergoing divorce, particularly for those with children. I am happy to note the announcement last week that there has been support from the public and stakeholders and that the Government has accepted the wide-ranging recommendations.

Could the Ministry provide an update on this matter and the specifics on the key proposals which should be adopted and implemented?

The Chairman: Mr Louis Ng. Both cuts, please.

Specifying Essential Occupier in Divorce

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang (Nee Soon): Sir, last year I asked the Ministry to consider requiring divorce rulings to specify which parent can list their child as an essential occupier in HDB flat applications. The reply was that parents with shared care and control arrangements have equal rights to list their child as an essential occupier and they should come to a mutually agreeable decision themselves.

That is ideal but the reality is that a divorcing couple might find it hard to cooperate on an issue as contentious as housing. Divorce rulings already decide on custody, care and control and division of matrimonial assets, which are equally contentious. Why not housing?

Can MSF clarify what each parent awarded care and control is expected to provide in terms of housing for the child? Is a parent's ability to provide housing a factor in awarding care and control to that parent?

For the welfare of the child, can MSF require divorce rulings that award shared care and control to also state which party is allowed to list the child as an essential occupier in their application to buy a subsidised HDB flat?

Providing Single Unweds Full Baby Bonus

Next, the parent who needs the cash component of the Baby Bonus the most is the one who does not qualify for it. Why? With a median salary of only $600 a month, single unwed parents under 35 years old clearly need the cash.

They can get the cash if they marry the father or mother of their child and then file for a divorce. But why do we want fellow citizens to marry someone they do not want to marry and jump through so many hoops to get something they should get?

They already receive the CDA component of the Baby Bonus, so why not the cash component? Let us end the discrimination and provide single unwed parents with a cash component of the Baby Bonus.

Making a Good Start in Life

Mr Seah Kian Peng: Over the years, the Government has been providing generous pre-school subsidies to support working parents with young children in their care-giving duties. This has allowed many women to re-join the workforce after becoming mothers.

Surveys have shown that 72% of mothers here take some form of break after childbirth. So, helping these women return to work is a significant and worthwhile effort.

Many women already know of the platforms that are in place to help them, including subsidies from MOM as well as social enterprises who link them up with employment opportunities.

These women may already have strong social networks. However, there is a gap for low-income mothers who do not have alternative care-giving arrangements. For those who do not work, they may not know of these platforms and opportunities. And this may, in turn, affect their ability to look for paid employment opportunities that are flexible enough to accommodate their need to care for their young children. This sets up a vicious cycle of missed opportunities and lack of mobility.

Do we know how large this group is and what are the main obstacles to their re-joining the workforce? This is the group that needs more help from us. So, I would like to ask the Minister what other measures are in place to better support this group of low-income mothers who do not have alternative care-giving arrangements.

The Chairman: Mr Ang Hin Kee. Both cuts, please.

Mother Tongue Teachers in Pre-schools

Mr Ang Hin Kee (Ang Mo Kio): Mr Chairman, I would like to speak in Mandarin for my first cut.

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Because of COVID-19, some of our expatriate pre-school Chinese teachers must be quarantined and cannot return to Singapore to resume work. Their colleagues who continue working and their students all miss them. They are being told not to worry as the pre-school centres are working hard to ensure that students can attend lessons as usual. During this critical period, everyone is working together to overcome difficulties.

I would like to know, currently, how many pre-school teachers specialise in teaching Chinese and, among them, and how many are foreigners? How many of these foreign teachers have been affected by the outbreak?

Using this outbreak as a learning point, will MSF consider adjusting the ratio of foreign and the local pre-school teachers to prevent the recurrence of a similar situation where there is a sudden drop in teaching staff?

I understand recruiting Singaporean pre-school Chinese teachers is a challenge. I would like to know how many pre-school Chinese teachers we need to meet future demands and whether we are close to achieving this target.

I have met many Singaporeans who are passionate about the Chinese language and some of them are mid-career individuals. Does MSF have new plans to attract more Singaporeans and mid-career individuals to join the pre-school education sector?

We must also provide schemes for upskilling, as well as education resources, to help Chinese language teachers gain new knowledge and deepen their teaching capabilities to help nurture students' interest in the Chinese language.

In 2018, MSF announced a new Mother Tongue teaching certification programme jointly launched by ECDA and the National Institute of Early Childhood Development. The programme was launched last year with the aim of enhancing the oral skills of pre-school teachers and deepening their understanding of the relevant cultures and traditions. The programme will cater to Malay and Tamil teachers initially. May I know whether there are similar plans for the Chinese language teachers?

Student Care Services

(In English): Dual-income families are becoming the norm and, naturally, demand for more full-day pre-school and after-school student care services. It was announced in last year's Committee of Supply that all Primary schools would have after-school care facilities within the school compound by the end of 2020.

As we ramp up capacity to meet demand, how do we ensure that fees across all school-based Student Care Centres (SCCs) are fair? Does the Ministry also track the pricing of fees by all registered centres and publish this information for comparison by parents?

In a recent response from MSF to my Parliamentary Question, it was noted that close to half of parents' feedback concerning SCCs are related to issues, such as hygiene and child management. The rest relates to affordability, capacity and issues, such as enrolment process, to the requirements imposed on registered SCCs.

Currently MSF only provides SCC operators guidelines in aspects, such as staffing, layout, programme, hygiene and safety, recommended educational qualifications and training for their supervisors and staff. All SCCs are also required to meet standards in the areas of supervision, physical environment, operating hours, safety, health and hygiene and provide a structured daily programme.

Will the Ministry consider mirroring the approach taken in the pre-school sector?

Childcare centres and kindergartens are licensed under the regulatory framework. This helps to enhance the affordability, accessibility and quality of our pre-schools. Consequently, there are also clear skills frameworks and mandatory training programmes to ensure that there is uniformity in how pre-school centres deliver their care and supervision programmes. I believe this can serve as a useful guide to the SCCs to provide a positive and developmentally appropriate physical environment for our students.

With a better trained workforce and clearer career progression, it can also seek to improve the professional image of the student care sector and attract more Singaporeans to join the sector.

Will the Ministry consider having funding support to assist the centres invest in staff training so that we can have a sound and reliable after-school care support system?

The Chairman: Mr Darryl David, take your two cuts together.

Early Childhood Education

Mr Darryl David (Ang Mo Kio): Mr Chairman, a research on neurology and developmental psychology found that the early years of a child's learning experience plays an important role in the child's future physical, cognitive, emotional and social development. Early childhood education, therefore, has a direct impact on the child's overall development, the type of adult that he/she will become and the society that a country will develop accordingly.

In his research, Jack Shonkoff of the Harvard School of Public Health went as far as to suggest that early childhood education is the most important investment that a country can make because it forms the foundations for a prosperous and sustainable society. This is because a stable, responsive, rich and nurturing learning experience in the formative years of a child will have a lifelong impact on his/her mental and physical health, as well as the human capital potential.

At the National Day Rally in 2019, Prime Minister Lee announced that the Government would be increasing Government-supported pre-school places to improve accessibility to affordable and quality pre-schools. Measures to be adopted include the extension of the Partner Operator (POP) Scheme, which will improve the affordability, accessibility and quality of POP services through Government funding and support.

Beyond the Government's plans to expand the Anchor Operators (AOPs) and POPs in the early childhood sector, how else is the Government intending to support other pre-school operators, especially the smaller independent ones in this sector?

Non-working Mothers

Next cut, please.

The Government has made significant investments in recent years to enhance the quality and accessibility of early childhood education. In last year's National Day Rally, as I have mentioned earlier, Prime Minister highlighted the broad plans to "more than double" the current spending on early childhood education over the next few years.

Part of this increase in spending is to raise the number of families that are eligible for additional means-tested subsidies by raising the household monthly income ceiling from $7,500 to $12,000, thereby helping an additional 30,000-odd families.

However, there remains a care-giving gap. Under the current framework, a larger subsidy quantum is given to working mothers to support their child care-giving needs when they are at work. In contrast, a smaller subsidy quantum is given to non-working mothers with the understanding that they provide home-based care-giving to their children as an alternative to full-day childcare services. This has resulted in a somewhat unique situation sometimes where dual-income families could receive a higher level of pre-school subsidies than single-income families.

Mr Chairman, I would like to state for the record that I am very grateful for all the hard work that my wife does as a full-time mum, a non-working mum, and I agree that non-working mothers could provide the home-based childcare giving that working mothers are unable to. I am very grateful for that.

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However, the reality is that not all working mothers are able to provide effective home-based care for various reasons such as having to meet the demands of caring for elderly family members, who are old or who have special-needs; or in fact, caring for their other children whom might have special needs as well.

I would like to enquire what measures are in place or can be put in place to better support this group of non-working mothers?

KidSTART

Ms Rahayu Mahzam: As much as we would like to believe that every child has the potential to succeed and do well in life, in reality, the circumstances in which the child is in at the start of his or her life, could dictate this trajectory of the life journey. His or her future could be impacted even as early as when the child is in the mother's womb. The mother's nutrition during her pregnancy will have an effect on a child's health and development. As soon as the child is born. The child's well-being and development will be affected by stimulations the child receives.

We have now identified the importance of early childhood education and how crucial the early years are in shaping his or her development. I have always been excited about KidSTART and the potential it brings to change the lives of many children from low-income families and those who have challenging backgrounds. This programme provides holistic and comprehensive support to these families and gives these children a fighting chance to seize the same opportunities as children from better-off families.

My biggest concern with this programme is whether it can be scaled up faster. I am therefore heartened to hear the recent announcement on the expansion of KidSTART and the launch of growing together with KidSTART at the Early Childhood conference last year.

