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

Debate in Committee of Supply resumed.

[Mdm Speaker in the Chair]

Fathers and Parenting Role

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

I welcome the policy change to allow for fathers to take two weeks' paid paternity leave. First, let me declare my interest as a board member of the Centre for Fathering. I have been there for over 12 years now.

Within the recognition of the importance of supporting working mums, will the Minister consider allowing fathers to take leave at any stage within weeks of their baby's birth and not just within the first 16 weeks? This reinforces shared parenting responsibilities and the increasing role that fathers play in families.

Singapore has been on a trajectory to increase the provision of maternity leave and, sometimes, this can be perceived to be at the expense of the women's career prospects.

Can the Minister tell us how it intends to recalibrate existing policies to keep up with changing realities on child-rearing? I know that in asking this question, I am posing this "having the cake and eat it" scenario. But I do think that it is a false choice that we present to women today – between leaning in and keeling over at work, as one recent mother wrote in the papers. To do this, we need more support for fathers.

The presence and active involvement of a father leads to children more likely to do well in school, have healthy self-esteem and avoid high-risk behaviours, compared with children who are raised without a father. While society has prepared women for the workforce, we have not prepared fathers to be involved with their children. I have four suggestions.

First, fathering education. As a nation, we need to consider fathering education as a core support to prepare men to be fathers. While NS training prepares them for national defence, their future role as involved fathers prepares them for social defence, in making homes a safe haven for children. When these men become first-time fathers, a basic course on fathering can make a significant difference in raising awareness of the crucial roles they play and provide some basic tools for involved fatherhood.

Second, supporting fathers and teenagers in distress. Young children with fathers who are incarcerated are deprived of the important bonding they could have. The longer they are apart, the harder it is to regain the bond and that increases risk of child neglect. Such fathers need to be given a chance to bond with their children through special programmes for incarcerated fathers. Such bonding, though necessarily limited because of circumstances, is not only precious in itself, but also increases the motivation of these fathers to stay out of trouble for their family. It is time to recognise the difference fathers can make in teenagers who are at a crucial stage of transition into adulthood. We need to encourage better fathering for these teens.

Third, strengthening men in their marriages. Many research studies indicate that the quality of the relationship between the child's parents is the central engine governing the healthy functioning of the family system. We need to consider funding marriage enrichment training for couples during crucial times, such as just before the arrival of the first born, just before the teen years, and when parents are incarcerated.

Fourth, supporting fathers at work. We need to provide incentives for fathers to be involved with their school-going children by giving them time-off to be at school. We must recognise companies who are father-friendly, companies who consider involved fathering as a leadership quality that will positively impact their team.

Parenting and working is a balance that each one of us – mothers or fathers, men and women, sisters and brothers – we all have to decide for ourselves. This decision, however, is made in a context and within societal and national norms. The Government has a big role in the formation of these norms.

Question proposed.

Early Childhood Manpower Adequacy

Ms Tin Pei Ling (MacPherson): Madam, I am heartened that the Government is working hard at increasing the supply of quality infant care and childcare centres, so that young working parents can focus on their careers with less to worry about at home. But I am concerned about the manpower adequacy in these centres.

In his parliamentary reply earlier this year, the Minister shared that a projected number of 1,500 more early childhood personnel over the next two to three years is needed to meet the demand. This is a significant number. I am also aware that the Ministry has expanded student intakes, introduced Professional Conversion Programmes and enhanced career progression opportunities in a bid to attract and retain early childhood educators.

I would like to ask the Minister.

Firstly, with the measures and programmes in place, as shared, are we on track to meeting this projected demand?

Second, what is the Ministry's contingency plan if the manpower supply still falls short in two to three years' time, bearing in mind that we are near full employment and there is a manpower shortage across all sectors?

And, lastly, would the Ministry consider complementary measures, such as drawing in retired teachers, not necessarily retired preschool teachers, or "aunties" who do not have the papers but are experienced enough to help at the centres, as an interim supply-side solution; or work with the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) to promote flexi-work that will, as part of the demand-side solution, enable mothers, fathers and grandparents to have more time to care for their children?

Investment in Childcare Sector

Mr Gan Thiam Poh (Ang Mo Kio): Madam, the Ministry has made substantial investments in the childcare sector in the past few years.

One particular development which I must commend is the greater number of childcare centres set up at workplaces. This has increased by 50% from 2012. The 390 childcare centres at workplaces were also well spread out. This means greater convenience and peace of mind for more parents.

Could the Minister share with us the key areas where improvements in the childcare sector have been made? How does MSF intend to build on these achievements in the next few years?

Infant Care and Childcare

Ms Sun Xueling (Pasir Ris-Punggol): Mdm Chair, in Mandarin, please.

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] There are many young parents living in Punggol. Many of the young mothers would like to return to work as soon as possible after giving birth. However, in order to return to work, they have to send their children to childcare centres. The problem is, one needs to queue on a waitlist for a place at the childcare centre. This is because the development of childcare centres has hit a bottleneck: it is difficult to recruit teachers.

Why is it difficult to recruit teachers? Because the Government has laid out many requirements for early childhood educators. However, for a preschooler, what she needs most is to learn through real-life experiences, to learn through play. She does not necessarily need a sophisticated learning system. What she needs is love, companionship and encouragement. Therefore, can we consider lowering the criteria for childcare teachers, so that more caring individuals with experience in taking care of children can be recruited? In this way, we can increase the number of teachers and more children can receive care.

In addition, can we consider setting up community-based parent support centres at the RC centres and allow housewives with experience and time to take care of children in need? Can the Government draw up relevant safety standards and establish a feasible model based on mutual support within the community?

In the past, when there were big families, children could be taken care of by relatives after they were born. But, nowadays, couples only have each other within the family, and raising children becomes more difficult. However, as the saying goes, "远亲不如近邻", meaning that a neighbour who is near is better than a relative who lives far away. In terms of early childhood education, can we take in more caring individuals, promote mutual support within the neighbourhood and lighten the load of young parents?

Kindergarten Fee Assistance Scheme (KiFAS)

Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap (Aljunied): Mdm Chair, all children are unique, as are the methods that are most effective for them. They are naturally eager for knowledge and some children require a very structured teacher-led style of learning while others learn better in a child-led environment that emphasises individuality and creativity. It is the responsibility of parents to assess the temperament and learning abilities of their children and to select the most appropriate school and curriculum for their children's growth and development. However, the unevenness of KiFAS means that the choices that they make for their children's education are limited, especially for the less well-off.

Kindergarten education is extremely important as it sets the foundation for skills that they will build on later in life and plays an important role in the social and emotional growth of the child. KiFAS can currently only be used in about half of all registered kindergartens which are in the centres run by anchor operators and MOE. This stifles competition with other operators that provide quality education but are not KiFAS-eligible and limits parents' choices.

Madam, I am repeating my earlier calls for KiFAS to be expanded to all kindergartens so as to create more quality choices of learning and development.

Affordable Childcare Fees

Mr Desmond Choo (Tampines): Mdm Chair, the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA)'s cap on the fees for 23 Partner Operators seeks to keep childcare affordable by stabilising market rates from the supply side. This will impact 169 childcare centres and help 16,500 children. But many families are still subjected to escalating fees. I would like to offer two suggestions to ensure fees are affordable.

To defray child-raising costs, all Singapore citizen children enrolled in centre-based care are eligible for a basic subsidy of up to $300 for childcare per month. In April 2013, additional subsidies were introduced to help families with gross household income of $7,500 or per capita income of $1,875. This is approximately the 40th percentile group. From 2011 to 2015, the median full-day fees rose 25%, yet the subsidies for those families in the sandwiched group, which is those above the 40th percentile, remained unchanged at $300 since 2008. Will the Ministry increase the amount of basic subsidy given to these middle-income parents?

To further enhance the supply side stabilisation of fees, could ECDA also ensure that we have enough anchor or partner operators to cater enough childcare places to at least half of each cohort? In fact, if we plan for a childcare place for every Singaporean child, we can reduce competition for places that drives up fees.

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I would also like to ask if the Ministry can review its subsidies based on the "true cost" of childcare services. Besides childcare fees, most centres offer enrichment programmes as options. Many parents feel pressured to also enrol for these classes, lest their children are left to play on their own while their peers pick up additional skills.

Could the Ministry do a nationwide study to find out what percentage of parents are taking up these enrichment courses for their children at such centres? If most of the children are already doing so, are these options truly "optional"?

We have to be mindful not to introduce inequality into the education system to the very young children. We can only imagine the impact on the child who has to sit out enrichment classes because his parents are not able to afford them.

While the childcare fees of the centres are stated on the ECDA website, could the Ministry consider mandating that childcare operators do state the full cost of their services, including enrichment or optional classes, online on their websites or in publicity materials, so parents will know what they are in for?

Pro-family Workplace

Ms K Thanaletchimi (Nominated Member): Mdm Chair, we all know that it is not easy to be parents. The situation gets even tougher when both parents are working. Many parents are faced with the delicate balance of managing both work and family. For those who are single parents, the stress they are facing is even greater. Sometimes, they are emotionally affected due to problems at work or in their family. There are surveys and reports that suggest that there is a correlation between single motherhood and depression.

A 2007 study by Crozier, Butterworth and Rogers found that single mums are significantly more likely to have a moderate to severe mental disability. In fact, the study shows that prevalence of mental health issues in single mums is almost 30%, compared to partnered mothers, which is about 15%. The study cites decreased household income, increased financial hardship and a perceived lack of social support as the main reasons for single mums to have an increased risk of poor mental health.

During an interview in 2014, Harry Potter author JK Rowling talked about how, when she was a single mother, she was so depressed that she considered suicide, but was saved by thoughts of her daughter.

Mdm Chair, I think much more can be done to help single parents, both at the workplace and in society, for example, by providing emotional support through counselling. Perhaps, it would be worth exploring the possibility of linking every company within a geographical location to the social service network, such as Social Service Centre or Family Service Centre.

With such collaborative efforts, companies can assist the worker with the appropriate help which may not be available at the workplace. Such small but meaningful effort goes a long way for the individual worker's mental and emotional stability.

Informal Caregivers

Mr Chen Show Mao (Aljunied): Madam, many Singaporeans provide regular care to family members or friends who are disabled, elderly or physically or mentally ill. Our dependence on this group of Singaporeans is real, substantial and often unacknowledged. In many ways, informal or unpaid caregivers enable other Singaporeans to carry out the economic activities reckoned in our GDP, while their own caregiving is not. As of now, the burden of informal caregiving falls disproportionately on women.

As noted in this House before, it is well-documented that caregivers often suffer declines in their own financial circumstances and mental and physical health. If they work, their performances suffer, too. Often, these caregivers pass up opportunities, stay at home and can find themselves with little support and resources for their own retirement or care.

In recent years, we are starting to acknowledge and provide assistance to these informal caregivers, with several Members of this House having spoken on the issue.

I hope the Government will look into CPF top-ups for full-time informal caregivers in low-income households to reduce the pressure of being under-employed and under-prepared for retirement, as a result of taking on their informal caregiving responsibilities.

Other examples of a much-needed acknowledgement and support for caregivers could include the leave for caregivers that several Members of this House have called for, or greater support for working informal caregivers when they exercise their rights to ask for flexible work arrangements.

Less-advantaged Children

Dr Lily Neo (Jalan Besar): Mdm Chair, may I urge MSF to give more assistance to the less-advantaged children, in order to give them a better chance in levelling up in life?

Education and home environment are important for such upward socio-economic mobility. Whilst we have a good education system in Singapore, we need to help the less-advantaged children benefit fully from it. Sadly, a home environment – where there is non-parental involvement, poor home literacy and unmotivated parents who do not send their children to school – sets the children back. We need to improve the home environment for these families.

Studies have shown that a less-advantaged family background or socio-economic status affects the likelihood of students graduating from high school or college. Thus, there is a need to identify this group for early intervention. Maybe MSF's SSOs can pick out such families and provide a holistic approach in helping them with more lasting solutions.

Most times, these families have low skills and low-paying jobs and may have a slew of needs, such as in housing, income, childcare or ill-health of family members. The parents of such families need to acquire long-term capabilities, such as upgrading of skills and job placement. The mothers have to move away from prejudices and mental barriers to employment. Their children should be assisted with their well-being, daily care, healthcare and education.

More social workers and MSF staff are required to undertake such a hands-on personalised approach to solve the various needs of each family. Most times, many of their issues cannot be solved overnight and these families may require long-term follow-up.

Children in the Care of a Foreign Parent

Mr Ang Hin Kee (Ang Mo Kio): Mdm Chair, in my Meet-the-People Sessions (MPS), I have encountered cases whereby, after a married Singaporean passes away, the non-Singaporean spouse suddenly becomes the main caregiver of their Singaporean child or children.

Sometimes, the foreign spouse may also have a non-Singaporean child from a previous marriage who is here on a Student Pass. This parent has to make a decision whether to stay in Singapore or to move back to his or her home country. This is a huge struggle that they have to grapple with when their spouse passes away.

There are increasingly more marriages between Singaporeans and non-Singaporeans. Some went on to start a family with their child born in Singapore. For some, the Singaporean spouse is usually the sole breadwinner. The issue becomes complicated when the spouse passes away, becomes handicapped or critically ill, is jailed, or when the couple undergoes divorce. The foreign spouse suddenly has to take on the responsibility to support the family and their young children.

Recently, several media reported on the plight of a Chinese national who gave birth to triplets after her Singaporean husband reportedly walked out of their marriage. Her children, who were previously stateless, were granted citizenship recently, with the aid of a helpful lawyer. I am not sure of the residential status of the mother, but I am sure it is a challenging circumstance for the family.

For such families, it is most unfortunate that they have to be put through such difficult circumstances. Many of these foreign spouses are here on social visit passes, Long-Term Visit Pass or Long-Term Visit Pass-Plus (LTVP or LTVP+). For some of them, they can work if they have a Letter of Consent. If not, they may have to leave the country with their children back to their home country.

Does the Ministry have figures on the number of children who are impacted under such circumstances? What assistance can we offer to ensure that the children grow up in a supportive environment?

