Cases of Working Adults who Face Short-term Family Support Challenges

35 Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar asked the Minister for Social and Family Development over the past five years, how many cases have been reported of working adults who have faced short-term family support challenges such as taking care of young sick children or elderly sick parents who cannot be left in childcare centres or nursing homes respectively.

The Minister of State for Social and Family Development (Mr Sam Tan Chin Siong) (for the Minister for Social and Family Development): Mr Speaker, in the past five years, we received feedback from less than 200 working adults on short-term family support challenges. The main concern was the challenges they face in managing work and care-giving responsibilities, for example when the children and elderly parents suddenly fall ill and care arrangements need to be made at the last minute.

To attend to childcare needs, each parent can tap on six days of infant care leave per year for children below two years old, another six days of childcare leave per year if their youngest child is below seven years old, and two days per year if their youngest child is aged 7 to 12. These leave provisions are on top of the parents' annual leave provisions.

In addition to leave provisions, to better help working adults manage their care-giving and working responsibilities, it is important for employers to also provide a family-friendly work environment, so that working care-givers also have the support and flexibility needed to balance work and care-giving responsibilities and duties.

In the last two years, MOM introduced the Tripartite Standard on Flexible Work Arrangements or FWAs to encourage employers to offer FWAs. MOM also introduced the Tripartite Standard on Unpaid Leave for Unexpected Care Needs to encourage employers to provide employees with additional leave support during unexpected care-giving exigencies. MOM also provides funding support to employers for the sustained adoption of FWAs through the Work-life Grant.

In anticipation of the rising eldercare needs as our population is ageing rapidly, we also have been studying how to better support care-givers. In this aspect, MOH together with the MOM and MSF, have undertaken a review to strengthen support for care-givers of seniors. As part of this process, we have sought the views of care-givers, aged care service providers, healthcare professionals, community organisations, as well as tripartite partners. We will share more details in response to the Motion on Support for Care-givers which would be tabled for discussion in this week's Sitting.

Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar (Ang Mo Kio): I thank the Minister of State for the assurance that more will be done by MOM, MOH and MSF.

I understand that, yes, there are leave provisions for family care and childcare. But again, this varies, depending on employers, depending on the profession that you are in. So, there are parents, working adults, who face difficulties when caring for many young children and caring for a few elderly parents, not just their own parents but including parents-in-law. So, are there current arrangements by any of the MSF partners in providing short-term family care and support at the moment?

My second supplementary question is if there are any plans by MSF, working with other partners, to pilot an integrated family care drop-in centre for such short-term care and support, whether it is at our existing childcare or senior care centres, or even in our polyclinics, for instance, for those who have children with contagious or infectious diseases like HFMD or chickenpox, or elderly parents who have pneumonia, where some amount of medical care is required?

Mr Sam Tan Chin Siong: I thank the hon Member for raising two very important questions. Indeed, these are issues that we have been looking at. So, for example, for the respite care for parents with seniors at home, I understand that MOH is currently looking into enhancing the provision of respite care.

As for parents with young children where they need to put their children at the drop-in centres when their children fall sick and so on, and so forth, this is something that is fairly complex. So, my Ministry has been looking at this. And I am glad that the Member has raised this. That has also strengthened our resolve in reviewing this and to come up with some solutions. So, we will be working and discussing with the agencies under the Ministry as well as with community partners to find a solution to address the childcare needs on an ad hoc and urgent basis by the parents. Once again, I thank the Member for the suggestions.

Mr Speaker: Assoc Prof Walter Theseira.

Assoc Prof Walter Theseira (Nominated Member): Thank you, Mr Speaker. I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I wonder in the case of daily-rated workers which would constitute a significant proportion of the lower income, whether the Ministry has plans to provide, for example, income support or other means of assistance for those who encounter these issues because they effectively cannot take leave. If they take leave, as they are daily-rated, they do not get paid at all.

Mr Sam Tan Chin Siong: I thank the Nominated Member for this very important question. As this is something that is new, we will have to look at it. And it is also something concerning the employment matters. So, we will have to study it together with MOM.