Could MSF share more about this? Perhaps one way to scale the programme is to have more involvement from corporate and community partners who can help replicate the programme and support more families. Could this be something MSF could consider? Further, in this regard, could MSF provide any updates on the types of partnerships with corporate and community partners forged thus far and whether we could build on these partnerships?

Social Capital – Sharing to Multiply

The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministers for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Industry (Dr Tan Wu Meng): Mr Chairman, at one of our Clementi coffeeshops, on weekends you can find a very special group of uncles and aunties. Some stay in Clementi or nearby. Some come from all over Singapore to meet. Some from the Pioneer Generation, some from the Merdeka Generation. Each one a veteran artist with a lifetime of experience. Many nationally, even internationally acclaimed. A number have even won the Cultural Medallion. All these luminaries and legends – and you can find them at one of our Clementi coffeeshops on a weekend.

Last year, as part of our National Day celebrations, these veteran artists helped organise an exhibition at our Clementi Community Centre. It was a very special gathering, but what made it extra special, even more special, was how our residents came together, across from all walks of life, with the artists for this community art exhibition. Exhibiting artworks together, even making impromptu artwork on the spot together. Young parents, youths, children from all walks of life, including families, starting with less, families living in our rental blocks in Clementi.

I spoke with a young boy, who was deeply moved that his drawing was being exhibited alongside the work of these famous artists. It boosted his confidence. He had found new friends, new networks. The artists also shared, that by connecting with the community, including some of our children who were starting with less, they had also found ways to introduce their heritage, their life stories to another generation of young Singaporeans.

Sir, it makes a difference in our communities when we give time, energy and heart. When people come together, creating moments, creating memories, creating opportunity. We see this too, in our tuition mentoring programmes in Clementi Town. Young professionals, as well as students still in higher education, young people working together, volunteering as homework mentors for children who are starting with less. Again, sharing time, energy and heart. And with each friendship forged, each moment shared, it lifts up each child even as it changes, touches, transforms the life of each volunteer.

Mr Chairman, what these stories tell us, is that community partners can play a very special role in helping to lift up our children, in helping to lift up communities, in helping to lift up our fellow Singaporeans and especially children, who are starting with less. It tells us that how we multiply social capital is an important complement to the traditional fiscal measures that can found in any Budget. Because, Mr Chairman, in a fair and equitable society, fiscal redistribution is an important part of policy. Fiscal redistribution in a progressive way, giving more to people who start with less.

But there are also many kinds of sharing, many kinds of sharing which go beyond dollars and cents which cannot easily be measured in terms of hard numbers, but these forms of sharing are also deeply important. The sharing of life experiences, the sharing of networks, the sharing of mentorship, the sharing of social capital.

Sir, the magic of social capital is that sharing is not a zero-sum process. When we share social capital, it multiplies and it lifts up everyone even as we connect together, grow together, grow closer together as one Singapore family together, as Singapore together. And Sir, it is my belief that this element of social capital can and must be part of how we continue building and uplifting our communities and our societies because, whether in Singapore or around the world, much of the research on the role of neighbourhoods, on the role of communities, implicit in that, is the idea that in that in the role of places and neighbourhoods, there is also the role of social capital.

Whether you are looking at the research by Raj Chetty and his colleagues in the US, whether you listen to the stories by researchers such as Angus Deaton, all these researchers who have looked at inequality in society, who look at the role of neighbourhoods and how people's lives change over time – my belief is that a key question in all this, is the role of social capital and we must continue looking at it closely, developing it, growing it further.

Mr Chairman, to bring that social capital together in our society, it also helps to bring different stakeholders together to bring corporations and community partners together. And as we heard recently at the Early Childhood conference in September last year, the Minister for MSF announced the expansion of KidSTART and growing together with KidSTART.

So, if I may ask the Minister, can MSF share any updates on the types of partnerships with corporates and community partners forged so far, because it takes all of us to make Singapore better and part of that journey to building a more fair and more equitable society is how we grow that social capital among us, how we grow the networks among us and how through that we uplift one another. Because, Mr Chairman, as we said earlier when we share social capital it multiplies. So, let us grow our society and multiply the good within us to touch others.

The Chairman: Minister Desmond Lee.

The Minister for Social and Family Development (Mr Desmond Lee): Mr Chairman, I thank Members for their thoughtful and heartfelt speeches.

Over the last few years, we have been working with many community partners and stakeholders to transform our social sector, better enable Singaporeans to seize opportunities and uplift those who have encountered setbacks, at every stage of their lives. MSF will continue to push ahead with efforts to transform our social safety net in three significant ways.

First, we will go upstream and intervene early, where possible. Intensive downstream measures or casework remains necessary to support those who have fallen behind. But I think we all agree that prevention is better than cure.

Second, we will continue to put individuals and families at the centre of our work. Not agencies and organisations but people and families. The needs of families and individuals can be complex and inter-locking. They can seldom be addressed by a single organisation on its own. Yet, as we bring in more partners, we also need to make sure that it is simple and intuitive for families to access help and resources. So, we will continue to streamline structures and processes, tighten coordination across partners and organise services around families and individuals.

Third, we will reach out and work with even more partners to transform our social safety net together and to address the challenges in the social sector that Deputy Prime Minister mentioned in his Budget Statement. In order to achieve greater impact, we have to reach out, build relationships, earn the trust of our partners, collaborate and draw on the diverse strengths of the people, private and public partnerships. To facilitate such partnerships, we will build capability, tap on technology to strengthen links between partners and grow organic local community networks.

So, let me share some details about how we are pushing ahead in some of these areas. First, expanding our early intervention efforts, to give every child and every family a good start. The early years are critical for a child's development. Over the past decade, we have made significant progress in making quality preschools more accessible and affordable for Singaporean families.

In January, we increased the preschool subsidies for low- and middle income families and enabled more families to benefit from the Additional Subsidy by raising the monthly household income ceiling from $7,500 to $12,000. We also support our Anchor and Partner operators to keep their fees below the caps set by ECDA and invest in improving the quality of their programmes.

We will do more. To enable more families to access affordable and quality preschool, we will extend the Partner Operator scheme for another five-year term, starting from January 2021. We have 250 Partner Operators today. In the new term, we intend to appoint more. When we do so, we will further lower the fee caps, so families with children attending these centres can pay lower fees for quality preschool education.

For low-income families, we provide upstream support to them and their children through KidSTART. Since 2016, KidSTART has benefited over 1,000 children. With the positive feedback, we will expand KidSTART to reach 5,000 more children and their families over the next three years.

In conjunction with this, we launched the "GROWING TOGETHER with KidSTART" movement where individuals and organisations can contribute directly to the growth and development of children from lower income households. If you join us, you can partner families, the community and the Government to provide extra resources and support and watch these children grow up.

We hope more of you will step forward and work with us to give our children the best possible start in life. This is again one of the social sector challenges that Deputy Prime Minister referred to in his Budget Statement – to grow a whole-of-society effort to better support children from lower income families.

Our efforts to give every child a good foundation go beyond pre-school. Working parents may not have time to supervise their children after school. For some parents, student care services can fill this gap by providing a structured and conducive after-school environment. This augments the foundation built in school. Therefore, we will increase subsidies to make student care more affordable and accessible for lower income families.

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My colleague, Senior Parliamentary Secretary Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, will share more details later.

Sir, giving every child a good start also means protecting children who are vulnerable. Last September, Parliament amended the Children and Young Persons Act. The raising of the age limit for children and young persons from 16 to 18 years will enable more children to benefit from care, protection and rehabilitation, if needed.

MSF has been working with community partners and agencies on implementation and capability building. We aim to bring the first set of amendments into effect in the second quarter of this year. Senior Parliamentary Secretary Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim will elaborate on this in his speech.

I will now touch on what we are doing to go upstream, to strengthen and support families.

A strong marriage is the foundation for a strong family. Marriage preparation programmes help couples build a strong foundation for their married life and pick up useful skills such as communication and conflict management.

Mr Seah Kian Peng asked how we are making these programmes more accessible and affordable. To encourage more couples to take up such programmes, we have been providing generous rebates and will continue to do so.

When couples start a family and become parents, they will face a new set of challenges. Evidence-based parenting programmes, such as the Positive Parenting Programme or Triple P, have helped parents to pick up skills to manage difficult behaviours exhibited by their children and to reduce their parenting stress.

Ms Irene Quay asked for an update on Triple P, in front of her children. In 2014, we piloted Triple P in Primary and Secondary schools. After we saw how it helped parents, we expanded it to more schools. Today, Triple P is offered in 295 Primary and Secondary schools in Singapore, and over 20,000 parents have attended. An online option for Triple P, or Triple P Online, is also available for the convenience of parents.

Last year, we decided to put in more structure to our upstream family support and anchor upstream support at the regional and community level. And so, we appointed 10 social service agencies as regional Parenting Support Providers or PSPs. Besides working with schools in their regions to deliver Triple P to more parents, these providers also serve as a one-stop shop offering a wider range of programmes. This allows PSPs to provide more customised support for each family.

These moves incorporate feedback that we have received – that early support is important to help parents pick up skills for more effective parenting. As families get smaller, and increasingly both parents work, it can be challenging for families to strike a balance between work and family life. So, we will do more to give families early support in their parenting journey.

Ms Rahayu Mahzam asked about the status of the recommendations made by the Committee to Review and Enhance Reforms in the Family Justice System. We have accepted the Committee's recommendations, which include more upstream pre-divorce support for couples. The feedback and our assessment have been uploaded on the Internet. They are quite detailed. The Member can find more details there.

Over the course of marriage, there will be couples who face significantly more challenges. Some may consider divorce as an option. We will develop an online portal to support these couples.