Can we provide emotional support for the spouse, as well as education needs for the children and their childcare needs? For such spouses, can we give exemption to allow them to work and to bring up their children here in Singapore?

Unwed Parents and Their Children

Mr Seah Kian Peng: Mdm Chair, I have spoken on the needs of single-parent households for some 10 years now. Families of all shapes and sizes – they are a key part of my mission, both in Parliament and in my work in the community, especially in the Centre for Fathering, where I serve on the board.

Single-parent families are already socially stigmatised and face more challenges than nuclear households. Our policies should not create more barriers for them when they seek assistance. We should offer the same level of support to families of all kinds. Hence, I would like the Minister to consider extending Government Paid Maternity Leave (GPML) to children of unmarried parents. That will give a clear signal that the Government does not consider their claim to national spending to be any less because of their circumstance, willing or unwilling.

How can the Government reduce the vulnerabilities that children from single-parent households face? In particular, for children of unwed parents – almost always mothers – can we extend GPML to them?

Whilst we have progressed and started in recent years to provide more for single parents, certain benefits, such as Baby Bonus and housing priority schemes and grants for families, are not extended to unwed parents.

I note the Finance Minister's earlier announcement that the Child Development Account (CDA)'s First Step grant is for all Singaporean children and I share the concerns of many other Members who have also asked if this will also include children of unwed parents.

I have only mentioned GMPL, co-matching for CDA and the CDA First Step grant to benefit single-parent families. Of course, there is a myriad of policies, not limited to housing or Baby Bonus, that are out of scope for this group but who definitely need them the most.

The Government is encouraging parenthood. Single parenting is often not a choice but a result of circumstance. I, therefore, repeat my call and ask the Minister to review the current differentials in policies and to recalibrate them.

Children of Single-Parent Families

Ms Tin Pei Ling: Madam, I am heartened by the continued investment in the children of Singapore. We must continue to give all our young a good and more equalised start in life. Because by doing so, we are also making sure that the future sons and daughters of Singapore start on a good footing.

In Singapore, while all children are precious and should enjoy equal opportunities, some are still "more equal than others". I feel very much for one group of children and they would be children of single parents, mainly unwed mothers.

Firstly, children are innocent and, since they have been given life, we must cherish and nurture them. Give them opportunities and help them blossom into responsible and capable citizens of Singapore and of the world. Hence, we must focus our policies and efforts on their well-being.

Secondly, having to grow up in single-parent households would mean that they can only rely on the resources of one parent, instead of two. This situation is exacerbated if the responsible parent is of lower income. Therefore, I hope the Ministry will consider the following.

Firstly, reaffirm that every Singaporean child is a precious member of our society.

Secondly, grant the full period of maternity leave to unwed mothers, up from the current period of eight weeks. This move is to allow the mother to have sufficient time to bond with the newborn. The child, from the point of birth, was already disadvantaged, having only one parent to rely on. It is all the more important for them to have enough time to develop the emotional attachment essential for a stable mother-child relationship.

Thirdly, allow the child to benefit from the Child Development Account. This was meant to be a special savings account for children's healthcare and educational expenses. It is not a normal bank account which parents can frivolously tap on. Hence, if it is meant to benefit the child, why not allow children of unwed mothers to enjoy it as well? First, it encourages the mother to save money for the child. Second, it allows the child to also enjoy the First Step Grant of $3,000. We should prevent an unnecessary widening of the gap between Singaporean children, just because of their parents' marital status.

Lastly, ensure that children of divorced or unwed parents are included in the KidSTART programme. Given their relative disadvantageous start in life, I sincerely hope that KidSTART will help equalise the learning, developmental and health support these children can receive from the state.

Single Parents and Child Benefits

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong (Non-Constituency Member): Madam, currently single parents are not entitled to certain benefits or Government schemes which may be available to other parents. I would like to urge the Government to consider allowing single parents and their children to have the same benefits. I will discuss three examples.

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One, same maternity leave as married mothers. It is important for a mother to recuperate physically and emotionally from child bearing. The time a mother can share with her child is especially precious and, when managed well, can strengthen the psychological and emotional bond that a mother shares with her child. Working mothers often have to quickly get back to work while they are still struggling to find infant care assistance for their child. At the end of the day, a mother's marital status is irrelevant when it comes to the struggles I have just described.

Two, Baby Bonus and CDA support. The Baby Bonus Scheme was designed to help families defray the costs of raising a child. It comprises a cash gift and a Child Development Account (CDA). Children born out of wedlock are not entitled to this. The CDA account will certainly come in handy to help the single parent manage early childhood expenses.

Last week, I asked the Minister for Finance during the Budget debate to confirm whether CDA First Step Grant is available to children of single unwed parents. The Minister did not answer this question, preferring to leave this to MSF to deal with in the Committee of Supply debate this week. Perhaps, the Minister can clarify.

Three, shelter. A single parent below the age of 35 and their child do not form a family nucleus when applying for a new HDB flat or rental flat. They are also not eligible for housing subsidies. Single parents need to provide themselves and their children with a roof over their heads, too. The current housing policy puts a heavier burden on single parents. They are often compelled to rent or purchase from the open market. With hefty rental rates, they may have to cut back on other expenses. Or they have to stay in an over-crowded flat with other relatives. The children suffer when there is less money for their own well-being or a less desirable environment for them to grow and learn.

May I ask the Government to look at this issue from a new angle? The Government may think that they are just penalising single parents. But actually, the Government is making life harder for the innocent children of single parents for they have to grow up with more challenges and fewer resources.

This should be about ensuring better and fair support for their children. These children are Singaporeans, sons will serve National Service and daughters will continue to bear and nurture future generations for Singapore. See the value, not the cost. We should acknowledge the value that these children will bring to our country, our people and our economy. When one sees the value, then the cost becomes insignificant, the stigma becomes unnecessary. Give these children the same opportunities as others, without the stigma.

The Government allows singles, whether men or women, to adopt children. If MSF thinks that it is fine for singles to adopt children, then these adoptive parents and their children should be entitled to the same relevant benefits as married adoptive parents and their children. I would like to urge the Ministry to seriously consider equalising the benefits for all children.

Providing Support for Single Parents

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang (Nee Soon): Madam, I join Members of this House in urging MSF to review the support for single parents. There are some benefits that single parents currently do not enjoy, such as the full 16 weeks of maternity leave. Unwed parents also do not get perks, such as the Baby Bonus and parenthood tax rebates, and have to wait until they are 35 years old to buy a HDB flat under the singles scheme.

Single parents have a difficult time bringing up their child or children single-handedly, compared to families with two parents. As an inclusive society, we should be providing equal rights to single parents and ensure they do not feel alone in their journey. We should help rather than penalise them.

Will the Ministry, for a start, consider helping single parents by extending the length of maternity leave given to single mothers? Will the Ministry consider providing any other support for single parents?

Supporting Singaporean Children

Mr Desmond Choo: All Singaporean sons and daughters should have equal opportunities to succeed, regardless of their origin or birth. It should be an inalienable right of every Singaporean baby. Yet, for the children of single unmarried mothers, they are not equals.

First, their mothers are not covered under the Child Development Co-Savings Act which entitles lawfully-wedded mothers to 16 weeks of maternity leave. For the single unwed mothers, employers pay them for the first eight weeks, with the next four weeks subjected to employment terms. Thus, they may have four to eight weeks of paid maternity leave less than their lawfully-wedded peers. These four to eight weeks make a difference. Women are more likely to breastfeed with the full 16 weeks of maternity leave – bringing with it long-term health and development benefits for the child.

Second, because these children do not have a Child Development Account, they would not be able to enjoy benefits, such as the CDA First Step Grant of $3,000 which would have been very handy for the financially-strained single mothers. For the same stated benefits that the children of lawfully-wedded mothers enjoy from these grants, these children are denied.

In 2014, there were 446 children born without the father's name. I understand the need for policies to be signposts of the inclinations and views of the larger society. Yet, would it not also be the societal view that we should support those who are in need? It will be difficult to find Singaporeans who do not believe in equal opportunities for our Singaporean sons and daughters, as what many of my fellow Members of Parliament have pointed out.

Therefore, I urge the Government to review if it can extend full maternity benefits to all Singaporean children, regardless of the marital status of their mothers. I also urge the Government to allow unwed mothers tax reliefs under the Working Mothers Child Relief and Foreign Maid Levy Relief – so that the child can benefit from the money saved from paying taxes, and have the support of a domestic worker.

As lawmakers, let us look into any child's eyes and be filled with love that we have done our best to ensure that he is, indeed, equal amongst peers.

Child Abuse and Neglect

Mr Seah Kian Peng: Based on statistics released by the Ministry, there has been an increase in the number of child abuse investigations since 2009. In 2014, there were 158 cases where there was clear evidence of abuse, with another 47 cases lacking evidence but needing assistance.

Of the 158 cases, physical abuse was the most common, followed by sexual abuse, physical neglect and emotional abuse.

I understand that the Ministry has a Child Protection and Welfare Service that coordinates the protection and welfare plans for the child, as well as providing assistance to the family. In addition, the Ministry works with VWOs, such as the Singapore Children's Society, TRANS Centre and other Family Service Centres (FSCs), in providing holistic support for the child and the family.

Together with these VWOs, the Ministry has worked to provide and coordinate supportive services that build parenting capacities, alternative care arrangements, early identification of abuse and neglect, as well as substitute services, such as foster family care, adoption and residential care, for the children.

For example, within the Ministry, there is also the Positive Parenting Programme that teaches positive parenting skills for families. There are also recovery programmes for children and adolescents who have experienced sexual abuse, as well as for their non-offending parents and caregivers, to provide them with skills to help their children.

All these are not piecemeal efforts. Yet, there still remain a substantial number of child abuse cases, as seen from the statistics that I mentioned earlier. Beyond public education and early identification of suspected abuse cases, what more can the Ministry do to improve support to this vulnerable group? How has the Ministry been supporting these children? How does the Ministry intend to improve the support to such children?

Also, it is known that children with special needs are at a higher risk of experiencing abuse. Does the Ministry have any statistics for this group? Also, what is being done to address the higher risk for this subgroup?

Effectiveness of Social Service Officers

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Home Affairs (Mr Amrin Amin): In my interactions with residents at my Meet-the-People-Sessions, I have found more Singaporeans with complex social needs as our demography and family structure change. What is MSF's strategy in supporting them in light of our physical and manpower constraints?

I welcome the completion of the network of 24 SSOs across Singapore. This is an important step in strengthening the social safety net for the vulnerable in our community. Since the first SSO was set up in 2013, how has MSF measured the effectiveness of SSOs in meeting the objectives and what are the plans going forward to enhance the effectiveness of SSOs?

Finally, our frontline staff in SSOs work very hard to help fellow Singaporeans. However, I understand that some of them are subjected to abuse, especially when those who seek help react emotionally. What are the steps MSF has taken to protect our frontline staff from such abuse?

[Deputy Speaker (Mr Lim Biow Chuan) in the Chair]

Consistent Definition of Income Criteria

Ms Tin Pei Ling: Currently, there is a wide range of income criteria applied to public service applications from different agencies, ranging from financial assistance to public housing to foreign spouse immigration. The variation can be in the form of gross versus nett, aggregated versus per capita and varying qualifying income ceilings for different but possibly similar schemes. This is confusing.

Hence, could the Government consider applying net per capita income as the criterion across the board? This is a fairer assessment of a household's true earning and spending power. Also, could the same income criterion be imposed on applications involving a similar group of beneficiaries, even if the administering agencies differ?

Finally, if not already, would the MSF consider taking the lead in a whole-of-Government income criteria review?

Financial Counselling for Families

Mr Chen Show Mao: Sir, my experience with families in financial need seems to suggest that quite a number of them would have benefited from financial assessment and counselling at the time of selling their HDB flats.

I would like to suggest that the Government look into instituting at some point in the selling process, mandatory checks to ensure that certain groups of sellers, say, those aged 55 or above, are fully aware of the specific respective amounts of proceeds that will be used to pay off outstanding mortgage loans, HDB resale levy, required CPF refunds and all the restrictions relating to the transfer and use of monies in and out of their CPF accounts, including the Retirement Account, and to provide them with related financial counselling if assessment so warrants.

ComCare Graduation

Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong (Non-Constituency Member): Chairman, Sir, the Ministry's ComCare Annual Report reported that the number of recipients of ComCare Short-To-Medium-Term Assistance increased from over 11,000 beneficiaries in Financial Year 2012 to over 27,000 beneficiaries in Financial Year 2014. I believe this is due to the expansion of the eligibility for Short-to-Medium-Term Assistance in 2012 and 2014 and also the greater outreach effort by the SSOs.

It is good that ComCare is reaching more Singaporeans in need. Nevertheless, all else being equal, the effectiveness of Government's efforts to help Singaporeans in need should be reflected in a decline of the number eligible for assistance. We should be worried if the number of beneficiaries continues to climb when the eligibility criteria stay the same.

I would like to propose the Ministry set up a Mentoring Programme for the recipients of ComCare Short-to-Medium Term Assistance. Recent studies show that asset and cash transfers to the poor are more effective when the recipients receive two years of counselling and training to use the assets and cash in ways that will help them to graduate from poverty.

In the Singapore context, it could be to enrol in skills training, so that the person could land a decent job or to leverage existing skills to start micro-businesses. The Mentoring Programme would also encourage recipients to persevere and break out of the poverty cycle.

We should not be so judgemental as to tell the recipients what they should consume with their cash assistance, but the little mentoring advice and encouragement will go a long way, especially with the needy who find themselves socially isolated.

This Mentoring Programme need not and should not be as intense as the handholding for the Fresh Start Housing Scheme, but the underlying principle is the same. The ComCare Annual Report should also show the number graduating from ComCare through the Mentoring Programme, not just the number of beneficiaries, so that we can be confident our fellow Singaporeans are being uplifted out of poverty.

A "Yellow Ribbon" Approach to Poverty

Ms Kuik Shiao-Yin (Nominated Member): The story of the Singapore Prison Service (SPS) is a very powerful signpost of what can be achieved when the Government matches culture with strategy.

