Staff-to-child Ratio at Places of Safety and Juvenile Homes

30 Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Social and Family Development in the past five years, what is the annual average and median staff-to-child ratio at (i) places of safety and (ii) juvenile homes.

Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: All places of safety are required to meet MSF's minimum care staff-to-child ratio of 1:10 (previously 1:15). This new ratio was introduced in 2020.

As a result, the average and median care staff-to-child ratio in places of safety improved from 1:12 (average and median) in 2017 to within the minimum ratio by 2021.

The two juvenile homes, that is, Singapore Boys' Home and Singapore Girls' Home, are places of safety and operate under the same minimum care staff-to-child ratio.