The portal will make it easier to access marriage counselling. We hope that this will help couples to make better decisions and to give their marriage another chance.

But for those who decide to proceed with the divorce, the portal will consolidate information and resources on housing, finance and other important issues that will significantly impact the family's lives after divorce. This helps couples to better understand the practical implications of their decision and reduces the need for couples to approach multiple agencies for information.

Children are often the most severely affected in a divorce. The portal will help couples understand the immediate as well as long-term impact on children, learn how to co-parent effectively and point them to relevant services, if needed.

Currently, divorcing parents with minor children, who are unable to reach an agreement on divorce are required to attend the Mandatory Parenting Programme (MPP) where counsellors from the Divorce Support Specialist Agencies (DSSAs) help them better understand the practical issues of divorce.

We will ride on the online portal to introduce an enhanced Mandatory Parenting Programme. This will help divorcing parties better understand their specific circumstances and needs through an e-learning module, and have a more personalised discussion with their counsellor. Both this enhanced programme and the online portal will be ready in the later part of next year.

However, some couples are hesitant to use face-to-face counselling services or prefer online avenues. To overcome this, MSF will implement a two-year pilot with the Community Psychology Hub to provide online counselling through live chat or email later this year. This pilot can reach out to 200 clients a year. We hope that this online channel will encourage those who are hesitant about face-to-face services to seek help earlier. We will assess the demand and the response to this service, before making it available on the online portal itself.

To ensure that the online portal is truly useful, relevant and sensitive, we will engage Singaporeans in focus group discussions in the third quarter of this year to seek honest feedback and develop various aspects of the portal such as design, content and flow.

Mr Louis Ng asked whether MSF could require divorce rulings to specify which parent can list their child as an essential occupier when applying to buy an HDB BTO flat. I think the Member asked the same question yesterday during MND's COS and also got his answer.

Sir, it is better for couples to work out arrangements between themselves. It involves their children and they will be co-parents for the lives of their children as they grow up. This is where the initiatives I just described – the portal, online counselling – could help them work out the best care arrangements for their children.

Having said that, the Member is right that not all divorces are amicable. HDB is prepared to consider waiving the mutual agreement requirement if there is clear evidence that one party has already moved on. And the Courts ultimately have the power to make care and control orders and impose conditions. Parties may return to Court for detailed rulings, if necessary.

Mr Louis Ng also asked about single unwed parents. We recognise the challenges faced by single parents. This is why benefits to support the growth and development of children are given to parents of all Singaporean children, regardless of their marital status. Besides the Child Development Account benefits, we have also extended 16 weeks of maternity leave to unwed mothers.

Sir, I move on to the second key thrust of our transformation – putting individuals and families at the centre of our work.

Last year, we announced that we would be integrating the oversight of early intervention services for children with special needs, with mainstream pre-school services, under one body – the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA). ECDA will have a holistic view of the developmental needs of children below the age of seven. They will be able to coordinate early childhood development and early intervention as one integrated continuum.

As a next step, we will further streamline the administration of disability functions. Through our conversations with the community, we recognise that it can be challenging for persons with disabilities (PWDs) and their care-givers to approach different agencies for different needs and different issues.

To better support persons with disabilities and their care-givers, SG Enable will be the single touchpoint for disability services and public education efforts.

Accordingly, disability service-related functions and programmes currently under MSF headquarters and the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) will be transferred to SG Enable. This will strengthen the delivery of services for PWDs and their care-givers across different life stages and needs. MSF's Disability Office will retain policy oversight over disability matters.

We will continue to work closely with our stakeholders to see how we can better meet the needs of persons with disabilities. Last year, we formed three Enabling Masterplan workgroups to look at Employment and Employability, Independent Living and Inclusive Pre-schools. Minister of State Sam Tan will provide updates on these three cross-sectoral workgroups in his speech later.

In our community engagements, we often hear the worries and concerns of care-givers of persons with disabilities. For students with special needs, care-givers tell us that special student care service is essential. Besides helping care-givers to balance work and care-giving responsibilities, the service also helps to reinforce what is taught in school.

To better support persons with disabilities and their care-givers, we will make special student care service much more affordable. We will increase the subsidy quantum across all income tiers to reduce what parents have to pay out of pocket and raise the income cap so that more families can qualify. Minister of State Sam Tan will provide you the details later.

Sir, we have also adopted this approach of providing wrap-around, client-centric support to families with young children living in rental housing. Assoc Prof Daniel Goh asked whether we track the financial health of families at the bottom income quintile as their expenses seem to be growing faster than their incomes. Lower income families also seem to be spending more on household and utilities. There are two reasons for these observations.

First, some of these families are retiree households who tap on other sources of income, including savings, allowances from children, CPF payouts and so on. Second, in calculating household expenditure and utilities, rent is included, but mortgage repayment for owner-occupied property is not. Many 1- to 2-room HDB flats are public rental flats. That is why families living in these flats seem to be spending more on housing.

In any event, for low-income families experiencing hardship, we provide financial assistance, along with the support from our community partners and agencies, to help them with daily expenses and household bills, including utilities, public rental fees and mobile data plans. We regularly review the assistance to account for changes in the prices of essential items as well as changing needs.

Assoc Prof Walter Theseira and Mr Mohamed Irshad asked how we will assist families who face food insecurity. Our assistance to low-income families through ComCare covers basic needs such as food. For families facing immediate needs, our Social Service Offices (SSOs) offer interim assistance such as cash and supermarket vouchers. We also connect them to community-based support such as free cooked food. Families who are unable to buy or prepare their own meals are also linked up with food rations and meal delivery services offered by social service agencies.

We recognise that low-income households may face challenges in eating healthily. The Health Promotion Board (HPB) works with donors to encourage them to donate healthier and more nutritious food products.

The community, too, plays an important role in supporting vulnerable households with food provisions. MSF has been working with food support organisations and charities since 2018. Last year, we convened a workgroup with food organisations and charities, volunteer groups and Government agencies to look at how to reduce food waste and inefficiencies in distributing food, in order to ensure that beneficiaries receive healthy and nutritious food. We have made some progress and will continue to work on these issues together.

But we want to go beyond providing financial assistance and addressing immediate needs.

For families with young children, we want to proactively reach out to provide Comprehensive, Convenient and Coordinated support. We want to empower them to overcome their challenges, achieve sustained stability and possibly even purchase their own homes. And we want to bring the community together to do this.

At last year's COS, I announced that MSF will be launching Community Link, or ComLink, at four locations – Jalan Kukoh, Marsiling, Kembangan-Chai Chee and Boon Lay. In each location, we wanted to bring partners together to address the community's needs in a proactive and customised manner. Mr Seah Kian Peng, Mr Darryl David and Dr Lily Neo asked how we work with different community agencies to support individuals and families in need in a more coordinated manner. Our approach is to work with these agencies as equal partners right from the get go.

Over the past year, local implementation workgroups comprising social service agencies, schools and pre-schools, Government agencies, and the grassroots went door-to-door to engage all families with young children, and conducted focus group discussions to understand their needs, worries, strengths and aspirations. Backend, the workgroups held regular case discussions to link families to the right agencies for additional support, coordinate the interventions provided and track their progress closely.

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For areas that existing programmes may not fully address, the workgroups roped in new partners to bring new programmes to the community. For example, we noticed that families in Boon Lay lacked conducive study spaces at home. Often, parents are also not able to guide their children academically. To address this, the local implementation workgroup created a home work café at the Residents' Network, with South West CDC contributing funding and NTU students volunteering as tutors.

In Jalan Kukoh and Marsiling, we have dedicated ComLink centres to run these programmes. We also make full use of existing community resources. So, in Boon Lay and Kembangan-Chai Chee, where the centres are being set up, we maximise existing spaces like the Residents' Network and RCs to operate these community programmes.

Not only Government and community partners are involved. Corporates and volunteers have stepped forward to offer their expertise and time. For instance, Etonhouse Community Fund donated more than 800 Boxes of Joy with brand-new toys and educational materials to families living in all four ComLink areas in December last year. Doctors and lawyers have stepped forward to provide free health screening and legal advice to residents. Students from Polytechnics and Universities run tuition and enrichment programmes for the children.

ComLink is a good example of the type of cross-sectoral partnerships that can bear fruit when we come together to address specific needs in our local communities. ComLink is a microcosm of how our future social safety net will look like – proactive, upstream, integrated and with individuals and the families placed at the centre of what we do.

Sir, during this time, we are also paying particular attention to those affected by the COVID-19 situation. MTI's assessment, as you heard during their COS, is that the economic impact of COVID-19 could be worse than SARS. The Government has introduced measures to help businesses with cash flow, help workers remain employed and provide additional support for specific sectors directly affected.

For MSF, our priority is to support vulnerable families and individuals who are unable to meet their basic needs because they are unable to work or because the sector they are working in have taken a big hit.

First, we provide financial assistance for persons under Quarantine Orders or Stay-Home Notices, if they are in financial need. We are also tapping on The Courage Fund which now stands at $3.6 million to provide additional support for lower income families who are affected by COVID-19. For social service agencies, ComChest will also be providing support to help them cope with additional expenses.

Beyond the challenges it poses to our economy, COVID-19 is also a test of our social resilience. I am encouraged to see people stepping forward to help one another. Many have signed up to volunteer and donated generously to The Courage Fund. Last Sunday, volunteers in the Families for Life Council launched the "Share-the-Care" movement, which encourages families to look beyond themselves to show appreciation to our frontline and their families.