In 1988, SPS faced wicked problems – overcrowded prisons, a severe manpower shortage, overworked and discouraged prison officers and lousy public perception. The recidivism rate back then was high, at 44.4%. That means half the ex-offenders were back into prison within two years of release.

There was also a vicious intergenerational cycle – children of inmates were becoming offenders themselves. So, a small group of SPS leaders dared to ask themselves: how was Singapore Prisons creating security for all if it did not do anything to reduce repeat offences? These early adopters pushed through a progressive idea that perhaps the primary job of a prison was not to keep "bad" people in but to get them out forever.

At the heart of SPS' culture transformation strategy was the repositioning of prison officers as Captains of Lives with a mission to rehabilitate, renew and restart. And prisoners were repositioned not as problems to control but people worthy of support on a historic quest for redemption.

The prison officer was no longer a gate-keeper that worked on minimising the cost of "bad" people but repositioned as a guide that worked on maximising possibilities for people wanting to do good again. The public were no longer empathetic bystanders but repositioned as vital participants who could unlock a systemic second prison.

MHA was sceptical at first and worried that this soft "culture-first" approach would not produce results and waste public money. But 16 years later, results still hold. The recidivism rate has dropped from 44.4% to the mid-20s from 2011 onwards. Public perception of ex-offenders and morale of prison officers remain high and our innovative approach has actually gone on to inspire similar experiments in prison systems from Nigeria to Australia.

I speak at length about the Singapore Prison story because I see important parallels of the on-going struggles we face in the social sector in the struggle against the poverty cycle. I also see new possibilities in adopting the "culture-as-first-resort" approach pioneered by Singapore Prison.

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Right now, many FSCs feel similarly overwhelmed by demand and strained for resources. Many social workers feel burnt out, especially when they see people sunk in poverty, relapsing back into impoverishing behaviours despite intervention after intervention. Many of the poor also expressed demotivation when they − wrongfully or not − perceive their social workers acting more like gatekeepers, working for the good of the system rather than guides working for the good of the people.

So, I have three questions. First, do we know how many of our people relapsed into poverty two years on despite our interventions? What is our recidivism rate for poverty? Second, are we experimenting with any broad-based "Yellow Ribbon"-like culture intervention to meet our strategic goal of disrupting poverty? Third, what if Fresh Start was not just a housing scheme but the beginning of a whole-of-Government, whole-of-society movement that engaged all stakeholders to work as one to disrupt poverty together? For instance, what would SkillsFuture for a Fresh Start or Public Broadcasting for a Fresh Start look like?

As we work on the transformation of how we help our working elite, let us also transform how we help our working poor as well.

Support for the Elderly Poor

Ms Rahayu Mahzam (Jurong): Chairman, at my Meet-the-People sessions, I see many elderly residents requesting financial assistance. Some of them are still working, some are retired, some have children but do not get any financial support from their children. The common issue they face is that they do not have enough monies for their monthly expenses. I would typically refer them to SSO and, usually, some form of assistance is given to them.

I am, therefore, heartened that one of the key initiatives rolled out in this year's Budget is the Silver Support Scheme. Through this scheme, additional assistance will be given to the elderly from the lower income group, on top of any other forms of assistance that they may already be eligible for. This will definitely help lessen the burden for this group of senior citizens.

There will, however, be seniors who may not meet the criteria set out for the scheme and will not be entitled to the payout. I can still refer such cases to SSO or extend ComCare assistance where appropriate. However, a typical problem I encounter is one which involves elderly residents who have working adult children. These elderly residents are usually asked about their children's contribution and typically indicate that their children are unable to assist them. Some are also uncomfortable about seeking help from their children.

I have seen cases where SSO will extend some support but there are also several cases where assistance is not given on account of the fact that there are children who should be able to support their parents. Could the Minister elaborate on the current approach when dealing with such cases?

I believe it is important that the family continues to be the first line of support for those who need help. This is a value that our society should embrace and adhere to.

In looking at various approaches to resolve the issue, would the Ministry be looking to enhance the engagement with the children of these senior citizens? I understand that some cases are referred to the Maintenance of Parents' Tribunal. I note that the families are usually asked to attend mediation. This is definitely very helpful. Is there any need to re-frame or review the role of the Maintenance of Parents' Tribunal in assisting families to understand the role of children in helping to support their parents?

Social Mobility

Mr Leon Perera (Non-Constituency Member): Mr Chairman, a critical measure of our successes as a society is social mobility. This is the part of the glue that binds Singapore. I have heard from a friend in the social work profession that he has begun seeing clients in need of social work help who are the children of the clients that he saw 20 years ago. So, no one is cheered by stories like these.

MOF's Occasional Paper published in 2012 and updated in 2015 suggested that the 1978-1982 cohort and 1974-1978 cohort saw an inter-generational mobility measure of around 0.2, which is relatively good by international standards. Other studies suggest different results. For example, Prof Irene Ng's study based on 2002 data concluded that 58% of the income advantage of Singapore parents was being handed down to their children – a level similar to the USA at that time. And there are methodological limitations to both these studies, as both authors have acknowledged.

I suggest that we commit to at least one social mobility study every 10 years to the best available global standards. If we cannot measure how well we are doing, we cannot know how to make things better.

Enabling Masterplan 3

Mr Seah Kian Peng: Mr Chairman, Enabling Masterplan 2 comes to fruition by the end of this year. Notwithstanding its plans and progress, there is a sense on the ground that the majority of the public are still largely unaware of its achievements and undertakings, even the existence of the five-year Plan itself.

A friend told me that in her evening walks with her husband, she sometimes sees a person on a wheelchair at the bus-stop, where he would alight from a double-decker bus. He would wait patiently to ask for help from random passers-by to wheel him home. My friend's husband wheeled him one particular evening and, even for a young man in his 30s, it was not the easiest task. The 20-minute journey, gradually uphill, and made longer due to detours made inevitable by steps. Imagine the man on a wheelchair having to ask for this favour almost every night. This story makes two points.

First, let us do help each other along, whether it is a man on a wheelchair or an old neighbour with dementia.

Second, I would like to sound a note for practical help. Too often, the term "community help" means the Government leaving us to our own devices. This is great for those of us who have devices, but the Government needs to help those who cannot help themselves and to do so without eroding their dignity and self-worth. In this case, can the Minister update us if we are close to the forecasted 400 beneficiaries taking up the Assistive Technology Fund?

Can the Minister also recap what are the key areas of progress made under Enabling Masterplan 2 and how the Government plans to build on these achievements? Beyond continuing work on early intervention, I think we need to also give more support to families in caregiving for such groups and improving the service delivery and quality. Can the Minister spell out the key focus areas of Enabling Masterplan 3?

Embracing the Special Needs Community

Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng (Jalan Besar): Sir, I will use the term "special needs" with the commonly used term "disabilities" interchangeably in this speech.

Those of us who have been following the development of the special needs landscape in Singapore know that much has been achieved in the last decade.

The first salvo to include those with disabilities was launched by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong when he was inaugurated. His inauguration speech set the tone and momentum of things to come.

There were a few breakthroughs. MediShield Life which covers persons with congenital conditions and/or pre-existing conditions; universal base funding on top of means-tested fundings for Early Intervention, and the immense MOE support for Special Education schools. These are some of the positive breakthroughs.

Singaporeans should visit the SG Enable Village to see the dignity and support given to persons with special needs who might be suitable to work.

Today, we have amongst us in Parliament, a respected Nominated Member of Parliament, Ms Chia Yong Yong, a lawyer with peroneal muscular atrophy. I have personally witnessed the quiet, commendable efforts made by the Parliament staff to ensure this Chamber and even our restroom facilities are accessible to Yong Yong. Kudos to them.

The third five-year Enabling Masterplan for Persons with Disabilities in our country is now underway. These are exciting times for the special needs community. But they are also alarming times, judging from the fast pace and ways by which technology can disrupt our world.

The directions laid down in Budget 2016 are just as relevant to this special community. We must, as a country, address the community's near-term challenges. At the same time, the special needs community, comprising Persons with Disabilities, their caregivers, the professionals, VWOs and other agencies, must be future-prepared. They must acquire skills mastery in what they do. They must attain innovation capability and learn to form enlightened partnerships in order to survive and, hopefully, thrive in the world of the future.

Dream big, dive deep, dare to deal with the difficult. I believe that is the way to go.

Dream big. Singapore signed and ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2012 and 2013 respectively. The Convention advocates the important view that Persons with Disabilities should not be simply objects of charity, medical treatment and social protection. The Convention sees them as full and equal members of society with rights to such important things as education, healthcare, housing, justice, mobility and safety.

Singapore must dream big and cast the vision of fully embracing the special needs community as its rainbow to chase. In every key aspect of life, Persons with Disabilities must be included, by default, in the main chapter of policymaking and not as an after-thought; or, worse, forgotten.

A Smart Nation is not so smart if it creates a digital divide between those who can and others who cannot or are not included to partake.

The SkillsFuture movement does not promise much of a future if it does not tangibly provide for those at risk of being left behind – the vulnerable, including Persons with Disabilities. If lifelong learning is the way to go, then there is nothing to say that MOE's special schools cannot be resourced to become lifelong learning hubs so that persons with special needs can learn and contribute for life.

In the special needs sector, we can leverage on our nation's advantage in technology to be the game changer to develop, scale and spread excellence so that more can benefit. Go for excellence. Dream big.

Dive deeper. To truly embrace the special needs community, the Government and other stakeholders must go beyond the usual general public consultations with focus groups in developing policies and programmes, especially for the upcoming Enabling Masterplan.

There are several key disability types – intellectual, physical, developmental, sensory, learning – and groups with multiple disabilities. Persons with Disabilities and their caregivers are not all the same in the issues they face. There are different levels of challenges, commitment, abilities and excellence amongst the service providers and agencies supporting them. We need to do more than ground sensing. The usual general frustrations and disappointments will surface, but dive deeper we must, if we wish to excel. Encourage each major disability group to study their own terrain and derive a mini Enabling Masterplan that highlights the pivotal needs of their charges, prioritise them, identify the gaps and recommend solutions.

The Government must invite and study these plans. We know that not everything can be addressed by the Government, but it can surely play the role of Integrator and Facilitator to identify partners who can co-source or co-develop innovative solutions to address this area of growth or pains.

The Singapore Association for the Deaf has attempted a mini-Enabling Masterplan highlighting the needs for effective early intervention. Other deaf activists have raised the need to make captioning and sub-titling a default feature for all key national communications.

The adults who are visually impaired need a greater variety of jobs so that more of them can find work. More must be done upstream to train them and find jobs beyond the respected traditional professions like masseurs and buskers.

The autism community has organised itself, formed the Autism Network Singapore and is in the process of developing its own Enabling Masterplan. Their worry is also for the adults in their midst.

Administrators and policy writers must themselves dive deeper, too. It is old-school to only use a person's ability or inability to perform physical Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) as the eligibility criteria to schemes, such as the Foreign Worker Grants for the disabled. Just because someone is able to physically dress himself and go to the toilet independently does not mean he does not need supervision in other key aspects of life.

To achieve excellence, the Government and all of us in the sector need to go beyond threading water and dive deeper.

Lastly, we must dare to deal with the difficult issues confronting the special needs community. There may be no easy solutions for some of these issues and that is precisely the reason why we need to surface them, alert the relevant agencies and tap on the rest of the Singapore family. I would like to highlight a few.

Regular health screening and consultations by doctors, dentists and even optomologists capable of treating Persons with Disabilities. This is a real need. Dr Chen Shiling from the Happee Hearts Movement has a vision of starting a specialised health centre for People with Disabilities (PWDs). Check her out.

Children with rare diseases whose medical costs can chalk up to $300,000 per year. Although MediShield Life, thankfully, does not exclude them, the needs are still high and this group needs help.

Centres for adults with more severe disabilities, receiving only means-tested financial support and insufficient for long-term viability. They need the support of the rest of us.

Parents who are in urgent need of legal assistance as they are no longer able to make decisions for their adult children deemed as lacking mental capacity; decisions, such as on surgeries and housing – they need help.

Family caregivers who are emotionally at risk of taking their own lives and those of their children with special needs – they need help.

How can the Government and the rest of Singapore support them? We cannot pretend they do not exist. We need to dare to confront these difficult challenges.

Persons with special needs are more than their diagnosis. They are not simply the objects of our charity. Someday, many of us may join this club when we lose our sight, our hearing and our mobility. Some of us may even lose our mental capacity. The only way to predict the future is to help create it.

Let us dream big, dive deep and dare to deal with the difficult.

The Chairman: Ms Chia Yong Yong, you have two cuts. Do you want to take them together?

Open Door Programme

Ms Chia Yong Yong (Nominated Member): Thank you, Sir. I understand that, to date, around 140 companies have applied for funds under the Open Door Programme (ODP) and the average claim per company was $3,000. Whilst we have made progress in reaching out to employers, we are clearly still short of desired levels of outreach.

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In what ways can the Government create greater awareness of the assistance funds available and encourage more companies to apply under the ODP? Also, has the Open Job Portal been an effective platform for job seekers with disabilities and employers?

Permanency Planning

Sir, second cut. We worry about our children, our parents and our loved ones. All the more, when such children, parents or loved ones have special needs, disabilities, illnesses or are in other ways vulnerable. We worry for them, even when we are here to look after them. When we are not here anymore, what will happen to them?

With smaller families and an ageing population, there are fewer family members to share the caregiving role. Many caregivers of persons with disabilities are elderly parents, who, in no time, will no longer be able to continue in their caregiving roles. Caregivers of elderly parents, spouses or siblings with disabilities will also grow older. In the vicissitudes of life, some of us will not survive the ones that we take care of. We do not want to leave our loved ones to charity; neither do we want to burden the state unnecessarily. It is, therefore, important that caregivers be equipped and guided to make arrangements for continued, qualitative care for our loved ones when we are not around anymore. We are referring to "permanency planning".

We should try to do this ground-up. VWOs look after their beneficiaries, they understand the needs of the beneficiaries and the caregivers. VWOs also have an understanding of assistance schemes and the care options provided by institutions that can be matched to the needs of the beneficiaries.

