Number of Children Per Social Worker at Places of Safety from 2011 to 2017

49 Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Social and Family Development for each year from 2011 to 2017, what are the highest, lowest, mean and median numbers of children per social worker at places of safety.

Mr Desmond Lee: Children in need of care or protection may be referred by MSF or ordered by the Youth Court to reside in licensed Homes that are gazetted as places of safety under the Children and Young Persons Act.

Social workers and other professionals in the Homes provide care to and support the daily needs of residents. The care staff to child ratio (care ratio) varies across the sector as the number of children in the Homes may vary at any one time. The table below provides the median, mean, lowest and highest care ratio in the Homes in December of each year from 2016 to 2018, and August 2019.¹

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