Cessation of Integrated Childcare Programme for Children with Mild Special Needs
Ministry of Social and Family DevelopmentSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the evaluation behind ending the Integrated Childcare Programme (ICCP) and the measures to address potential service gaps for children with mild special needs. Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli B M M stated that ICCP was discontinued because direct Early Intervention (EI) support, like Development Support and Learning Support, has become increasingly accessible within preschools since 2012. He highlighted that the Inclusive Support Programme (InSP) will scale from next year to provide integrated services for medium support needs, while Inclusion Coordinators were mandated in all preschools by 2023 to facilitate early identification and referrals. These enhancements ensure that children receive more targeted, integrated EI support than the previous ICCP model offered. Collectively, these policies aim to bridge support gaps through professionalized roles and scaled intervention programs across the preschool sector.
Transcript
27 Mr Kenneth Tiong Boon Kiat asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) what evaluation was done to conclude that cessation of the Integrated Childcare Programme (ICCP) that helped children with mild special needs was necessary in 2024; (b) what service gap was projected given that expansion of the Inclusive Support Programme (InSP) will only start from 2026; and (c) what like-for-like interim provisions are in place to ensure in-childcare support for affected children.
Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: Under the Integrated Childcare Programme (ICCP), which was launched in 2003, resource persons in selected preschools were funded to customise the curriculum for children with developmental needs (DN). However, children who required targeted Early Intervention (EI) support would still have to enrol in separate programmes, such as the Development Support and Learning Support (DS-LS) or Early Intervention Programme for Infants and Children (EIPIC).
Since 2012, we have increased accessibility of direct EI support for children with DN within preschool settings. Key enhancements included the expansion of DS-LS to more preschools and the provision of coaching to preschool teachers by EI professionals to support DN children in the classroom. The Inclusive Support Programme (InSP) was piloted in 2021 and will continue to scale to more preschools from next year onwards. Unlike ICCP, InSP provides integrated El services within the preschool setting for children requiring medium levels of El support. With these enhancements, children with DN were able to receive better support in preschools across various levels of EI support. Hence, ICCP was discontinued in 2024.
To better support children with DN in preschools, the Early Childhood and Development Agency has also introduced a requirement for every preschool to appoint an Inclusion Coordinator by 2023 to support the identification of children that may require EI and to refer parents and educators to relevant EI resources and services.