All 1,000 Share-the-Care baskets have been adopted and I hope families continue to pay the care forward. In fact, I got a message from one of the families. Their son, who is in Secondary school, after playing the games with his parents, packed the basket with new things, went to one of the clinics, after it closed to give it to the doctor and said, "This is for you and your family and children". It moved the doctor to tears. So, let us continue to stay vigilant, take the necessary precautions, take care of our families and keep a look out for one another and give each other a pat on the back, especially our frontline workers.

Ms Denise Phua asked how we are tackling social challenges together as a society. The third key thrust of our transformation is indeed about collaborating more intensively with different partners across all areas of our work. Earlier, I spoke about how we are involving the community through partnerships such as "GROWING TOGETHER with KidSTART" and ComLink. Members might also recall the PEERS network or the Partners Engaging and Empowering Rough Sleepers network. Launched in July 2019, the PEERS network is a diverse group comprising Government agencies, charities, religious organisations and community groups.

Mr Murali Pillai asked about how we assist those who have homes but are sleeping in public because of family problems. Sir, Government agencies join community partners in the PEERS network on their regular night walks to reach out to rough sleepers, befriend them and understand their circumstances. For those who are willing to receive help, we address their immediate needs, work on underlying issues, and support them towards eventual longer term housing.

It was not easy initially. There were concerns among our newfound partners that Government agencies would forcibly move the rough sleepers off the streets. But as we continued to work with them, to look after the rough sleepers' well-being, our relationship strengthened. Because of this trust and understanding, we were collectively able to support more rough sleepers in finding longer term solutions than if each of us were to work alone. I would like to thank all our partners for your trust, your partnership and for coming together. We welcome more partners to join us on this initiative.

Another area that we want to partner the community more rigorously is in enhancing youth mental well-being. The latest Singapore Mental Health Study noted that young people between 18 and 34 years of age had a higher prevalence of mental health conditions, compared to older people. Mental health issues are complex but prevention, early detection and intervention can go a long way to help.

This is not a new area. We are keenly aware of the many issues and struggles faced by those with mental health issues. You have heard from my colleagues in MOE, MOH and MOM on the measures that they have taken and are taking. The community and practitioners on the ground have also done a lot of good work. By bringing a social lens to this issue, however, we can further synergise our efforts and increase our overall impact.

A person's mental well-being affects their families neighbours, colleagues and friends. It is more than a medical issue faced by a person. We want to address the social determinants of health – and consider what kinds of holistic support a person needs to stay healthy. Hence, there is more that we can do together. Last month, we made an open call for persons interested in the topic of youth mental well-being to step forward, connect with us to contribute ideas, and work with us to turn some of these ideas into reality.

This is yet another challenge that Deputy Prime Minister mentioned, that we are issuing to the social sector. We are very encouraged by the enthusiasm of all who have reached out to us. In total, as of this time, more than 700 individuals and organisations have responded and the number continues to grow. Many are young people who are concerned by this issue and want to do something about it. Some have struggled with mental health issues. Some are care-givers or therapists of persons with mental health issues.

We will be establishing a Youth Mental Well-being Network. Everyone who stepped forward during the open call, will have an opportunity to be part of this network. We will get to know one another, identify areas to collaborate and work together to deliver programmes and interventions, to better support our youths. And this work is just beginning. In a way, how we intend to proceed is uncharted waters.

But some early ideas have already emerged. For example, providing information and raising awareness about available resources so that people know where to go for help and to do so earlier. This is just one of the points raised in the conversations we have had thus far.

I hope many Singaporeans will partner us to jointly develop solutions for a happier and healthier society. Our young people deserve the best start in life possible.

Sir, the social service sector is a major partner in our endeavour to build a society of opportunities for all. Demand for social services will increase in both scale and complexity as our social challenges evolve. We therefore need social service professionals with deep skills and capabilities.

In April last year, we set up the Social Service SkillsFuture Tripartite Taskforce to bring together academics, professional associations, Social Service Agencies and policy-makers to look at how we can enhance the capabilities and effectiveness of the professionals in the sector. Since then, the taskforce has initiated various manpower development projects, which we will share more on in the coming months.

Besides skilled and competent professionals, we also need social service agencies with the capability and capacity to deliver outcomes sustainably, effectively and efficiently. Donors generally prefer to support programmes and services that directly benefit service users and those in need – understandably so.

However, resources are needed to build capability and capacity in our social service agencies. As announced by Deputy Prime Minister during Budget, we will introduce the Community Capability Trust (CCT). This is a dedicated, long-term fund of up to $480 million to strengthen our social service agencies capability and capacity to do more and to do so better.

This fund will be made up of contributions from the Government, Tote Board and the community. Government and Tote Board will provide an initial $200 million in capital. To encourage donors to contribute to capability building, the Government and Tote Board will match $2 to every dollar donated by the community for five years, from FY2020 to FY2024. Thereafter, donations from FY2025 to FY2029 will be matched dollar-for-dollar.

The Community Chest will also provide an additional $30 million in capital and spearhead fundraising initiatives to unlock the matching grants. So, let us grow this fund together and use it to prepare our sector for the challenges of the future.

Capability and capacity building may sound very abstract, so, let me illustrate how our efforts to build up our social service agencies capabilities can have a real and lasting impact on the people that we serve.

There are many examples, but we have chosen a very "techie" one where the benefit is very clear.

Angsana Home is a Welfare Home managed by Thye Hua Kwan Moral Society in Pelangi Village. Under the Tech Booster project by the National Council of Social Service, it has implemented the SoundEye monitoring system. The system makes use of smart sensors with AI-enabled sound recognition and motion detection technology to identify abnormal sounds or movements that could give early warning of distress from residents.

Angsana Home staff can be more quickly alerted when residents require attention or help, even during night shifts when there may be fewer staff are on duty. This allows the Home to monitor residents' safety more effectively and provide better care to residents. This is an example of the kind of work that the CCT will support, enabling the social service agencies to do their work better, serve beneficiaries more effectively, have better outcomes and make the work better for social sector professionals.

We know that building capability and capacity is a long-term effort that requires sustained investment. The CCT will give the sector the time and resources needed to build stronger and more productive social service agencies that are ready for tomorrow's challenges.

To serve clients in a coordinated manner, we also need to strengthen the links across social service agencies, as well as between them and Government agencies. Earlier, I spoke about how we work with community agencies as equal partners so that we can operate in concert. Besides working collaboratively, technology is also a key enabler to help us coordinate better. Today, we harness technology to enable our clients to access services more conveniently. Besides financial assistance, all SSOs offer access to employment and housing services. Some also offer access to family and legal advisory services.

Most of these services are provided at the SSOs through video conferencing to other agencies, making it more convenient for clients who need not make multiple trips to receive support from agencies such as HDB, Workforce Singapore (WSG) and the Legal Aid Bureau. We will grow this video conferencing network by offering access to more of these services at all our SSOs, and by bringing partners such as Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) and hospitals into the network, over the next year.

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Besides using video conferencing, we want to harness technology to provide more comprehensive and coordinated support to clients and beneficiaries.

Today, officers may ask clients to submit documents, so that they can better understand their circumstances. This may sometimes include documents that clients had already submitted to other agencies previously. And when one agency needs to make referrals to another, officers often do so over emails for each and every case. After the referral is made, officers may also need to check in with their counterparts to keep track of progress.

To streamline these efforts, we will make significant system enhancements.

First, the enhanced system will allow frontline officers to make faster and more comprehensive assessments about their clients' needs, through digitalisation and data sharing across multiple agencies. Clients will also experience greater convenience without having to repeatedly submit documents to multiple organisations.

Second, the enhanced system will make it easier for agencies to refer cases, share assessments, coordinate how they are supporting their clients and monitor the clients' progress.

This way, all parties can monitor progress and coordinate follow-up actions better, to improve a client's situation. This will also reduce the bandwidth tax on families as they seek to tackle the challenges they face.

These enhancements will be rolled out from the second half of this year. We will bring agencies on-board this system progressively. In steady state, about 5,000 frontline officers from both Government and community agencies will be able to tap on the enhanced system to provide comprehensive, convenient and coordinated support to the Singaporeans that we serve.

Technology is important, but it is no substitute for the human touch. This person-to-person connection is critical in the social service sector, because it builds trust and understanding. With mutual trust, we are comfortable calling our counterparts in another organisation and mobilising support on multiple fronts to address issues quickly.

To strengthen these personal connections, we organise SG Cares Community Network sessions every year in each and every town, all across the island, to bring together partners from the social, health and community sectors in each town. Through this platform, partners get to affirm and build new relationships. We also invite partners to exchange ideas and best practices on addressing needs in the community. The sessions spark discussions that turn into collaborative projects.

We completed the first wave of 19 SG Cares Community Network sessions island-wide in 2019. Through these sessions, we brought together more than 3,500 participants from 160 Government and community help agencies.

The Community Network sessions from the first wave catalysed 60 collaborative projects. "Stories About Us", started by community partners in Hougang and Serangoon, is one such project. These community partners saw the need to listen to the voice of those with mental health issues when designing solutions for them. They then engaged recovering mental health patients to understand the challenges they face in navigating social and healthcare services and asked them how agencies can better support them.

In the second wave, which we have started in November last year, our SSOs will jointly organise these sessions with community partners and volunteers, and develop and implement their ideas together with them. Mr Chairman, allow me now to speak briefly in Mandarin.

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Chairman, in the past few years, MSF has been collaborating with the community to strengthen our social safety net, in line with the SG Together movement.

Moving forward, youth mental well-being is another important area in which we will continue with this partnership approach.

Studies have shown that young people between 18 and 34 years of age have a higher prevalence of mental health conditions as compared to older groups.

