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

Head I (cont) –

Order read for Resumption of Debate on Question [7 March 2025],

"That the total sum to be allocated for Head I of the Estimates be reduced by $100." – [Mr Melvin Yong].

Question again proposed.

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The Minister of State for Social and Family Development (Ms Sun Xueling): Chair, at the heart of the Ministry of Social and Family Development's (MSF's) work is our firm conviction that strong families are the bedrock of our society. We strive to make Singapore the best place for all families to grow and flourish.

Today, I will share four areas where MSF supports families. Firstly, how we are giving every child a good start in life. Second, how we are journeying with families through every stage of life. Third, how we are uplifting families with caregiving needs. And fourth, how we are fostering a family-friendly Singapore.

Today, around nine in 10 Singaporean children aged three to six are enrolled in preschools. We have enhanced access to affordable and quality preschools, by ramping up the number of preschool places available.

In 2015, we had around 120,000 full-day preschool places. We worked hard to increase this number and today, we have around 220,000 full-day preschool places, enough to accommodate every resident child aged three and above. In particular, we increased the number of Government-supported preschool places. During the 2019 National Day Rally, then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced our commitment to provide places for 80% of preschoolers in a Government-supported preschool. I am glad to share that by the end of 2025, we will meet this commitment. That is, we are on target and we will be able to provide places for 80% of preschoolers in a Government-supported preschool.

It gives me great satisfaction to say this, because together with fellow women Members of Parliament (MPs), like Ms Rahayu Mahzam, Miss Cheryl Chan, Ms Joan Pereira, together, we had put up a proposal in 2019 then, to the Government to increase the number of Government-supported preschool places and to lower costs. So, the Government has been working hard over the years, and I am glad to share that now, in my position as the Minister of State at MSF, we have managed to see these proposals through. And now, 80% of our preschool children can go to Government-supported preschools.

The Government will not stop at this achievement. From 2025 to 2029, the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) will work with Anchor Operators (AOP) to add almost 40,000 full-day preschool places, of which about 6,000 will cater to infants.

Ms Yeo Wan Ling asked about the affordability of preschool services. The Government provides all Singaporean children with basic subsidies of up to $300 each for full-day childcare. There are also additional financial subsidies for eligible families.

In 2020, we raised the household income ceiling so that more families can qualify for means-tested additional subsidies. We also enhanced subsidy amounts across all eligible income tiers. Eligible families can now receive means-tested additional subsidies, which range from $80 to $467 for full-day childcare. At the same time, we have been steadily reducing full-day childcare fee caps for AOP and Partner Operators (POP), with a reduction of $40 for monthly fees in 2023, another reduction of $40 at the start of this year in 2025 and an additional $30 reduction in 2026. What this means is that, in 2026, full-day childcare fees will be $610 for AOP and $650 for POP. Compare this to $720 for AOP in 2021 and $760 for POP in 2021.

With these fee reductions, we will meet another commitment that this Government made in 2019. That is, that full-day childcare expenses before means-tested subsidies will be similar to what households pay for primary school and after-school care fees combined. In 2026, a dual income family with monthly income of $10,000 will pay $235 per month for full-day childcare in an AOP preschool after subsidies, half of what they would have paid in 2019.

Ms Yeo Wan Ling and Mr Melvin Yong asked about further quality improvements in our preschools. With effect from 2025, the Singapore Preschool Accreditation Framework (SPARK) 2.0 supports preschools to further improve their quality and be appraised against higher standards. The new Quality Teaching Tool will also be rolled out in 2025 to guide and hone educators' pedagogical skills.

Attracting and retaining good educators is a priority for us. ECDA engaged with preschool teachers, centre leaders and operators, and this led to initiatives to improve retention, such as Saturday closure, designating Teachers' Day and Children's Day as preschool holidays and designating six development days for educators. We have also embarked on an educator-centric review of their teaching experiences. Deepening our understanding of their motivations and challenges will help us do even more to enhance the attraction, retention and experiences of early childhood educators.

We will continually review our programmes and initiatives, and work with the sector so that our children can benefit from high-quality early childhood care and education; and parents are assured of high teaching standards; and our educators are motivated and equipped to do well.

We have also strengthened support for children with developmental needs by increasing the number of Government-funded places for children requiring medium- to high-levels of early intervention support by almost 80% since 2020. The Early Intervention Programme for Infants and Children (EIPIC)-Care pilot, introduced in 2024, also equips caregivers with skills to support their child's development at home.

Second, we are doing more to journey with families. The Families for Life (FFL) Movement, led by the FFL Council, brings together partners and volunteers to promote a family-friendly society. Couples preparing for marriage, or already-married couples can participate in FFL's marriage preparation and enrichment programmes.

We agree with Assoc Prof Razwana Begum Abdul Rahim that educators and parents play an important role in building a family-friendly Singapore. Nurturing a positive parent-preschool partnership is a key focus area in ECDA's refreshed "Shape Our Tomorrow" campaign. Under FFL@Community, families can conveniently access programmes and peer support groups to equip them with the skills and confidence to care for their children. The Parenting for Wellness toolbox provides resources on how to deepen parent-child relationships. We will expand FFL@Community to all towns nationwide by end-2025.

Many corporates have stepped forward to partner the FFL Council in supporting families. Some have organised FFL parenting talks; others have arranged family days for staff. Many employers also support their employees with caregiving needs by adopting flexible work arrangements (FWAs). We hope more employers can join us to foster a family-friendly workplace culture.

Last year's Family trends report showed greater marriage stability in recent cohorts, with falling rates of marriage dissolution before the 10th anniversary. In a 2023 MSF survey on families, 86% of families reported moderate to high family resilience scores, meaning that they were generally able to recover from challenges together, and the majority of respondents also reported having close-knit families.

Mr Gerald Giam had asked about support for caregivers. We appreciate our caregivers for the pivotal roles that they play in the care for their loved ones, the sacrifices they make, and we want to support them in their care for their families.

As the Prime Minister mentioned in his Budget round-up speech, it is difficult to put a monetary value on the love and care that caregivers provide for their loved ones, and we also should not think of family relationships in terms of monetary value. It would be a sad day for family relationships if we need to be paid so that we will be willing to take care of our aged parents, our children or grandparents taking care of their grandchildren.

But that said, to support caregivers, the Government provides help to defray the cost of taking care of the loved ones in the family. So, this comes through the form of the enhanced Home Caregiving Grant, which the Government has been increasing. It has been increased for the second time in two years.

To recap, the Home Caregiving Grant was introduced in 2019 to improve affordability for long-term care and to support caregivers. I know this because I spoke to caregivers during the Conversations on Singapore Women's Development in 2020. I spoke to caregivers and asked how we can support them. So, we listened. We enhanced the Home Caregiving Grant in 2023. We doubled the amount from $200 to up to $400 a month in 2023; and in this Budget, the Home Caregiving Grant will be further increased to up to $600 a month, from April 2026.

So, we have been listening to caregivers and we want to support them when they care for their loved ones. This approach, through the Home Caregiving Grant, also takes into account the fact that caregiving arrangements can vary from family to family.

Besides the Home Caregiving Grant, the Government also multiplies the support that families provide to their caregivers. The Matched Retirement Savings Scheme (MRSS) and the newly announced five-year Matched MediSave Scheme enables families and loved ones to contribute to the retirement and healthcare needs of lower-income seniors, including caregivers. Help for caregivers also come in the form of the Caregivers Training Grant to attend approved courses. Partners, such as CaringSG, also empower caregivers through initiatives which bring peer- and community-based supports closer to home.

For caregivers of children, apart from the decade-long push for more accessible, more affordable and quality preschools which I had touched on earlier, we have also announced a new pilot to help parents with infants.

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Parents with infants can tap on infant care centres or the three-year childminding pilot which was launched last December. This month, we launched childminding services from Tampines East Community Club, with services from Nee Soon East Community Club expected to start later this year.

Assoc Prof Razwana asked about support for fathers. We have doubled the Government-Paid Paternity Leave scheme and enhanced employment protection for fathers on paternity leave. FFL also partners the Centre for Fathering to promote active fathering through programmes and peer support groups. The upcoming Shared Parental Leave scheme will allow eligible parents to receive an additional six weeks of paid parental leave to be shared between both parents from 1 April 2025 and this will be increased to 10 weeks in 2026.

