Expedited Pathway for Children under Age 16 With Serious Behavioural or Substance Abuse Issues to Receive Structured Residential Intervention
Ministry of Social and Family DevelopmentSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns an inquiry by Ms Yeo Wan Ling on whether expedited pathways exist for children under 16 with serious behavioural or substance abuse issues to access residential intervention, and how inter-agency coordination prevents care gaps. Minister Masagos Zulkifli B M M explained that while community-based programmes are the primary option, expedited pathways to residential intervention exist for urgent or serious cases without first completing community interventions. Specifically, serious Family Guidance Order (FGO) cases involving safety risks or physical harm bypass pre-FGO community programmes, enabling the Youth Court to order residential placement. Furthermore, youths under 16 who continue abusing etomidate despite community-based rehabilitation may be prosecuted in Youth Court and placed into Ministry of Social and Family Development Youth Homes. Minister Masagos Zulkifli B M M noted that families needing help navigating services should visit Family Service Centres for assessment and referrals, as the Ministry continues working with partners to make support more accessible.
Transcript
69 Ms Yeo Wan Ling asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) whether there is an expedited pathway for children below the age of 16 with serious behavioural or substance abuse issues to receive structured residential intervention where community-based interventions have repeatedly failed; and (b) how will the Ministry coordinate with other agencies to ensure there are no gaps in supervision, care and rehabilitation.
Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: The Government and our community partners provide a range of community-based and residential interventions for children with behavioural challenges or substance abuse concerns.
Community-based interventions are generally the first option, as they allow the children to remain in the care of their family and stay connected to school and the community while receiving structured supervision and support.
Where there are serious or urgent concerns, there are expedited pathways for children to receive residential intervention, without first completing community-based programmes. For example, where parents face significant difficulties managing their child's behaviour, they may apply for a Family Guidance Order (FGO). If the case is assessed to be serious, for example, the youth pose a safety or moral risk or has caused serious physical harm to a family member, the case will be expedited, and the family will not be required to attend a pre-FGO intervention in the community. For such FGO cases, the Youth Court may order placement in a residential home if the youth is assessed to require a structured and secure environment.
For youths below 16 years who continue to abuse etomidate despite prior community-based rehabilitation, they may be prosecuted in the Youth Court, which may then order them to residential rehabilitation in the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) Youth Homes.
The Government recognises that it may be challenging to navigate the range of interventions and service providers involved. Where families need assistance, we encourage them to approach their nearest Family Service Centre, which can assess their needs and refer them to the appropriate support. MSF will continue to work with our partners to strengthen support and look at ways to make access to help easier to navigate.