Last month, I made an open call for Singaporeans interested in the topic of youth mental well-being to step forward with their ideas. In total, more than 700 individuals and organisations have responded, many of whom are young people who are concerned about this issue and want to do something about it.

We will set up a youth mental well-being network and invite those who are passionate about this topic to share their views. We will identify areas to collaborate and work together to develop more holistic support for our youth's mental well-being.

Through such partnerships, we can synergise and amplify our efforts to better support Singaporeans in need.

I hope more Singaporeans will step forward and partner us to build a caring and inclusive society together.

(In English): Chairman, we are committed to nurturing resilient individuals, strong families and a caring society. We are intervening early to give every child and every family a good start. We are continuing to put those we serve, at the centre of what we do. We are partnering the community, building sector capability and strengthening networks to work better together.

Our society is stronger and more resilient when all Singaporeans come together, when we look out not only for ourselves, but our families, neighbours and fellow Singaporeans in need.

As Deputy Prime Minister mentioned in the Budget Statement, the Government has identified specific challenges that we are bringing partners across the public, people and private sectors together to address. I also spoke about several initiatives that we will work together with Singaporeans on. These include GROWING TOGETHER with KidSTART to support low income families with young children; an online portal for those facing difficulties in their marriage; ComLink to uplift families living in rental housing; the PEERS network to assist rough sleepers; the Community Capability Trust to build capability and capacity in the sector; and the Youth Mental Well-being Network.

I hope more Singaporeans will step forward to join us in these initiatives, participate in our Community Network sessions or join a Volunteer Centre set up by MCCY in their town.

Let us work together to make Singapore a place where those in need are better supported and where Singaporeans have the chance to pursue their dreams, regardless of their starting points and what they may have encountered as they progress in life. [Applause.]

The Chairman: Minister of State Sam Tan.

The Minister of State for Social and Family Development (Mr Sam Tan Chin Siong): Mr Chairman, we are building a more caring and inclusive Singapore. One where individuals are valued for who they are and also enabled to achieve their potential.

The Enabling Masterplans aim to support persons with disabilities (PWDs), recognise their abilities and help them to participate meaningfully in our community and also in our society.

As part of the Masterplans, we set up SG Enable in 2013 to better support them. Since then, SG Enable has become a trusted partner to PWDs, their care-givers and Social Service Agencies (SSAs).

Minister Desmond Lee spoke about placing citizens at the centre of our work and also the consolidation of disability support services under SG Enable in his speech earlier. Please allow me to explain further.

Over the past three years, we have spoken to PWDs, care-givers, social service operators and many stakeholders, to understand the challenges and needs that they face.

From their feedback, one common challenge is the need to work with different agencies and SSAs at different life-stages to get help, and sometimes having to submit the same documents multiple times. To them, having a single touchpoint to support them at all life-stages would make life easier. Many SSAs in the disability sector also told us that the sector could be better coordinated. For example, they have to work with different agencies to get approval and funding for different programmes and activities.

We are grateful to our partners and stakeholders, and have been making efforts to streamline service delivery for the disability sector based on their feedback.

So, I am pleased to announce that from 1 October 2020, SG Enable will become the single touchpoint for the disability sector. It will take over the administration of disability programmes currently run by MSF and the National Council of Social Service (NCSS). In addition, people who are willing to serve and contribute towards creating an inclusive society will be able to identify SG Enable as the single touchpoint to volunteer their time and services.

Ms Denise Phua and Ms Cheryl Chan made an important point on promoting inclusion and also correcting misperceptions about PWDs. This begins with building positive attitudes and improving understanding through public education.

To make our public education messages stronger and clearer, SG Enable will lead public education efforts related to disability. This includes reaching out to the broader community through the "See the True Me" campaign and also coming up with resources on how people should interact with PWDs, and how they can be supported at the workplaces.

Bringing different functions under one roof will improve efficiency, oversight and coordination of services. In addition, it will also provide clear direction for the many helping hands involved.

This new single-touchpoint structure is the next big step forward for the sector to bring stakeholders under one umbrella to co-create and co-deliver services and solutions for PWDs.

Sir, last year, we formed three cross-sectoral Enabling Masterplan workgroups on Employment, Independent Living and Inclusive Pre-schools.

The workgroups have worked with Government and community partners over 13 engagement sessions. We consulted more than 200 PWDs, care-givers and over 40 different SSAs from the disability sector.

With their input and suggestions, we are now working across the whole-of-Government, together with private and community partners, to co-create and co-deliver solutions to address the problems identified and raised during the 13 engagement sessions.

Ms Denise Phua and Ms Sylvia Lim asked about what we are doing to help PWDs in terms of training and employment. As announced earlier by MOM, the Government has introduced new initiatives ,such as the Enabling Employment Credit and the enhancements to the Open Door Programme.

That said, we are also aware that Government measures alone are not enough to meet all the needs. We need to bring the public, private and people sectors together to advance inclusive employment. A good example of how we do this is through the partnership between SG Enable and SSAs to provide training and job support services and their partnership with inclusive employers, such as UOB, to run initiatives such as "The Unlimited", which helps them reach out to even more employers who are willing to employ PWDs. But of course, there is always more that we can do together.

So, under the employment workgroup, which I co-chair with Ms Denise Phua, we put ourselves in the shoes of PWDs looking for a job and we tried to understand the challenges that they face and also we have tried our best to identify the areas where they need more help. Through this exercise, we have identified four key areas where we can and we will do more to help them.

Let me use an example to elaborate this further.

Take for example, Mark, who is about to graduate from a SPED school and will be looking for a job. First, to enhance Mark's work capability, we will help him to improve in areas that employers have identified as crucial. These areas include soft skills, such as communication, teamwork and problem-solving skills. Second, we will create alternative supported employment models and job opportunities for Mark, as he may not be ready to work in an open employment environment yet. Third, we will enhance employment services to match and place Mark in a job. Fourth, we will enable Mark's colleagues to better understand and support him on the job, and we will strengthen education and awareness on working with persons with disabilities.

There are initiatives planned for each of these areas. One such initiative is the development of a soft skills curriculum for students with disabilities, which MOE is working with employers and SSAs on.

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Ms Denise Phua and other care-givers also raised concerns about a gap in terms of continual education and training. The workgroup is working with relevant people and also private sector partners to address this concern.

All these efforts to support persons with disabilities in terms of training, work and employment are in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), something that was mentioned by Ms Sylvia Lim earlier.

Besides employment, independent living is another issue raised by persons with disabilities and their care-givers. The workgroup on independent living, which I co-chair with Ms Chia Yong Yong, is looking into how we can help persons with disabilities live more independently in the community. While we recognise that there is a broad spectrum of disability types, allow me just to illustrate with the example of Amanda, who is visually impaired.

By stepping into her shoes, we better understand the challenges that she faces along the way to access public transportation and what can enable her to overcome that. First, Amanda needs to cross the road from her house to the train station. She can activate the Green Man Plus at the pedestrian crossing. Not only does this function give her additional time to cross the road safely, the beeping sound also helps to orientate her in the right direction. At the train station, Amanda needs to find her way to the gantry. Here, she relies on the tactile flooring to guide her to the gantry, but she needs to take out and tap her EZ-Link card. By using radio frequency identification or Bluetooth technology that LTA is testing, she can, in the future, pass through the gantry hands-free, without any difficulty.

At this point, let me also extend my appreciation to Mr Cheong Kwek Bin and the Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped (SAVH). Working with visually impaired persons like Kwek Bin as a member of our workgroup has been immensely helpful. He and SAVH members have provided invaluable insights on how things can be improved.

Collaborating with them has enabled us to gain insights, to use smart design and assistive technology to further help persons with disabilities to get around the built environment and also public transport.

Another example of such a collaboration was the Mobility Assistance for the Visually Impaired and Special Users (MAVIS) pilot project, earlier shared by MOT.

Sir, we also aim to increase public awareness and understanding on how to lend a helping hand to persons with disabilities if they need assistance, and also ensure that they have better access to information and online services.

Many of these improvements will not only benefit persons with disabilities, but also all of us.

The third Workgroup on inclusive preschools, which Senior Parliamentary Secretary Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim and Assoc Prof Kenneth Poon co-chair, is studying models for inclusive preschools that will allow children with severe developmental needs to receive Early Intervention and Early Childhood services. Senior Parliamentary Secretary Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim will elaborate more on this later.

All the three workgroups have taken in findings from the engagement sessions and will put up their recommendations later this year.

Chairman, we are also doing more to provide support for care-givers of persons with disabilities. Mr Seah Kian Peng noted that Special Student Care Centres (SSCCs) are key to supporting care-givers. They are particularly essential for care-givers who need to work or care for other dependents and themselves.

I am therefore happy to announce that MSF will improve funding and subsidy support for families of SSCC students and extend the subsidies to more families of Special Education (SPED) students. From 1 July 2020, we will raise the eligibility criteria for means-tested subsidies from $4,000 to $9,200, and we will also lower out-of-pocket expenses for SSCC services. This reduces the out-of-pocket cost for a child from a family with a combined household income of $4,000 by around 75%, or from currently $582 to $142 a month, starting from July.

However, beyond the reduction in fees, these enhancements also provide much needed support and respite for care-givers like Mdm Valerie, who fell ill and could not take care of her daughter, Kylie. Before joining MINDS SSCC, Kylie had to be placed in institutional care. The SSCC helped Kylie learn to be more independent in her daily living skills and also facilitated her return home to her family when her mother recovered.

Ms Rahayu Mazam asked how we could make it more convenient for persons with disabilities and their care-givers to access the support they require. Besides making services more affordable, we are also making information more accessible.