If we can equip VWOs with the necessary financial skillsets to help the families of such beneficiaries plan for care arrangements when they are no longer around, plan for the anticipated care arrangements and help to prepare the beneficiaries for such future living arrangements, that would be ideal. Permanency planning can be taken into account in the beneficiary's current customised care plans to enable caregivers and VWOs to have regular conversations on how to review and update such permanency planning.

Therefore, I urge the Government to consider providing funding support for social service professionals to undergo structured training for the purposes of undertaking permanency planning. We will be spending a little bit now for a longer future.

Social Service Sector

Mr Seah Kian Peng: People in the social service and early childhood fields often experience challenges in their day-to-day work. The Government is now trying to develop a larger pool of skilled social service professionals through agencies, such as ECDA and the Social Service Institute.

We announced recently that in addition to the SkillsFuture Credit, social service professionals will also be eligible for the SkillsFuture Study Awards for the Social Service Sector, providing each recipient with $5,000 for attending course-related training.

Besides these efforts, how else is the Government investing in the professional capabilities of this very special group? Are these professionals currently accorded the opportunity and time by their organisations to pursue professional development?

How else is the Government also looking to give greater support and recognition to other social service professionals? In particular, can we continue to raise the salaries of social workers and other social service professionals to give them greater parity with their peers in other professions?

Meanwhile, the Government has also been increasing support as well for VWOs. With these investments, has there been an evaluation of outcomes? How have the VWOs benefited from the support?

I know the plan to develop the Social Service Net (SSNet) is already underway. How has the progress of the implementation of SSNet been and what is the next phase of its development? How has the social service sector been leveraging on technology to improve its work and service delivery?

Manpower for Social and Family Services

Assoc Prof Randolph Tan (Nominated Member): In Singapore, almost all sectors compete for manpower from the same limited pool. Ironically, even as the economy slows, many organisations still cannot fully meet their hiring needs.

Social spending has been rising steadily for a number of years now and it has required sectors, such as social and family services, to increase their demand for manpower at a time when the supply is tight. From childcare centres to old-age care, the rate of increase in Government spending and the urgency of meeting certain performance targets are occurring at a pace faster than we had seen in the past.

I would like to urge the Ministry to temper the rush to compete for manpower and other scarce resources and ensure that the increases in growth in spending be achieved at a more measured pace. Please allow me to point to three specific areas of concern.

Even if manpower were more readily available, proper training and deployment take time. Has the Ministry monitored if the pressures imposed by the increases in social spending over the last few years are leading to problems with the quality and fit of manpower in the sectors under its purview?

The volume of work under the Ministry's purview has also expanded. Take ComCare as an example. The number of cases under ComCare has been growing, with that under ComCare Short-to-Medium-Term Assistance expanding about four times from 2007 to 2014.

For the many organisations in the social and family services sector that are not-for-profit and affected by the manpower crunch, what is the impact on their service standards? How do they cope with the competition for manpower with for-profit organisations? What is the outlook for the manpower supply in this sector in the face of such challenges?

Finally, the number of volunteers has also expanded. Managing a large pool of volunteers is a challenge and requires high-level skills in coordination. Volunteers have to be organised within a coherent administrative framework in order to maximise their contributions. A disorganised and fragmented approach to managing volunteers can result in confusion or, worse, negative outcomes. A growing pool of volunteers can, therefore, also strain already tight resources. How does the Ministry plan to manage such a challenge?

The Chairman: Ms Jessica Tan. Not here. Ms Chia Yong Yong.

Capability Building

Ms Chia Yong Yong: Thank you, Sir. Before my involvement in the social services sector, I took the view that social service professionals served out of passion and therefore, should expect a pay cut, compared to their peers in other sectors. I also took the view that my donations, however paltry, should go to direct services to beneficiaries and not towards the administration of the charity.

I did not realise then how wrong I was. We should not penalise anyone for serving out of passion. We should remember that they have families to feed, children and loved ones whom they wish to provide for. They have aspirations and, if they leave the sector to fulfil those legitimate aspirations, our beneficiaries will suffer.

I did not realise that for a VWO to help their beneficiaries effectively, it must run well as a whole organisation. Corporate support functions and good governance are important. We need good professionals and staff to manage and operate corporate support, to implement good governance, in order for our therapists, social workers and counsellors to serve and support our beneficiaries effectively. So, we need to engage, develop and retain competent staff within the VWO sector.

In recent years, the Government has increased funding support for VWOs to make sure that VWOs are able to remunerate their staff better and granted funds to help improve the corporate capabilities of the social service sector. However, VWOs encounter challenges in some of this funding and I would like to share some of them.

Challenge in putting up funding proposals. Most VWOs do not have resources to put up proposals to access the funding.

Restrictions on grant usage limit the usefulness of some of such grants. An example would be the Innovation and Productivity Grant.

Short-term grant support for programmes or corporate functions. The difficulty is that VWOs cannot stop a programme or terminate staff just because the funding has ended. Therefore, we often hesitate before we undertake a programme. Ultimately, the beneficiaries suffer.

Having stated the above, I do want to acknowledge that the current two-year Corporate Development Fund Scheme is a good start. Moving forward, I hope that the Government will provide more sustainable and recurrent funding or allow VWOs to explore more creative revenue models to sustain their own operations.

Specifically, for this debate, I would like to ask if the Government would be able to streamline and simplify the criteria and the process for the application of Government grants. Secondly, would the Government provide greater and more sustained support to VWOs in their corporate funding, so that their operational capabilities can be strengthened to better support the delivery of good social programmes?

The Minister for Social and Family Development (Mr Tan Chuan-Jin): Chairman, I would like to start off my speech by providing an overview of my Ministry's focus in Mandarin before resuming in English.

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] The continual progress and prosperity of a country depend not just on a strong economy; it is equally important that we build an inclusive society and help Singaporeans build a caring home. MSF will be working on three priorities moving forward.

Our first priority is to make Singapore a good home for the family and for every child to have a good start in life, regardless of family background. Strong and happy families are the basic building blocks of our society. Our families are what make life meaningful for us. This will not be just an MSF effort, but a whole-of-Government priority.

For each of our families and for Singapore as a whole, our children are our future. We want them to grow up in strong families and a safe and nurturing environment. For children who have less, we will give them an extra leg up, so that they, too, will have the opportunity to live to their potential and to chase rainbows.

Hence, we are providing greater support to families with young children. MSF will continue to expand accessible, affordable and quality early childhood education. MSF will also provide greater financial support to young children through the new CDA First Step scheme.

The children's early years are essential to their physical and mental development and will have a long-term impact on their future. There is a small group of parents who, for various reasons, are unable to provide the best support to their children during this crucial stage. Hence, we will be piloting a new scheme targeted at vulnerable children aged six and below, called KidSTART. This new initiative will proactively identify vulnerable families and children through various indicators, so as to provide them with early access to the necessary health, learning and developmental support. We will also provide parents with the knowledge and skills to care for and support their children's development.

Our second priority is to continue to strengthen our social safety net and improve the lives of the low-income and more vulnerable amongst us. We are aware that the cost of living is high in Singapore and that our low-income households have to grapple with it every day. As the Minister for Finance has mentioned in his Budget speech, we are increasing the cash assistance for those on ComCare long-term assistance.

The ComCare Long Term Assistance scheme is a package of assistance for those who are permanently unable to work due to reasons, such as old-age or disability, and have little savings and family support. Most of the beneficiaries are elderly.

From July this year, a one-person household will receive $500 per month, up from the current $450. The assistance will also be increased for larger households. Besides cash assistance, they will also continue to receive free medical care and additional assistance. Many of them are also allocated heavily subsidised HDB rental flats.

At the same time, we will also do more for Persons with Disabilities. Much progress has been made under the current Enabling Masterplan. We will build on these efforts and have started work on the Enabling Masterplan for the next five years to explore how we can better assist Persons with Disabilities to integrate into mainstream society and live a meaningful life.

However, I would like to stress that to be a truly inclusive society, relying on Government subsidies or policies alone is not enough. We would need the wider community to step forward and play a part in improving the lives of those among us who are weaker. This would be MSF's third priority − building a caring society.

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We will continue to support VWOs to raise their capabilities and help social service professionals develop themselves. At the same time, NCSS will also work with our VWOs to expand volunteerism opportunities, so that Singaporeans and businesses who are keen to contribute to society can do so. Over the next three years, the Government will provide dollar-for-dollar matching for additional donations raised through ComChest's "Share as One" programme. This will encourage corporations and the communities to contribute to society.

Singapore is our home. Only by caring and supporting one another can we march towards the next 50 years. I hope that in 50 years' time, Singapore will not be successful just economically, but equally outstanding in having a more cohesive and caring society. This is a vision worth striving for. It is a vision that needs each and every one of us to realise.

(In English): Chairman, when we speak of people being Singapore's only resource, many think we are just referring to the Singaporean worker, how educated he is, how hard-working, how skilled. In short, how he can contribute to keeping Singapore going for the next bound. But in reality, the Singaporean is no less a father, husband, son, mother, daughter or wife. The Singaporean lives within a delicate web of human ties, a network which I know each of us in this House seeks to help make stronger and more meaningful.

As we begin our journey over the next 50 years, it is important for us to take stock and remember what we aspire for Singapore – a land of opportunity where citizens can realise their dreams. Dreams take root and have meaning only within the precious network of meaningful relationships and bonds, of strong families and good friends, of an inclusive and caring society, across all races and all religions.

Families come in all forms. For individuals, it can be by fiat of birth, by force of circumstance, by exercise of rational choice or by a chance chemistry of mutual attraction. On a larger scale, we all know our population is ageing. Our family structures are changing. Ours is an economic age of volatility and uncertainty, and social needs, therefore, are becoming more varied, complex and multi-faceted.

Our family laws are changing to reflect these new realities. For example, alimonies for divorced men who become incapacitated during marriage and cannot support themselves, or maintenance and care for aged parents; laws which will have to continue to evolve.

Unfortunately, today, we are more likely to divorce each other than before. We also have more working mothers. We have a more diverse architecture in life choices even as parenting becomes a constant battle of school stresses and social media temptations and distractions. Against these social facts, what cards do we have to play? We are only as strong as the values we hold dear. And they are: that everyone − rich or poor − should have the same shot at success. That we value individual effort and strong families. And last, that we are all in this together: Equal Opportunities. Strong Families. United Country.

These are enduring values which my Ministry will seek to uphold in our work for this term of Government. And in terms of how we intend to carry out our work, I hope to go upstream where we can. We want to proactively and positively shape the environment and to prevent problems from developing where possible. We conceive of our work in three ways − firstly, a strong start; secondly, a network for the vulnerable; and, lastly, a collective effort towards improving social welfare.

Firstly, a strong start: building our home for family and a good start for our children. Clearly, Singapore is our home for family. Strong families are, and must remain, the basic building blocks of our society. Strong marriages form the foundation for strong families. We do want to create a pro-family environment, which supports couples' decision to settle down, have children and enjoy family life. We will strengthen marriages and families so that family members maintain strong ties with one another and with the community.

For each of our families and our society, children are our future. With strong families and good support from society, our children can have a good start in life. For children who have less, we will give them an extra leg-up so that they, too, have the opportunity to live life to the fullest.

Secondly, it is about caring for the vulnerable. We have increased support for vulnerable groups. We have helped persons with disabilities to lead more independent lives and realise their potential. But, clearly, the work is not done. We will build stronger safety nets to identify and support the more vulnerable in our society. We will improve our systems and measures. We will calibrate our assistance so that those in greater need receive more. We will work with different Ministries to deliver more coordinated help to those with varied needs.

My Parliamentary Secretary will speak on how we will help the low-income, the vulnerable seniors and youths-at-risk. He will also outline how we will continue to support and empower persons with disabilities.

Thirdly, it is also very much about enabling Caring Communities. Building an inclusive society with a strong sense of "we", as opposed to "me", is very much our collective aspirations. This came across strongly during Our Singapore Conversations and even in the present ongoing SGFuture series of dialogues. To be a truly inclusive society, we need more than strong Government safety nets. We need a wider community which has the heart and the will to play a part in improving the lives of those among us who are weaker, have less or have fallen on hard times.

So, one of MSF's priorities is also to enable and empower caring communities where individuals, businesses and VWOs can come together, work together, to build a Singapore where everyone plays a role to make sure that no Singaporean is left behind. When we talk about an inclusive society, it is not just about including those who need help or who need the support. It is about all of us being included in that whole journey. The positive outcomes of such actions are not, and I repeat, are not limited to the beneficiaries. The change also occurs for those who give of their time, energy and resources. Helping others brings out our humanity as individuals and strengthens our common identity as Singaporeans.

For this first speech, let me share some of our upcoming work in building our home for family and to provide a good start for our children.

Our families are what make life meaningful for us. They are our pillar of support in good and bad times. Strong family bonds need to be nurtured and forged through the quality and quantity of time spent together. We all know that when both parents are involved at home and with their children's lives, marital relationships are stronger. Children thrive when parental relationships are positive, when they are loved by their parents, grandparents and other family members. Ageing parents also thrive when their adult children, their siblings and other family members are supportive.

In the coming years, my Ministry will continue to strengthen these fundamental family relationships. Where relationships are intact, we work towards reinforcing them further. Where relationships have problems, we try to help repair and preserve them. Where they have invariably broken down, as it tends to happen sometimes, we will try to minimise the negative impact. Central to our work here are the interest of the children and their development.

Let me talk briefly about strengthening marriages. My Ministry supports and provides marriage preparation programmes and counselling through our network of partners. We equip couples with skills, such as communications and conflict management, to prepare them for the ups and downs of marriage life.

Since December 2014, MSF has worked with community partners to offer the Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Programme (PREP) at the Registry of Marriage and in the community. The response has been positive. Nine in 10 participants told us the programme has been helpful in enhancing their marriage.

We also work with the Families for Life Council on bonding activities for families to promote family time among extended families and on the Marriage Convention which also provides useful tips for couples to enrich their marriage.

For couples who may face more stresses in their marriage life, we have put in place many other targeted programmes, like those for couples who married young and those for marriages involving a foreign spouse. We do encourage Members in this House to encourage others to take on-board all this range of programmes.

Let me talk about supporting new parents. We all know, as new parents, we will face anxiety and stress. Will we be able to handle the sleepless nights when baby comes? Will our home be ready? Who will take care of our little one when we are out at work? What are the major expenses involved in raising a child? These are very valid and practical questions that I think all of us have asked. I remember asking them myself when I first became a parent.

Today, we have a suite of support measures covering various life stages – from getting married to having and raising children and providing support for working parents. I, for one, do not believe that couples have children just because of campaigns or to benefit from the grants and schemes. But I do believe that our policies, collectively, can help create a conducive environment and climate to support couples who do want to become parents, who do want to settle down and who do want to have more children.

Going forward, we want to do more to facilitate early bonding between parents and newborns. We also want to give new parents greater support and encourage more to get into the habit of saving for their children's future. You may already have heard about plans to enhance paternity leave. The Minister for Finance has also announced the new CDA First Step. These initiatives are part of our support for marriage and parenthood. And I will leave it to Senior Minister of State Josephine Teo to give you details of these and other initiatives during NPTD's Committee of Supply.

As a parent myself, I know that parenting is more challenging today. In this age when social media and the Internet bring outside influences straight to our young children in a very unfiltered fashion, we need to be even more vigilant and play a more active role to ensure that our children are exposed to the right values. This is where we, as parents, must play our part.

To help parents, we have implemented two parenting programmes in schools – the Positive Parenting Programme and the Signposts programme. They are meant to help parents become more competent in parenting, reduce parenting stress and to help them manage difficult behaviour in children. We have rolled out these programmes to 50 schools since 2014, benefiting 2,000 families. We will expand the outreach of these parenting programmes to 120 schools this year and up to 175 schools by 2018.

A local study in 2010 found that first-time fathers who were more involved in caring for the young infants, adjusted better to fatherhood. Yet, in many families, as Mr Seah Kian Peng pointed out, mothers continue to carry the greater responsibility in child-raising.

We need to encourage fathers to step forward, but I think times are also beginning to change and I see fathers getting more hands-on. Naturally, we see fathers carrying their babies, feeding them and, especially in the libraries, you see them reading to their children. A 2016 MSF survey of mothers with infants found that close to three in four mothers agreed that fathers are as good as them in caring for children. So, fathers, do be encouraged! The children are quite safe with you, so do step forward.

In 2009, my Ministry started the Dads for Life movement. The Centre for Fathering is now driving the effort, with our support, to expand outreach to the community, schools and workplaces. Dads for Life ambassadors are also reaching out to childcare centres and Primary schools to encourage fathers to be more active dads through a strong network of father support groups. The response has been very positive.

A 2013 MSF survey showed that six in 10 men polled responded that their job kept them from spending more time with their families. In recent years, we have introduced paternity and shared parental leave to give fathers more time with their children right from birth. Fathers are also eligible for childcare leave which applies to older children, too. We encourage fathers to take this up.

But we need supportive employers. We have talked about this in previous Committees of Supply. And with most of us being working parents, Mr Christopher de Souza and Ms Thanaletchimi were right to point out that the workplace needs to be pro-family as well. Today, the Work-Life Grant co-funds lactation facilities in offices. It also incentivises employers to provide flexible work arrangements, which are sought after by men, too, as shown by a 2014 survey conducted by The Straits Times and the Employer Alliance. I call on employers to embrace these measures to support fathers and mothers as well.

6.15 pm

Let me talk about personal commitment. We can pass all the policies, initiatives and incentives but, ultimately, we need to walk that last step. While we are committed to working with the community and employers to support active fathering, the final step has to be taken by the fathers themselves.

Many of you would agree with me that time is precious. As a father myself, I find that time is fleeting. It is not quite sufficient. Sometimes, I will pop into their rooms to chat with them before they sleep. Where we can, we play board games or, sometimes, sit in front of the computer to share our favourite Jimmy Fallon episodes or Saturday Night Live. This is not very strategic but I think we have a great time together just joking and laughing and I think whatever we can do, let us just take the effort to try to be there and to be present. For fathers, particularly, our presence is a lot more critical than we realise in terms of the long-term impact on our children.

As we support active parenting, it is also important for us to help parents provide a good start for their children. The early years, we all know, are when our children develop language competencies, habits and socio-emotional skills that provide the foundation for their future.

Let me talk a little about what we did in the whole early childhood sector. What we want is for parents to have access to affordable and good quality early childhood services. We have made significant investments to level up the early childhood sector.

Mr Gan Thiam Poh asked about our progress and our next steps. In 2013, under our five-year Childcare Master Plan, we set a target to add 20,000 more childcare places, to have one place for every two children by 2017. We have already surpassed this target. Today, we have over 125,000 childcare places, an increase of over 30,000 places, compared to three years ago.

I am very aware that demand remains high in certain estates with concentrations of parents with young children, a point which Ms Sun Xueling has raised. I would like to assure Members that meeting the needs of these parents is and will continue to be an important priority.

Just to share, childcare places in Punggol and Sengkang have increased by more than 60% in just the last three years, to 13,000 places today. Five large childcare centres will be completed this year, adding another 2,000 places in high demand estates like Punggol, Sengkang, Jurong West, Woodlands and Yishun. Altogether, by 2017, about 10,000 more childcare places will be added in Singapore, of which about a third will be in Punggol and Sengkang.

But as we expand capacity, it is important for us to assure parents that their children are well-looked after. First, there are now more centres certified by the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) under the Singapore Preschool Accreditation Framework (SPARK). This helps parents choose a quality preschool for their child. One in four preschools are SPARK-qualified today. We expect more to come on board.

Second, we will introduce a new Early Childhood Development Centres Act later this year. This Act will regulate kindergartens and childcare centres under the same framework to ensure higher and more consistent standards across the sector.

ECDA has consulted parents and the sector extensively. Overall, there has been strong support to better safeguard our children's interests and to raise the quality of services rendered. ECDA has received many useful feedback and suggestions and we will take them into consideration.

Committed and passionate educators, clearly, are the foundation of our early childhood sector. We agree with Ms Tin Pei Ling and Ms Sun Xueling that we need sufficient manpower to support our ramp-up in childcare capacity. This remains one of our major priorities.

To attract more educators, we have introduced training awards and scholarships for ITE and Polytechnic diploma students. We have also enhanced professional conversion programmes for mid-career entrants. A new Place-and-Train Programme for educarers was introduced last year.

We have expanded continuing professional development opportunities to develop and retain educators in the sector and this is an important effort. Late last year, I launched the Professional Development Programme to help teachers deepen their competencies and to take on larger job roles. Over 100 teachers are in the first batch and I expect many more to benefit in future runs.

We are also building a pipeline of preschool teachers to support children with mild development needs. Ngee Ann Polytechnic will offer a Specialist Diploma in Early Childhood Learning Support from April this year.

The manpower situation for this sector will remain tight. I would like to thank Members for their many suggestions. ECDA will continue to study how to make it easier for those with the passion to work with young children to join the sector, while continuing to assure parents that the safety and welfare of our children are looked after.

Let me talk a bit about affordability, which is an important consideration for many parents. We do want to ensure preschool remains affordable to families, a point raised by Members Mr Desmond Choo and Mr Muhamad Faisal Manap. To achieve this, we have done two things. Firstly, we have implemented the Anchor Operator and the Partner Operator schemes. Today, over 40% of Singaporean children are enrolled in childcare centres under these schemes. This is a significant increase from 20% in 2012. And in the next few years, we will reach 50%. The schemes have helped to moderate fee increases. Similarly, kindergartens run by MOE and Anchor Operators are also widely accessible, comprising about half of all kindergartens.

Secondly, we have enhanced means-tested childcare and kindergarten subsidies in recent years, benefiting 44,000 children last year, which is more than the 17,000 in 2012. After subsidies, a median income family could pay about $350 per month for childcare, while lower-income families who attend centres run by Anchor Operators could pay as little as $3 per month. For kindergartens, our means-tested KiFAS subsidies are targeted at these operators to support lower- and middle-income parents with the cost.

Beyond these broad-based measures, it is important to do more for vulnerable children. There is a small group of parents who do need support to give their children a good start. There are many reasons why families and parents may end up in those situations.

We all know that a strong parent-child relationship is key in the development of the child. But when the relationship has broken down and the child has to be temporarily separated from the parent, we must do what we can to rebuild and to reunify the relationship.

Let me talk about children affected by divorce. I will explain how we translate this principle into practice. When a marriage breaks down, children, more often than not, become the vulnerable party. It is especially important for parents to improve their parenting capacity and skills to prevent the parent-child relationship from breaking down and to take active steps to improve it. The parent-to-parent relationship has broken down. But we should not see the parent-child relationship break down. We all know that in acrimonious divorces, sometimes, the children get dragged into the battle.

With the amendment of the Women's Charter in February this year, divorcing parents, with minor children, who are not able to agree on all matters of the divorce will have to attend a mandatory parenting programme before they can file for divorce. This will help them make an informed decision on divorce matters. Hopefully they may even reconsider divorce itself. But if they were to proceed, hopefully, they proceed in an informed fashion so that they can work on a sustainable co-parenting plan, post-separation. This programme is one of the many divorce support programmes offered by the four MSF-appointed Divorce Support Specialist Agencies.

Let me talk about vulnerable children who grow up in weak family circumstances. Mr Leon Perera talks about social mobility and it is important to measure it and to spur policy innovation. We agree that it is important. Indeed, Singapore is a very good example of how social mobility has benefited many of us. I think for many of us in this House, our grandparents were not rich. Our parents had a difficult time. Yet, within a generation and a generation and a half, many of us in Singapore have been uplifted. It is not something that we ought to take for granted because, as society matures, as the economy matures, it does become more difficult and, in every society, Singapore included, there will be families and individuals who will find themselves in difficult circumstances.

We have been monitoring our social mobility indicators. And there are many. We track housing, education and income. By and large, while there are different definitions and ways of looking at it, we have done relatively well. The most recent publication by MOF in 2015 shows that mobility for Singapore's lower income children is higher than in Denmark and almost twice as high as in the United States. Among Singaporean children who start off with parents in the bottom 20th percentile, 14% of them end up in the top 20% of their peers. For the US, UK and Denmark, the shares are 8%, 9% and 12% respectively. The same study, which is an update of their study in 2012, also found that our mobility has remained fairly stable.

While the findings are encouraging, what is more important is we need to understand what have we got right, what are the areas that we need to continue to improve and how do we sustain this. As I have mentioned, as we mature as an economy, as a society, it will become more difficult. Some children, possibly because of complex family circumstances, already lag behind developmentally even in their early years.

Mr Leon Perera talks about stories which his friends shared. I can share with you more stories because we do see individuals, children, who have somehow not broken free from the cycle in which the parents find themselves in. We must break that cycle. In order to help these children, we must go upstream and provide additional support. Dr Lily Neo and Mr Ang Hin Kee have illustrated some of the circumstances that these families face. I think many of us in this House would have encountered individuals who face those difficulties.

Today, we have a range of services to promote the health and learning needs of young children. They include immunisation, health checks, Development Support Programme and the Focused Language Assistance in Reading (FLAiR), which supports language and literacy development in preschools.

We will build on these existing efforts and pilot a new system of support called KidSTART. This new initiative will proactively identify low-income and vulnerable children aged six and below, to provide them with early access to health, learning and developmental support and monitor their progress during their early years.

This is not meant to be a discrete programme; it is meant to be a holistic approach to intervening in these earlier years. These children face multiple challenges. Their parents may be unable to provide a supportive environment for a host of reasons. For example, they could be young, unwed or incarcerated. There could be a combination of all these various factors, coupled with limited or no extended family support. These families would benefit and they do need additional help. I am heartened to hear that many Members are supportive of this initiative.

To implement KidSTART, ECDA will set up a Programme Office and work with Government agencies and selected SSOs, hospitals and community partners to identify, reach out to and provide coordinated support to these children and their families.

Let me elaborate on how this will work. Take, for example, a young, single, unwed, first-time mother with a three-month-old infant. She has gone to SSO for financial assistance as she is unemployed. She came forward to seek help. As a first-time mother, while she wants the best for her child, she has limited knowledge, resources and, perhaps, not having the extended family support to nurture the child.

Through KidSTART, this mother will be supported and, if possible, even as early as the antenatal stage. During my recent visit to KK Hospital, a doctor told me how early intervention even at this stage is important for the development of the child. It could help the child to be brought to term healthily, at a good birth weight. We will continue to support the parent beyond this stage, with home visits, parent education, family support programmes and, depending on their needs, she may be linked up to support groups and existing community resources. But she also has to play a part. This is where we endeavour to do as much as we can to reach out.

Through these, we will work with the parent to create a supportive and nurturing environment for the child. The parent may also be assisted to place the child in an affordable and good quality preschool or childcare centre, with the appropriate development programmes to make sure that they are receiving the right kind of exposure.

For a start, we will pilot KidSTART in Bukit Merah, Kreta Ayer, Boon Lay, Taman Jurong and Geylang Serai. We expect to reach out to about 1,000 children in the first three years. We will start small and focus so that it allows us to make sure that we are able to help effectively. The intent is there and we need to do this well. I want this model to work because I want to be able to ramp up and help more children.

Let me talk about children of unwed parents. Many of you here have spoken up for unwed parents – Ms Kuik Shiao-Yin, Mr Muhamad Faisal Manap, Ms K Thanaletchimi, Ms Tin Pei Ling, Mr Dennis Tan, Mr Louis Ng and Mr Desmond Choo all talked about extending benefits, such as maternity leave and the CDA First Step to unwed parents and parity for all Singaporean children regardless of their parents' marital status. I want to recognise Mr Seah Kian Peng, in particular, who has been urging the Ministry for a very long time to give more help to single parents, particularly, unwed parents and their children.

6.30 pm

Before I address Members' concerns, I think it is important to say a few things.

First, single parents are not, I repeat, are not, a uniform group. Divorced and widowed single parents who form the bulk of single parents are already eligible for the same parenthood benefits as married parents.

Secondly, today, Government benefits that support the growth and development of children are given to all children, regardless of the marital status of their parents. Like all other children, children of unwed parents have access to social assistance, education and healthcare subsidies. They are also eligible for infant care and childcare subsidies, MediSave grant for newborns and the foreign domestic worker levy concession, to date.

But I do understand where Members are coming from, which is why when I first joined MSF, I wanted to review this policy because I do meet unwed mothers, particularly when they come to see me at the Meet-the-People Sessions (MPS). They are vulnerable usually, because they are younger and lower educated. Some may have been rejected by their own families. It is difficult enough to bring up children, but to do so single-handedly, without family support, is really tough. Some may have hoped to have a child within marriage but, due to circumstances, ended up as unwed parents.

I feel that we can do more to support their efforts to care for their children and reduce the disadvantages that their children may face at birth. In fact, as in the earlier example when I talked about KidSTART, I think the children of unwed mothers, especially those in the more vulnerable situation, will be those that we are reaching out to help. Hence, this is what we will do.

Unwed mothers will benefit from Government-Paid Maternity Leave (GPML). We will equalise it. We will need to amend the legislation to make this happen and this should be able to come into effect for children born from early next year.

Children of unwed parents will qualify for the Child Development Account (CDA), including the $3,000 CDA First Step. We are in the process of working on the legislation to get it in place, as well as the system enhancement; and this is likely to kick in for children born from the third quarter of this year.

These benefits are useful in the child's developmental or caregiving needs. They also support the unwed parent's efforts to provide for the child. At the same time, the extension of these benefits to unwed parents does not undermine parenthood within marriage, which is something that we do encourage and it is still the prevalent social norm. These are the reasons behind this particular decision.

On top of this, MSF and NCSS will also work with the relevant VWOs and agencies to strengthen support for families with vulnerable, low-income unwed mothers. This is to enable them to make better-informed decisions to improve their financial and family stability and, ultimately, to enhance their child's outcomes.

Mr Seah Kian Peng highlighted the concerns about children who are maltreated by their families or caregivers, especially those with special needs. We have been working with the community to improve early detection and to better protect these children. Where needed, we provide a safe place and therapy to help them heal and recover. This includes foster care which provides these children with a caring and stable family environment.

We are expanding our fostering capacity and have made encouraging progress. More than 100 families have joined the scheme in the past two years, bringing the total number to about 370 today. We aim to recruit another 130, especially for older children and those with special needs. Two fostering agencies were set up last year to support foster parents; providing parenting advice, counselling and connecting them to relevant community resources.

I do ask for your support to encourage more families to step forward to consider fostering. Fostering is always a better option than institutional care for some of these children.

Now, there are children with higher needs that will benefit from very intensive, very specialised care in smaller residential home settings. I visited one such home. The childhood trauma contributed to the challenging behaviours of these children. But I also saw how smaller care ratios, training and therapeutic skills allowed the staff to better address these behaviours and to begin to help the children to heal. We will set up more small-group homes and strengthen the intervention to help these children.

As far as possible, such out-of-home care should be temporary arrangements. Where it is safe and possible, children should be reunited with their own families. We should also go upstream to strengthen the family and preserve the parent-child relationships, to prevent these children from being placed in alternative care in the first place.

With this in mind, we will be introducing a pilot called Safe and Strong Families and the focus is on improving the families' overall parenting skills and family functioning, so that the children can remain safe in their families. This pilot will include two main services, namely, the Family Preservation Service and Family Reunification Service.

Through this pilot, we hope to provide time-limited, intensive support, which is important to help parents overcome their challenges in providing a safe and nurturing environment for their children. This will include counselling, improving parenting capacity and family functioning. We will also connect them to the community resources if they need additional support. For a start, we hope to reach out to 400 families and their vulnerable children.

Let me talk about caregiving. We all know that more and more Singaporeans have caregiving responsibilities, not just for young children, but also for the elderly, the ill and the disabled among us. Mr Chen Show Mao asked about what we can and ought to do to support such informal caregivers and enhance caregiving.

We all acknowledge that the family must continue to be the first line of support in Singapore. The question is: how best to support them? It is heartening that in Singapore's case, we have a report on Ageing Families in Singapore that was released in November last year which showed that close to nine in 10 elderly residents expressed confidence that they were able to rely on their children for financial support in times of emergency.

But what about those without children and those who are single? With shrinking family sizes, the role of the extended family becomes even more important. I hope those of us with single or childless uncles and aunts will begin to think about how we ought to also consider our responsibilities to them as they age.

Today, various Government policies in housing, CPF, healthcare and the employment of foreign domestic workers already help immediate families care for their loved ones. While extended family ties still remain strong, one of my Ministry's long-term priorities will really be to look into how we can help make it even easier for extended families to support their loved ones.

Mr Chairman, I have located our Ministry's spending within a larger idea of what Singapore is, and of what the Singaporean is. Even as we spend on our economy, defence, housing and healthcare, we know the key ingredient that makes our country special is our people. Our social spending contributes towards making Singapore our home. It helps us build strong families and give every child a good start in life. We will foster social mobility and we will give additional support to children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Equal opportunities, strong families, a united country – these are our enduring Singaporean values that will guide us in all that we do. [Applause.]

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Social and Family Development (Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim): Sir, allow me to start my speech in Malay.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Strong families are the basic building blocks of society and strong marriages form the foundation for strong families. Children are our future. With strong families and good support from society, our children can have a good start in life.

In MSF, we aspire to make Singapore Our Home for Family, where every child will have a good start in life.

We prioritise the strengthening of marriages and families through various educational programmes and support for marriage and parenthood. This will help couples to make adjustments when they enter married life and parenthood. For couples who have divorced, we will help them to learn how to undertake co-parenting effectively. As for their children, we will help them cope with adversity and help to increase their resilience.

We can now see positive outcomes. For example, divorce rates involving Muslim couples who have recently married have shown a downward trend. We have also received positive feedback about the changes and new programmes introduced for couples who are contemplating or undergoing divorce.

We will continue to expand and improve our educational programmes and support for marriage and parenthood.

One of our other main efforts is the support for young children and their parents. We will continue efforts to ensure that parents and children are able to access quality childcare and kindergartens.

As announced by the Minister for Finance, MSF will administer the new CDA First Step, in which the Government will deposit a $3,000 grant to the Child Development Accounts for newly born Singaporean children. Senior Minister of State Mrs Josephine Teo will also announce several enhancements to the leave scheme for parents. I am sure that many couples who will be embarking on their parenthood journey will welcome these initiatives.

We agree that children from vulnerable groups will require more help. There is a small group of parents who need more support in order to give their children a good start in life. We will enhance our support to them by piloting a new system of support called KidSTART.

This new initiative will proactively identify low-income and vulnerable children aged six and below. It will provide them with access to health, learning and developmental support and monitor their progress during their early years.

We will also provide parents with the knowledge and skills to care for and support their children's development.

Several Members have voiced their concern about the support provided to unwed parents. At the moment, support for unwed parents is already available, especially for the low-income, for example, childcare subsidies and financial assistance.

MSF has carefully reviewed what other types of support can be provided to children of unwed parents. We can do more to support their efforts to care for their children and reduce the disadvantages that their children may face at birth.

Hence, we have decided to extend the benefits of the Child Development Account (CDA), including the CDA First Step, to children of unwed parents. We will also allow unwed mothers to benefit from GPML. This will be implemented as soon as we amend the legislation and carry out system enhancements.

These benefits are most useful in the child's developmental or caregiving needs. They will also support the unwed parents' efforts to provide for their children. At the same time, the extension of these benefits to unwed parents does not undermine parenthood within marriage, which is the prevalent social norm that has already been accepted and is highly valued by our society. These reasons are the basis for our decision.

Sir, the Government will continue to implement policies, schemes and initiatives to build strong families and give every child a good start in life. We hope to work even more closely with the community. All of us can have a role to play, especially in reaching out to families and children who require support and assistance.

We can connect them to the available schemes of assistance. We can also help them in our personal capacity. We can spend time as volunteers for the Voluntary Welfare Organisations, as well as self-help groups, to help these families.

Together, we can make Singapore Our Home for Family, where every child will have a good start.

(In English): Sir, over the past few years, MSF has strengthened social assistance policies and delivery to better serve those in need. This was not just about increasing the level and range of assistance available. It was also about how our touch-points and officers could deliver help more flexibly and effectively. We are also making greater efforts to link up different help services to better serve families with complex needs.

6.45 pm

Mr Amrin Amin asked about the effectiveness of SSOs. Since we started developing the network three years ago, we have improved the accessibility and delivery of help. Today, some nine in 10 SSO beneficiaries living in HDB towns can access an SSO within two kilometres of where they live or work.

With better accessibility, the SSOs have also helped more Singaporeans. The number of households who received ComCare short-to-medium term and long-term financial assistance increased from 24,000 in financial year 2012 to more than 31,000 in 2014. A recent 2015 MSF survey showed that nine in 10 SSO users were satisfied with the service, regardless of whether they eventually received financial assistance.

We will continue to improve the effectiveness and impact of the SSOs. They will take on a larger role in coordinating service delivery for families with more complex financial and social needs. At Taman Jurong and Kreta Ayer, we are experimenting with bringing together social assistance, family services and employment services under one roof at the SSOs. Elsewhere, SSOs will actively coordinate with Government and community partners to integrate help, particularly in the areas of employment, family services, housing and healthcare.

Mr Amrin was concerned that the tight labour supply will affect our ability to deliver help services. This is a challenge faced by the social sector and, indeed, all other sectors in Singapore. We will do more with our partners to uplift image, professional development and career prospects in the sector. My Minister will share some examples later.

Our officers also need support to do their job well. I, therefore, thank Mr Amrin for raising concerns about the abuse of frontline SSO officers. While they have a good working relationship with most of those who seek help, they do encounter a few who may be verbally or physically abusive. We have installed CCTV and duress alarms at all SSO interview rooms. We are training SSO and selected frontline officers in de-escalation and self-defence. Some of our SSOs have security officers deployed. We will continue to take steps to protect our officers.

Let me emphasise here that MSF will not tolerate any form of abuse of our officers. We will not hesitate to bring the perpetrators to task under the law, as we have done on a few occasions.

One strategy to tackle the manpower challenge is to be more productive and coordinated in how we deliver services. Here, one important enabler is technology. This was why we decided to develop SSNet. With this electronic backbone, we can share information and streamline work processes which will, in turn, reduce the administrative burden on both our beneficiaries and officers and improve the efficiency and quality of case management.

Mr Seah Kian Peng asked about the progress of the implementation. Since we launched the system early this year, it has been rolled out at all 24 SSOs and 46 FSCs. We are now addressing the teething problems and making improvements. We have also started planning for the next phase, to extend the system to other social services.

Sir, in the Budget speech, the Minister for Finance announced that MSF would be increasing the ComCare Long Term Assistance rates. The ComCare Long Term Assistance scheme, also commonly known as the Public Assistance (PA), provides a package of assistance to persons who are unable to work, with no means of income and limited or no family support. Most of our beneficiaries are elderly persons.

The package of help includes, firstly, cash assistance to meet basic living expenses; second, additional assistance where necessary for other recurring expenses like medical consumables and one-off purchases, such as household appliances; third, free medical treatment at polyclinics and public hospitals; and, lastly, befriending and social services in the community.

Many of the PA households are also allocated heavily subsidised HDB rental flats. Starting this July, we will increase the cash assistance rate for one-person households from $450 to $500. The rates will also increase for larger households. This is to keep pace with the cost of living.

ComCare also provides short- and medium- term assistance to low-income families and children in need. Each household is different. Our approach is to provide appropriate assistance to meet each family's needs and work with them so that, where possible, they can improve their lives and regain self-reliance.

To answer Ms Kuik Shiao-Yin's concerns, besides financial needs, we also look at their food, shelter, caregiving, employment, family support and healthcare needs. Our SSOs would typically work with them to formulate action plans to guide them towards improving their circumstances in the different areas. Such assistance is also available to foreign spouses in vulnerable transnational families, a point raised by Mr Ang Hin Kee.

For example, SSOs work with the Singapore Workforce Development Agency to help train ComCare recipients and place them in employment. SSOs may also link them up with financial literacy classes for proper budgeting, or with other social services if they have family or socio-emotional issues. CPF and HDB do give advice when home owners buy or sell their flats. Mr Chen Show Mao and Assoc Prof Daniel Goh had asked about this.

An example of a person or family who have graduated is the case of a male Singaporean aged 37 who approached the SSO in Chua Chu Kang in September 2014. He was also the sole breadwinner for the family and was not on full-time employment. He and his spouse have three young children, youngest being two years old. We provided the necessary assistance to the family. Together with our partners, we helped him secure a full-time job with a basic income of $1,800 a month in September 2015. Our assistance ended in September 2015 as the family was able to cope with their lives. However, given the complexity of cases and variety of needs, there is no single definition of graduation.

Ms Tin Pei Ling asked if agencies can adopt a consistent definition of "income" in the criteria for different schemes. The Government has been making efforts to streamline income criteria and simplify processes where appropriate and we will continue to do so across schemes that target similar groups. For example, MOH's subsidy schemes for outpatient and long-term care and MSF's residential subsidy schemes for adults with disabilities make use of a common set of income information.

However, there are also schemes that focus on fairly unique beneficiary groups or needs. It is more appropriate for these to adopt different income bases. We will continue to partner other Government agencies to review this, so as to make our assistance schemes more citizen-centric.

Some vulnerable adults may not be able to care for themselves and may lack family support. This could result in them having to fend for themselves or being abused by their caregivers. So, later this year, my Ministry will enact a new Vulnerable Adults Act. This will allow us to intervene earlier to protect them from harm. Our social workers, especially those from the family violence specialist centres, have given us useful feedback for the Bill.

There are also caregivers who are themselves elderly and face the real concern of loss of mental capacity. We appreciate the public feedback and suggestions raised by Members, such as Ms Tin Pei Ling and Mr Seah Kian Peng, that have helped us streamline the application process for the Lasting Power of Attorney and the appointment of deputies.

