ComCare Applications Rejected Due to Applicants' Non-compliance with Employment Action Plans
Ministry of Social and Family DevelopmentSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns ComCare application rejections for non-compliance with employment action plans, with Mr Kenneth Tiong Boon Kiat inquiring about data on such cases and the opportunity for applicants to provide evidence before denial. Minister of State for Social and Family Development Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim stated that the Ministry does not track the specific number of such rejections but emphasized that action plans can be reviewed for applicants facing genuine difficulties. He clarified that Social Service Office officers and family coaches investigate individual circumstances through interviews and multi-agency information to ensure basic living needs are met while working toward self-reliance. The Minister of State highlighted that tapering financial aid is a carefully considered process aimed at supporting families' long-term financial stability rather than just providing immediate assistance. He concluded by encouraging Members of Parliament to partner with the Ministry to support residents in fulfilling their action plans and improving their financial situations.
Transcript
14 Mr Kenneth Tiong Boon Kiat asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) in the past three years, how many ComCare applications were denied citing non-compliance with employment action plans; (b) whether applicants are given the opportunity to provide evidence of their engagement with partner agencies before such denials; and (c) whether the Ministry will ensure applicants are heard before being denied on such grounds.
The Minister of State for Social and Family Development (Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim) (for the Minister for Social and Family Development): Mr Speaker, Sir, ComCare Short-to-Medium Term Assistance (SMTA) helps clients with their basic living expenses as they work on improving their financial situation. Our Social Service Office (SSO) officers work closely with clients to develop suitable action plans to achieve this.
Clients are informed at the very outset that they must adhere to these action plans. However, should they face genuine difficulties meeting them or if they need more time, the action plans can be reviewed.
Based on the household's adherence to action plans and progress towards self-reliance, the amount and duration of the SMTA may be adjusted while ensuring dependants' basic needs are being met. The Ministry for Social and Family Development (MSF) family coaches, who are working with the families, will also get them help from the community, for example, with the provision of milk and diapers, if necessary.
We do not track the number of applicants who were not given ComCare because they did not comply with their action plans.
Mr Speaker: Mr Tiong.
Mr Kenneth Tiong Boon Kiat (Aljunied): Thank you, Speaker. One supplementary question. It has been represented to me – and these are the facts, as I understand them – that a young married constituent with young children, unemployed and living in a rental flat, was denied ComCare because he did not follow up with e2i. But he has WhatsApp records that e2i messaged him on 15 December, asking him if he was still looking for work and he replied "yes" on the same day. He followed up on 24 December, asking about jobs with hours compatible with sending his children to school. And as far as I can tell, e2i did not respond to either messages. The SSO rejection letter arrived before anyone asked him for evidence of his engagement.
So, without pre-judging things, my question is, does SSO take e2i's or other employment partner agencies' word, unconditionally, before rejecting an applicant for non-engagement? Is the applicants given a chance to present their side?
Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: Mr Speaker, Sir, I thank the Member for the supplementary question. I will say this: for each family and each applicant, they face various unique circumstances and challenges. For this particular case, SSO is aware and is currently considering the appeal. And actually, for this particular family, it is a known family and the family coach has helped the family in other ways as well, including provision of food rations, infant milk powder and diapers.
Having said that, this cessation of financial assistance or the tapering off of it, is not something that SSO takes very lightly. SSO reviews it with the help of the Social Assistance Officer (SAO), who has embarked and partnered with the applicant family on the action plan, which would help them to improve their financial situation.
And so, the SAO will contact the applicants for an interview and at the stage of assessment of the SMTA, the SAO will also get information from the family coach, from other sources of information as well, to ensure that they look at the entire assistance that is required by the family.
And rest assured, for the Member, that every applicant for SMTA will be able to get financial assistance by SSOs and we will look at how to help them meet their basic living needs and also journey with them on this journey for self-reliance so that they can improve their financial situation. That is the purpose of the action plan.
I ask all Members in this House, if they know of any residents or they know of any applicants, partner with the SSOs so that we can embark on this action plan with them together on the path towards self-reliance, not just financial assistance.