Coordination of Inter-agency Support for Children and Families Affected by Incarceration of Parents
Ministry of Home AffairsSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the agency responsible for coordinating support for dependent children and families of incarcerated parents, alongside the outcome indicators used to monitor their stability, as raised by Mr Victor Lye. Senior Minister K Shanmugam responded that this is a multi-agency effort involving the Singapore Prison Service (SPS), the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF), the Ministry of Education (MOE), and community organisations. Inmates and their families are assisted by SPS's Family Resource Centres, which refer those with complex, longer-term needs to local Family Service Centres (FSCs). MSF Social Service Office Family Coaches and FSC caseworkers are notified when clients or their family members are incarcerated to provide timely assistance, with FSCs tracking outcomes such as meeting basic and social-emotional needs. Additionally, SPS partners with MOE through "Project Hope" to facilitate quarterly video conferencing sessions between incarcerated parents and their school-going children.
Transcript
67 Mr Victor Lye asked the Senior Minister, Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs (a) which agency has overall responsibility for coordinating support for dependent children and families when a parent is incarcerated; and (b) what outcome indicators are used to assess whether such families remain stable from admission through release and reintegration.
Mr K Shanmugam: Supporting families and children affected by incarceration is a multi-agency effort, involving the Singapore Prison Service (SPS), the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) and the Ministry of Education (MOE). These agencies work in close partnership with one another and with community organisations to deliver coordinated support that seek to address the diverse needs of affected families.
For example, inmates and their families may be referred to SPS's Family Resource Centres (FRCs), which will follow up on the needs of the inmates and their families. If an inmate's family is assessed to have complex needs or require longer-term follow up, a referral will be made by the FRC to Family Service Centres (FSCs) near the inmate's home for further assistance.
MSF's Social Service Office Family Coaches and FSC caseworkers will also be notified when their clients, or their clients' family members, are incarcerated. This enables them to assess the family's needs and provide timely assistance to support the family. FSCs will monitor the families' progress and will be guided by outcomes, such as whether the family's basic and social-emotional needs are met.
For incarcerated parents with school-going children, SPS also collaborates with MOE through “Project Hope”, which provides incarcerated parents with an avenue to connect with their children through quarterly video conferencing sessions.