As Ms Rahayu Mahzam has pointed out, we have also come across some seniors who are unable to provide for themselves and are unable to receive financial support from their children. The Maintenance of Parents Act provides a legal recourse for these elderly to claim maintenance from their children. The Act was amended in 2011 to strengthen its conciliatory aspects. Since then, more than 80% of cases have been resolved through conciliation. Of the remainder, four in 10 were successfully settled out of court after further mediation. If mediation is unsuccessful, the Tribunal may, as a last resort, make a maintenance order if it considers it just and equitable for the children to maintain their elderly parents.

Where the children themselves may be struggling financially, the elderly parents are referred to the SSOs. The elderly can also turn to the SSOs on their own. Our officers will assess the case and work closely with partners, such as FSCs, to reconcile the family and provide assistance to the elderly.

From the elderly, let me now turn to youth-at-risk. MSF already funds youth-at-risk programmes to ensure that youths have opportunities to be meaningfully engaged and not go off onto the wrong path. Later this year, MSF will work with two appointed social service agencies to pilot a suite of youth programmes. Through these, we aim to improve the quality and consistency of service delivery for our programmes.

We plan to provide booster grants to help appointed agencies develop their organisational capability and train youth workers to become more competent in managing youths with varying levels of risk. These enhancements will support our programmes to deliver better outcomes for youths-at-risk.

Let me now turn to persons with disabilities, who are among the most vulnerable in our society. Sir, the Enabling Masterplan is a five-year roadmap to support and empower persons with disabilities to realise their full potential and lead independent lives as contributing members of society. We are now in our final year of the second Enabling Masterplan.

Mr Seah had asked for an update. MSF, together with various Ministries and VWOs, have brought about substantial progress under this second Masterplan. We have prepared a booklet that summarises how the support for persons with disabilities across their life stages and how their quality of life have improved. With your permission, Sir, may I ask the Clerks to distribute it to the Members of the House?

The Chairman: Yes, please. [Copies of the booklet distributed to hon Members.]

Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim: This booklet will also be made available on MSF's website. As the booklet is fairly comprehensive, I will just highlight a few areas of progress and share some new initiatives and improvements.

First is in the area of training and employment, key enablers to help persons with disabilities lead independent lives and realise their potential. Between 2012 and 2015, $44 million of Special Employment Credits were given to employers who hired 9,200 eligible persons with disabilities. Over the same period, the Workfare Income Supplement Scheme supplemented the income of more than 7,400 low-wage persons with disabilities. From 1 January 2017, persons with disabilities aged below 35 will also be able to tap on the Workfare Training Support Scheme to improve their skills.

Ms Chia Yong Yong asked about the efficacy of the Open Door Job Portal. The job portal is part of the Open Door Programme launched in April 2014 to support employers in hiring and integrating persons with disabilities. In 2015, over 500 job vacancies were posted and more than 200 persons with disabilities registered in the portal. SG Enable, an agency set up by the Ministry to enhance employability and employment options for persons with disabilities, is working closely with employers to further raise awareness.

Overall, SG Enable and its partners – Autism Resource Centre, Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore and SPD – have collectively placed more than 750 persons with disabilities into employment over the past two years. Recently, I met some employers at the Enabling Village and was impressed by Uniqlo's commitment. They aim to hire at least one person with disability in each of their Singapore stores. In fact, they hired over 40 persons with disabilities in 2015. I believe we can help even more persons with disabilities. We will expand efforts to support the hiring of persons with disabilities in the public sector. We will identify job opportunities, especially where their skills sets and disposition give them an advantage and, where needed, redesign work processes and improve workplace accessibility.

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Second, let me talk about adult care. I know many caregivers are concerned about the accessibility of adult care services. In the last five years, we have increased the capacity of Day Activity Centres by 40% to 1,200 places in 2015.

By 2018, we will add another 600 places. Half of these new places will cater to the rising number of adults with autism. From April 2016, we will vary our funding support in these centres based on level of needs. This means that those with more severe needs will be given more Government support. We will also equip service providers with skills to better manage clients with challenging behaviours.

Ms Chia asked about end-of-life issues and whether the Government can help parents and caregivers with permanency planning. This is, indeed, a concern amongst the many parents we speak to. It is also why my Ministry had set up the Special Needs Trust Company (SNTC). SNTC works with caregivers to develop care plans and set up Trust accounts to ensure that the long-term financial and care support of persons with disabilities are met. Three hundred and ninety families have benefited thus far. Parents can also nominate their children to receive monthly disbursements from their CPF savings after their demise, through the Special Needs Saving Scheme. More than 330 parents have done so. We will also continue to extend outreach. We will also look into building up the capability of social workers and other professional staff working with persons with disabilities, to better support long-term care planning.

Third, I should cite our efforts to raise public awareness and celebrate the achievements of persons with disabilities. The ASEAN Para Games was a milestone event that showcased the abilities of our para-athletes. Team Singapore fielded 156 athletes in 15 sports. Sixty percent were debutants. Many of us who watched the events were inspired by their spirit. I am proud of how well our para-athletes did, winning medals in 10 sports.

The Games' impact goes way beyond the week of competition. The Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and SPORT Singapore are now working with MSF to increase accessibility to sports for persons with disabilities.

Sir, what I have covered are just some examples. There are many more areas – in healthcare insurance coverage, education, transport and built environment, in support of the use of technology and improving sector capability – where we have made progress over the past five years.

Mr Seah asked about the Assistive Technology Fund take-up since it was enhanced in August last year. In the past seven months, more than 500 persons with disabilities have benefited from the enhanced funding. This is five times more than in the past.

I thank all the Ministries and VWOs, social service professionals and volunteers, employers and funders and, most of all, persons with disabilities and their caregivers, who have worked with us to bring this about.

With the Enabling Masterplan 2 in its final year, we have started work to develop the next Enabling Masterplan. This will guide the development of policies, programmes, services and other support for persons with disabilities from 2017 onwards.

We have formed a steering committee that will develop this plan. It has 22 members from the people, private and public sectors. Mr Seah has asked what the Masterplan will focus on. The Committee will be studying a wide range of areas, including: first, enabling persons with disabilities to reach their potential through further efforts in early intervention, education, employment, lifelong learning and health; second, improving service delivery and quality by harnessing data and organising services; third, supporting their families and caregivers; fourth, smoothening transitions across different services at different life stages; and, fifth, fostering an accessible and inclusive community through public education, technology, disabled-friendly spaces, as well as sports and community integration.

The Committee will examine where and how we can "mainstream" the support given to persons with disabilities. Just like what we have done with the public transport system, we should see how key national infrastructure and initiatives, including SkillsFuture and Smart Nation, can be just as relevant to persons with disabilities.

I thank Ms Denise Phua for her many thoughtful and useful suggestions. Indeed, we will encourage the Committee to dream big, dive deep and dare to deal with the difficult. I, therefore, assure Mr Seah, Ms Phua and Ms Chia that the Steering Committee will look into the issues that they have raised today. My Ministry and partners are holding a series of focus group discussions as part of the SG Future series. I hope that every one of us will take part in this.

Sir, while we have made significant progress, I believe we can do more as a society to create a safer, supportive and more inclusive environment for persons with disabilities.

The important role that Singaporeans play in this cannot be overstated. Caregivers have shared with me that they are sometimes over-protective of their loved ones with disabilities because the larger public is unable to empathise with the challenges they face. Occasionally, we hear of indiscriminate use of wheelchair accessible parking lots at the expense of persons who need them. We hear about onlookers' lack of understanding when a person with autism is having a meltdown in public.

As Ms Chia had so eloquently put it last week, there are disabilities that are real even if they are not visible. We need every part of our society to understand, be considerate and help support the integration of persons with disabilities in everyday life.

Likewise, to effectively help the low-income, vulnerable elderly, at-risk youth and other groups with less, we will need the support of everyone in our community to identify who may need help, to reach out and understand what they are going through and what they need and to render support − big or small. Building a caring and inclusive society requires all Singaporeans to play a part. Thank you. [Applause.]

Mr Tan Chuan-Jin: Mr Chairman, I would like to start, if I may, with a continuation of the earlier ideas about the Singaporean. In the first part of my speech, I spoke about Singaporeans, the strengths of our beliefs in key values of equal opportunities, strong families and a united country and how we design our policies around these key ideas.

But of the last, we believe that unity exists when we have a people that care for one another. Caring communities are characterised by people with: firstly, awareness – which is the head − recognising that there are those among us who are disadvantaged, who are vulnerable; secondly, empathy − our heart − tying ourselves to our countrymen, recognising where they are in life and what they may need; and, lastly, action – our hands – contributing in practical ways to make lives better, to make things easier for them, lending them a helping hand to live their lives well and with dignity.

Many Members in this debate have spoken on the need for the community to be involved. When a Singaporean in need receives help from a fellow citizen, he knows that someone else out there cares for him. In the process of helping others, those who lend a hand are themselves transformed. So, in the act of mutual help, we become more than ourselves and our immediate families. We become a better people, a closer community, we become a united country.

VWOs and social service professionals are really at the forefront of this. And the social sector really is the vehicle for change. VWOs and social service professionals will continue to be key in helping people overcome their difficulties. They work with and complement the role of the Government. They are also indispensable in generating awareness, fostering empathy and channelling the contributions of our fellow Singaporeans. So, I expect many and encourage volunteers to continue to come through the VWOs.

But the reality is that each of us can also put these values into action in our own ways − as concerned neighbours or friends, as volunteers and participants in schools and informal groups, as socially responsible companies or inclusive employers, or simply as an individual. These are things we can do and we do not need legislation or policies to make it happen.

In the coming year, MSF will have three priorities: firstly, support VWOs to raise their capability and provide better volunteering opportunities and experiences; secondly, help social service professionals develop themselves through SkillsFuture; and, thirdly, work with the wider community towards these ends. We will find more ways to encourage companies and other groups to form meaningful and complementary partnerships with VWOs.

Mr Chairman, our VWOs need to be strong and they need to be healthy. Against the landscape of an ageing population and slowing labour growth, our VWOs need to be adept and nimble to be able to do more; to attract, develop and retain good people; and to marshal and mobilise resources well.

Mr Seah Kian Peng and Ms Chia Yong Yong asked about support for VWOs as they build up their corporate functions and their operational capabilities. We are making significant investments in these areas. In addition to the VWO-Charities Capability Fund, the Government and Tote Board have set aside half a billion dollars in matching grants under the Care & Share movement. ComChest and VWOs can draw on this half a billion dollars to build better capabilities and better prepare themselves for the future. For VWOs that can scale up services, the Government has also provided additional funding for them to hire senior corporate staff under the Corporate Development Funding Scheme.

In addition, MSF has also secured the Tote Board's support for an injection of $350 million into the Tote Board Social Service Fund over the next three years. This funding will support more than 300 programmes, including essential flagship programmes that benefit families, children and persons with disabilities.

So, funding is available through various sources and grant schemes. But I agree with Ms Chia Yong Yong that we should also regularly review scheme criteria and improve the grant application process. Later this year, NCSS will also centralise the information on grants and schemes for VWOs on their website. They will make it easier for VWOs to understand and navigate the range of grants available. In fact, it is a happy problem that we have so many grants that we cannot figure out which grants are applicable and relevant. But grant administrators will continue to advise and guide VWOs on their application and streamline the processes.

Besides providing resources, we will also help VWOs tap on external experts and consultants. NCSS will soon launch a three-year HR consultancy programme that will support up to 100 VWOs. This will help the VWOs diagnose needs and improve their HR capabilities in recruitment, compensation and benefits, performance management and career planning.

Assoc Prof Randolph Tan asked about the manpower supply outlook. The Government and NCSS will continue to plan the supply pipelines and training places and NCSS' career centre will continue to help VWOs source for suitable candidates. But how well VWOs cope with tight manpower will also depend on how they strengthen their organisational capabilities, innovate and deploy resources. I hope VWOs will make full use of some of the schemes that I have just mentioned.

Mr Seah Kian Peng asked about how we are investing in and supporting the professionals in the social service and early childhood sectors. Assoc Prof Randolph Tan also asked about how we will help the sector cope with competition for manpower.

We intend to make a strong push in tapping on SkillsFuture. The Social Service and the Early Childhood sectors will be priority sectors under SkillsFuture. We will be developing SkillsFuture Sectoral Manpower Plans for both sectors in the coming year.

These plans will map out ways in which professionals and organisations can acquire skills and capabilities to meet evolving social challenges in a manpower-lean future. The plans will also look at how our sectors can close existing skills gaps and develop new skills that professionals will need in the future; how do we utilise manpower better and work in a manpower-efficient way, similar to what is needed in the private sector as well; and map out career progression and professional development opportunities for professionals.

To spearhead this effort, we have set up two separate tripartite committees – one for the social service sector and another for the early childhood sector. Members will include professionals, VWOs and preschool operators and unions. They will be our key partners in bringing these plans to fruition.

Mr Chairman, a strong social service sector needs the support of the wider community and the public. It needs organisations and individuals to volunteer and contribute their time, skills and resources.

To expand volunteering opportunities and experiences, NCSS will provide more support to VWOs in building up volunteer management capabilities. Recently, for example, NCSS started a pilot with Care Corner and Thye Hua Kwan Moral Charities to redesign jobs in a youth centre and a Senior Activity Centre respectively to better tap on volunteers to complement the centres' staff. I have asked NCSS to expand such efforts and make a stronger push in this important area.

The Minister for Finance spoke about boosting Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and making it easier for employees to contribute through their workplaces. Let me elaborate on the SHARE as One programme, which aims to increase regular giving through the ComChest SHARE programme.

There are a few reasons why SHARE is so significant and impactful. Every Singaporean and every organisation can contribute regularly, even in modest amounts, through SHARE. The donations go to a pool that supports a big group of 80 VWOs, including smaller VWOs that lack the scale to fund-raise effectively. They also support lesser-known programmes that may not attract sizeable donations.