To this end, SG Enable launched a new online website called "The Enabling Guide" in July last year. As a one-stop resource for persons with disabilities and care-givers to find help easily, it pulls together information and resources on various disability schemes and services, and guides users to make informed decisions about service options across the life stages. Sector professionals from the disability sector can also use information in the Enabling Guide to help their clients.

Ms Denise Phua and Miss Cheryl Chan also asked important questions about the support available for persons with disabilities as care-givers age, and how we can help care-givers prepare for a future where the care-givers themselves are no longer able or around to take care of their children.

Care-givers of persons who lack mental capacity can make financial arrangements such as setting up trust accounts with the Special Needs Trust Company. They can also apply to Court to be appointed as their child's deputies and have a successor deputy appointed to take their place when the need arises. MSF has also introduced the Assisted Deputyship Application Programme (ADAP) to make the deputyship application process simpler and cheaper.

Sir, we want to assure care-givers that there is a continuum of support and residential facilities, and programmes for persons with disabilities.

Those who can live independently can tap on Government funds for Assistive Technology devices to make their lives easier. Others who require some care-giving support can consider residential options in the form of Government-funded Community Group Homes and Adult Disability Hostels.

But we also know that there are some who need greater care-giving support. When their care-givers pass away and if no one can take over the care-giving responsibilities, the Government will step in to take care of them in Government-funded Adult Disability Homes as the last resort. Sir, we will not leave them alone to fend for themselves. We will not.

In line with the suggestion by Ms Denise Phua, we will continue to work with other relevant agencies to develop the continuum of housing options for persons with disabilities, as well as to make other community services more inclusive. Chairman, I would like to speak in Mandarin now.

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Mr Chairman, we are committed to building an inclusive society where everyone can play their part, participate actively and contribute.

From 1 July 2020, MSF will enhance subsidies to make Special Student Care Centres (SSCCs) services more affordable for families of Special Education (SPED) school students and will extend the subsidies to more families.

We will raise the eligibility criteria for means-tested subsidies from $4,000 to $9,200, and lower out-of-pocket expenses for SSCC services. The reductions will range between 30% and 80% for most families. This means that out-of-pocket cost for a child from a family with a combined household income of $4,000 will be reduced by around 75%, from $582 to $142 a month.

Let me also share that from 1 October 2020, SG Enable will be the single touchpoint for disability services, and take over the funding administration and management of disability programmes currently administered by MSF and the National Council of Social Service (NCSS). SG Enable will also take the lead on public education efforts related to disability and will take over the running of the See the True Me campaign from NCSS.

The changes will allow SG Enable to enhance their efficiency in coordinating resources and project planning, and reduce duplications, so that they can provide more efficient and effective services for persons with disabilities and their care-givers.

In July 2019, SG Enable also launched a new online website – the Enabling Guide. This is a one-stop online platform for persons with disabilities and care-givers to find help more easily. It pulls together information and resources on various disability schemes and services, and users can make more informed decisions about different service options across life stages. Sector professionals and social service agencies can also use the information in the Enabling Guide to better help their clients.

MSF will continue to work with our people, private and public sector partners to build a more inclusive society. Under the third Enabling Masterplan, the Government has formed three cross-sectoral Workgroups to look into how we can better support persons with disabilities through their different life stages. This includes providing better support for children with developmental needs through an inclusive pre-school model, improving the employability of persons with disabilities and helping them live independently through the use of technology and design. The Workgroups will release their recommendations later this year.

(In English): Mr Chairman, in closing, everyone has a part to play in building a caring and inclusive society. Inclusion is not just a vision. It is action. It is about people coming together, enabling each other to create a Singapore where every individual can achieve his or her potential.

We want to build a Singapore that we are all proud to call home. So, at this moment, I would like to turn over the floor to Senior Parliamentary Secretary Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, to speak about other MSF programmes and services.

The Chairman: Order.

Debate in Committee of Supply resumed.

The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Social and Family Development (Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim): Chairman, I thank the Members for their valuable suggestions and continued support of my Ministry's work. I would like to start with a few words in Malay.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] The Malay proverb – bend a bamboo while it is still a bamboo shoot – underlines the importance of educating children while they are still young. Quality early childhood education helps to provide them with strong developmental foundations to succeed in life. The Government is committed to ensure that every child has a good start in life regardless of their background. We have implemented various measures to enable more families to place their children in affordable quality pre-schools.

More Malay/Muslim families are now enrolling their children in pre-schools. The cohort enrolment of Malay/Muslim children aged five to six years old in pre-schools is comparable to the overall pre-school cohort enrolment for children aged five to six years old. This is an encouraging trend. I hope that more Malay/Muslim parents will enrol their children in pre-schools. Through the various measures by the Government to improve access to affordable quality pre-schools, cost should not be a barrier for children from low-income families to receive quality early childhood education.

To help low-income families further, we will streamline subsidy support under Special Approval for children living in public rental flats or receiving ComCare Short-to-Medium Term or ComCare Long-Term Assistance. From August 2020, these families will qualify for maximum pre-school subsidies automatically until the next fixed point of assessment, regardless of the mother’s working status. This is because they had already been means-tested for those schemes. For new enrolments from these families, we will also speed up the processing of Start-Up Grants. This grant helps to defray the initial costs of pre-school enrolment, such as uniforms and deposit.

We will extend more upstream support to children from low-income families, even before they enrol in pre-school, through the KidSTART programme. We have received positive feedback on the KidSTART pilot. Thus, we are expanding KidSTART to another 5,000 children over the next three years. We will also raise the KidSTART income eligibility criterion from a monthly household income of $1,900 to $2,500 from April this year, so that more families can benefit from it.

My Ministry works with many agencies and community partners to give every child a good start. One example is our partnership with M3. Under Focus Area One of M3 to support marriage, parenthood and early childhood development, we partner MENDAKI on the Preschool Outreach Programme. Apart from promoting awareness about the importance of pre-school, this Programme also helps Malay/Muslim families to enrol their children in pre-school. I am happy to share that two-thirds of children enrolled in pre-school with MENDAKI’s help are now attending pre-school regularly. Last year, MENDAKI and M3 partners also launched the KelasMateMatika@CC programme to help Malay/Muslim parents learn techniques to support their children aged four to six years old develop skills in Mathematics.

Chairman, I have shared about the efforts by us and our community partners to provide a good start in life for all children. The responsibility of developing and educating children is a shared duty of the whole community. We will become stronger if we help each other and stay united as the Malay proverb goes – like the bamboo and the river bank . So, please come join us in creating a better future for ourselves and our future generations.

(In English): Quality early childhood development helps our children build strong foundations for life. The Government is committed to giving every child a good start in life, regardless of their background.

At the National Day Rally last year, the Prime Minister announced that the Government will continue to make quality pre-schools more affordable and accessible.

Since 2012, we have doubled the number of full-day pre-school places to 180,000 today. This will increase to over 200,000 by 2023.

Today, 50% of all pre-school places are provided by Government-supported pre-schools. We aim to increase this to 80% by 2025.

Over the medium-term, we aim to lower fee caps at Government-supported pre-schools so that working families with a child in full-day childcare will pay around $300 per month. This is the equivalent of primary school fees plus after-school student care fees. After means-tested subsidies, families will pay less.

Let me explain how we will get there. First, we have enhanced pre-school subsidies. From January this year, we have raised the monthly household income ceiling for the Additional Subsidy from $7,500 to $12,000, and increased subsidies across all eligible tiers.

Second, we will be extending the Partner Operator (POP) scheme for another five-year term from 2021 to 2025 and lowering the fee caps. We aim to appoint more POP childcare centres in the new term.

They will have to meet lower monthly fee caps of $760 for full-day childcare, compared to $800 today. With this, we expect industry median fees to go down. Fee caps for infant care will also be lowered.

Mr Darryl David asked how the Government intends to enhance support for pre-school operators. Besides expanding the POP scheme to support more quality pre-school operators, ECDA and IMDA will launch an Industry Digital Plan for the early childhood sector later this year to provide broad-based support to help pre-schools adopt digital solutions.

In addition, I am glad to announce that ECDA will extend and enhance the Support Schemes to help eligible non-Government supported pre-school operators defray various expenses.

First, the "Kindergarten Conversion Grant", "Enhanced Workplace Childcare Centre Scheme" and "Enhanced Social Service Agency Development Grant" help qualifying pre-school operators defray start-up costs of infrastructure development, and furniture as well as equipment. Moving forward, ECDA will enhance the funding amounts and streamline the three schemes into a single Infrastructure Support Grant.

Secondly, the Community/Sports Facilities Scheme (CSFS) incentivises building developers to set aside spaces for new childcare centres. Moving forward, centres under the scheme may also qualify for support to defray their start-up infrastructure and furniture and equipment costs.

We will also increase the funding amounts for the Portable Rental Subsidy and the Teaching and Learning Resource grants which help pre-schools defray rental costs and support their quality improvements.

Our educators are at the heart of quality pre-schools. Several efforts have been put in place over the past five years to attract more local educators and raise the quality of early childhood educators.

These efforts help to raise the resilience of our early childhood workforce. Mr Ang Hin Kee asked about the impact of staff on Leave of Absence due to COVID-19 on pre-schools. I would like to assure Mr Ang that educators certified to teach Chinese Language who were issued Leave of Absence or Quarantine Orders formed less than 6% of early childhood educators certified to teach Chinese Language.

We will continue to grow the pool of local Chinese Language Teachers, as part of our overarching strategy to make early childhood teaching a career choice. Today, locals can pursue the Early Childhood Chinese Language teaching track at NIEC at highly subsidised rates. Next month, NIEC will launch a new Professional Conversion Programme allowing mid-career entrants to complete the course in half the time.

We are also doing more to raise the standing of the profession. I am pleased to announce that we will make it mandatory for all pre-schools to close on Teachers’ Day from this year onward. So, from this year onward, it will be mandatory to close and teachers can have a good holiday. This move further signals our recognition and appreciation for our pre-school educators.

While we work to enhance the affordability, accessibility and quality of pre-schools for our children, we recognise that certain groups of children need additional targeted support. Mr Desmond Choo spoke about children with developmental needs. We agree with him and are doing more to support this group.

The Early Intervention Programme for Infants and Children (EIPIC) provides young children at risk of moderate to severe developmental delays with early intervention (EI) support. The intensity of subsidised intervention is tailored to the child’s needs and is comparable to other developed countries. EI centres also provide care-giving training to family members so that they have the skills to ensure that intervention can continue for the child beyond the centre for more sustained outcomes.

Beyond EI centres, many pre-schools strive to adopt a more inclusive approach and enrol children with varying needs. To support inclusion within pre-schools, the Government has introduced various EI programmes at pre-schools. Currently, about 550 pre-schools, offer the Learning Support (LS) and Development Support (DS) programmes for children with learning and mild developmental needs respectively. Pre-schools that are DS-LS providers receive Government funding to train their Learning Support Educators and procure therapy services. The new DS-Plus programme allows children who have made sufficient progress under EIPIC to receive intervention within the pre-school setting instead.

Early childhood educators are also taught the basics of identifying and working with children with development needs during pre-service training.

The cross-sectoral Inclusive Pre-school Workgroup, which Minister Desmond and Minister of State Sam referred to, is co-chaired by Assoc Prof Kenneth Poon and I. We are studying how to better support children with moderate and severe developmental needs in pre-schools, including the need to enhance pre-school teacher training and the role of programmes such as EIPIC and the Enhanced Pilot for Private Intervention Providers (PPIP). We are more than halfway through our work and will share our recommendations by the end of this year.

Besides children with developmental needs, children from low-income families is another group for whom we are providing additional targeted support. We have the Pre-school Outreach Programme to reach out to low-income families to encourage them to enrol their children in pre-school. We will also be doing more in three ways.

First, we will ensure that pre-school fees is not a barrier. Our recently enhanced subsidies will enable more low-income families to pay $3 per month at Anchor Operator (AOP) childcare centres, or $1 at AOP or MOE Kindergartens. We also made applying for subsidies easier.

Mr Darryl David asked about support for non-working mothers. Last year, we enhanced support for non-working mothers under Special Approval. Under the scheme, mothers who are not working for reasons such as taking care of a younger child, studying, undergoing pregnancy, or medically unfit to work, can receive the same subsidies as working mothers. Mothers who are looking for work can also qualify for Special Approval as a transitory measure.

Mr Seah Kian Peng also asked if we can do more for non-working mothers from low-income families. I am glad to announce that with effect from August 2020, we will streamline subsidy support under Special Approval for all children from low-income families living in public rental flats, or receiving ComCare Short-to-Medium-Term or Long-Term Assistance.

As these families have already been means-tested, we will automatically qualify them for maximum pre-school subsidies under Special Approval. Families will not have to submit additional documents when they apply for Special Approval. The subsidies will also remain unchanged until the next fixed point of assessment, as opposed to the current process where they may have to re-apply for support every few months.

7.30 pm

For new enrolments from these families, we will also facilitate Start-Up Grants, which defray the initial costs of enrolment such as uniforms and deposit.

Allow me to illustrate how this supports families. Consider Lisa, who lives in a public rental flat. Her husband is the sole breadwinner and they have a son, Caden, who recently turned two and enrolled at an AOP pre-school. As Lisa is looking for a job, ECDA provided her with working mother subsidies for six months under Special Approval, and she only pays $3 per month for childcare. Previously, Lisa would have to re-apply for subsidies once her Special Approval expires in six months. With our enhanced subsidy process, Lisa will receive maximum subsidies and continue to pay $3 per month until Caden completes Nursery 2. With this, Lisa can have peace of mind while she seeks employment. She will not have to worry about her subsidy support expiring.

Mr Chairman, this also demonstrates the Government’s efforts to better coordinate the delivery of social services, by linking assistance schemes across pre-school, housing and social domains for families.

Second, we want to ensure that children from low-income families can access developmental opportunities at their pre-schools. These activities, such as field excursions, may incur some costs to families. All AOPs are required to set aside funds to help low-income children access such opportunities. For all other pre-schools, I am pleased to announce that ECDA will extend the Pre-school Opportunity Fund (PSOF).

The PSOF provides funding support for children from low-income families to participate in these developmental activities. The number of children who had benefited from PSOF has increased from about 900 in 2014 to 2,400 in 2019. Over the next three years, we expect this to go up to about 2,700 children per year.

Third, as Minister Desmond shared, we will extend more upstream support to children from low-income families, even before they enrol in pre-school, through KidSTART.

We have received positive feedback. Parents felt more confident in parenting. Health and development issues were detected earlier, and younger children on KidSTART enrolled earlier in pre-school.

This is why we are expanding KidSTART to another 5,000 children over the next three years. We will first expand to the Woodlands and Bedok regions this year, which have ComLink sites. From April onwards, we will also raise the household income ceiling from $1,900 to $2,500 to benefit more children.

As the Government increases support for children from low-income families, we have also received active interest from many community and corporate partners wanting to do their part. This was why my Ministry launched the "GROWING TOGETHER with KidSTART" initiative together with ComChest last September. This will enable us to deepen partnerships with interested parties to provide support in a more impactful, meaningful and sustainable manner.

Dr Tan Wu Meng and Ms Rahayu Mahzam asked for an update on the partnerships that we have forged thus far. Allow me to share some examples.

Since we launched the "GROWING TOGETHER with KidSTART" initiative last September, we have received over $800,000 in donations. This includes a sum of $600,000 which the Real Estate Developers’ Association of Singapore (REDAS) had collectively raised from its members. Singaporeans such as Ms Joanne Lim, Founder of the Right Perspective^SG, have also stepped forward to raise funds for KidSTART with the launch of her children’s book.

Last year, Kimberly-Clark Corporation sponsored about 12,000 diapers for 420 KidSTART families. Over the next three years, they have pledged another 100,000 diapers for families on KidSTART.

Besides donations, we currently have about 250 volunteers from all walks of life. They partner our officers in running activities for KidSTART families.

One example is Mr Simon Loh, who is the Risk Management Director and the Chairperson of SP Heart Workers – H-E-A-R-T Workers – which is Singapore Power’s Corporate Social Responsibility Committee. Beyond stepping forward to volunteer when he heard about KidSTART, Simon also mobilised 30 Heart Workers to volunteer weekly at our KidSTART group sessions over four months. Besides assisting with programme delivery, they provided some very helpful suggestions to improve our activities, which we took in.

We appreciate the strong commitment by all our partners and welcome more to join us.

When children enter Primary school, we recognise that some parents may require after-school care. Mr Ang Hin Kee spoke about enhancing the accessibility, affordability and quality of student care centres, or SCCs in short.

Overall, fees for registered SCCs, including those in the community, have remained stable. The current median fee is about $295 per month, close to the median of $290 per month in 2015. So, it has been quite stable.

For school-based SCCs, MOE puts in place measures to keep fees affordable. Operators are selected via a competitive procurement process where they are required to state any proposed fee increases throughout their six-year contract upfront. This is taken into account as part of the bidding evaluation criteria. Contract specifications also limit the types of fees that operators can charge.

We want to ensure that student care remains affordable, especially for low-income families. Therefore, I am pleased to announce that we will increase the amount of subsidies under the Student Care Fee Assistance (SCFA) scheme from 1 July 2020. Eligible families will receive up to $60 more subsidies each month. To benefit more families, we will also raise the income criteria from $4,000 to $4,500, and the per capita income from $1,000 to $1,125. Around 9,000 students will benefit from these enhancements this year.

Currently, SCCs registered with MSF provide sufficient capacity to meet public demand. Moving forward, we want to make sure that we regulate the sector in a manner that is conducive. And we feel that needing to regulate the sector more tightly will have to be weighed against the increased cost and manpower requirements, on the part of both Government and SCC operators, of doing so. Nevertheless, we have the framework in place.

We will continue to monitor the student care landscape and review the requirements for SCCs as needed to ensure that they remain relevant and appropriate.

As Members of Parliament, we might have encountered families with children who have been abused or neglected. They need strong intervention to ensure that they have the best shot in life. This is why Parliament had passed amendments to the Children and Young Persons Act or CYPA last year.

Mr Melvin Yong had asked for an update on the implementation efforts. I am pleased to announce that from second quarter this year, the Court will be able to grant Enhanced Care and Protection Orders, or ECPOs in short, so that all children facing abuse and neglect can benefit from enhanced protection.

With an ECPO, MSF and designated care-givers can make day-to-day and more substantive decisions for a child whose family struggles to provide a safe environment. An ECPO will minimise disruption to the child, as it can last till the child turns 21 years old.

We had earlier announced that childcare leave benefits will be extended to foster parents. Today, I am pleased to share that from second quarter this year, these benefits will be available to 530 foster families. Foster parents will be able to use the leave when they, for example, bring foster children under their care to visit a doctor.

We hear Prof Lim Sun Sun's concerns about the need to safeguard the digital rights of children. There are various legislative, regulatory and public education measures in place. For example, new offences related to the distribution and advertising of child abuse material were introduced through the Criminal Law Reform Act. Another example is the Personal Data Protection Act which all organisations must comply with when they collect, use or disclose personal data, including that of children.

We will not be able to completely insulate our children from online dangers. It is therefore important that children learn to use the internet safely and responsibly, such as through Cyber Wellness programmes in schools. Parents also play a role in keeping their children safe.

Assoc Prof Walter Theseira asked if the Break the Silence campaign could be more inclusive. We recognise that it is not easy for persons facing violence to seek help. Their concerns are varied, such as whether it would lead to the arrest of the perpetrator who might be a loved one, and the stigma or fear about being judged.

The Government’s stance is very clear. Violence against any person – LGBTQ or not – should not be condoned. We are very clear about it. The Penal Code and the Protection from Harassment Act protects all victims from domestic violence, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identities or marital status.

As a policy, social services must be accessible to all, without discrimination. For example, our Family Violence Specialist Centres have supported LGBTQ persons who faced violence after "coming out" to their families. In fact, I have spoken to a few of them and it is heartening to note that even when we engage the social work community, increasingly, they talk about it and see how they can look at the needs of everyone, including the LGBTQ community, friends and families in Singapore.

The Singapore Association for Social Workers has a Code of Professional Ethics, which is covered and reinforced throughout a social worker's training and practice. This code binds social workers to strive towards a culturally sensitive practice that acknowledges all diversity, including sexual orientation and gender identities.

We will continue our efforts to be inclusive and make social services available to all persons who require them. For example, MSF is exploring the setting up of a one-stop dedicated national hotline to make it even easier for victims to seek help, regardless of the type of abuse or violence they face.

A new inter-agency taskforce, which I co-chair with Senior Parliamentary Secretary Xueling, will address domestic violence regardless of family and social forms.

At the same time, we continue to encourage social service agencies and social workers to deepen their capability to support all victims with empathy and sensitivity.

Chairman, my colleagues and I at MSF will continue to work hard to build a society of opportunities for all Singaporeans, at every stage of their life. We will continue to transform our social safety net. We will enable Singaporeans of all abilities to participate fully in our society. We will give every Singaporean a good start in life.

We cannot do this alone and must continue to partner Singaporeans in this national journey. Together, we are stronger than the sum of our individual parts. On that note, I thank Chairman and all the Members here for working with us at MSF to make life better for all Singaporeans. [Applause.]

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The Chairman: Clarifications. Mr Seah Kian Peng.

Mr Seah Kian Peng: Mr Chairman, just a short clarification to Minister of State Sam Tan. I know he has been leading Government's effort in engagement of the disability sector. Just want to ask him what is the community's feedback to this engagement? And secondly, are there any specific areas that the Government is focusing on and looking to improve?

Mr Sam Tan Chin Siong: I thank the Member for the clarification. In the course of almost four months, MSF, together with partners and also the two co-chairman of the Enabling Masterplan 3 (EMP3) workgroups – Ms Denise Phua and Ms Chia Yong Yong – together we have engaged, we have conducted 13 engagement sessions with more than 200 persons with disabilities, the care-givers as well as the social service agencies from the disability sector.

Through these sessions, we had the opportunity to really hear for ourselves first-hand information and sharing from them. To many of these participants at this engagement sessions, they told us that this is the first time where they really sit down with a Ministry, Senior Management, Ministers, Mayors and all that to share their inner feelings, their frustrations, their aspirations as well as the challenges that they face. They also told us what they want the Government to do in order to help them.

Through these engagement sessions, we have currently identified 12 new initiatives under the workgroup for Independent Living as well as 14 initiatives for the workgroup for Inclusive Employment. We now have 26 initiatives that we are working on together with 19 Government agencies and Ministries. Personally, I think this is a very useful engagement, very productive one.

Once we work out all the mechanics and schematics of all these 26 initiatives. We plan to go back to the community to engage them again to co-create and also to co-refine all those programmes and services, so that together all these activities and initiatives are not just merely coming out from the Government, Ministries and all, but it is a joint product between the Government, the people and the private sectors.

I think if we can do this, Singapore will truly be an inclusive society. I thank the Member for raising that question.

The Chairman: Ms Rahayu Mahzam.

Ms Rahayu Mahzam: Just building on that effort that MSF is doing that Minister of State mentioned, I wanted to just find out about the parent groups. Because I think that is another group that you may want to also continue to build on. Because I am part of some of these organic groups and they can, I believe, augment the support structure if you empower them and also be the ambassador.

So, I am just wondering with all the efforts of streamlining, having SG Enable as the one-stop point and also overseeing the See the True Me campaign, perhaps the parent groups could also be engaged and empowered to be the advocates.

I have a second clarification to Senior Parliamentary Secretary Faishal. He mentioned earlier that there is a sum of about $800,000 that has been donated to the KidSTART efforts through "GROWING TOGETHER with KidSTART". I am just wondering how would that donation be channelled through the beneficiaries as well as what are the volunteering opportunities? If we are able to share about this more, people would be more interested and we could scale up this programme.

On that note, what is the objective of actually growing aside from just getting the support because I think there is potential to scale up KidSTART and potentially help more families.

Mr Sam Tan Chin Siong: I thank the Member for raising this very important question. Care-givers, the parents, form a very important key pillar in holding a family together. To the question of what we do to help our care-givers, particularly parents with children with disabilities or special needs, SG Enable has set up a dedicated place called Care-givers Pod which serves as a meeting place for parents with special needs children or with disabilities to meet regularly.

So far, I was told that more than 1,600 care-givers have utilised a place to conduct sharing sessions, training and interaction sessions. So far, 222 care-givers have registered for personal access to the Care-givers Pod.

This is only the beginning, because if we can reach out to the parents, we are able to help them chart out the plans for their children for the future. Then, their children who either have special needs or disabilities will have a brighter future going forward.

Minister Desmond Lee and I have separately engaged, parents who are care-givers to better understand their situation, challenges and the needs that they need from the Government. So, all those engagements sessions proved to be very useful because they established trust and confidence between both sides. We will continue to organise such engagement sessions to make sure that parents of children with disabilities or special needs will not be left alone to fend for themselves.

The Chairman: Senior Parliamentary Secretary Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim.

Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim: I just want to thank the Member for the Supplementary Question and thank the Member for the interest in "GROWING TOGETHER with KidSTART". The donations that we receive, we can use it for essentials such as milk, diapers as well as to help them with transport costs going for KidSTART programme as well as to pre-school. At the same time, there are also opportunities where we can help to top up their CDA account. And that is one area that we can also empower them to be able to use that.

With regard to the opportunities available, in fact, the first basic thing is, as part of the outreach to get them on board in KidSTART. So, that is very critical, we must get them on board first. Secondly, we can also look at how these volunteers can participate in some of the KidSTART activities like home visit, group sessions and they can become befrienders and also, at the same time, organised activities for the KidSTART recipients and their families.

So, beyond doing all this is not only about having that donation as well as the activities. It is also about developing the relationship between the donors, volunteers and the families as well as the children.

We want to give the best start in life for every child and when we invest in such activities together, we not only give them the opportunity to have a good future, but I feel more importantly, it is also how we can get closer and we do this as part of the Singapore Together movement – where we want to do things together and build Singapore together.

I am very happy that the Member is very interested in this and if any individual or donors who are interested can contact ComChest or can even approach Minister Desmond Lee, Minister of State Sam Tan as well as myself at any point in time.

The Chairman: Let us take one last question, Dr Lily Neo. Please keep it short.

Dr Lily Neo: Thank you, Mr Chairman. Yes, I will keep it short. Minister earlier said that MSF will proactively reach out to families in HDB rental homes to assist them, to possibly buy their own HDB flats. Many of these families lamented that they cannot afford it. How does the Minister plan to do it? And what are the schemes in place to help them overcome this challenge?

Mr Desmond Lee: The Member is referring to Community Link or ComLink. We have set up Community Link in four locations for a start. In the north, Marsiling; in the south, Jalan Kukoh; in the west, Boon Lay; and in the East, Kembangan-Chai Chee. We have visited 650 families with young children door-to-door. We aspire to reach out to 1,000 in these four locations. We have a better understanding of the needs of each and every one of these families but also the assets and strengths of each family to pull themselves up, especially to make sure that poverty does not translate to the next generation. They have young children.

So, this programme is not in and of itself targeted at achieving home ownership, though that is one of the many indicators of progress in these families' lives.

When we identify that they have an aspiration for home ownership, then we will work with them to ensure that there is stability in family, stability in their work, support them with financial literacy if they wish to enhance their capabilities on that front, accumulate the savings; and then, when they are ready to pursue home ownership, there is a range of schemes available by HDB to support them.

Fresh Start, for example, is one programme, but the enhanced Step-Up Grant, recently adjusted last year, will also better enable these families to leave rental housing and get back into stable housing. There is a housing support team set up by HDB that will work closely with the ComLink agencies to support these families on the homeownership journey, when they make that decision.

The Chairman: Mr Seah, would you like to withdraw the amendment?

Mr Seah Kian Peng: Mr Chairman, on behalf of all Members who filed cuts, I would like to thank Minister Desmond Lim, Minister of State Sam Tan and Senior Parliamentary Secretary Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim for their considered responses, which I found very assuring.

I cannot help but notice that I have been filing cuts to MSF and the former MCYS for the last 14 Committees of Supply. The number of cuts has been progressively coming down. It is a good sign. I think it shows that the Government has been resolving more issues even as new ones cropped up.

It leaves me now to thank all the men and women at MSF and all those in the social service sector for their good work, their consistent work all these years in our on-going journey to make Singapore more caring, more compassionate and a more inclusive society. With that, Mr Chairman, I beg leave withdraw my amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The sum of $3,170,071,900 for Head I ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates.

The sum of $102,581,800 for Head I ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates.

The Chairman: Leader.