Children come from a diverse range of family backgrounds, such as single-parent families. Mr Louis Ng has been advocating for single unwed mothers for several years now. Benefits supporting the growth and development of children are given to all families, regardless of the parents' marital status.

The cash component of the Baby Bonus is given to married couples to support them as they start a new family together and that is why it is called a "Baby Bonus Cash Gift". For single unwed mothers facing financial difficulties, support comes through other forms, such as through KidSTART, ComLink+ and also access to rental housing, if that is what they are applying for. And for couples and families facing stressors in their marital or family relationships, they can tap on the Strengthening Families Programme at Family Service Centres (FAM@FSC), for support services.

Families in need of financial assistance may also approach Social Service Offices or Family Service Centres for holistic case management. We are doing more to support parents with the costs of child-raising. We empathise with couples who want more children but are concerned about child-raising costs. Through the Large Families Scheme, we will further defray costs for families with three or more children.

All parents are also supported through the Child Development Account (CDA), where parents receive the First Step Grant and Government co-matching for deposits. CDA funds can be used at Baby Bonus Approved Institutions for specific expenses that directly benefit the child, such as preschool uniforms and field trips organised by preschools.

We had sought feedback from parents on the CDA's approved uses to ensure it remains useful for them. Most parents feel that the existing coverage is sufficient, but some were keen on using the CDA for other preschool incidental costs which are currently not included, such as enrichment classes. Some families said that they tended to opt out of such optional programmes as they could not afford it and they were unable to tap on the CDA for such activities.

We will thus be expanding the use of the CDA scheme to better meet families' needs. From May 2025, parents can use the CDA for all incidental costs at approved preschools registered under the CDA scheme. This would cover enrichment programmes provided by the preschools, such as speech, drama, robotics and coding classes.

So, for many, the expansion of the CDA uses will provide more financial support for their preschoolers to fully tap on the learning opportunities offered by their preschools. Depending on the child's birth order, families who save up to the co-matching cap will be able to tap on Government funding of between $9,000 and $20,000 in their children's CDA.

I would now like to touch on parents with children with special needs or persons with disabilities. In my work at the Ministry of Education (MOE), I have met several parents who have children with special needs, and even in my work at MSF, I have met with parents who have young children with special needs.

Often times, they share their deepest worry, which is who is there to take care of their child after they are gone? Most parents worry about their children as they grow older, the children grow up. But for parents with children with special needs, that worry is even more acute because they worry about how their child will be able to live independently after they are gone.

So, this time round, the Government will be embarking on two initiatives to help parents with children with special needs. As the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) had announced, the Matched Retirement Savings Scheme will be expanded to persons with disabilities of all ages to help them build up sufficient retirement savings. The Government will match every dollar of Central Provident Fund (CPF) top-ups received by eligible persons with disabilities, up to an annual cap of $2,000 and a lifetime limit of $20,000. This increases their retirement savings and monthly payouts.

Let me give you an example. If a parent of a seven-year-old child diagnosed with autism makes a cash top-up of $2,000 annually for 10 years, their child will see an increase in CPF retirement savings of at least $320,000 when he is 65 years old. This will allow the child to receive an increase of $1,700 in monthly payouts. MSF will also enable more families of persons with disabilities to plan early for the financial security of their loved ones.

The Special Needs Trust Company (SNTC) works with parents of children with disabilities to prepare a detailed care plan that sets out how their children will be cared for after they have passed on. As the Prime Minister announced in the Budget speech, we will provide a matching grant of up to $10,000 for top-ups by eligible caregivers to SNTC trust accounts. The developed care plan will determine how much money is needed for their child and how that sum can be built up in the trust account, such as through cash, property, CPF savings and insurance payouts. After the caregivers pass on, SNTC will disburse the monies in the Trust account according to the care plan. MSF will subsidise SNTC's fees for Trust services to keep this affordable for caregivers.

Let me come back to the example I shared earlier. So, for a family with a seven-year-old child diagnosed with autism, if the parents top up the SNTC trust account with $10,000, the Government will match this, bringing the total amount in the trust account up to $20,000. They can then use this sum to defray the insurance premium for a term plan of at least $100,000, in a sum assured in their name, and this builds up financial security for the child, as the sum assured will go into the trust account when the caregiver passes on.

We hope that parents of persons with disabilities will feel more reassured that their child will be supported, even though they may no longer be around to do so themselves. My colleague, Senior Parliamentary Secretary Eric Chua, will share more about MSF's other moves to build an inclusive society.

Lastly, beyond enhanced financial and caregiving support, we are celebrating families as a nation. Designating 2022 as the Year of Celebrating SG Families underscored the importance of our families, and National Family Week has also grown into the National Family Festival, which attracted more than 700,000 participants in 2024.

Ms Yeo Wan Ling asked about our plans to foster a family-friendly Singapore, and one way we have done so is by expanding family-oriented spaces. In 2022, we unveiled Family Zone at Gardens by the Bay for all families to enjoy quality time together and celebrate key life milestones. This represents MSF's commitment, alongside our partners, to create shared spaces for families.

This year, with the strong support from MSF's partners, we will be introducing new features to the Family Zone. Our children can learn shared family values through play at the new family playground. Children of different abilities can also come together and enjoy the inclusive play equipment.

We will also launch the enhanced community garden, which can host visits and workshops for families. This garden will be tended to by volunteers, many of whom are seniors. Family Zone was made possible through our collaboration with partners from the people and private sector, namely, Gardens by the Bay, PropNex and the Community Chest (ComChest). We invite more corporate partners to come on board to offer meaningful experiences for families. Chairperson, if I may speak in Mandarin, please.

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] The Government has been working hard through various policies and measures to help every Singaporean family grow.

We know that young parents in Singapore are very concerned about the cost of raising a child. Therefore, we have been committed to providing more quality and affordable preschool centres. In 2019, we provided Government-supported preschool places for 50% of preschoolers, and by the end of 2025, we will be able to provide Government-supported preschool places for 80% of preschoolers, fulfilling our promise made at the National Day Rally 2019. We will continue our efforts, adding almost 40,000 more full-day preschool places from 2025 to 2029, including around 6,000 infant care places.

We have also been reducing full-day childcare fee caps for anchor operators and partner operators. In 2023, monthly fee caps were reduced by $40, with another $40 reduction in early 2025, and a further $30 reduction in 2026. Through these fee cap reduction measures, we will keep full-day childcare expenses affordable, comparable to primary school fees plus after-school care fees.

To ensure families can afford preschool care and education and to help families in need, we will expand the use of CDA to allow parents to use their CDA to pay for preschool incidental fees at all preschools registered under the CDA scheme.

For families that have children with special needs, we also have a series of support measures. For example, we introduced the Matched Retirement Savings Scheme, where parents can top-up money into the CPF account of their child with special needs, and the Government will match every dollar deposited, up to a lifetime cap of $20,000. Additionally, we have the Special Needs Trust Company scheme, where parents can top-up funds to the Special Needs Trust Company account of their special needs child, and the Government will provide a matching grant of up to $10,000. If the parents and caregivers are no longer around, SNTC will care for these special needs children according to the care plan.

(In English): Mr Chairman, this SG60, as we look back at how far we have come, I hope that we are also excited of the road ahead. Together, we can do even more to create a Singapore where every child has a good start in life and where every family has the opportunity to thrive and to flourish. [Applause.]

The Chairman: Senior Parliamentary Secretary Eric Chua.

The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Social and Family Development (Mr Eric Chua): Chair, this year, Singapore turns 60. As we look ahead, it is important to consider what society we want to be. A lasting goal for Singapore is to remain a place of opportunities and hope.

Many Singaporeans want Singapore to continue to be a place where all families thrive, including lower-income and vulnerable families, and those with family members with disabilities. MSF is committed to supporting these families and today, I will share the progress we have made and our way forward.

We remain committed to journeying with lower-income families towards stability, self-reliance and social mobility. We started with providing a strong safety net to support those who need help with basic needs. This is the philosophy behind ComCare financial assistance. While families are our first line of support, some may require additional help from the Government and the community.

Over the years, we have enhanced ComCare to reflect the evolving cost and definition of basic needs. Recently, studies from the Singapore Management University (SMU) and the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) found that Singapore residents view social activities and the ability to manage minor exigencies as basic needs that the Government and community could share responsibility in providing.

