More Help for At-risk Families

2 Er Dr Lee Bee Wah asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) what are the common causes of family violence; (b) whether more can be done to identify at-risk families and prevent such violence especially silent victims; (c) how many cases have reported by non-family members in the past three years; and (d) when will public consultation be held for a Vulnerable Adults Bill.

The Minister for Social and Family Development (Mr Desmond Lee): Mr Deputy Speaker, our Family Services Centres (FSCs) report an average of 1,400 cases a year where family violence is one of the presenting problems. In the past three years, on average, the Family Justice Courts received 2,800 applications for Personal Protection Orders (PPOs), with about 40% or about 1,200 PPOs issued each year.

In the last one year, one in three callers who called the ComCare Hotline on family violence matters were non-family members, that is, third parties. On average, the ComCare hotline receives about 60 calls annually on family violence-related matters. Of course, members of the public and family members may call other numbers, may report to the Police, may approach Family Violence Specialist Centres, may approach FSCs and bring family violence concerns to the attention of the authorities through different channels. I just gave the Member an example of those who call in through the ComCare hotline.

One common cause of family violence stems from the controlling behaviours of one family member over other members, resulting in intimidation or violence. Some families also face difficulties in coping with stressors, such as marital, financial or health challenges.

Family violence is not a private matter. MSF's "Break the Silence Against Family Violence" campaign aims to raise awareness of family violence and to equip bystanders with resources and skills to safely step in to help victims. The National Family Violence Networking System links various agencies and community groups to provide multiple access points for victims to obtain help. Victims of violence have access to hotline services and social service agencies specialising in family violence work. These agencies provide facilities for the application of PPOs through video conferencing, medical services, legal advice and counselling services.

The Penal Code, the Women's Charter and the Protection from Harassment Act provide protection for victims from violence, including family violence. The proposed Vulnerable Adults Bill will be an additional lever to allow statutory intervention in high-risk cases involving maltreatment and abuse of vulnerable adults. Public consultation on the draft Bill was held in the second half of 2016. MSF is finalising the provisions with relevant stakeholders and working through the details and standard operating procedures (SOPs) before introducing the Bill in Parliament this year.

Er Dr Lee Bee Wah (Nee Soon): Sir, I have two supplementary questions. For ComCare hotline and other helplines that are available, I would like to ask how does MSF assess risk? Are there any statistics to show how many people had been saved by such calls? I understand that in the United States (US), there are data analysis programmes to better screen the calls and identify the risks even earlier, before they are being harmed or die in the worst case scenario. Do we employ such data analytics technology?

Mr Desmond Lee: I thank the Member for her questions. As I had said earlier, ComCare hotline is but one of the touchpoints through which victims of family violence, family members, neighbours, colleagues, friends, members of the public and bystanders can reach out to in order to flag possible family violence cases. Because in our view, family violence ought never to be treated as a private matter.

It is the importance of creating a network and continuing to refresh, revitalise and to re-energise the network that is important. So, no hotline operates alone, no agency operates alone when it comes to family violence because if it is not for this network, there is always a risk of a family violence case falling through the gaps.

So, the National Family Violence Networking System, of which the ComCare hotline is one of the entry points, brings a tight network of support and assistance that provides multiple points of contact for those affected by family violence. It links MSF and its partners to ensure sources of help are accessible to victims. The key stakeholders are Singapore Police Force, some people call the Police or go to the Neighbourhood Police Posts (NPPs) or Neighbourhood Police Centres (NPCs) or call 999; hospitals, which see cases of individuals, and sometimes, it could be that they suspect family violence causing the injuries; Family Violence Specialist Centres, who specialise in tackling the complex familial relationships and issues that surround the victims and their oppressors; and Family Service Centres as well as community-based welfare organisations.

So, whether the person calls the ComCare hotline or calls 999, goes to report to the Police or is suspected by a clinician, a doctor or a nurse who is doing triaging as being a potential victim of family violence, the network would kick in. Dialogue groups are held regularly among all the participants of this network to ensure that they are better placed to detect and to know what to do when they identify cases of family violence.

As for the Member's specific question on when people call the ComCare or other hotlines, whether that provides a protective element to the victim, we do not have specific data at this point. But I would say that every time a report comes to the attention of the authorities and the network is able to do its part, we would like to believe that it is an important first step that brings the matter out to the attention of specialists, counsellors, the authorities and the Police, and that would be an important first step to addressing family violence behind closed doors.