Attendance at Appointments with Family Coaches by Recipients of ComLink+ Enhanced Package
Ministry of Social and Family DevelopmentSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the engagement levels between ComLink+ families and their coaches, alongside the preschool costs for eligible households. Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin inquired about meeting frequencies and average fees, prompting Senior Parliamentary Secretary Eric Chua to clarify that check-ins occur every one to two months based on individual family needs. He emphasized that the ministry focuses on progress outcomes rather than visit counts and noted that the first ComLink+ preschool package will launch in the second half of 2024. Finally, he stated that eligible children in public rental flats pay only $1 to $3 monthly for preschool at Anchor Operator or Ministry of Education kindergartens due to automatic maximum subsidies.
Transcript
12 Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) what percentage of families currently receiving the ComLink+ enhancement package have had at least one session with their appointed family coaches and what is the expected frequency in the number of future check-ins with family coaches; and (b) among households eligible for ComLink+, what is the current average monthly pre-school fees per child above three years old.
The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Social and Family Development (Mr Eric Chua) (for the Minister for Social and Family Development): Mr Speaker, I thank the Member for the question. I would like to clarify how ComLink+ works.
First, a family who has agreed to come on board ComLink+ is assigned a family coach from a Social Service Office. The family coach will establish contact within one month. For those supported by a case worker from a Family Service Centre (FSC), there is contact from the outset as in-person assessments are done before a case is opened.
The frequency of engagements by family coaches or FSC case workers is based on the family's needs. The Ministry of Social and Family Development's (MSF's) approach is not to focus on the output, that is, to measure the number of visits, but on the outcomes, that is, to measure the actions the family has taken. For newer families that have come onboard ComLink+, we expect our family coach or volunteer befriender to check in with the family at least once every one to two months. If a family is doing well, the frequency of visits may be reduced.
As for the ComLink+ Packages, these have not yet been rolled out. The first ComLink+ Package for preschool, as we mentioned yesterday in the MSF Committee of Supply, will be launched in the second half of 2024. All Singaporean children residing in public rental flats, including those from ComLink+ families, automatically qualify for maximum preschool subsidies. They pay $3 per month for full day childcare at an Anchor Operator preschool, or $1 per month for half-day kindergarten at an Anchor Operator preschool or Ministry of Education (MOE) Kindergarten.
11.06 am
Mr Speaker: Order. End of Question Time.
[Pursuant to Standing Order No 22(3), provided that Members had not asked for questions standing in their names to be postponed to a later Sitting day or withdrawn, written answers to questions not reached by the end of Question Time are reproduced in the Appendix.]