That is why, as Prime Minister Wong mentioned in his Budget speech, we will now enhance our social safety net by increasing ComCare Short- to-Medium Term Assistance and Long Term Assistance cash rates to support these needs, alongside our regular review of the ComCare quantum.

To Ms Ng Ling Ling's query, ComCare caters for a range of food options so that families can buy food items they prefer without compromising on nutrition. This ensures they need not cut back on food expenditure at the expense of their health. With ComCare support, families can stabilise their footing and can better pursue longer-term goals of self-reliance and social mobility.

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However, social assistance alone addresses immediate needs but may not tackle the underlying causes of challenges or provide longer-term solutions. Moreover, those in need may not have the time or capacity to reach out for support. This is where ComLink+ comes in.

Under ComLink+, we go beyond assistance, to empower families to achieve their goals. We proactively reach out to lower-income families and address their needs early. Family coaches journey with them by co-creating action plans tailored to their strengths, needs and goals. Through the ComLink+ Progress Packages, we boost their efforts, providing financial top-ups to those that take action in preschool enrolment and attendance, employment, debt clearance and home ownership.

I thank Mr Melvin Yong, Mr Fahmi Aliman, Mr Gan Thiam Poh and Mr Xie Yao Quan for their interest in ComLink+'s progress, including the roll-out of Progress Packages and family coach recruitment. ComLink+ is now supporting around 10,000 families living in public rental housing. It has also been expanded to lower-income families not in public rental housing, but are eligible for the KidSTART programme or have school-going children at risk of long-term absenteeism.

The ComLink+ Progress Packages for Preschool and Employment were launched in August and December 2024 respectively. Close to 1,600 families have been emplaced on either or both of these packages. The ComLink+ Packages for Debt Clearance and Home Ownership will be launched in the coming months. To power ComLink+, we need a strong team of committed and professional officers. We now have 260 family coaches and are on track to reach our target of 300 by mid-2025. Each family coach works with 25 to 35 families.

Let me share an example of how ComLink+ is progressively making a difference. Mr Riyaz, his wife and their four-year-old daughter, Inayah, live in a 2-room rental flat. A full-time cook, Mr Riyaz is the sole breadwinner while his wife cares for their daughter. Their family coach, Ms Hazriah, built on their aspirations and strengths and marshalled resources to support them. Tapping on the couple's focus on Inayah's education, she emplaced them on the ComLink+ Package for Preschool to incentivise good attendance. She also collaborated with KidSTART in providing and supporting Inayah's child development needs. Mr Riyaz and his wife also hope to find well-paying employment to provide a better life for Inayah. Recognising this, Ms Hazriah emplaced him on the ComLink+ Package for Employment and referred his wife to basic English courses to improve her employment prospects.

This is but only one example of how ComLink+ recognises families' strengths, efforts and aspirations and empowers them towards their goals.

But we will not stop there. Mr Fahmi Aliman and Mr Melvin Yong will be pleased to know that we will be further integrating services across Government to deliver even more comprehensive, coordinated and convenient support to uplift lower-income families under ComLink+.

First, we are weaving health and social support together. Being healthy allows us to live, work and pursue our aspirations. But families trying to make ends meet may find it hard to keep track of medical appointments or need help identifying relevant healthcare services. To this end, we are trialling a new model of support to address the health needs of ComLink+ families later this year.

Family coaches will support families in adopting healthier lifestyles through healthier diet, exercise and regular health screenings, among other measures. Dedicated staff from healthcare clusters will help families access services that they need. And for families with complex health conditions, family coaches and healthcare staff will help develop and implement health action plans that prioritise their needs, steps to take and healthcare services to access. Through this, we hope to improve families' overall health, such that they can better pursue their other life goals. We will use insights from the trial to support more families in due course.

Second, on housing. Many ComLink+ families in public rental housing aspire to own a home and we are enhancing our support to enable their aspirations in two ways. First, we are partnering the Housing and Development Board (HDB) to provide ComLink+ families with home ownership planning and guidance. As Minister of State Faishal Ibrahim shared, from entry to public rental housing, HDB officers support ComLink+ families in working out the income and savings they need for homeownership. Family coaches will journey with them towards these goals and when they are ready to purchase a flat, HDB will help them navigate the process.

Second, we are opening more pathways homeownership through enhancing the Fresh Start Housing Scheme. As Minister of State Faishal has shared, eligible first-time ComLink+ families in public rental housing will be able to buy shorter-lease flats alongside Second-Timer families. The Fresh Start Housing Grant for eligible second-timers will also be increased from $50,000 to $75,000. With this, more families can realise their homeownership aspirations.

Chair, we have significantly pivoted our support for lower-income families, moving from assistance to empowerment. We will continue to invest our efforts in this area so that families in need can achieve stability, self-reliance and social mobility.

Let me now turn to vulnerable families facing socio-emotional challenges. Singapore's society is evolving. Families are getting smaller. More are staying single. Familial support networks may shrink and weaken over time. With our ageing population, we will see an increase of senior households, social isolation and caregiving stress. The proportion of dual-income families has also grown and more face challenges balancing family commitments and career demands.

Domestic violence continues to be an issue faced by some families. We have already seen an increase in the volume and complexity of family service cases social service professionals deal with. This trend will likely continue. To prepare well for the future, we must grab the bull by its horns, tackle the challenges early and head-on. But to be sure, it is not all doom and gloom.

First, the social service sector is in a position of strength, having grown in professionalism and recognition over the years. Second, Mr Louis Ng would be happy to know that we are stepping up efforts to manage the heavy demands placed on social service professionals today. Imposing a strict cap on caseloads would be unnecessarily rigid, as the sector needs flexibility in manpower deployment to adapt effectively to operational needs on the ground. We are focusing on other areas and ways to manage the demand, by expanding the sector workforce and enhancing operational efficiency through technology. For instance, robotic process automation reduces the administrative burden on Child Protection Officers.

Third, as mentioned in an op-ed in Lianhe Zaobao, the challenges we face present an opportunity to strengthen and establish a uniquely Singaporean model of family services. Underpinning all that we do is our desire to better serve families that we work with. That is why we are working with social service agencies to strengthen the family services sector.

In June 2024, MSF convened the Family Services Review Committee. Prof Tan Tai Yong, President of the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), and I co-chair the Committee to consider ways in which we can deliver services in a more holistic and family-centric manner.

Indeed, Assoc Prof Razwana Begum, Mr Melvin Yong and Mr Fahmi Aliman will be happy to know that one issue the Committee is considering is how we can provide care that meets the complex needs of families. This ensures that families are served in a comprehensive, coordinated and convenient way, instead of being "bounced around" multiple services.

Fifty representatives from 28 social service agencies and associations are involved across the Committee and Working Groups. Over 200 social service professionals shared their views over multiple engagement sessions, and I personally visited each social service agency and heard from many other stakeholders and partners as well. To be sure, there are many perspectives on how to strengthen the sector. At this juncture, we are keeping an open mind and considering all options and ideas that have been surfaced to us.

We are committed to this consultative approach of co-creation. We thank all who have shared their views, and we will continue to listen to you. This is a multi-year, iterative process, where we build upon each other's ideas, so that the solutions that we land on are ultimately robust and sustainable.

Our laser focus on better serving our families remains at the heart of what we do. So, let us work together, take this sector to the next level, so that we can continue to be that bright beacon of hope, that wind beneath the wings of our families that keeps them safe from the vagaries of life.

I will now share our progress and upcoming efforts to support PwDs and their families. We are committed to enabling PwDs to work and live in the community. I thank Mr Baey Yam Keng and Ms Denise Phua for their questions on the EMP2030 and synergy between MSF and our partners. Our fourth Enabling Masterplan, EMP2030, envisions Singapore in 2030 as a place that includes and empowers persons with disabilities to achieve their aspirations.

To ensure we are on the right track, Mr Ong Hua Han can be assured that we regularly conduct surveys on the well-being and experiences of PwDs, including in the workplace, through the Disability and Inclusion Panel Study (DIPS) and Public Attitudes Study. These inform our EMP2030 strategies, raise public awareness and promote inclusivity.

Under EMP2030, we want to blunt the post-18 cliff effect that PwDs and their family members face. Therefore, we commit to making progress in two main areas. First, strengthening support for PwDs to pursue employment and lifelong learning. Second, empowering PwDs to live independently in the community.

First, on employment. Employment is not just about a monthly paycheck. It is also a source of social connection, dignity and it is what many PwDs aspire to, as they apply their skills meaningfully through work. The employment rate of PwDs aged between 15 and 64 has increased, from 28.2% in 2019 to 2020, to 33.6% in 2023 to 2024, and we will continue to push towards our goal of 40% by 2030.

Our employment strategy starts upstream, to strengthen work-readiness of students transitioning from school to work. We thank Ms Denise Phua and Mr Ong Hua Han for their queries in this area. I am pleased to share that the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) and SG Enable's internship and employment support programme will be enhanced to provide further employment support to more students with disabilities. This includes pre-employment training, career exploration and post-graduation job placement with up to one year of on-site support.

For those needing more time to prepare for work after graduation from special education (SPED) schools, we will progressively expand the School-to-Work (S2W) and job support in key sectors that already have or the potential to employ PwDs. Beyond the transition, from school, we are also doing more to support persons with disabilities towards meaningful employment.

At the sectoral level, we are taking a targeted approach to curate job opportunities in six key sectors that either already traditionally hire or can offer suitable jobs to PwDs. And these include F&B, retail trade, health and social services, amongst others. Within these sectors, SG Enable will identify and develop inclusive hiring champions among Enabling Mark-accredited companies and SkillsFuture "Queen Bee" companies to engage and inspire others to hire inclusively.

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In 2023, we launched the Enabling Business Hub (EBH) at Jurong which is a showcase of inclusive employment in an industry-specific setting, in this case, logistics. Ms Denise Phua will be happy to note that the EBH provides a longer and more intensive job support for those who need it.

At the firm level, we want to ensure that employers and workplaces are inclusive, too. Miss Rachel Ong, Ms Denise Phua and Mr Ong Hua Han asked about this, and we do so by providing support through multiple approaches, legal protections, wage offsets, workplace modifications, capability building and recognition frameworks.

First, in the legal domain, we have strengthened protections for persons with disabilities through the Workplace Fairness Bill that was passed in this House a few months ago.

Ms Carrie Tan will also be pleased to know that the tripartite partners are developing a Tripartite Advisory on Reasonable Accommodations to raise awareness and guide employers in adjusting jobs or work environments to better support PwDs.

Second the Government provides wage offsets to firms that hire PwDs. As shared at MOM's Committee of Supply debate, the Enabling Employment Credit will be extended till end-2028 to support the employment of PwDs.

Third, employers who are keen to hire PwDs may need to purchase equipment or modify the workplace or job scope. We encourage this and provide the Job Redesign Grant to defray the costs of these modifications.

Fourth, to foster an inclusive workplace culture, it is important to build confidence and skills to interact with, integrate and include PwDs at the workplace. Training grants and workshops are available to organisations.

Fifth, we recognise and benchmark firms for their best practices and outcomes in disability-inclusive employment via the Enabling Mark Accreditation framework.

Lastly, those unable to work are also not left behind. Instead, we enhance their opportunities for lifelong learning.

Today, such PwDs are engaged by multiple services, such as Day Activity Centres and Sheltered Workshops. These programmes can be organised more conveniently and provide opportunities to build up skills for independence.

Therefore, the new Enabling Skills for Life Programme Proof-of-Concept will be launched from 2025 to 2028, to support PwDs in lifelong learning. With the Enabling Skills for Life Programme, PwDs will be better served with a single service catering to their evolving learning needs and they will benefit from a curriculum focused on independent living, communication and language, and social-emotional skills, without needing to move between multiple services.

Our second key thrust of support is to empower PwDs to live and participate in the community. Allow me to share Ms Ann's story.

Ann is a former client of TOUCH Ubi Hostel. After leaving the hostel, she continued participating in TOUCH's outreach programmes but was only able to do so infrequently due to a long commute. Since October last year, the new Enabling Services Hub (ESH) @ Jurong has brought opportunities closer to where she lives. I recently met Ann at Taman Jurong CC. Like my son, Ann loves collecting Pokémon cards. So, I promptly suggested catching up over a happy meal. From our conversation, I learnt that Ann works part-time at Subway, takes part in continual education and learning courses and makes friends by volunteering at ESH@Jurong's events. Staying in a job and being in touch with the community have bolstered Ann's her self-confidence, empowering her to lead an independent and fulfilling life. We want to support PwDs like Ms Ann to live independently in our community. This is an area that Ms Denise Phua is interested in.

Today, most PwDs live with their families and would like to continue doing so. However, many have ageing caregivers who may soon be unable to care for them. Without other options, they may end up institutionalised.

To plug this gap, we will launch the Home Support Programme in 2026, to support PwDs with low to moderate needs to live at home as long as possible. For example, a person with physical disabilities may live with a caregiver who is frail and unable to provide support with daily living. This family could tap on the Home Support Programme's visiting services, such as monitoring and coaching for independent living and social skills.

Other PwDs are not able to live with their families and may need additional support for their residential arrangements. For instance, a PwD who is earning a lower income and whose aged caregivers have passed may be concerned about long-term living arrangements.

For them, we will pilot the Enabled Living Programme in the second half of this year to help them continue living in the community. Under the Enabled Living Programme, such lower-income clients will live in designated public rental flats, and receive support, such as basic supervision, referrals to financial assistance, and coaching on living and social skills.

Beyond new community living models, we will strengthen enablers for independent living, starting with assistive technology.

Today, PwDs go to touchpoints, such as at public hospitals and social service agencies, for an assistive technology assessment. This can be time-consuming or inconvenient. From 2026 onwards, PwDs can enjoy shorter waiting times for an appointment with the launch of two new assessment centres supported by SG Enable. These centres will be key touchpoints allowing PwDs to undergo assessment for straightforward assistive technology needs and to gather more assistive technology information and resources, while Tech Able, jointly managed by SG Enable and SPD, continue to play a central role supporting PwDs for specialised assistive technology needs.

Another key enabler is providing convenient services and opportunities for PwDs to participate in local communities. To that end, we have begun operations at two more Enabling Services Hubs (ESHs) in Jurong, as previously mentioned, and Punggol. ESHs provide a regional touchpoint for PwDs and caregivers, providing crucial information and referral services.

Ms Carrie Tan asked how we are facilitating the integration of PwDs in the community. ESHs provide opportunities for PwDs and the community to come together through activities, such as sports, gardening or volunteering. With two new ESHs, there are now more opportunities for interaction between PwDs and wider society, which is key to enabling them to participate in the community.

Lastly, as Prime Minister Wong announced, we will increase subsidies for adult disability services and extend them to more households with effect from next year.

Mr Ong Hua Han will be glad that we are raising the maximum qualifying per capita household income for those services and the Assistive Technology Fund to $4,800, from next year. This helps defray the cost of services and devices for PwDs and their families. Sir, in Mandarin, please.

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Chairman, Singapore is our motherland and home, and many Singaporeans hope that Singapore becomes a more loving, inclusive and beautiful home, full of opportunities where all families can thrive, regardless of the challenges they face.

For lower-income families, we are not only increasing our assistance through enhancements to ComCare, but also empowering families through ComLink+ to help these families to achieve independence and a stable life, breaking the vicious cycle of poverty. In our latest slate of enhancements to ComLink+, we are integrating services across the health and housing landscapes to enable families to access support in these two areas more easily.

For PwDs, we are making strides to increase their employment opportunities after school and lifelong learning channels. Our employment strategy will focus on six key areas and support businesses through various means, including legal protections, wage offsets, workplace modifications, capability building and recognition frameworks.

At the same time, we have launched a series of pilot programmes, such as the Enabled Living Programme, Home Support Programme and Enabling Skills for Life Programme to provide PwDs with more choices and support, helping them fulfil their aspirations to live independently in the community for the long term.

(In English): Chair, allow me to conclude by observing that many societies around the world today are becoming more and more divided. This occurs because those facing difficulties feel that society works against and not for them, and their efforts do not result in progress. And this is exactly why MSF strives to make Singapore a place where all families thrive, regardless of their challenges.

But to be sure, we cannot do this alone. All of us have a part to play, whether by volunteering to support lower-income families or being inclusive towards the PwDs that we see in our communities.

By extending a helping hand, we enrich our lives but, at the same time, we also strengthen our community. We create a society of opportunities and hope, where all are empowered to realise their aspirations. We become the Singapore we want to be.

The Chairman: Minister Masagos.

The Minister for Social and Family Development (Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M): Chairman, I thank Members for their views. Singapore's Diamond Jubilee is an occasion to renew our commitment to our social compact.

In MSF, we remain dedicated to nurturing and building lives together. Minister of State Sun has spoken on our efforts to build strong families and provide every child a good start; and Senior Parliamentary Secretary Eric Chua has spoken on our efforts to empower lower-income households and PwDs.

Today, I would like to summarise with three key messages. First, how far we have come and the core principles that undergird MSF's work. Second, what lies ahead for us, and our vision for the social service sector and our society. And third, the important role our social service professionals play.

Over the recent years, we have made significant strides in nurturing strong families, resilient individuals and a caring society. These efforts have been undergirded by three core principles: family-centricity, strengths-based approach to uplift the family and proactive, upstream engagement and intervention. Let me elaborate.

First, our policies are family-centred. Our families are the bedrock of our society. It is within families that our values and character are shaped and where we find joy as well as support in times of trouble. A strong family is, therefore, able to nurture children to fulfil their potential and contribute meaningfully to society. Collectively, we build a strong society. That is why our policies emphasise the role of the family in the life of the individual and are aimed at building strong and resilient families.

Second, we adopt a strengths-based perspective in our work with families. Each family possesses unique strengths. Families have the strengths and resilience needed to overcome challenges. The role of the community and the Government is to journey along with them, guiding them to harness their strengths in a meaningful manner. Under ComLink+, for example, a dedicated family coach partners the family, helping them to stay focused on their goals and work towards lasting change.

Third, we are proactive in our outreach. We begin early by laying good foundations for the family. Where issues start to arise, we aim to address them upstream to prevent issues from getting worse. Downstream, problems can escalate and are often more complex to resolve. KidSTART is a good example of how we equip families as early as the point of pregnancy. We equip parents with an understanding of maternal health and parenting strategies, so that they are more empowered in bringing up their children well.

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But the Government cannot do this alone. To amplify the impact, a whole-of-society approach is necessary. We weave together a network of support by fostering collaboration between different partners. This includes our social service agencies and professionals, academics and corporates. The expertise and strength of this network enhances the support provided to families. The Families for Life @ Community initiative is one such example. It brings together partners such as social service agencies, religious organisations and community groups to foster a family-friendly environment in each town. This allows families to enjoy family-bonding activities and marriage, and parenting courses and programmes close to their home.

The principles of family-centricity, strengths-based and proactiveness have laid a strong foundation in recent years and delivered good outcomes for our families, and we will remain guided by these principles.

Next, I would like to talk about what lies ahead. The challenges in the years ahead have been discussed extensively in this House. We will face demographic changes, manpower constraints and increasingly complex social issues, amongst other challenges. Rapid technological developments will also have an impact on the needs of our families and certainly on our social services manpower and capabilities.

But challenges need not become crises. These challenges present us too with the opportunity to rise to the occasion as a society and as a social service sector and re-imagine the way that we operate and approach issues. It is our opportunity to build our future together.

This is MSF’s vision for our future. As a sector, one that is dynamic and forward-looking; and as a society, one that comes together to provide opportunities for all. We envision a social service sector that is dynamic, forward-looking and future-oriented, that is that is agile and responsive to the evolving needs of families. We will achieve this vision by strengthening the sector in two ways.

First, we must boldly re-imagine the way we structure and operate our services. At the sector level, National Council of Social Service (NCSS) has transformed itself beyond being a membership body, to deliver stronger outcomes for social service users as a sector developer. We have been engaging the sector and will introduce amendments to the NCSS Act to reflect and strengthen NCSS’ role as a sector developer. The proposed amendments will provide NCSS with the mandate to continue to build the sector’s capabilities, strengthen service delivery and build a stronger ecosystem.

For example, NCSS is actively improving social service delivery by strengthening collaboration amongst sector partners and enabling users to find the support they need more easily. To share one such initiative, NCSS, together with the Institute of Mental Health, is bringing together 12 partners to co-locate services at an integrated mental wellness centre called "grovve". "grovve" will be officially launched later this year.

We will also transform our services, to meet the changing needs of our families, and to be more responsive to support those with complex needs. Senior Parliamentary Secretary Eric Chua earlier shared that we are undertaking the Family Services Landscape Review. Representatives from the sector are joining hands with MSF to consider how our social service agencies (SSAs) deliver services and social service professionals can work together to achieve better outcomes for the families we serve. This is a complex issue. We will not rush the process, and we appreciate and recognise the diversity or perspectives and views. We will journey hand-in-hand with all our SSAs and work closely with all of you to strengthen the sector and improve our services.

For the more vulnerable among us residing in our social residential homes, we must continue to uplift the quality of care for them. To Mr Baey Yam Keng’s question, I am pleased to share that MSF has introduced the Social Residential Homes Bill. Over the years, MSF has worked closely with our social residential homes to raise standards of care for residents. Under this Bill, we will codify the good progress made by the sector through a new licensing regime, with clear requirements to ensure the safety and wellness of clients. At the same time, the Bill provides for the possibility of homes evolving to meet residents’ needs, where different client profiles could be housed together. MSF and NCSS will also invest in supporting, training and capability building for SSAs operating the homes.

Beyond residential services, we are also committed to enhancing support for vulnerable individuals in other areas, as Assoc Prof Razwana Begum Abdul Rahim has raised. Our efforts are tailored to meet the needs of different groups in a culturally sensitive and effective manner. This enables us to create stable, caring environments for all. For example, we focus on connecting children in care with nurturing family environments. We work with fostering agencies to recruit and train foster families to best meet the child’s needs and provide ongoing support for the children and their foster families. For women with young children who have experienced violence, we provide safe shelters and trauma-informed care to support them through difficult times. We also provide employment assistance and referrals to preschool services for their children to facilitate mothers’ return to the workforce.

Second, we must harness the power of research and data in tackling issues. Ms Ng Ling Ling will be pleased to hear that we have deepened our collaboration with sector practitioners, and local and regional academics. This builds up our body of knowledge and helps us better design and evaluate our policies.

MSF partnered the Centre for Research on Successful Ageing at Singapore Management University (SMU) and the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) at National University of Singapore (NUS), to understand societal perspectives on essential household needs and how society can support less privileged Singaporeans to meet these needs. This study informed the recent review of ComCare assistance rates, as shared by Senior Parliamentary Secretary Eric Chua.

In addition, NCSS, in collaboration with Tote Board, set up the Centre for Evidence in 2024 to propagate the Sector Evaluation Framework and partner SSAs to strengthen programme evaluation.

We must continue to facilitate the sharing of best practices regionally and internationally. We can benefit other communities by providing thought leadership in areas where we have done well. At the Asian Family Conference 2024, various academics and practitioners shared Singapore's efforts in working with families and our approach to social issues. These resonated with local and regional researchers, policy-makers and practitioners, and inspired their thinking on similar challenges they face in their own communities and countries.

We will also be hosting two conferences this year. In April, we are partnering IPS to hold the inaugural International Conference for Societies of Opportunity to discuss how countries can do more to address the important issue of social mobility. In July, NCSS will host the Social Service Summit. This year, for the first time, we will also invite social service leaders from the region to facilitate connections and enrich our learning.

By boldly re-imagining, transforming or restructuring the way we work, and creating platforms for sharing and collaboration, we will forge a social sector that is dynamic and forward looking.

Mr Chairman, beyond the social service sector, we aim to build a society of opportunities through a collective effort, where all Singaporeans will have opportunities to flourish. We all have a role in creating this society of opportunities and must collectively uplift the members of our society. These community contributions complement Government funding for social services, which has grown over the years, allowing us to make a greater impact and invest more to build the sector’s capabilities.

For our corporates, it means including corporate social responsibility as part of their business strategy and aligning their corporate purpose with their social mission. I am encouraged that more are stepping forward. Since we launched the Sustainable Philanthropy Framework last year, more than 40 businesses have adopted the framework to measure their social impact. I was also heartened to hear that at the recent travel fair, the National Association of Travel Agencies (NATAS), encouraged people to donate generously to communities in need and even displayed the ComChest donation QR code throughout the event hall.

In addition, more employers are coming onboard SGSHARE, which allows employees to donate a small amount of their salary each month, through ComChest. Employers like Sheng Shiong, MoneyMax and Changi Airport Group have embraced SGSHARE. Together, they can bring close to 6,000 employees into our community of givers. I am heartened that small and medium enterprises (SMEs), such as Bright Point International and Red Beacon Asset Management, have also come onboard SGSHARE. This demonstrates that big or small, all businesses can play a part. Every contribution counts.

At the community-level, individual efforts are organised for maximum impact. We have moved beyond individual ad hoc volunteering towards sustained and more impactful volunteering. The MSFCare Network now has more than 4,000 active volunteers. Through the Network, volunteering is personalised based on volunteers’ skills and interest, such as in mentoring or mobilising new volunteers. More individuals are volunteering regularly, and this coordinated effort has meant that we are better able to achieve greater impact.

At the individual-level, many have also contributed through generous donations and we see more individuals donating directly to ComChest. We encourage individuals to continue to play their part through regular and sustained giving.

Mr Melvin Yong noted that everyone must play their part in uplifting fellow citizens, particularly our vulnerable and low-income groups, as part of our social compact. As shared by Prime Minister in the Budget Speech, as part of SG60, the Government will launch a $250 million SG Gives matching grant to match donations made through Community Chest, President’s Challenge and Collective for a Stronger Society. This will amplify the impact of donations made towards key social programmes, supporting those with more needs in our community, including low-income families, PwDs, children and youths.

The ComLink+ Progress Packages and KidSTART are some examples. Several corporate partners have already come forward to donate to these programmes and we want to encourage more Singaporeans to join us in uplifting families.

Alongside nationwide programmes, the matching grant will also benefit community-led initiatives identified by ComChest, President’s Challenge or the Collective.

Beyond programme funding, the Government is also studying further support for SSAs and the sector. We will share more details in due course.

I am also heartened that since the announcement at Budget, PropNex, a local-listed real estate company has committed to contribute more than $1 million over three years for SG Gives in commemoration of SG60. The Rao Family Foundation, too, has come forward and will contribute $1 million over three years. Let me thank these companies and all those that have already come on board SG Gives and call on others to play our part in realising our vision of a Society of Opportunities.

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Let me now highlight the significant role and contributions of our social service professionals. In recognition of this, we have dedicated 2025 as the Year of Celebrating Social Service Professionals.

For the sector, the road ahead will be an exciting one. We have been presented with the opportunity to reimagine the way we operate and support our families. To achieve this, we need to continue to invest in supporting and uplifting our social service professionals at each stage of their careers.

To questions raised by Mr Keith Chua and Mr Baey Yam Keng, we are committed to offering attractive pathways for professional growth and development. First, we are committed to ensuring the competency of the sector. This starts by equipping social service professionals for their roles.

To Assoc Prof Razwana's question, we work with Institutes of Higher Learning and SSAs to ensure curriculum and training programmes are relevant and based on industry needs. Once our professionals enter the workforce, they can stage their development based on the Skills Framework for Social Service, which lays out the required competencies and progression pathways.

Much learning takes place on the job and conducted by employers. For instance, Child Protection Officers receive skills-based training, structured supervision and peer support to equip them for the challenges of their work.

Second, we must attract and retain talent. Mr Keith Chua will be happy to know that we will provide more opportunities for passionate individuals to make a mid-career switch into the social service sector, such as through our Career Conversion Programmes.

To Mr Melvin Yong's query, we have been steadily increasing the Skills and Salary Guidelines to be competitive with the market and commensurate with the professionals' contributions. We have been engaging employers to strengthen adherence with the guidelines. Today, about 80% of SSAs adhere to the salary guidelines. [Please refer to "Clarification by Minister for Social and Family Development", Official Report, 10 March 2025, Vol 95, Issue 161, Correction By Written Statement section.]

The work in social services can be demanding, as Assoc Prof Razwana and Ms Carrie Tan noted. We will work with SSAs and empower SSA leaders. For example, the Social Service Institute's courses on organisational development equip SSA leaders to create a supportive work environment where our professionals feel valued, respected and empowered. NCSS also rolled out support for SSAs to conduct Employee Engagement Survey so that they take active steps to improve staff engagement and well-being.

NCSS also provides social service professionals with training on self-care and resilience, and a Sabbatical Leave Scheme to recharge. Employers can also do their part. In MSF, for example, Child Protection Officers experiencing high levels of stress are granted time-off, and those requiring additional support are referred for specialised intervention.

Third, the sector must continue to reward and recognise those who have contributed significantly to the cause. To do this, we recently launched the new Sector Awards for Social Service Professionals, including the new President’s Awards for Social Service Professionals, which will be the pinnacle award for the sector.

It is my hope that, through all these efforts, the sector will constantly innovate new practices and approaches, and ultimately, to improve service delivery. There are many who are already doing so.

Mr D Senthil Kumar, from the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore, has been instrumental in integrating innovative technologies into physiotherapy to improve patient outcomes. For example, he was involved in introducing an advanced treadmill leveraging virtual reality for balance and motor function training in cerebral palsy rehabilitation. With this, Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore's clients feel more motivated and engaged and are able to achieve their therapy outcomes.

Mr Kumar's work inspires us to constantly innovate and upskill so that we can achieve better outcomes for those we serve. The social service sector offers a future with potential and rewarding opportunities and we seek to inspire more Singaporeans to join. Chairman, allow me to continue in Malay.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Families are the roots that grounds our society. They shape the values, well-being and future of our communities. Akin to roots that support trees to grow with resilience, when we strengthen families, we will also strengthen our society as a whole. The Government will continue to strengthen our efforts based on three key principles.

First, we will strengthen our policies to be family-centred, and to support all families. A strong family is able to nurture children to fulfil their potential and contribute meaningfully to society.

Second, we will support families in a proactive way. Support should not only be available when issues become too complex for families. Instead, we proactively link families up with community resources early. The Cinta Abadi (Eternal Love) programme sets the stage for soon-to-wed Malay/Muslim couples to have effective communication and encourage them to discuss about managing expectations and challenges early.

Third, we will take a strengths-based approach to supporting families. We will also strengthen the social sector so that we are responsive to evolving needs. We will work closely with the sector to re-imagine the social services landscape to uplift the quality of care of the Social Residential Homes and strengthen NCSS’ role as a sector developer.

These efforts to strengthen families are also made possible by the contributions of our social service professionals. As such, we have dedicated 2025 as the Year of Celebrating Social Service Professionals. We want to make social service a career of choice and a sector that attracts and nurtures talent.

(In English): Mr Chairman, through our efforts over the recent years, together with our sector partners and professionals, we have made good progress in empowering resilient and thriving families in Singapore. We will continue to strengthen families through family-centred, strength-based and proactive initiatives. Looking ahead, we are excited to embark on this journey to collectively see, shape and build a social service sector that is dynamic and forward-looking, and a society of opportunities for all in Singapore.

I am confident that with the strong capabilities we have built up in our sector professionals and academic community, Singapore can become a thought leader in the social service sector. We are pioneering unique approaches to tackle complex issues that have inspired others in the regional and international community.

As we commemorate SG60, let us renew our shared commitment to play our part to build a society full of opportunities for all. Together, we can build a resilient tomorrow with our collective strengths of today, to build a Singapore where no one is left behind. [Applause.]

The Chairman: Mr Melvin Yong.

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye (Radin Mas): Chairman, I thank Minister Masagos, Minister of State Sun Xueling and the Senior Parliamentary Secretary Eric Chua for their responses. I have two clarifications for Minister of State Sun Xueling.

I note the progress that we have made in the preschool sector. I have some suggestions in my cut and I hope the Minister of State can address them. Can we establish a quality assurance framework that regularly assesses all preschools in Singapore and also publish these standards? Doing so will, hopefully, encourage all preschools in Singapore to raise their standard.

My second question pertains to the retention of preschool teachers. Can ECDA conduct a local study to identify and better understand the push factors behind why our preschool teachers are leaving the industry? My brief interaction with many of these preschool teachers seems to suggest that burnout is a common reason. Are there any plans by MSF to further increase our investments in the professional development of our early childhood educators?

Ms Sun Xueling: I thank the Member for his follow-up questions. Maybe I will handle the second question first, because the Member has mentioned this several times already.

So, first and foremost, ECDA undertakes several surveys to understand the manpower issues in the sector. So, one of the surveys is a manpower study in 2021 and there is a perception survey conducted in 2023, and in both surveys, the main concerns expressed by educators were poor work-life balance, excessive administrative duties and also dealing with demanding parents.

So, I will touch on the last point first. I had shared in my main reply that we have put a focus on nurturing a positive preschool and parent partnership in ECDA's refreshed "Shape Our Tomorrow" campaign. This relationship between parents and teachers is not unique to the preschool sector. This was also something that MOE had talked about, the parent and school partnership.

But beyond that, we do have to look at what we can do to address this poor work-life balance issue that has come up through the survey, something that the Member has also mentioned before, and also excessive administrative duties.

So, first and foremost, to put into context, we have grown the early childhood educators manpower pool by a lot because we wanted to expand our capacity for more preschools. And I had earlier shared that, in particular, we are expanding it in places where it is Government-supported. So, in terms of our number of preschool educators, we had over 18,000 preschool educators in 2018. We have increased that to 25,000 this year.

While we are doing that, we are also going out with reviews, basically, to salaries, because in order to attract educators to join, you must obviously have an attractive sector. So, the salary review is very important. At the same time, we are also ensuring that we take into account their feedback on their well-being. That is why we have designated Teachers Day, Children's Day as preschool holidays from 2024. We have also designated the six preschool closure days as Development Days, to allow the preschools protected time. We have also removed the mandatory requirement for childcare centres to operate on Saturdays. So, all that takes into account and puts in place measures to ensure that our early childhood educators have time off.

At the same time, coming back to what was shared about the excessive administrative duties, we are also trying to roll out digitalisation initiatives. So, in 2021, ECDA had launched the Early Childhood Industry Digital Plan and also a Digitalisation Grant. To date, more than 60% of preschools have adopted these digital solutions, including the preschool management system, to help streamline educators' administrative tasks.

It is a very long-winded answer, I am sorry. But a very last point I would like to add, is that apart from that, we want to make sure that the environment is a conducive one, the physical environment. So, what we also have is that we have worked with preschools to see how we can have ergonomic furniture for preschool educators, because I think some mothers around us would know, when you take care of young children, say, for example, infants, some of us have this stiff wrist syndrome.

If you are only taking care of one child and you have the stiff wrist syndrome, imagine if you are an infant educarer and you are taking care of three infants. So, for example, like a little wrist guard, certain things like that and also the furniture – what can we do to make sure the environment is a conducive one for preschool educators and also making sure that they have a designated rest area so that they can have their lunch in peace, for instance. So, these are all the various measures we are putting in place to ensure that our preschool educators feel valued, respected and have some downtime for their rest.

When it comes to the framework that the Member had talked about with regard to curriculum, I had talked about SPARK 2.0. At the same time, we also have the Nurturing Early Learners Framework and the Early Years Development Framework. So, all those frameworks are published to ensure that our pedagogical practices, together with the Code of Practice that we have rolled out, ensure that the overall quality standards of the preschool sector are open, transparent and our parents have confidence in the industry.

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The Chairman: There are quite a few hands. Our guillotine time is 1.20 pm. I will try to get through as many as possible. So, please keep it short and likewise, front bench, if you can keep your answers short as well. Mr Ong Hua Han.

Mr Ong Hua Han (Nominated Member): Thank you, Chair. I would like to thank Senior Parliamentary Secretary Eric Chua for addressing most of my cuts and also for all he has done to uplift PwDs. I have just one clarification for the Senior Parliamentary Secretary.

In one of my cuts, I highlighted that adults with invisible neuro-divergent conditions, especially those with lower support needs, they do not receive much institutional support post-education. I do not think this was addressed earlier, so I would appreciate MSF for sharing if there are any plans to look into this space and develop support measures for these individuals?

Mr Eric Chua: Sir, I thank the Member for his clarification. I believe many of the schemes that I have talked about in my main speech would apply in the specific instance, especially for workplaces. So, what do I mean?

Last year, late last year, October, I believe, we launched the Employer Development Grant. That really seeks to grow the culture of inclusion from within the organisation, because often times we can say that we want to show companies how to be inclusive from external. But why not do it from within the companies? And that is why we have embarked on that journey to really grow inclusive hiring and inclusive employment practices from within each company. I think that is a good start.

And coupled with that, other measures that I have mentioned in my main speech which I will not belabour the points of – about job coaching, having those support become more intensive, and also, as I mentioned in response to Ms Denise Phua earlier, about having the job coach duration be longer than its previous usual one year tenure. I think all those would add to making sure that our workplaces have a good chance of becoming more inclusive over time. Because it is not just about setting a quota. It is very much also about making sure that our culture and the softer parts of the workplace can shift in the direction that we want to go. Attitudes, behaviour, values within society – and I think that will take time.

The Chairman: Ms Denise Phua.

Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng (Jalan Besar): Thank you, Chairman. I am very thankful for all the good work that is done by the Ministry. And I can see that our society and Government is one with heart. Two questions.

One is regarding the many people with good intent who support the ground, whether grassroots or donors or volunteers, and so forth. So, I find that on the ground, many of them pounce, in a positive way, on especially families in rental blocks, with food, service, bags, school shoes and everything. But is there a way that we can better coordinate all these efforts on the ground without discouraging them but encouraging them as well? So, that is my first question.

My second one is to do with adults with disabilities. I think at a macro level, as I have mentioned in my Committee of Supply speech, there is really a need to clarify, develop and communicate a continuum of the models, whether in living, working or learning. Mainly because it is just such a diverse spectrum of population. I know that some work has been done, but instead of mentioning things that are maybe more programme-centric, we can really show the community that there is a spectrum and there is a way by which people can be more proactive in assessing their needs, deciding on what models they do, and maybe even work together to develop these models together.

So, on that note, I would like to ask Senior Parliamentary Secretary because he talked about sheltered workshops and day activity centres for those with higher support needs. I just want to know how many have participated in these centres. Number two, what is the progress and outlook of these centres, knowing that they are catering to higher needs, and it is not so porous, not so easy to progress.

And second is, is there a continuum from the work front, or what are the continuum of working models from sheltered workshops like —

The Chairman: Ms Phua, you want to get your clarification?

Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng: Okay. And then to the —

The Chairman: I am being quite patient

Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng: Last word. Autism Resource Centre's high model at the Enabling Village. What is the continuum?

Mr Eric Chua: Sir, I thank Ms Phua for her very enthusiastic clarifications. I suppose I will attempt a reply to her first clarification and I suppose I will take it in two parts.

Her first point was really about a broad general comment about how generally the social sector is. For instance, in rental flats, the Member mentioned the word "pounce" in a positive way, that residents tended to get pounced upon, because of all the different types and sources of help that go to rental flat residents, perhaps also at specific intervals or times of the year. There is a certain season to things.

This alludes to also another piece of work that I do in the Ministry and that is the Charity Food Workgroup. Oftentimes when it is the year-end, festive season, or when it comes to Chinese New Year, or after Ramadan, upcoming is Puasa, you see a lot of goodwill being poured into the rental flat communities.

Here is where I think I want to just point to just one point. And that is really about Forward Singapore. Forward Singapore, what is that all about? To me, it is really about how the Government, the people sector, the corporate sector and individual volunteers, how all of us can pitch in and better coordinate our resources. Because if we just leave it be, good things will get done, we will still have a lot of corporates and a lot of self-organised groups and in a way parachuting things onto our rental flat residents, as Ms Denise Phua would have characterised it.

But that is possibly not the best way to organise ourselves. That is also possibly not the best way we can maximise the potential of our giving.

So, I will just make one clarion call and that is for all stakeholders involved – Government, community, people sector, private sector, individual volunteers – to come together to really work together to be sure that our efforts at alleviating poverty, at helping to uplift Singaporean families can have an outsized and multiplier effect when we go out together. I think we will be stronger for it. That is my first reply to her first clarification.

My second reply pertains perhaps more to the disability sector. I think she is also trying to allude to the fact that we have so many programmes and so many pilots now. To me, that is a testament and reflection of the challenges that we face in providing for the sector in a sense that we have the different disability groups, the disability types – sensory impairments, physical disabilities, neuro-divergence, visible, invisible – and everything occurs on a spectrum. Even within each disability, there is a wide spectrum as to what the needs are.

So, in terms of what services should be planned and designed for each of these groups, I think the number of pilots and the number of things that we are doing now speaks to the exact challenge of this specific sector, which is why we have so many things that I have announced – the Home Support Programme, the Enabled Living Programme and so on and so forth. And her point about how we can get everyone to see all these different pilots on a spectrum, I think we are not quite there yet in terms of forming a thoughtful continuum of services, if you will.

I do not think we are at a stage where we are sufficiently mature to say that we have possibly covered all and at the same time, from the resource, resource deployment and management perspectives, maximised our outcomes. I think it is a little bit early days; we will still need to evolve some of these pilots as we go along to make sure that we can possibly see a much more thoughtful and well-managed spectrum of services that we will see hopefully, in time to come.

The Chairman: There are four more Members so make it quick. Ms Ng Ling Ling, get straight to your clarification, please.

Ms Ng Ling Ling (Ang Mo Kio): Thank you, Chairman. I just want to say a quick note of thanks to Minister, political office holders —

The Chairman: I think just get straight to the clarification.

Ms Ng Ling Ling: — everyone in social services who are working very hard to help our Singaporeans in need. I have two questions for the Minister.

The first one is on social service research. In the 18 years that I spent in NCSS on social service, I have learned that social interventions, especially for complex needs, do take time, sometimes years to see effect. The question is, does MSF commission longitudinal studies, especially for intervention for complex cases, much like the way the GUSTO study is done by the Ministry of Health (MOH) and NUS, which is a very good study that even got featured in the Netflix documentary on neuroscience and the development of babies' brains, as well as, I understand, informed the design of KidSTART programme. So, my question is, is there a longitudinal study like this done in MSF? If not, are there plans to do so and for which group?

My second question is on the new development "groove". I am really happy to hear that. I just wanted to check where is the location of this hub and what are the mental health services put together?

Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: We thank Ms Ng Ling Ling for the clarification questions. On the second question, it is a joint project with MOH. Senior Minister of State Janil Puthucheary mentioned it yesterday. They are still working out where to put it and what the norms and delivery of the service would be like. That will be announced later. [Please refer to "Clarification by Minister for Social and Family Development", Official Report, 10 March 2025, Vol 95, Issue 161, Correction By Written Statement section.]

To address the first question, for the last five years, since I came onboard, I have been meeting many researchers from various Institutes of Higher Learning and I discovered that they are really a trove of knowledge, experience, data. Some of the data are in MSF and one of the complaints they do have is that they cannot publish it and therefore, they cannot establish themselves.

We have a great opportunity to put all these together and involve them together with MSF to even establish our own body of knowledge, one that is Singapore's body of knowledge on social science and social service sector.

The first one, you may have heard in my speech, we worked with SMU and IPS and we established the essential household needs. It is quite a daring venture because we did not do it internally, we put it out in the open, with statistically sound methodology, get it challenged, presented it. And then MSF accepted it and therefore the ComCare review was made.

The same thing with longitudinal studies. We believe in evidence-based approaches and therefore, we have signed several memoranda of understanding (MOUs), one with the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) to undertake a major initiative on the longitudinal studies. KidSTART is one. The other one will be ComLink+. ComLink+ is really, very long-term study. If you work on a preschool child today, you already know even the initial outcome, maybe 10, if not 15 years later. And then, onwards, beyond that, was there really impact on the work we did to the to the development of the person as an adult, for example? These are really interesting questions to ask and to research on. We are very happy they are onboard and they will help us with this.

Another example would be NUS-IPS study on the priorities and outcomes of 5,000 households in Singapore, across the diverse range of areas like employment, family support, young children's development.

Actually, I am also very happy that in the last Asian Family Conference we signed a commitment with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states, who endorsed a research collaboration. This research collaboration allows SUSS to go out into the region to work with various institutes of higher learning in the ASEAN member states to study the state of the families in ASEAN.

At the same time, I am also thankful to Stephen Riady Foundation for the $1 million donation to support this venture and to establish ourselves as a centre of learning, centre of social service development in our institutes of higher learning.

The Chairman: Ms Carrie Tan, straight to your clarification, please.

Ms Carrie Tan (Nee Soon): Thank you, Speaker. I have four clarifications, very quick ones. For Minister of State Sun, regarding the doubling of the Home Caregiving Grant over the years, I am very appreciative, but I also want to point out that many of the caregivers feel that this money is given into their mom or dad's account, and they do not feel like they should be taking their parents' money. So, will the Ministry look into adapting the disbursement process to put in a channel for care recipients to nominate the people or caregivers they would like these funds to be dispersed to?

Clarification two would be regarding Senior Parliamentary Chua's speech on the Enabling Hubs at Jurong and Punggol. May I know whether there are plans for these hubs to get involved in supporting and engaging, encouraging small and micro-enterprises in the heartlands to become more inclusive hirers?

And contrary to Ms Denise Phua, I do not like to keep talking about needs and challenges. I want to ask what is the Ministry currently doing to raise awareness about the strengths and potential contributions that our PwDs and PWSNs can contribute to society, instead of always perpetuating the narrative about their needs and their challenges.

1.15 pm

The fourth clarification is to Minister Masagos regarding the NCSS implementing employee engagement surveys in SSAs. That is a very welcome effort. My question is: are these employee engagement surveys meant for internal review purposes or will they also be required to submit that to NCSS? And will there be an independent panel or channel for SSA personnel to whistle blow or to raise the alarm on any kind of unhelpful management practices that are causing them distress at work?

Ms Sun Xueling (Punggol West): I will take the first question from the Member, Ms Carrie Tan. So, the Home Caregiving Grant is given to the care recipient, but it can go to a caregiver account designated by the care recipient.

Mr Eric Chua: Sir, it is not so much the Enabling Services Hubs, but the Enabling Business Hub. Actually, we support businesses of all sizes, including SMEs in inclusive hiring. Under the Inclusive Business Programme, businesses that commit to having at least 20% of the hired workforce made up of PwDs actually can be directly allocated HDB shop spaces, for instance.

And beyond the Open Door programme, SG Enable also actively supports businesses in job redesign, employer training; there are grants available for companies and these grants can be tapped on. At the EBH at Jurong, they have also engaged local business communities, like the Federation of Merchants' Association, Singapore; Bukit Gombak Traders' Association and Taman Jurong Hawkers' Association, to reach out to the neighbourhood shops to try to promote inclusive hiring.

On the Member's third clarification, I believe it is about awareness. I thank her for her passion. I think she has also raised previous Parliamentary Questions on this topic before. We agree with the Member that greater awareness, appreciation and understanding are definitely needed for a more inclusive society and to bolster these efforts, we established the Public Education Standing Committee in 2024.

This is co-chaired by myself and Mr Adrian Tan, Chairman of Ad Planet Group, to really support the "i'mable" movement, the public education initiative by SG Enable, and Ms Carrie Tan has mentioned in previous Sittings before about the power of stories, and exactly, the "i'mable" public education initiative works with partners to highlight the strengths and contributions of PwDs through storytelling, media representations and collaborations.

And we feature individuals, such as the Goh Chok Tong Enable Awards, with Mediacorp and also, at the same time, we hope to change mindsets and deepen the DNA of inclusion in Singapore society.

Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: Actually, I am a little confused by Ms Carrie Tan's question. Is it about whistle-blowing or survey? Because for whistle-blowing, every organisation should have policies on whistle-blowing and from time to time, NCSS does receive this feedback from the SSAs and we will follow up.

On the survey, it is specifically for improving work environment, engagement with employees, and this is used as a tool for the SSAs to improve their organisation. At this point of time, it is not necessary for them to put it back to NCSS because it is a tool for them to use.

The Chairman: For those who raise single cuts, I am sorry, we have run out of time. So, can I invite Mr Melvin Yong, if you would like to withdraw the amendment?

1.19 pm

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: Chairman, I thank the Minister and the MSF team for addressing the wide range of issues that Members have raised. As we navigate through these challenging times, I am heartened that MSF and the social service sector are doing their best to support vulnerable Singaporeans. They remind us of the strength of unity and the power of collective action as we foster a more caring society where everyone has the opportunity to thrive, regardless of their starting point. Chairman, with that, I seek leave to withdraw my amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The sum of $5,262,330,000 for Head I ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates.

The sum of $209,177,400 for Head I ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates.