Masagos Zulkifli B M M
Singapore
“Coordination between Early Intervention (EI) centres, families and preschools is important for the continuity of support for children with developmental needs.”
“The Taxi Subsidy Scheme supports persons with disabilities (PwDs) who are unable to take public transport, by providing means-tested subsidies to offset the cost of taxi travel to school, work and employment-related training supported by SG Enable.”
“The Skills and Salary Guidelines published by the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) guides social service agencies (SSAs) to pay their employees fair and competitive remuneration and maintain the sector's attractiveness. The Guidelines are adjusted so that salaries remain competitive with comparable roles in competing markets.”
“Staff turnover rates vary across social service agencies (SSAs). An individual's decision to leave an organisation is influenced by a myriad of factors, of which pay is only one.”
“Beyond the requirement of a structured daily programme, community-based SCFA administrators have the flexibility to offer programmes and additional enrichment activities that meet the needs of their students. MSF does not track staff salaries and turnover of SCCs in general nor those that administer SCFA.”
“Male preschool educators comprised about 1% of the early childhood workforce in each of the last five years. The Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) has not issued guidelines pertaining to the rules set by preschool centres specific to the conduct of male preschool educators.”
The complete record
Every one of 2,489 lines we hold for Masagos Zulkifli B M M, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 19 of 50.
“Mr Chairman, may I seek your consent to move that progress be reported now and leave be asked to sit again tomorrow?”
“Singapore supports the principle of non-discriminatory treatment towards persons with disabilities. When Singapore intends to sign to any UN conventions or laws we intend to comply and must therefore prepare stakeholders for them. In this case the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has been formulating guidelines on fair practices towards all customers, including those with disabilities, and intends to embark on public consultations on these guidelines by the second half of 2022. Following the issuance of the guidelines, Singapore intends to withdraw the reservation to Article 25(e) of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.”
“Stability and self-reliance are the building blocks for families to move towards the long-term goal of social mobility – real income growth and the ability to purchase their own homes. MSF will provide a more detailed update on ComLink at the upcoming Committee of Supply Debate 2022.”
“To date, Community Link (ComLink) engagement officers and volunteers have reached out to over 6,800 families and successfully engaged more than 3,800 families to understand their needs, hopes and aspirations. In the course of this outreach, we have identified families with various support needs, including food needs and health issues, and connected them to relevant Government agencies and community partners for prompt support. We are on track to complete our outreach to all 14,000 ComLink families by 2023. Through ComLink, we pull together support from Government agencies, community partners, corporates and volunteers to empower ComLink families to achieve stability, self-reliance, and social mobility (3 "S"). We do so by partnering each family to co-develop an action plan, based on their goals and aspirations. The Social Service Offices (SSOs) then coordinate with agencies and community partners backend to render the necessary services and interventions to the families. Should there be changes to service providers or partner agencies along the way, the SSOs will step in to ensure that ComLink families do not experience delays or gaps in receiving support. ComLink tracks every family's progress over time, using short-, medium- and long-term indicators across various domains, such as employment, finance, healthcare and education. In the short term, we focus on making sure the family is Stable – that they are able to meet their basic needs and day-to-day living expenses. In the medium term, we want to support families towards Self-reliance, by building up resources to cushion them from any unexpected episodes. This includes being in stable employment and ensuring the children are progressing well in school.”
“Through the pilot, MSF found that the critical success factors in effectively uplifting these families were (a) social workers' professional competency and knowledge of Government policies, (b) having social workers and Government agencies work together and collaborate effectively, and (c) having MSF come in to facilitate such collaborations and conversations, where necessary. Based on the findings and recommendations of the pilot, MSF rolled out training for new and existing FSC social workers on working with Government agencies effectively. This has now been incorporated as core training for all FSCs. In 2017, MSF set up a Systems Capability Team (SCT) which aimed to strengthen the partnerships between the FSCs and Government agencies, so they can work better together to support families facing complex needs and barriers. The work of the SCT has, since 2019, been subsumed under the Social Service Systems Office, which was set up to identify and resolve system issues cutting across agencies which might impede the successful resolution of complex cases as well as cases not covered within conventional policy boundaries. Collaborations between social workers and Government agencies have also become a lynchpin of the ComLink initiative that MSF is in the process of scaling up nation-wide to all towns in Singapore – a key feature of ComLink is Government agencies and community agencies working hand-in-hand to uplift families with children in rental housing.”
“MSF implemented the Vulnerable Families Pilot Programme, also known as the Strengthening Families Together (SFT) Pilot, from January 2014 to February 2017. The aim of the SFT Pilot was to improve the family's well-being and enhance developmental outcomes for their children. The SFT Pilot comprised two key elements: (1) enhancing social workers' effectiveness through training on Government policies and considerations, and access to dedicated Government points-of-contact to discuss appeals or flexibilities to support clients; and (2) encouraging Government agencies to exercise greater flexibility based on social workers' professional assessments. Two hundred and forty families benefitted from the pilot. One hundred and ninety-two appeals, for 156 families, were made by the SFT social workers largely surrounding issues, such as housing and immigration, and 92% of these appeals were successful in enabling the families to access help. Overall, families on the pilot showed improvements in family functioning, coping self-efficacy, and children's hope and resilience. However, two-thirds of the families continued to require case management from FSCs after the pilot concluded, reflecting the complexity of their issues and the runway needed for them to stabilise. The main focus of the pilot was to see how we could improve social service interventions for complex cases, and we have not set out to quantify savings from the pilot. Rather, we have applied some of the learning points to better support and equip FSCs in the case management of families.”
“The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) welcomes the Multi-Ministry Task Force's announcements that there will be a further easing of Safe Management Measures (SMMs) in time to come. The revised SMMs will enable mosques to increase their capacity for prayers and other religious activities held within their premises. When the measures are eased, MUIS estimates Friday prayer spaces to increase by about 60%, coupled with corresponding increases in capacity for other religious activities at mosques. This will allow a total of about 100,000 congregants to perform their religious obligations and participate in religious activities every week. MUIS is working closely with the mosques to prepare for the implementation of the SMMs. As with the rest of the community, MUIS hopes that the COVID-19 situation will improve soon so that the easing of measures can be implemented in time for Ramadan which begins on 3 April. MUIS would like to thank the community for their cooperation and patience. As we transit into the next phase of dealing with COVID-19, we urge the community to continue to remain vigilant.”
“As part of the nation-wide scale-up of Community Link (ComLink) to support families with children living in rental housing, we have been conducting needs assessment surveys to better understand the families' needs and aspirations. A number of families we surveyed mentioned that they had to care for family members, including young children. For these families, caregiving support could enable them to find work or take up full-time jobs. However, the number of families who need caregiving support varies across ComLink towns and it is also not clear that night-time childcare is the preferred model across the board. Thus, we will need to explore possible approaches to meet the needs of those requiring caregiving support beyond regular hours. For caregiving needs during regular working hours, parents can access centre-based childcare services which are available in all towns.”
“Parents are encouraged to refer to the developmental milestones in the Health Promotion Board’s Child Health Booklet as reference points and take their children for regular childhood developmental screenings at General Practitioner (GP) clinics or polyclinics. ECDA also works with the National Institute of Early Childhood Development (NIEC) and other training institutes to equip EC educators with the skills to identify and support children with developmental needs. ECDA has also recently introduced a new "Inclusion Coordinator (ICO)" role in preschools. Serving as another key touchpoint to support early detection and timely intervention, ICOs will work with their fellow EC educators to flag children with potential developmental needs for further assessment and refer EC educators and parents to relevant EI resources and services. Training for ICOs is being rolled out and ECDA aims to have an ICO appointed in every preschool before the end of 2023.”
“The Development Support – Learning Support (DS-LS) programme provides support to children with developmental needs who require low levels of early intervention (EI) support in preschools. In 2021, about 650 preschools, which enrol over 40% of preschoolers aged five to six, offered the DS-LS programme. This is almost double the 350 preschools that offered the programme in 2017. The Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) is working closely with preschool operators and regional DS-LS providers to make the DS-LS programme available at more preschools. ECDA targets for the DS-LS programme to be made available at preschools covering 60% of preschoolers by 2025 and 80% in steady-state. Arising from the recommendations of the Inclusive Preschool Workgroup (IPWG), ECDA launched a new Inclusive Support Programme (InSP) pilot in October 2021 to integrate the provision of EI and early childhood (EC) services at preschools for children aged three to six who require medium levels of EI support. To date, the pilot has started in six preschools and is on track to be rolled out to the last preschool by June 2022. ECDA is commissioning an evaluation study to review the effectiveness of the InSP pilot and to assess the feasibility of scaling up the InSP in the future. Over the years, the Government has strengthened support at various touchpoints to enable more timely and systematic identification of children with developmental needs. During health screenings and medical check-ups, healthcare professionals may detect delays in the child’s development. In such cases, the child will be referred to paediatricians for further diagnosis of developmental concerns.”
“Based on data reported by Family Service Centres (FSCs), in the past five years, the median length of service for social workers working with a single FSC is as shown in Table 1 below. MSF does not have data on social workers’ length of service with single or multiple FSCs without any interim employment beyond the FSCs.”
“In February 2020, the ComChest Emergency Fund provided $3,000 to each National Council of Social Service (NCSS) member agency to help them strengthen their business continuity measures, purchase Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and carry out cleaning and disinfection of premises. In April 2020, NCSS set up The Invictus Fund (TIF), which amongst other things, funds SSAs up to $100,000 per agency to defray the cost of implementing BCP, safe management system and ART kits. MSF has also helped to facilitate donations-in-kind from the community to the Homes/Shelters. Some of donated items include PPE, masks and gloves which helped to offset the Homes’/Shelters’ expenses on these essential items. MSF will continue to work closely with Homes/Shelters to serve their residents as best as we can, in our collective fight against COVID-19.”
“MSF and Social Service Agencies (SSAs) running Homes/Shelters under MSF’s purview have been working closely together during this pandemic. We have strengthened infection prevention and control practices, refined Business Continuity Plans (BCPs), conducted audits on Safe Management Measures (SMMs), deployed mobile vaccination teams to vaccinate residents who are elderly and more vulnerable and the staff caring for them, and worked with the Homes/Shelters to manage COVID-19 outbreaks when they occur. MSF has provided additional funding to the Homes/Shelters under its purview to help defray the additional costs incurred due to the required measures. As we stepped up SMMs between 2020 and 2021, we provided ad hoc funding for Homes/Shelters to hire additional manpower to implement the SMMs and also raised funding rates for these Homes/Shelters on an ongoing basis. MSF worked MOH and HPB to arrange for mobile vaccination teams to do vaccinations on site for the Homes/Shelters at no cost to them, and has been supplying Homes/Shelters with Government-funded Antigen Rapid Test (ART) kits. MSF, with MOH’s support, also funds Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) testing that are carried out in respective premises when COVID-19 infection is detected. In addition, MSF has deployed contractors to conduct deep cleaning of the Homes’/Shelters’ premises when outbreaks occurred and the Homes’/Shelters’ own contracted cleaners would only have been able to come in at a later time, so as to provide better and timelier assurance to the staff and residents. In addition to Government support, the Homes/Shelters can tap on community support provided to the social service sector.”
“Earlier this month, MSF expanded the scope of the training and renamed it to Family and Domestic Violence Awareness Training to also raise awareness of violence that occurs in non-familial relationships, such as between intimate partners. MSF’s public education efforts have contributed to more persons seeking help for family violence. The Family Violence Specialist Centres and Integrated Services for Individual and Family Protection Specialist Centre have received more enquiries about family violence: 2,906 enquiries in FY2018, compared to 4,574 enquiries in FY2020. This potentially includes cases that may have previously gone unreported. MSF will continue expanding our outreach to more organisations, particularly partners that are likely to have direct contact with survivors of family violence or with groups that are at a higher risk of family and domestic violence. We welcome more organisations to step forward and partner us. Organisations may reach out to MSF through the link go.gov.sg/msfbreakthesilence. Everyone can play a part in tackling family violence. We urge family members, neighbours and members of the public to call the National Anti-Violence Helpline at 1800-777-0000 if they are aware of or suspect cases of family violence.”
“MSF has invested in family violence-related public education efforts over the years. The Break the Silence campaign, launched in 2016, was refreshed in November last year to unpack the different types of abuse, including psychological, emotional and sexual abuse, so that members of the public can more easily identify violence and seek help. MSF’s Break the Silence webpage (go.gov.sg/breakthesilence) provides more information on the signs of family violence and where survivors of violence can seek help. As part of our public education efforts, MSF produced and broadcasted posters and videos on the signs of family violence and help resources on free-to-air television channels, as well as digital displays at HDB lift landings and MRT stations. To increase the reach of our public education messages, MSF also worked with digital media publishers, such as Our Grandfather Story, to produce videos and posts to raise greater awareness about family violence and how to assist survivors. As part of the refreshed Break the Silence campaign, the Signal for Help hand signal was also introduced as an additional subtle mode of reporting by victims/survivors of family violence, if they are unable to seek help by calling the National Anti-Violence Helpline. In addition, MSF has conducted Family Violence Awareness Training since 2018 to provide a basic understanding of the different types and forms of abuse and neglect. The aim is to equip participants with the skills to detect violence early and to provide an appropriate response. In 2021, MSF worked with 16 organisations across the people, public and private sectors, including educational institutions, grassroots organisations and religious organisations to train over 1,100 staff and volunteers.”
“To encourage fathers to be actively involved in raising their children, alongside the mothers, MSF has launched the Alliance for Action (AfA) to Strengthen Marriages and Family Relationships. One of its priorities is to work with Families for Life (FFL) and Dads for Life. AfA will also galvanise the community and corporates to promote active parenting by both fathers and mothers.”
“The Government introduced Government-Paid Maternity Leave (GPML) in 2004 and Government-Paid Paternity Leave (GPPL) in 2013 for parents of Singaporean children. Eligible working mothers and fathers can enjoy up to 16 weeks and two weeks of paid GPML and GPPL respectively. The take-up rates of GPML and GPPL1 in 2019 were 79% and 55% respectively. Data for 2020 and 2021 are not available as parents have up to one year after their Singaporean child’s birth to consume the leave and employers have three months after that to submit the claims. One possible reason for the lower take-up rate of GPPL compared to GPML is that it was introduced later. The GPPL take-up rate has more than doubled from 25% in 2013 to 55% in 2019 and, over time, the gap between GPML and GPPL could close. Going forward, stronger workplace support and a stronger societal culture of fathers being actively involved in raising children could lead to higher GPPL take-up rates. To strengthen workplace support, MOM encourages employers to adopt the Tripartite Standards on Flexible Work Arrangements, Unpaid Leave for Unexpected Care Needs, and the recently introduced Standard on Work-Life Harmony. Adopters are publicly recognised as progressive employers, including on the MyCareersFuture website, which can contribute towards their talent attraction and retention strategy. MOM also guides employers to put in place practices to foster family-friendly environments. The Centre for Fathering, which runs the Dads for Life Movement, launched its biennial “Great Companies for Dads Awards” in March 2021. It aims to recognise outstanding organisations that empower fathers to achieve work-life harmony and inspire other employers to follow suit. In 2021, five organisations received this award.”
“Based on the Manpower and Salary Survey (MPSS)1 conducted by MSF in 2019 across 187 Social Service Agencies (SSAs), about two-thirds of SSAs, or 125, reported having vacancies for permanent positions, both part-time and full-time, in their organisations at the time. Among the SSAs reporting vacancies, the average vacancy rate was about 8%, the average number of vacancies per SSA was 15, and the median number was four. As SSAs may have programmes spanning different sub-sectors, these vacancies would include those in programmes outside the social service sector.”
“Local food coordinators (LFCs) have been appointed in three areas – Jalan Kukoh, Kampong Glam and Kembangan-Chai Chee – to coordinate and deconflict local charity food support efforts, particularly festive or corporate giving efforts. MSF is coordinating the development of a food directory and database. This will further support our LFCs and food support organisations, as they will be able to check on duplications and coordinate with other food support organisations to best support the households in need. The food directory will enable members of the public or social service agencies to search for food support based on location or dietary requirements. These would enable better matching, better coordination and reduced duplication. Members of the CFWG are also working with Member of Parliament Louis Ng towards the introduction of a Private Member's Bill to encourage food donations and reduce food wastage, while ensuring food safety.”
“The charity food landscape is variegated. Besides food charities providing food support, there are also numerous ground-up initiatives by volunteer groups, grassroots organisations and corporates. Many initiatives, while well-intended, are uncoordinated and some are ad hoc rather than regular activities. Food wastage on the ground can occur when households receive duplicative food support, or food support that is unsuitable for their needs. For example, beneficiaries who are diabetic may receive white rice and bread which they are unable to consume. It was in this context that MSF convened the Charity Food Workgroup (CFWG) in 2019 to enable a more coordinated and data-driven approach to charity food support that would reduce duplication and wastage. The Workgroup comprises food support organisations (namely, The Food Bank, Food from the Heart, Free Food for All, Willing Hearts, Mummy Yummy, Singapore Buddhist Welfare Services), volunteers, corporates and Government agencies (MSF, the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, Health Promotion Board, Government Technology Agency, National Environment Agency and Singapore Food Agency). A simple way to reduce food waste is to enable beneficiaries to choose the type and amount of food support they need. Our CFWG partners have rolled out innovative initiatives such as community shops, meal redemptions, vending machines and community fridges. These efforts not only preserve beneficiaries' dignity of choice, but also make food distribution more efficient and less wasteful. We are also building capabilities to improve local level coordination and prevent duplication of food support.”
“In April 2020, NCSS launched The Invictus Fund (TIF) and has since raised $10 million from the community to support SSAs providing critical services to vulnerable groups. The Government further contributed an additional $18.9 million to TIF, with a focus on helping SSAs invest in technology and transform their service delivery for the new normal. SSAs could also apply to TIF if they needed additional financial support to maintain service continuity and comply with safe management measures. MSF will continue to closely monitor and review its funding for programmes to ensure that they receive adequate funding as the COVID-19 situation evolves.”
“Over the past two years, all employers, including Social Service Agencies (SSAs), received support from the Jobs Support Scheme to help keep their businesses running and retain their employees. In addition, as the majority of MSF-funded programmes receive funding calibrated by caseload, additional work brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic would have resulted in a commensurate increase in funding. However, even when caseloads were reduced (for example, where a programme could serve fewer clients due to safe management measures), MSF maintained funding at pre-COVID-19 levels. Beyond this, MSF provided additional funding to all programmes during FY2020 and FY2021 in the form of support for ancillary costs during COVID-19. For example, overall MSF funding to the Family Service Centres (FSCs) increased from $85.2 million to $90 million, or 5.6%, from FY2019 to FY2020, although actual changes in funding for each FSC would have varied, depending on their caseload and client profile. MSF also reviewed the adequacy of funding against the challenges brought about by the new normal, and adjusted funding models where necessary. For instance, funding to the residential homes rose by an estimated $2.4 million, or 2.9%, from FY2020 to FY2021, in view of additional costs to comply with Safe Management Measures and changes to the Environmental Public Health Act. SSAs also benefited from other broad-based support provided to the sector. In February 2020, the ComChest Emergency Fund made available $3,000 to each NCSS member to strengthen business continuity measures, purchase personal protective equipment and carry out cleaning and disinfection of premises.”
“Maintenance enforcement applications are filed under section 71 of the Women's Charter. Section 71(1) empowers the Court to order any of the enforcement measures listed if any person fails to make one or more payments required to be made under a maintenance order. Such a maintenance order may be granted to a wife, incapacitated husband or on behalf of a minor child. The number of maintenance enforcement applications filed for the last three years is shown in Table 1 below. The statistics on the number of maintenance enforcement applications filed during the course of marriage and the number of cases that managed to reach an amicable resolution at the mediation stage are not available, so the Ministry is unable to provide such a breakdown for the past three years.”
“For example, some SSAs may not have sufficient senior social workers to provide supervision and can tap on the Singapore Association of Social Workers' Supervision Service to enable their social workers who have yet to attain the requisite 1,000 supervised practice hours required for accreditation to receive supervision from a qualified supervisor. To mitigate the impact of COVID-19, SSAs can tap on various initiatives under the SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package and the Transformation Support Scheme to support their hiring and capability-building efforts. In addition, MSF periodically reviews staffing models to ensure that client needs and service standards are met. This includes updating staffing models while taking into consideration reasonable caseload ratios to ensure clients are adequately served and staff have reasonable workloads.”
“MSF funds about 90 Social Service Agencies (SSAs) to run about 50 different programmes. The staffing models of MSF-funded programmes consider staff-to-client ratios, which vary according to the nature of each programme. Programmes catering to high-risk client groups, such as vulnerable persons in need of protection, would require a higher staff-to-client ratio. Other considerations include the complexity of client needs, the nature of intervention, such as whether it is a preventive programme requiring group psychoeducation or casework, and the intensity of intervention, such as whether it is a short treatment programme or a long-term maintenance programme. For example, Family Service Centres (FSCs) are resourced based on the number of active cases, with higher funding given to cases with higher risks and complexity. FSCs have the flexibility to decide on the number of social workers to hire and how best to distribute cases among their social workers. As at end-2021, about 15% of the headcount in the recommended staffing models across MSF-funded programmes was not filled by SSAs. The differences between actual hiring and the staffing models would differ across the programmes and the SSA providers for each programme. MSF also works closely with SSAs to monitor their staffing and ensure that they are adequately resourced. If SSAs face difficulty hiring, MSF will engage them to understand their hiring challenges and provide support where needed.”
“As preschools manage their own processes for child and infant care enrolment into their centres, ECDA does not track their application and placement rates. Instead, ECDA tracks preschool interest registered by parents via the Preschool Search Portal (PSP) launched in 2019. Parents may register interest in as many as 10 preschools at the same time on the PSP. While we strongly encourage all parents to use the PSP, this is voluntary, and some parents may also directly contact their chosen preschools. In 2021, 830 parents of unenrolled infants registered interest for an infant care place via the PSP. This constituted 1% of all families with infants in Singapore. Nationally, about 77% of infant care capacity was taken up by enrolled children in 2021. While the overall situation shows sufficient supply, there remain localised areas with waitlists. This could be due to several factors, such as parents preferring specific preschools or wanting preschool places close to their homes, and time needed for preschools to ramp up their infant care operations. While we are building new preschools closer to families, it is not always possible for families to have a preschool at the same block or within a few blocks of their homes. Providing access to quality, affordable infant and child care remains a key priority for the Government. We will continue to increase capacity where needed to meet demand for early childhood services. By the end of 2022, ECDA will develop an additional 1,000 infant care places – offered largely by anchor operators and mainly in Planning Areas with upcoming HDB developments for new families. This does not include additional infant care places which may be developed by other preschool operators to meet local demand.”
“MUIS will study this suggestion. Mr Deputy Speaker, I would like to once again thank Members for their support of this Bill and their insightful comments. This Bill will help our Muslim institutions to better serve the community, improve legal processes, and strengthen the social support given to families and children. We will also continue to engage the community and religious fraternity to ensure that AMLA remains relevant for Muslims in Singapore. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move.”
“If they do not comply with the Court's advice, the Court will have the discretion to make any order it deems fit and, in relevant cases, may take the non-compliance of the parents into consideration in making custody, care and control and access orders, among other relevant factors, in determining the welfare of the child. Finally, this Bill seeks to update the provisions relating to MUIS. Mr Saktiandi Supaat asked whether the existing section 32(7) can meet our intent to allow Mufti to testify where a case is made on false doctrine. Sections 32(7) and 139(2) are significantly different in their scope and effect under the AMLA. I think this was also referred to by Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim. Section 32(7) is very wide, as it covers the question of Muslim law and it does not invoke any presumption in favour of the opinion provided by the Legal Committee, also known as the Fatwa Committee. It is also not restricted to a request from a Court, as it can be made by any person. On the other hand, section 139(2) of AMLA relates specifically to evidence required for an offence of false doctrine and currently invokes a presumption in favour of the evidence given by the President of MUIS. The amendment seeks to allow the Mufti, which is the highest Muslim religious authority in Singapore, to give evidence in lieu of the President of MUIS. Hence, the two sections have their own specific purpose under AMLA and the powers of the Legal Committee are not affected by the operation of section 139(2). More broadly, if the Court requests for the opinion of the Majlis on any question on Muslim law, section 32(7) would apply. I also thank Mr Zhulkarnain Aabdul Rahim for his suggestion on section 114 of AMLA to make Mufti the reference for Muslim law questions on inheritance and succession.”
“SYC works very closely with FJC and MSF to support Muslim families going through divorce. For example, SYC partners MSF to refer acrimonious cases to MSF's Divorce Support Specialist Agencies (DSSA) to help these families with Supervised Exchange and Visitations. MSF provides these referred Muslim families the same level of funding support given to non-Muslim families undergoing divorce under the auspices of the Women's Charter. Mr Saktiandi Supaat asked who the "prescribed class of persons" may be under section 43A, where SYC may advise them, in addition to any of the parties or their children, to attend a family support programme or activity. We recognise that there may be other significant caregivers involved in a child's life, such as grandparents. The availability of family support programmes and activities is expanded to allow participation by such persons so that they may in turn help the child to better cope with his or her parents' divorce. To Ms Nadia Samdin's query, the Programme for Children encompasses a range of possible support for children, including an assessment of the needs of the child and specific interventions, such as group programmes, counselling or psychological services. The assessment process will be used to make recommendations to parents on suitable interventions based on the needs of the child. The overarching consideration is to work in the best interest of the child. MSF and MCCY will continue to work closely with the relevant professionals to ensure that these evidence-based intervention programmes will benefit any child who needs help to cope with his or her parents' divorce. Ultimately, parents are responsible for their child's well-being.”
“On a quite unrelated note, to Mr Faisal Manap's query on the non-payment of divorce fees, the Court has discretion to waive fees for reasons they deem acceptable, like the unaffordability of the party. To Mr Saktiandi Supaat's query, under current provisions, a divorce is registered upon payment of an administrative fee. This is a technicality that the amendment seeks to rectify by delinking payment of the divorce registration fee with the Court's power to order the registration of the divorce. I fully agree with Mr Saktiandi Supaat that divorces are not to be taken lightly and the SYC strives to save marriages where it is possible to do so. There are various opportunities for a disaffected couple to work out their issues. First, parties are required to attend SYC's Marriage Counselling Programme, which was made mandatory at the last round of amendments. Second, after the divorce application has been filed in Court, parties attend a mediation session where they can still explore reconciliation options as well as areas of agreement for an amicable resolution to their marital dispute. Third, parties may attend counselling or other family support activity or programme where they can receive support from professional counsellors and other social work professionals. We will continue to help couples work towards amicable resolutions where possible. Our efforts are bearing fruit. More than half of the divorces registered in the past five years are settled amicably on all issues relating to the divorce application. Next, let me address Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim's query on what more is being done beyond these amendments for Muslim families going through divorce and non-Muslim families governed under the Women's Charter.”
“Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim asked who would be allowed access to the Register of Muslim Marriages and the Register of Revocation of Divorces. Only parties to the marriage and family members of parties to the marriage may do so. This is in line with who can access the Register of Marriages kept by ROM. For the Register of Muslim Divorces, the requesting party will be required to apply to SYC for a copy of an entry in the Register and must provide reasons to show sufficient interest in the matter. This is in line with the way similar information in the Family Justice Courts is protected. I thank Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim for his support of the amendments to section 50 on improving the process of proceedings conducted by the hakam. The role of a hakam is described in section 50. He is a person appointed by the Court to act for either the husband or the wife in divorce proceedings and will endeavour to effect a reconciliation and, if that is not possible, to facilitate an amicable resolution to the marital dispute. The number of cases in which hakam for the husband and hakam for the wife are jointly of the opinion that parties should be divorced because they are in a state of irreconcilable differences but the husband refuses to pronounce talak or authorise his hakam to do so, is less than 1% a year. Hence, the amendment seeks to reduce acrimony and emotional hardship in such cases. To Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim's query, in situations where one party creates an impasse by refusing to pay the hakam fees, the aggrieved party may seek redress from the Court at the hearing on ancillary matters to be reimbursed the payment that has been made on behalf of the defaulting party.”
“This is an additional measure on top of existing security protocols taken for all Court cases, such as Police presence at each Court hearing. The legal community welcomes this introduction of virtual proceedings. For example, Ms Shahirah Nassir, a lawyer at RW Law Practice, supports having proceedings held virtually. While there were expected teething problems during the transitional period, such as video lag or audio quality issues, she felt that sessions were conducted on time and there were minimal technical issues faced. More importantly, she found the platform to be a secure one that addresses security and privacy concerns in Court proceedings and the implementation of proceedings to be conducted remotely is in line with the numerous measures adopted by the Syariah Court to prioritise safety during COVID-19. Ms Nadia Samdin asked how we will get the public on board on these changes, who may not find the changes intuitive. For its new digital system, SYC will establish a Helpdesk to provide users with technical support. SYC will also publish clear and complete user guidelines and videos on the SYC website. The system is currently in the design stage and SYC will continue to work with partners and stakeholders to give litigants-in-person the necessary support and assistance they may need. SYC and its bench of Judges will also continue to engage members of the Bar to help prepare all Court users for the upcoming changes in the second half of this year. The detailed implementation of the new electronic filing system will be set out in the subsidiary legislation. This Bill also seeks to improve the legal processes relating to marriage and divorce.”
“Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim asked about a situation where the Plaintiff has already given oral evidence but the Defendant fails or refuses to participate in further proceedings. For such cases, where oral evidence has been given, there are safeguards to protect the rights of both parties in the litigation process. The Court will have to, first, assess whether the subsequent conduct of the hearing in an asynchronous manner will allow proceedings to be conducted fairly to both parties. The Court is required to obtain the consent of the Plaintiff to waive his or her right to continue with the oral hearing before the Court may proceed to conduct the remaining part of the proceedings in an asynchronous manner. We agree with Ms Nadia Samdin that in setting up a dedicated venue to provide a centralised setting for online trials, we need to protect the vulnerable, such as those suffering domestic abuse cases, and ensure that they are able to make their cases fairly and free from intimidation. I want to reiterate that SYC will adopt alternative modes of conducting proceedings only where appropriate and facilitative. Since mid-2020, SYC has worked closely with members of the Bar on the implementation of electronic communication technology for Court proceedings. The common goal is to ensure that all SYC hearings that are conducted virtually are done in a just, secure and private manner, in accordance with the law and SYC's practice guidelines. For any reason where a virtual hearing may impact the fairness of the proceedings, SYC will arrange for a physical hearing, where the Court house of SYC is the default location. Where there may be a serious risk of violence, separate courtrooms may be provided at SYC.”
“Ms Nadia Samdin asked what factors are considered when deciding that alternative modes of conducting proceedings are appropriate. This Bill will make available to SYC and Appeal Board the option of using electronic means of communication in place of physical attendance and the option to conduct proceedings in an asynchronous manner in place of an oral hearing. Asynchronous hearings, which are proceedings without an oral hearing, are typically allowed if the application is straightforward. An example would be where both parties consent to the application, or the application is made by one party but may be dealt with in the absence of the other party. For such applications, an oral hearing is ordinarily not required because all relevant facts of the case have been submitted in affidavits, which is the primary mode of giving evidence to the Court. Legal submissions will also unlikely be required for such cases. Conducting the proceedings in an asynchronous manner would ordinarily not be appropriate where oral arguments are required from counsel or the litigants-in-person. This is typically the case for divorce hearings or trials, including an appeal hearing before the Appeal Board. While an oral hearing is necessary in such cases, physical attendance of the counsel and the litigants-in-person may be dispensed with and the proceedings of the oral hearing may be conducted virtually where appropriate. To Ms Nadia Samdin's query, the Court is not precluded from allowing the use of an alternative device in the midst of hearing should there be a technical difficulty as long as it is on an electronic communication platform approved by the Courts.”
“This acts as a safeguard to ensure that all the conditions set out under Muslim law on the validity of the marriage and other legal requirements under section 95(3) of AMLA are fulfilled. Digitalisation will not affect the fairness of the Court proceedings or the integrity of marriage solemnisations. This is our resolve and assurance to Mr Saktiandi Supaat and Mr Faisal Manap. SYC and ROMM will ensure that religious and customary practices are still fulfilled, and justice is served. SYC and ROMM have adopted best practices and developed multiple safeguards to protect the propriety, solemnity, integrity and orderliness of digital proceedings. Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim expressed concern that the proposed amendments may change the manner of appeal hearings and the delivery of verdict by the Appeal Board which lawyers and parties have been accustomed to. The concern is that allowing Court proceedings to proceed without oral hearings could affect the perception of justice being done, as parties could feel aggrieved as they are not able to witness in-person the "process" or how the Court arrives at an outcome. Let me explain. The new section 35B is an enabling provision to allow the Court or Appeal Board to decide any matter without an oral hearing and asynchronously, in a suitable case. The traditional mode of conducting proceedings synchronously by an oral hearing is still in place and will continue to be the default manner of proceedings. I would like to assure the community that the new section 35B(4) prevents SYC and Appeal Board from hearing a matter in a manner that would be inconsistent with its duty to conduct proceedings fairly to all parties.”
“We have learned from the various episodes of the COVID-19 crisis in the last two years that disrupted necessary processes even when technological options existed because there were no provisions in law for them. We needed to pass the time-limited temporary provisions to enable these virtually. Therefore, the option to conduct proceedings virtually allows the Court and an Appeal Board to hear any matter expeditiously, even if there are disruptive events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Beyond national emergencies, where the circumstances of a particular case do not require the physical attendance of parties or their lawyers in the Court room, the presiding judge of the Court, or an Appeal Board, will assess the necessity and appropriateness of conducting the proceedings virtually on a case-by-case basis. Mr Saktiandi Supaat asked whether the convenience of virtual solemnisations could be extended to marriages where at least one party is overseas. While we recognise the convenience that this proposal may bring, we will need to study this carefully. Under section 95(3) of AMLA, the Kadi must be satisfied that there is no lawful obstacle under Muslim law or AMLA to the intended marriage. Hence, if the Kadi is unable to ascertain whether the party outside Singapore has legal capacity to contract the marriage, the conditions under this section will not be met. Similar to the requirements for the use of remote communication technology for the solemnisation of Muslim marriages under the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures for Solemnisation and Registration of Marriages) Act 2020, currently, all parties to the intended marriage must be physically present in Singapore.”
“SYC and ROMM trialled these video-link processes during the pandemic and the community benefited from them. Since May 2020, close to 100 couples or about 1% of total Muslim marriages, have conducted their marriage solemnisation through digital means during the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, this digital option allowed some couples to proceed with the video-link solemnisation even when their witnesses had contracted COVID-19 and, therefore, could not attend in person. This saved the couples the trouble of postponing the solemnisation, which would incur additional costs and time. During these video-link solemnisations, the Kadi would conduct the same tasks as he would during in-person solemnisations. This includes confirming the identities and consent of the couples to the marriage, giving a short sermon and supplication, and blessing the couples. The only difference is that the entire process takes place via live video-link. I would like to assure Mr Saktiandi Supaat and Mr Faisal Manap that the Kadi will continue to emphasise the sanctity of marriage and the responsibilities the spouses have to each other. For marriage applications involving minors, before a decision is made as to whether virtual solemnisation will be allowed, all parties and their parents must attend in-person sessions with the Kadi, who will assess the couples' readiness for marriage and the level of support from the parents. To Mr Saktiandi Supaat's question, proceedings that are held virtually using electronic means of communication are neither the norm nor the default mode for hearings in the Court and before an Appeal Board.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, I thank Members who have risen to support the Bill. The AMLA is an important piece of legislation for the Muslim community. Our reviews are intended to ensure that it remains robust and relevant, stays up-to-date with new programmes and processes, and above all, serves the needs of our Muslim community in Singapore. I am heartened by the support from Members and their suggestions. I hope Members will understand if I focus my responses on the issues directly related to the specific Bill. For example, I will not deal with issues on deviant teaching – for which there is a specific case that is under Police investigation. Let me now address the points and queries raised. Allow me to summarise the details on the processes that will be digitalised under the SYC. First, SYC will replace its old case management system with a new IT system to improve case management and communication with Court users. The process of filing and issuing all Court documents will be digitalised. This means that a Court user will be able to file, or submit, documents anytime and from any location using SingPass, or, if they are a lawyer acting on behalf of a party to proceedings, using CorpPass. Through a fully personalised dashboard upon log-in, a Court user, whether a litigant or a lawyer, will be able to view upcoming Court attendances, outstanding tasks given by the Court and access digital copies of filed documents. This convenience is extended to the pre-Court process. For example, the registration process to attend the Marriage Counselling Programme will also be digitalised. Second, this Bill will allow SYC and ROMM to conduct Court proceedings and marriage solemnisations via electronic means of communication in appropriate situations.”
“I thank Mr Ang for the question. The Alliance for Action (AfA) was launched, basically, to get more feedback from caregivers, organisations, parents on what more we need to do. We hope that this will be completed within this year, if not, earlier. And we will take those inputs on board, including the suggestion by the Member, to have a registry. Whether we want to actually do this from the Government, top-down view, my view is that we want to ask the caregivers and see whether this will help them, how it will help them and, at the same time, also have enough protection for their confidentiality, if they want it.”
“Therefore, I call upon the community, even if we think that no help is being extended to them, or it does not look like help is being extended to them, please reach out to us so that we can do this.”
“I thank the Member for her very passionate supplementary questions. Among all of us, we know Ms Denise Phua, and we take a lot of instructions from Ms Denise Phua, from the way we organise and also, to the way we are shaping the disability space. Since I came into Parliament together with Ms Denise Phua, things have actually got so much better. By the time I arrived in MSF, it may look like a mess but it is because more things are being done. And, certainly, coordination must be made. If it were only the Government, I think it is much easier to organise and coordinate but many helping hands are involved. They are really passionate people. People who are directly involved either as parents or people who really care. We want them to thrive, we want them to progress but we also have to be careful about over-organising them. In terms of institutional support, we have, for example, special student care centres, we have eight of them. They are mostly in the SPED schools. The question is, do we need more? How can we increase the effectiveness in terms of how we reach out to the parents who need them? Fortunately, today, since last week, for the longest time that we have been organising, we now have better touch points on the time because we now diagnose the children early, we know who the parents are and, therefore, we can do these touch points earlier. However, there will always be parents whom – because we did not, or during their time, did not have interventions early enough – we may not be able to identify who they are. But we know their families know them, we know their neighbours know them and even when I do house visits, I have met some families who have not been part of our system or did not know that these are available help that they can tap on.”
“Project 3i aims to strengthen community support for caregivers by connecting caregivers with others in the community, providing befriending and peer mentorship by trained caregivers, and providing caregivers and families with complex needs with advisory support from professional volunteers, including doctors, therapists, teachers and psychologists, to help them better navigate and access mainstream health and social services. We welcome more of such community-led and caregiver-led initiatives. To all caregivers who are facing the challenges and stressors of taking care of their loved ones, please do reach out if you need any assistance. The caregiving journey can be a stressful one and caregivers need our strong support. In addition to having services and programmes available for them and their loved ones, it is equally important for family, friends and other caregivers to provide emotional support. Let us all play a part by extending a helping hand or a listening ear when we see someone in need.”
“In addition, MOH and the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) have worked with Social Service Agencies to set up caregiver community outreach teams, to provide emotional support for caregivers of persons with mental health conditions who have or are at risk of developing mental health needs. Caregivers of seniors and persons with mental health needs can visit the AIC website for information on eldercare services, community mental health services and caregiver support measures, such as financial support schemes and respite care. MSF has also appointed 10 Parenting Support Providers that offer evidence-based parenting support programmes for parents and caregivers of children. These include the Triple P Programme and Signposts that equip parents and caregivers with strategies to manage the child’s behaviour. MSF's evaluations indicate that attendees reported sustained reductions in parenting stress and improvements in children's behaviour. Parents and caregivers of children who require low levels of early intervention support and whose children require behavioural support can tap on such programmes as well. Mr Speaker, supporting caregivers requires many helping hands. It is a whole-of-society effort involving not just the Government, but the community as well. One example is Project 3i, under the SG Together Alliance for Action for Caregivers of Persons with Disabilities, formed by the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) and SG Enable. Project 3i was started by CaringSG, an organisation set up and led by caregivers, for caregivers.”
“ECDA is also developing a guide for parents of preschool-age children who require early intervention, arising from a recommendation by the Inclusive Preschool Workgroup to strengthen support for parents. The parents' guide will include information on developmental needs, ways to access EI services, support available to facilitate the child's transition from the preschool years to school-age provisions, as well as self-care strategies and resources. We expect the guide to be ready by April this year. We want to assure caregivers that they are not alone in providing care for their loved ones. There are various care services that they can tap on. EI centres, as well as many preschools, provide support for children under the age of seven with developmental needs. Special Student Care Centres, or SSCCs, provide before-and-after school care service for children aged seven to 18. Day Activity Centres, or DACs, offer day programmes for adults with disabilities aged 18 and above on either a full-time or part-time basis. Children Disability Homes, or CDHs, and Adult Disability Homes, or ADHs, provide both long-term and short-term residential care services for persons with disabilities. SG Enable's "Take-A-Break" Pilot Programme provides short-term home-based respite services. Supporting the mental health and well-being of caregivers is essential to enable them to take good care of their loved ones and themselves. Caregivers who are distressed and need someone to speak to can call the National Care Hotline, the Institute of Mental Health's Mental Health Helpline, or the Samaritans of Singapore (SOS) for support.”
“Minister Chan spoke about the support available for children with special needs and their caregivers during the schooling years. I will share more on the support available for caregivers of persons with special needs or disabilities beyond the school setting. SG Enable was set up in 2013 to support persons with disabilities and is now the single touchpoint for disability and caregiver support services, as well as public education efforts. Caregivers of persons with disabilities who need information to better care for their loved ones and themselves may access the Enabling Guide at www.enablingguide.sg. This is SG Enable's first-stop resource portal for caregivers to learn more about disabilities in general, as well as available disability services, schemes, caregiver training opportunities and informal caregiver support groups. Caregivers of persons with disabilities who need more information on caregiver support services can also contact SG Enable at caregivers@sgenable.sg. Aside from the Enabling Guide, MSF and SG Enable work with Social Service Agencies to increase awareness of services. Touchpoints occur early as children are diagnosed with special needs at birth or as they develop. This is also the opportunity to begin better equipping caregivers of such young children. For example, SG Enable runs the "Start Right" workshop twice a month to provide information on Early Intervention (EI), the Early Intervention Programme for Infants and Children, or EIPIC, strategies for caregivers to engage their children at home, as well as available community resources and support. EI centres also provide caregiver engagement and training under EIPIC, so that caregivers are equipped with the skills and knowledge to support their children at home.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, may I take Question Nos 37 to 39 together, please?”
“As of 31 December 2021, the COVID-19 Recovery Grant (CRG) has supported around 27,500 individuals. Around 22,000 individuals have received one tranche of CRG, and around 5,500 individuals have received two1 tranches of CRG. Each tranche comprises three months of support. To continue providing financial support for individuals who are significantly affected by the pandemic, applications for CRG have been extended by another year, until 31 December 2022. From 1 January 2022, eligible individuals can receive up to three tranches of CRG over 2021 and 2022.”
“We also reviewed if services could be delivered online to facilitate work from home and closely monitored the staffing of MSF-funded programmes, and directed SSAs with shortfall in staff to relevant grants and schemes to meet their transformation and hiring needs. In-sector social workers can also apply for the Sabbatical Leave Scheme supported by NCSS and the VWOs-Charities Capability Fund (VCF). The Sabbatical Leave Scheme provides seasoned social service professionals, including social workers, with paid leave and a Professional Advancement Sponsorship, to recharge themselves and develop their professional competencies. Over the past two years, MSF has been regularly engaging social work leaders on balancing staff well-being with maintaining service delivery standards, particularly during this period of high workload and uncertainty brought on by the pandemic. MSF also works closely with SASW to support social workers in various ways, e.g. through recognising their contributions at the annual Social Work Day and Outstanding and Promising Social Worker Awards or promoting best-practices within Social Work supervision via the biennial Social Work Supervision Seminar. MSF and NCSS will continue to work with our tripartite partners in the social service sector to address feedback from our Social Workers, through the Social Service SkillsFuture Tripartite Taskforce (STT). Comprising social workers in SSAs, Hospitals, Community Care Organisations (CCOs), Post-Secondary Institutions (PSEIs), Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) and other institutions, the Taskforce will continue to consult social workers to co-create initiatives with them.”
“REACH conducted a dipstick survey with 547 social workers on how social workers have been impacted by COVID-19. The survey was conducted from 15 October to 26 October 2021 and the findings were subsequently shared with MSF and the Singapore Association of Social Workers (SASW). The purpose of these surveys and engagements are to inform MSF and the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) in our ongoing efforts to support our social workers, working closely with our Social Service Agencies (SSAs). SSAs play an important role in supporting and retaining their staff and initiatives are in place to support and strengthen their Human Resource (HR) practices and policies1, in areas such as Recruitment and Selection, Compensation and Benefits, Performance Management and Career Development. The survey reflects sentiments expressed by social workers with regard to their remuneration, amount of workload and issues of inter-agency coordination, which MSF and NCSS have been working together to address. To support our social workers, MSF and NCSS publish sector salary guidelines and SSAs are encouraged to adhere to these guidelines to reward and retain good staff. Funding to MSF programmes is calibrated to allow SSAs to hire at a reasonable staff to client ratio, and remunerate staff according to the salary guidelines. During COVID-19, the Government provided significant support to SSAs in the form of the Jobs Support Scheme to retain their workforce, and MSF stepped in further to provide more funding where necessary to support SSAs in coping with additional work brought about by COVID-19.”
“SSAs are mindful of the need to support their employees’ mental well-being and have undertaken various initiatives. For example, during the start of Circuit Breaker, AWWA established a care team of social workers and psychologists, for their staff to dial in to and seek support from. The Dyslexia Association of Singapore (DAS) also conducted mindfulness and counselling programmes for their employees, to provide advice, resources and training to improve their mental well-being. In addition, social service professionals can access self-care and coping strategies, through subsidised courses offered by the Social Service Institute (SSI) under NCSS. NCSS also offers a range of schemes and initiatives that SSAs can tap on to strengthen their Human Resource practices and capabilities. These include the People Practice Consultancy (PPC), Organisation Development Journey (ODJ), and the Transformation Support Scheme (TSS). Apart from these schemes, SSAs can tap various other grants under the VWOs-Charities Capability Fund (VCF). The Community Capability Trust (CCT) will open for applications from April 2022 and will build upon our existing efforts to further support SSAs to achieve organisational excellence. Furthermore, to complement the staff welfare benefits offered by SSAs and to emphasise the importance of well-being of our social service practitioners, NCSS launched the Caring for Social Service Professionals Scheme in May 2021. The scheme provides co-funding of up to 90% (capped at $2,000 per SSA) for SSAs to offer professional counselling services to their staff. To date, 63 SSAs which employ over 12,000 professionals, are on-board the scheme.”