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A large part of SHARE contributions come through payroll deductions at the workplace. One SHARE donor, Mr Abraham Tan, started donating $1 from his monthly pay 20 years ago when he was earning $500. As his pay increased, he raised his monthly contribution. Today, he donates $30. Mr Tan told us: "Everyone should play a part if we want to live in a caring society. The little that we contribute may help another to achieve their dream". Every additional dollar, if all of us participate, makes a tremendous amount of difference if it is regular. That is important.

We want to encourage more Singaporeans like Mr Tan, and more employers like those Mr Tan works for. So, the Government will match additional donations made through SHARE from 1 April 2016. Donations above levels in financial year 2015 will be matched dollar-for-dollar for the next three years, until end March 2019.

We will allow half of the matching grant, up to a cap of $10,000 per year, to support SHARE participating companies with their CSR efforts. And the rest will be used to help VWOs improve their volunteer management.

Chairman, I would like to end off by reiterating that MSF's efforts contribute towards our goal of building the society that we aspire to be – a land of opportunity where citizens can realise their dreams, with equal opportunities, strong families and a united country.

Members of the House, what I have presented to you today started a decade ago to improve the way we provide help to the weaker among us, to provide this help with respect for the dignity of those who need it; not treat them with suspicion, that they may be free riding, not make it hard to get help with bureaucratic hoops and hurdles; and even as we promote a strong work ethic and social mobility, we have in this time recognised that all of us have the same place in society. Weak or strong, fast or slow, we are all sons and daughters of Singapore. And, together, we are only as strong as the values we hold dear.

Our Government will continue to make help systems more comprehensive and effective, but it is not about the number of programmes we churn out, or the amount of money we spend, or even the number of people we help. It is not about what the Government can do, or what the community can get the Government to do. It is about how we, as a small country, can make us count for more as a nation than all of us as individuals.

The Chairman: Minister, are you ending soon?

Mr Tan Chuan-Jin: The sum of our resources, time, skills and energy, that sum must count enough to make sure that vulnerable groups are taken care of, that no Singaporean is left behind. That is the measure of us all.

This is the true Spirit of Partnership, the spirit that the Minister for Finance mentioned in his Budget speech. The spirit that will show us how we can, together, create the society that we wish to see 50 years from now, for SG100. [Applause.]

The Chairman: Thank you, Minister. We have time for a few clarifications before we start our debate for the next Ministry. Mr Seah Kian Peng.

Mr Seah Kian Peng: Chairman, I have two clarifications to make. First, I want to thank the Minister for his very strong support and for his strong advocate for fathers to be active.

For divorced families, however, I think this can be quite challenging when the father does not live with or does not see the children often. Minister, what can we do for this group of fathers?

My second clarification is for the Parliamentary Secretary. Indeed, there has been much progress that has been made to make Singapore more inclusive for people with disabilities. How we treat people with disabilities is important because they are a cornerstone in building an inclusive society. I would like to ask the Parliamentary Secretary what efforts can we put in to raise the awareness of people with disabilities. I would appreciate clarifications on these two points.

The Chairman: Minister Tan, can you keep the reply short?

Mr Tan Chuan-Jin: Chairman, clearly, the role of fathers is important, especially in divorce. Children growing up under those circumstances do face a lot of challenges. But I think the responsibilities of fathers do not change. That is where, in terms of the support programmes we have put in place, are to help the parents themselves. The relationship may have soured but we want them to understand the continued impact that they can have on their children. Hopefully, through these programmes, they begin to understand how they can continue to carve out roles for themselves – even though in a divorced state – that each of them can continue carrying out their responsibilities.

Ultimately, it is very important for the individuals to want to put in that effort. We will do what we can to support it but, like many of our policies, the very last mile needs to be walked by the individuals. We will do our utmost best to support them.

Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim: I thank Mr Seah for the supplementary question. I am very happy that many organisations and individuals have played a part in increasing the awareness of this sector.

For example, in 2015, NCSS carried out two public education efforts. One is about being gracious. Members may remember the parking lot. The other effort is being socially enabled, that relates closer to the ASEAN Para Games. The NCSS is working closely with people with disabilities, as well as the public, as to how we can do a baseline study and also have a multi-pronged effort in public education in the years to come.

As I have said earlier, we are fortunate to have partners. One very clear example is the Purple Parade, and Ms Denise Phua is a very strong supporter. We work with the Central Singapore CDC, VWOs, Manpower Groups Singapore and so on, and the number of participants has increased from 4,500 in 2013 to 6,000 in 2015. If you look around this month, you will see structures and also buildings going blue. This is a symbol of the autism movement. Buildings like the National Gallery, Helix Bridge, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital and St Andrew's Cathedral. We want to really make it pervasive. What we have seen is that we have done a lot as a society.

In the words of my Minister in the Enabling Masterplan 2 progress report, he said, "The direction is clear and there is no turning back. We will keep up the momentum." So, we will do more together as a society.

Ms Chia Yong Yong: Thank you, Mr Chairman. I have two clarifications, the first for the Minister and the second for the Parliamentary Secretary. Minister, I am heartened to know that assistance will be extended to vulnerable single unwed mothers. I would like to know if there would be also any differentiation between single unwed but not vulnerable, in other words those who could be supported by the father of the child, for example. Will there be a policy differentiation and whether that will be reflected in any ensuing legislative change?

Second clarification, Sir, will be for the Parliamentary Secretary who mentioned the special needs savings scheme. I understand this scheme applies only to parents of children with disabilities. It does not apply to caregivers of charges with disabilities, so will that be extended? Secondly, in relation to the Special Needs Trust, it only provides for the provision of trust services. In my cut, I was referring to permanency planning which extends beyond financial provision to other caregiving options, so could the Ministry also be looking further into broadening the scope?

Mr Tan Chuan-Jin: Mr Chairman, for the areas of change for single unwed moms, it applies to all single unwed moms, regardless of their degree of vulnerability.

Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim: For the first question, we will take it back. For the second one, with regard to the Special Needs Trust Company Limited (SNTC), beyond the trust relating to the financial aspect, we also look at other aspects in terms of accommodation and in terms of some of the social requirements. These are the things that we will continue to improve on as we move along. I would like to assure the Member that we are looking at this seriously to see how we can bring in permanency planning with regard to their lives.

Ms Sun Xueling: Regarding the Minister's desire to promote a caring community and to empower volunteers to step in and to devote their time and resources, I would like to clarify for community-initiated programmes to provide informal childcare services, will the Ministry be able to provide some broad-based guidelines so that safety considerations can be addressed in such informal arrangements?

Mr Tan Chuan-Jin: Mr Chairman, we do endeavour to provide as best support as possible to parents. We do recognise, especially at the infant stage, that it is challenging because it is very labour-intensive. We do also recognise that many different groups are exploring the possibility of informal arrangements. Informal arrangements already take place today.

We are in the midst of exploring what are the various possibilities, so if there are community groups that have ground-up initiatives, do let us know and we can take a look at how we can extend support if possible. We are also working our way around this together with NPTD in terms of how best to approach this particular space.

Mr Leon Perera: Thank you, Sir, just a brief clarification to the Minister for MSF. Has the Ministry given any thought in relation to KidSTART that since the children will be proactively identified by the ECDA, what will you do in cases where parents are reluctant to release their children to take part in these activities or are even resistant to co-operate with the programme? How will such cases be handled?

Mr Tan Chuan-Jin: Mr Chairman, that is an important question because, as I have mentioned, in many of these various initiatives, whether it is KidSTART or in other ideas in terms of supporting families and individuals, it really does depend on the individual responding. We do know from our experience that not every individual responds.

The children are usually innocent in the process. Parents, sometimes, may not be very cooperative for a host of reasons. We endeavour to try to understand, which is why a lot of this work is very, very labour-intensive. Some of the work that we do is almost one-to-one. Some of our social workers are spending almost sometimes five to seven days a week on the job, because they are not only just spending time with the child, they are spending time with the family.

In cases where families do not respond, this is where we also need to take a look at whether it falls into the realms of neglect for the child. If the family is in a particularly vulnerable situation, children are not going to school for a host of reasons when they should be, and we are working with the parents and they are not responding, would this be a situation where Child Protection needs to be activated and it needs to come in?

As I have mentioned earlier, we do recognise, philosophically, it is always best to be with the birth family even though it may be imperfect. There are circumstances that we take children away as well and that is why fostering becomes important. This is why institutional care, sometimes, also becomes important.

It is frightfully difficult and very emotive, but it is something we are struggling with. It is a very difficult area of work for our officers but we are working very closely to see how best to address this. It is a valid question. Where parents are not cooperative, we will work with them to, hopefully, turn them round. Where they still choose not to work with us, then we will have to see whether the children are being neglected and further measures need to be taken.

Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong: Thank you, Chairman. I also thank the Parliamentary Secretary. Many advanced countries have a clear definition of graduation from relative poverty because they have a relative poverty line and they check the progress of their welfare schemes. I would like to ask what is the Ministry's working definition of self-reliance since that is the objective of ComCare assistance. Does the Ministry track how many beneficiaries become self-reliant at the end of the assistance?

Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim: As I have said earlier in my answer, realistically, due to the complexity of the cases and the different needs, you realise that each individual and family's graduation refers to different forms of graduation. Our approach is actually to uplift everyone, whether someone is poor or in need of help, to better their lives. As Members of Parliament, we have come across many cases whereby we have helped them and seen their lives improve, day after day.

Nevertheless, if you go back to the notion of having a clear, clean definition, you realise it does not work that way on the ground. You realise that there are people, even though you have helped, who seem to be able to do better now, but they still need help, because they need the support not only for themselves but also for their families.

That is why in my answer earlier, I shared that there is no clear definition of graduation because, on the ground, we see the different complexities, the different needs of families. I am very passionate about this because, to me, what is important is that each and every one of us plays a part. We are all touchpoints of the people around us.

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If you see any of them having difficulties, be it financially or socially, please find ways to get them to the SSOs for help. If you cannot find where the SSOs are, remember this number: 1800 222 0000. This becomes very handy. I am very serious here because when it comes to issues like these, it means a lot to our residents who need help.

Dr Lily Neo: Mr Chairman, I would like to have one clarification on KidSTART. Intervening for disadvantaged children is crucial and the earlier the assistance is given, the better it is. Thus, may I ask the Minister whether he will consider flexibility on the age criterion for existing cases on a case-by-case basis beyond the six years of age?

Mr Tan Chuan-Jin: Chairman, right now, we are looking at those aged six and below. If there are particular cases that Dr Lily Neo would like to raise for consideration, we will take a look at them. But KidSTART is just a particular programme. It does not preclude the whole series of different outreach efforts that we have that are already on-going. Some of it may be eligible. Perhaps, to reinforce the response given earlier to Assoc Prof Daniel Goh, the whole idea with the set-up of the SSO is to forward-deploy a lot of our SSOs upfront, especially to deal with complex cases.

If I may also add, we do not have one definition of poverty per se and many of us encounter them in many, many different circumstances. If you use the analogy of social safety nets, what we have is a series of safety nets at different levels for different groups. What you want to make sure is, within each net, it is interwoven enough so that it is tight. And between the nets, you make sure that the gaps are not there. And especially, using the analogy of a trampoline, these nets are also to help you to be able to stand. That is really important.

In the cases where they fall outside of that particular definition of, say, aged six and below, we will look at them. If there are needs, I think we will endeavour to see how best to address those needs.

Ms Rahayu Mahzam: Chairman, I have a clarification for the Parliamentary Secretary. I had earlier highlighted the situation where elderly parents refuse to claim from their children if they need assistance. What is the Ministry's position or approach with regard to this matter and what more can we do to help this group of elderly citizens?

Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim: I thank the Member for the question. As I have mentioned in my answer earlier, we also look at the option via the Tribunal. Nevertheless, we understand there are parents who are elderly who do not want to go through the system. Firstly, it is because they love their kids. Secondly, it is also because some continue to work because they have a sense of purpose in their lives.

Our position is this: every case that you come across as such, we would like you to share with us and see how the SSO can help in the process. We will look at the scenarios and the circumstances that the family and the elderly face. And we will also see how the community network can be part of it. We have strong community networks in Singapore and this is an area where we can help them.

I have met cases like that in my area where, sometimes, we think that they need help. I asked them and they tell me, "No, I am happy, I do not need help". What I do is I get my community volunteers to come and partner them and be part of the process. So, we keep a look-out for them, so that they do not really fall into whatever difficulties.

Mr Ang Hin Kee: I have a short clarification for the Parliamentary Secretary. Earlier, he mentioned that ECDA will work with SSO for families with vulnerable children. My question relates to children in the care of a foreign spouse due to the Singaporean spouse either passing away or in a state of divorce or in prison. Will ECDA also work with ICA and MOM on employment opportunities and long-term staying rights for this foreign spouse?

Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim: Like the SSOs, ECDA will also work with other Government agencies to see how we can help fellow Singaporeans.

The Chairman: Mr Gan Thiam Poh, last clarification.

Mr Gan Thiam Poh: I want to credit the Ministry for the tremendous effort made in providing childcare services for the residents. I have one question on this. May I know if the Ministry is on track to meet the projected demands for manpower and, if not, what is the contingency plan to meet the demands?

Mr Tan Chuan-Jin: As we increase the number of places in terms of capacity in the schools, we do need to recruit more teachers. We have put in place a wide range of initiatives. We are tracking that carefully. It is predicated on people responding. The response has been positive thus far, but we are tracking it very closely.

If, for whatever reason, the response is not as strong as we would like it to be, we do have various levers to adjust and to make sure that we will be on track to meet the demands of the people in order to make sure that their children are educated.

The Chairman: Mr Seah Kian Peng, without speeches, would you want to consider withdrawing your amendment?

Mr Seah Kian Peng: A few remarks. Sir, much progress has been made over the years in our journey to build a more caring and inclusive society. On behalf of all Members, I want to thank the Minister, Parliamentary Secretary, Permanent Secretary Mr Chan Heng Kee and his team at MSF and also all the social service professionals, workers and volunteers for ensuring that the heart-beat of our country remains one which is strong, compassionate, caring and assuring to all Singaporeans. With that, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The sum of $2,400,490,300 for Head I ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates.

The sum of $99,920,900 for Head I ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates.