Sun Xueling
Singapore
“We are deploying electric vehicle (EV) chargers in tandem with growing demand, within the constraints of space and electricity. As EV technology is continuously improving, we are also mindful not to overbuild as chargers can become obsolete quickly.”
“I thank Member Dr Choo Pei Ling for raising feedback from her Tengah residents. Currently, two multi-storey car parks in Tengah have EV chargers, and LTA subsidiary, EV-Electric (EVe) Charging Pte Ltd, is in the process of deploying EV chargers in another eight multi-storey car parks in Tengah.”
“The Government targets to deploy 60,000 electric vehicle (EV) charging points by 2030, which comprise 40,000 in public car parks, and 20,000 in private premises. As of March 2026, there are 30,500 EV charging points deployed in Singapore. We are on track to achieving our 2030 target in tandem with the growing demand for EVs.”
“In 2025, about 30% of Build-To-Order (BTO) blocks were completed earlier than their estimated completion dates at the point of flat booking. On average, these blocks were completed about two months earlier.”
“Yes, thank you. We agree with Dr Neo that it is important to bring together the wider ecosystem and we will consult all stakeholders. The Ministry of Transport's immediate focus is to drive the usage of drones more extensively, especially by the public sector and this is because we already have many potential use cases.”
“I thank the Member for her question. Earlier, I mentioned in my reply that the HDB notifies buyers at three junctures. This is to give buyers adequate time to plan. And that is why it is at the one year before, six months before and three months before.”
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“As part of the refreshed campaign, we introduced the use of the "Signal for Help" hand sign that survivors can use to discreetly call for help. Through the Family and Domestic Violence Awareness Training, more than 5,000 people across the people, public and private sectors have been trained to spot and report signs of family violence and we will continue to extend our training and outreach. To make it easier for survivors and the community to report violence and get immediate help, we now have an online channel as an additional mode of reporting to the 24-hour National Anti-Violence and Sexual Harassment Helpline. MSF launched a 24-hour Domestic Violence Emergency Response Team in April this year. The Victim Care Cadre Programme has been offered to those below 18 years of age, to provide them with greater support during Police investigations. The Home Team Community Assistance and Referral Scheme, otherwise known as HT CARES, which was piloted in Bedok Land Division in 2019, has been expanded to all Police Land Divisions since September 2021. To strengthen protection and support for survivors, forensic-trained psychologists have been deployed to the Protection Specialist Centres since September 2022. Selected Police officers from the Community Policing Unit have been appointed across the Police Land Divisions since July 2022, to specialise in the management of family violence cases and escalate potential high-risk cases for social intervention. The Police also set up the Sexual Crime and Family Violence Command in April this year for better oversight of the management of sexual crime and family violence cases.”
“In particular, during the COVID-19 pandemic, you stepped up to keep families safe from violence, handling more than 4,500 enquiries and 1,100 cases in 2020 when we had the Circuit Breaker period, a notable increase from about 3,200 enquiries and 960 cases in 2019. I would also like to thank our crisis shelters, Anglican Family Centre, Casa Raudha Women Home, Good Shepherd Centre and Star Shelter, for providing a safe haven for about 500 clients last year to recover from their trauma and regain confidence in living a life free from violence. I also thank New Hope Community Services for providing temporary shelter to male survivors. Additionally, I would like to acknowledge Lutheran Community Care Services for their efforts in providing a safe space for male survivors of family violence to discuss their experiences and widen their support networks. I am deeply touched by the dedication of all our social service professionals. You have invested much time and effort to support and keep survivors safe. Some of you also work with perpetrators in their rehabilitation journey. Sometimes, you yourself face risks because of the work that you do, especially when the family situation is volatile. Your unwavering commitment has helped to keep our families safe. I am glad to share that the recommendations of the taskforce have been progressively implemented since the report was released in 2021. To increase awareness and strengthen societal attitudes against violence, MSF refreshed our Break the Silence public education campaign in 2021 to increase the awareness of different types of abuse, including non-physical abuse and to encourage survivors and bystanders to seek help.”
“63 times more likely to have contact with the child protective system. Family violence goes against the fundamental values of our society. This is why we are strengthening legislation to better protect survivors and enhance the rehabilitation and accountability of perpetrators. Once the protection and safety objectives have been achieved, we need to help perpetrators rehabilitate and families to heal relationships and reconcile. This will help to break the cycle of violence. In developing the strategies to tackle family violence, the Government consulted widely with experts and professionals from the healthcare, social services and legal sectors and members of the public to garner different perspectives and ideas to address this issue comprehensively. We did this through the multi-stakeholder Taskforce on Family Violence which I co-chaired with Minister of State for Home Affairs, Assoc Prof Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, from 2019 to 2021. The Taskforce's work culminated in its 16 recommendations released in September 2021. I would like to state my deepest appreciation to the members of the Taskforce. Your views, ideas and feedback helped us to better understand the gaps in the family violence landscape and to co-create solutions to address them. Beyond the Taskforce, many from all walks of life, including survivors, perpetrators, friends and relatives of survivors of family violence, lawyers and healthcare workers, also shared their feedback, which helped us shape the amendments in this Bill. I would like to recognise the Protection Specialist Centres, TRANS Safe Centre, Care Corner Project StART and PAVE, for their tireless efforts in providing dedicated services and support for persons experiencing domestic violence over the years.”
“While such abuse may be less visible or less understood, the harm that it causes to the survivor is no less significant. Another reason why family violence is complex is because there is no single cause of family violence. The Intergenerational Transmission of Criminality and Other Social Disadvantages, otherwise known as INTRACS study, conducted by MSF and National Council of Social Service (NCSS), suggested that family violence tends to co-occur with negative life experiences and other factors, such as prior contact with child protection and welfare or criminal justice systems and early marriage and parenthood before the age of 21. Hence, the reasons for committing violence could be due to deep-seated issues, such as perpetrators themselves being abused or being a witness to violence in their own homes as a child or an inability to cope with stressors, such as unemployment, financial difficulties, parenting or other issues. Medical or mental health conditions, addiction issues or disabilities may also impact one's ability to manage emotions in a healthy way. The third cause as to why family violence is complex is because it often happens behind closed doors which makes it harder to detect. Survivors may hesitate to seek help due to shame, stigma, fear of breaking up their family and the perception that family violence is a personal matter. Similarly, individuals who observe family violence may remain as passive bystanders because they also consider it a private family matter. Last but not least, family violence can have a detrimental impact on the next generation. The INTRACS study which I mentioned earlier found that children whose parents had contact with the personal protection order (PPO) system were 7.”
“Strong and stable families are the foundation upon which we nurture and build resilient individuals. A family is where we should feel safe and supported. Unfortunately, some families are not a safe haven, as there is violence within the home. No one should experience violence, especially at the hands of a person whom they love and trust. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), globally, about one in three women worldwide have been subjected to either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime. In comparison, a 2019 review by the National Council of Social Service in Singapore estimated that about 3% of Singapore's population of men and women experienced some form of domestic violence based on administrative data, but this ranges from 3% to 20% based on self-reported data. While these numbers are lower than global rates, we must aspire as a society to see that no one suffers from family violence. We saw in the past few years that the pandemic had cast a spotlight on family violence, given the added stress of balancing family responsibilities and work commitments amidst the heightened uncertainties. Since the launch of the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF)'s National Anti-Violence and Sexual Harassment Helpline, or NAVH, in 2021, the number of calls received has increased from 8,400 to 10,800 in 2022. Of all the enquiries received by NAVH, an average of about 3,000 enquiries per year were related to abuse or violence. Family violence is a complex issue. Family violence can take various forms. Besides physical and sexual abuse, emotional and psychological abuse, such as exerting control over another's behaviour or victim blaming, is also a form of violence.”
“I thank the Member for his supplementary question. I think there is no doubt that we want to help and assist and support our FSCs as much as possible. His question has been phrased with regard to community work but community work cannot exist in silo. We are working with individuals and families at the end of the day, and it depends on what level of interventions are needed. And that is why I have taken some care to share that our support for FSC spans casework, group work and community work. We have different funding principles for the three categories. But depending on what the FSC sees as the needs in the community, the FSC may determine within themselves how to allocate work between the different functions and also to allocate the funding within the FSC.”
“I thank the Member for his supplementary question. I think for the benefit of everyone who is in Parliament, I would like to share and clarify that MSF provides funding to the FSCs for casework, group work and community work. The Member is specifically asking about community work. Now, what is community work? It refers to a method of social work intervention when the community setting is utilised to enhance individual and family social network support connections as well as to build capacity in local communities to respond to the needs of individuals and families. Right now, MSF funds the FSCs based on the actual number of cases managed, so MSF funds casework funding. So, it is not just one headcount that the Member has mentioned. The MSF funds two fixed headcount to carry out group work and community work and five other fixed headcounts for administrative and corporate functions. As to how the FSC wants to internally allocate work and the funding within the FSC, that is not something that MSF intervenes in, and it may change from FSC to FSC. But I would just like to assure the Member that we are fully supportive of what the FSCs are doing for individuals, families and the community, and our funding approach takes into account, as I mentioned, casework, group work and community work.”
“I thank the Member for his supplementary question. Indeed, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has disseminated a guide on anti-money laundering and counter-financing of terrorism requirements to developers when issuing a sale license to developers. And, as he has mentioned, the Developers (Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing) Act 2018 will be implemented on 28 June 2023. Under section 12D of this Act, when a licensed housing developer knows or has reasonable grounds to suspect any matter mentioned in section 45(1) of the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) or CDSA, a licensed housing developer must, in accordance with section 45 of the CDSA, disclose the matter to a Suspicious Transaction Reporting Officer by way of a suspicious transaction report. When we look at the principles of reporting, as long as the developer is aware that in the course of the trade profession, business or employment, he knows or has reason to suspect that any property directly or indirectly represents proceeds of drug dealing or criminal conduct or was used or is intended to be used in connection with drug dealing or criminal conduct, that he is to lodge a suspicious transaction report.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Suspicious Transaction Reporting Office (STRO) of the Singapore Police Force does not publicly release detailed statistics relating to the filing of suspicious transaction reports. The Police do not track money laundering convictions by asset class.”
“I thank the Member for the supplementary questions. I will answer the second point first. As I have mentioned in my main reply, as long as the home owner is not involved in perpetuating the scam, the home owner will not be penalised. On the point about working with the social media platforms, indeed, we have been actively following up with online platforms to work with them to take down fake listings. In May 2022, the Ministry of Home Affairs had launched the e-commerce marketplace transactions safety ratings, which rates major e-commerce marketplaces on the extent to which they have adopted the identified safety measures. This would include user verification, user authentication, secured payment options, so on and so forth. In the particular case of property rental scams, we will urge the public to go to formal online platforms whose main business is in property rentals such as Property Guru and other marketplaces, and not to go to other online platforms, such as Facebook or Carousell, whose not main business is not in the property rental space. As I mentioned, the most important thing is to verify that the so-called estate agent is a bona fide estate agent. You can do so by looking at the phone number that is being advertised, check it against the CEA public register. It is a simple search function: just put in the phone number and if that phone number is a legitimate one, it will then lead you to the details of the estate agent who is registered with CEA. If the phone number that you put into this search function under CEA does not give you the property agent's name or leads to no search results, then it means that this so-called property agent is a fake and that you are looking at a fake listing.”
“If a search of the advertised phone number does not lead to the property agent's profile page, this could be an indication that the listing is a scam, even if the property agent's name or registration number has been verified against the CEA Public Register.”
“Mdm Deputy Speaker, the number of home rental scams perpetuated via online platforms, such as e-commerce platforms and social media platforms, increased from 192 cases in 2021, to 979 cases in 2022. These cases generally involved scammers impersonating property agents and listing home rentals on online platforms. Victims who come across these listings would contact the scammers via the phone numbers on the listings. The scammers would impersonate legitimate property agents by sending the victims pictures of a legitimate property agent's business card, as well as pictures or videos of the home units to be leased. There were also cases where the scammers posed as landlords. In both these variants, the scammers would inform the victims that they are required to place a deposit in order to secure a viewing or to rent the unit. After the victims transfer the monies to the scammers, the scammers would become uncontactable. The Member asked about safeguards to protect the real home owners, whose homes have been used in such scams, from liabilities. Such home owners will not be penalised unless they are involved in perpetrating the scams. The Police have been working with online platforms to remove suspicious accounts and advertisements, as well as with the Council for Estate Agencies, or CEA, to include advisories on rental scams on CEA's social media channels. The best defence is a vigilant and discerning public. We also encourage the public to verify the identity of the persons with whom they are dealing with. If the person claims to be a property agent, please verify their identity via the CEA Public Register. They can also contact the person's property agency before entering into any dealings with them.”
“I would like to close by reiterating that we are committed to ensuring good outcomes for families and their children, even as we support families in navigating their divorce and adjusting to life post-divorce. The MEP is a big step towards ensuring that families are able to resolve issues surrounding maintenance that may arise post-divorce, in an effective and non-acrimonious way. It is a key piece that we are adding to our comprehensive landscape of marriage and divorce support, to give every family the best possible chance of achieving good outcomes despite the ups and downs in life. The MEP will take some time to be implemented, as we want to ensure that the right persons are hired to play the key role of MEOs and that the process is set up well. We are confident that when the MEP takes effect, it will make a meaningful difference in terms of ensuring sustainable maintenance payment outcomes for all parties involved.”
“If they are below 35 years old, they can retain their flat if they include a family member, such as either of their parents, to form an eligible family nucleus. HDB does allow divorcees below age 35 without children to retain their matrimonial flat on a case-by-case basis. Mr Leon Perera had asked whether we would consider providing for maintenance for ex-husbands and men. This has been raised on several occasions by various Members of Parliament, including Ms Carrie Tan and Mr Ang Wei Neng. In 2016, we took a significant step to allow men to apply for maintenance if they were (a) incapacitated before or during the course of the marriage; (b) are unable to earn a livelihood; and (c) are unable to support themselves. I would also add that the Courts have also refrained from granting higher amounts of maintenance to wives who are able to work, even if they had not worked or stopped working for some years. The Courts' goal is to award reasonable maintenance such that it will meet the financial needs of the wife until such time that she could secure for herself some form of employment and adjust to her post-divorce situation. I would like to state unequivocally that we fully appreciate the sacrifice that men make when they step away from their careers to become stay-home husbands and acknowledge their efforts towards their families. MSF will continue to study the issue and review if husbands and ex-husbands can apply for maintenance payments. Queries were also raised by Members regarding support for family violence survivors. I will be introducing the Family Violence (Amendment) Bill tomorrow in this House, which will effect the key recommendations from the Taskforce on Family Violence in tackling family violence.”
“MSF is focused on ensuring that childcare arrangements do not exact a burden on single or divorced parents so that they are able to seek employment and provide for themselves and their family members. We welcome partnerships with NTUC's Women and Family Unit to further enable single or divorced parents. Mr Louis Chua had raised the issue of divorced parents being unable to come to an agreement on their child's educational arrangements and their housing arrangements. We think it best for parents to work out suitable arrangements cooperatively and encourage them to do so outside of the Court system, bearing in mind what would be in their children's best interest. It is for this reason that we have made it mandatory for all divorcing couples with minor children to go through the Co-Parenting Programme. It is not ideal for parents to seek to rely on Court orders to exhaustively list the decision rights for all matters pertaining to their children. On the issue of school arrangements, in particular, something as important as a school transfer, parents who have joint custody of their child need to come to a common agreement on the child's school transfer. I hope Members can understand that schools have to be seen to be fair to both parents and it is not ideal for divorced spouses to bring their differences to the school to be the arbiter. Our housing policies prioritise our limited housing supply for households with the greatest need, such as those that involve children. As such, divorcees with children are a family nucleus and can apply for public housing. For divorcees without children, they can retain their matrimonial flat alone if they are at least 35 years old.”
“Today, the Co-Parenting Programme covers practical issues arising from a divorce, including modules on making housing arrangements and managing finances. During the Co-Parenting Programme consultation sessions, counsellors may also refer parties to financial counselling services. Mr Louis Chua asked about financial assistance for those referred to the SSOs under the maintenance enforcement process. Where possible, we will streamline the sharing of data between the Maintenance Enforcement Process and the SSOs. The details will need to be worked out with the set-up of the new unit of Maintenance Enforcement Officers (MEOs). I would like to assure Members that our SSO officers will assess the applicants' circumstances and needs holistically and assist them accordingly. This includes interim assistance for cases requiring urgent assistance, such as if maintenance is not being paid and has resulted in financial difficulties. It was heartening to hear from Ms Yeo Wan Ling about the work that NTUC’s Women and Family Unit is doing to support single mothers and divorcees. MSF believes in the importance of caring for and supporting women in such vulnerable situations and had announced several efforts as part of the 2022 White Paper on Singapore Women’s Development. This includes partnerships between the Government and community partners under the Alliance for Action to Strengthen Marriages and Family Relationships. As an example, MSF's community partner HCSA has updated their portal SPIN which stands for Single Parents Informed, Involved, Included to address questions divorcees may have towards housing and childcare arrangements.”
“Sir, I thank Members for the robust debate, the pertinent issues raised and the support for the Bill. I would like to begin by reiterating MSF’s commitment to building strong families. Mr Melvin Yong brought up the importance of strengthening marriages and families, thereby reducing the number of families who have to go through the painful process of divorce. Indeed, this is MSF’s belief, and efforts have been put across all life stages through various Government initiatives to support families through their life journey. Such efforts span supporting families in setting strong foundations in marriage and parenting, in the cost of raising their children, in navigating and overcoming difficulties and in ageing well. These are efforts that we continually build on, and proposals from Members on how we can make further strides in this regard are always welcome. Members have expressed their concern regarding a family’s ability to move on financially post-divorce. Mr Louis Ng asked about support provided to families early to sort out their finances when a marriage has broken down. In December 2021, MSF launched the Family Assist portal which supports couples contemplating divorce and provides them with information and services to make informed decisions in the best interest of their children. This includes information on the impact of divorce on finances and housing. A personalised tool will also be launched on the portal soon to help citizens better understand their post-divorce HDB housing options. Mr Louis Ng also asked if financial counselling can be incorporated into the Co-Parenting Programme. Like I mentioned earlier in my opening speech, we have made it mandatory for all divorcing parents with minor children to go through the Co-Parenting Programme.”
“The amendments to the Women’s Charter included the extension of the mandatory CPP to all divorcing parents with minor children to better support parents in making informed decisions regarding their divorce that prioritise the well-being of their children, the introduction of the Divorce by Mutual Agreement of the Irretrievable Breakdown of the Marriage to reduce acrimony in the divorce process, and the introduction of a new suite of measures for the enforcement of child access. (In English): Mr Deputy Speaker, in conceptualising the many enhancements to divorce support, including the MEP, MSF and MinLaw have met and spoken with many groups of stakeholders, including parents who have gone through divorces, law practitioners and social service agencies. It is clear that we all share the same vision for our families, families that endeavour to put the needs of their family members, their children first, even as they navigate difficult circumstances. It is our hope that parents will prioritise the welfare of their children and work together to cooperatively co-parent their children.”
“The new process will simplify the process, reduce the number of trips the applicant has to make to Court and reduce the duration of the current maintenance enforcement process. Under this new process, the Maintenance Enforcement Officer (MEO) will be empowered to ensure more sustainable maintenance outcomes: first, the MEO will be empowered to request for information on the respondent’s financial situation from Government agencies, banks and other agencies. Second, after obtaining information on the respondent’s financial situation, the MEO will be empowered to make recommendations for parties to reach a reasonable out-of-Court settlement. Third, the MEO has the power to report the information to the Court, which will support the Court to make maintenance enforcement orders. For respondents who face difficulties in making their maintenance payments, under certain circumstances, the Court can vary the original maintenance order based on their actual financial situation, without requiring the respondent to submit a formal application. In addition, previously, should the respondent have attempted to frustrate the maintenance order by dissipating their assets, although the applicant may suspect that the respondent had such an intention, it can be very difficult to prove. The Bill introduces a rebuttable presumption, that is to say, under certain circumstances, as long as the respondent has dissipated their assets, it will be presumed that the respondent has done so with the intention of frustrating the maintenance order. The MEP complements earlier efforts by MSF to strengthen therapeutic justice in the divorce process, through the 2022 Women’s Charter (Amendment) Bill.”
“We are working with FJC on further simplifying the enforcement process so that there is no need to seek leave of Court before an application is made for enforcement. It is within this wider landscape of support for the family that the proposed MEP will come in. The MEP will facilitate more sustainable maintenance outcomes for parties, allowing parents to both do their part in co-parenting their children and move on from the divorce. For respondents who genuinely cannot pay, as well as for applicants who face day-to-day difficulties due to non-payment of maintenance, MSF will now be able to provide financial assistance in a more timely manner, where appropriate. Mr Deputy Speaker, in Mandarin, please. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] The aim of the amendments is to enable divorcees to better make post-divorce arrangements for the family. This includes ensuring more sustainable maintenance outcomes. We have seen an average of 2,700 maintenance enforcement applications annually across the years 2017 to 2019. The current maintenance enforcement process, from the perspective of the applicant, can be time- and resource-intensive. For the low-income, this can result in great inconvenience. For low-wage mothers, who already face the stress of caring for their children, having to return to Court to enforce their maintenance order could be the final straw that breaks them. In addition, the assets of divorcees and their financial situation are often not transparent. This makes it difficult for the judge to determine if the respondent truly cannot afford to pay maintenance, or if the respondent can afford to pay maintenance but is unwilling to do so. The amendments, therefore, introduce a new Maintenance Enforcement Process (MEP).”
“Our aim is to save the marriage and, apart from family counselling, the Family Assist Portal provides couples with the relevant resources to make an informed decision regarding their marriage. Where divorce is truly inevitable, we seek to foster Therapeutic Justice in the divorce process to bring about healing so that the family can move on. I had led focus group discussions and engaged over 120 divorcees in 2020 and 2021 to understand the divorce process and the difficult decisions they had to make. Arising from those discussions and the intent to foster Therapeutic Justice, we have introduced several initiatives in recent years. In January 2022, the Women's Charter (Amendment) Bill was passed in this House. To encourage parents to make informed decisions regarding their divorce that prioritise the well-being of their children, we had made it mandatory for all divorcing parents with minor children to go through a Co-Parenting Programme, or CPP in short. We had also sought to reduce acrimony in the divorce process and introduced the Divorce by Mutual Agreement (DMA) of the Irretrievable Breakdown of the Marriage as a sixth fact that parties may cite to show that their marriage has irretrievably broken down. The changes to CPP and the introduction of DMA will be brought into force in 2024. To ensure that children impacted by divorce are supported in navigating this difficult period, we have empowered the Court to advise that minor children attend the Programme for Children. In addition, we have heard the pain of parents who were unable to obtain access to their children as ordered by the Court. We had amended the Women's Charter to introduce a new suite of measures for the enforcement of child access. Our efforts do not stop there.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, MSF has worked closely with MinLaw and FJC on the Family Justice Reform Bill, in particular, the new Maintenance Enforcement Process, or MEP in short. Minister Shanmugam and Senior Parliamentary Secretary Rahayu have explained the objective and details of the Bill in their speeches. Let me elaborate on MSF's perspective. At MSF, our aim is to nurture strong families. That is why we had designated the year 2022 as the Year of Celebrating SG Families and launched "A Singapore Made for Families 2025", a national plan to strengthen and support families through all life stages. The foundation for strong families is laid even before marriage. When a couple contemplates marrying and starting their own family, support is provided through the Marriage Preparation Programmes. As they embark on this new phase of life, they can seek mentoring support from Licensed Solemnisers and community volunteers. This foundation is continually built on during their marriage, through access to marriage and parenting support programmes organised by Families for Life, or FFL in short. We will be stepping up outreach at the local level via FFL@Community which will be expanded to all towns by 2025. When friction arises, families can seek help from the Strengthening Families Programme@Family Service Centres, or FAM@FSCs in short. The 10 FAM@FSC Centres island-wide provide counselling services, such as for marital strains or conflict among family members. Our hope is for families to be able to successfully work through and come through adversity. However, we recognise that some families may come to the point where they begin to contemplate divorce.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, thank you for allowing me to make a clarification. In response to Mr Louis Ng's supplementary question in Parliament on 21 April 2023, I had mentioned that there may be extenuating circumstances which necessitate the Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) to exercise discretion not to activate an Appropriate Adult (AA) though it has not happened in the past five years. I should clarify that we do not track the number of instances which necessitate the LEAs to exercise discretion not to activate an AA but these fall into the category of extenuating circumstances as I had mentioned in my main reply. In such instances, authorisation for a statement to be recorded in the absence of an AA is required to be sought from an investigation supervisor. The reason for this is required to be documented in writing. Thank you.”
“I thank the Member for his supplementary question. Again, it goes beyond the Member's original question but I would like to share that, indeed, there are beneficiaries who have exited the scheme.”
“I thank the Member for his supplementary question. It goes beyond his original question, but I would just like to share, with this opportunity, that the benefits include training incentives, employment incentives, conditional housing grant, utilities grant, education bursaries, mentoring and family support as well as family planning incentives.”
“I thank the Member. As I also mentioned in my main reply, there may be extenuating circumstances where it is required – though it has not happened in the past five years. On the second question, indeed, where it is possible to have the same AA follow the same case, we do so. But we will have to look at the timing of the interviews and we will have to schedule to the best of our ability.”
“I thank the Member for his questions. As I mentioned, in the past five years, AAs have been successfully activated for all cases where the LEAs have requested for the AAs, based on the activation criteria. Sir, if I could trouble the Member to repeat the second question? I did not catch that.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, Appropriate Adults (AAs) are currently activated for all cases involving young suspects below 16 years old and where the Investigation Officer assesses that the suspect is a person with mental disability. As I had announced in Parliament in July 2022, we are in the midst of implementing the increased age threshold for the Appropriate Adults Scheme for Young Suspects (AAYS) to include 16- and 17-year-olds. This will be done in phases and has started from 1 April 2023. In the past five years, AAs have been successfully activated for all cases where the Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) have requested for these AAs based on the activation criteria. That said, there may be extenuating circumstances which necessitate the LEAs to exercise discretion not to activate an AA for the interview. For example, urgent interviews may be required to prevent the disposal of evidence, detain accomplices still at large, or prevent the commission of another offence. As of December 2022, there were 359 and 328 active volunteers for the AAYS and AAs Scheme for Persons with Mental Disabilities respectively. The service providers are the Singapore Children Society (SCS) and the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (MINDS). They are able to support all AA activation requests today. SCS and MINDS publicise volunteering opportunities for AAs through social media channels and during their community outreach. The Member may refer to media features in October 2022 for more information on the schemes and the volunteering experience.”
“We should take pride in how we had overcome COVID-19 as a country. The White Paper has summed up how each and every one of us played a part in the pandemic and how each and every one of us will continue to play a part in the recovery process and beyond. It has shown us that undergirding our effective response to the pandemic was mutual trust and support, the foundations for which we can navigate our future together, come what may. Learning from the lessons of the pandemic, we will redouble our efforts to strengthen our social compact and partnerships amongst all stakeholders in our society. We have reaffirmed the values we hold dear as a society and further anchored the foundations of our society. As we refresh our social compact through Forward Singapore, let us tap on the strengths of individuals and families, the social capital within our communities and the expertise and resources from the public, private and people sectors. Together, we can build a more resilient, caring and inclusive Singapore in the years ahead. [Applause.]”
“Thank you all for embodying a culture of giving for good even when the going was tough. I have heard in this Chamber earlier comments about how we now have the benefit of hindsight. Indeed, this reminds me of the following quote from President Roosevelt, "It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds." When I listen and I think about mask wearing, what has been said in this Chamber about mask wearing policies, I think about the ground-up initiative, Masks Sewn With Love, which I mentioned earlier. These individuals who participated in Masks Sewn With Love, they did not wait to be told what to do. This was the Singapore spirit at its best and brightest. Where there was no distinction of people by status, wealth, age or ability. At a time when masks were short in supply and we did not have production lines to manufacture masks, these ordinary citizens decided to stand up and be counted on. Men cut cloth so that their wives could sew. Grandmas and stay-at-home mothers rose to the occasion, dusting off old sewing machines or picking up needle and thread to sew masks to protect their loved ones and others. They had agency. Their actions mattered. They did not wait to be asked. They each did what they could. Ordinary Singaporeans did extraordinary things together and we saw this during COVID-19. It is this spirit that prevented a health and economic crisis from becoming a social crisis.”
“Years of trust built between the people, private and Government sectors enabled our people sector to ramp up programmes and outreach swiftly and decisively to help families and individuals in need. Our social services agencies (SSAs) on the frontlines, including family service centres and the many non-profit organisations supporting families, children, the elderly, PwDs and many more, overcame the numerous challenges that COVID-19 posed and embraced digitalisation to continue to provide services to their beneficiaries. SPD, an SSA that serves PwDs, was one of many that tapped on the Invictus Fund set up by the National Council of Social Service (NCSS). The fund supported SPD to expand its e-therapy services and pilot tele-practice with caregivers so that regular speech or occupational therapy was not disrupted. In all, the Invictus Fund provided $18 million to support over 300 social service agencies. Corporates and the community gave generously in monetary donations and in-kind. For instance, the Majurity Trust, a philanthropic organisation, rallied the support of family foundations, philanthropists and corporate partners to launch the Singapore Strong Fund to support ground-up initiatives. Last but not least, I would like to acknowledge the many volunteers who rose to the occasion to demonstrate everyday acts of care and concern or who started ground-up initiatives to support the community. Volunteers with the Partners Engaging and Empowering Rough Sleepers (PEERS) Network kept rough sleepers safe during the circuit breaker while those with the Charity Food Workgroup ensured that families in need would not go hungry. I am heartened that many came forward to start ground-up initiatives overnight to support their fellow Singaporeans.”
“Many students stepped forward to look out for their peers as peer support leaders, a system which is in place in all schools today. Others learned how to better listen and empathise and to encourage their peers to seek help when needed. An online poll released yesterday showed that a higher proportion of young people – 38% compared with 28% for the general population – reported a drop in their quality of life than before the pandemic. About 37% of youths in this age group also said there was a decrease in their ability to manage their mental health now compared with before the pandemic. This emphasises the importance of continuing with our work to support the mental well-being of our youths. The Inter-agency Taskforce on Mental Health and Well-being that was established during the pandemic is working towards the development of a national strategy for mental health and well-being, and is aiming to release this by the end of the year. We will continue to place emphasis on developing strong supportive relationships between students, their teachers and their peers and prioritise regular check-in efforts to support wellbeing in schools. Mr Speaker, faced with the crisis of a generation, we could have broken apart as a society, degenerating into mutual recrimination or demanding that help be provided to ourselves and our loved ones first. But we did not. Instead, we trusted one another, stayed calm and carried on. We each did our best to take care of our loved ones, continued with our work and societal responsibilities and some of us stepped up to help others. We were confident that others would play their part, do their best and look out for us as well. We trusted that the Government would steer the country through capably, with honesty and transparency.”
“COVID-19 casts a spotlight on mental well-being concerns and the general population was not spared from the isolating effects of COVID-19. Thirteen percent of the general population reported symptoms of anxiety or depression during the pandemic. We set up the National CARE Hotline in April 2020 to provide psychological first aid. Over 78,500 calls were supported. This was only possible because of the many volunteers who stepped forward, including mental health professionals, social service agencies, public servants and other trained individuals. The Youth Mental Well-being Network supported by MOE, MSF and MOH was also launched during this period. Over 1,600 members of the public signed up to be part of ground-up initiatives to tackle mental well-being challenges. Project "It’ll Be Alright" was one such ground-up initiative for youths by youths. It initiated a nationwide call to action for youths to contribute stories of personal resilience in the face of mental health challenges. This was supported by MOE and led to the production of an e-book resource, which continues to be used in some schools today. In our schools, our school counsellors actively reached out and provided support to students throughout the entire pandemic. We kept schools largely open except for April 2020 and May 2021. This helped to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on social activities for our young. We are also mindful about our teachers' well-being and will continue with efforts to manage workload and enhance administrative support. Workshops and resources on mental well-being are made available for our teachers. We must also not forget the power of peer support.”
“Members of the public were urged to call the 24-hour National Anti-Violence and Sexual Harassment Helpline at 1-800-777-0000 to make a report or call the Police for emergency assistance. In October 2021, the Government accepted in principle all the Family Violence Taskforce recommendations and are implementing them progressively over the next few years. COVID-19 also had a considerable effect on parents and caregivers and that is why the ECDA and MOE did not take the decision to close schools lightly. During full HBL, many parents had to juggle the responsibility of educating students while also taking care of their own children. I remember doing a Zoom call with an educator, and her child was Zoom-bombing her all the time in the background. We understood this challenge, and this was why, when the situation stabilised, we opened our schools quickly but safely to resume classes in schools. Kudos to our mums and dads and educators. Mr Gerald Giam suggested to include persons with disabilities (PwDs) in emergency response situations earlier and more extensively. This is something which we will continually look into, so that the needs of PwDs are met through active conversations with the community partners, as well as PwDs themselves. For example, as part of the Government's active engagement process, we worked together with persons with visual impairment to improve the accessibility of new public service websites created as part of the COVID-19 response. With feedback from the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, SG Enable connected with innovators to produce prototypes of see-through masks that allowed students to read the lips and facial cues of their teachers. I would like to thank the community for stepping in to support PwDs who face challenges during the pandemic.”
“Last mile communication at the local community level is particularly important for vulnerable groups, and I would like to speak a little bit more about this here. They may face challenges in assessing or understanding the flurry of information during the pandemic. To help our vulnerable families, our social service officers remained open to serve the needs of our citizens through the height of the pandemic. Under the SG Cares Community Network, our local community partners, including social service agencies and the grassroots, helped to multiply outreach to ensure that vulnerable groups and families were able to receive information and the support needed. Some 5,000 households living in rental housing, who had not previously come forward to seek support and help, were promptly given support. We expanded ComLink from the initial four pilot towns to 21 ComLink communities nationwide, so as to better serve families with children in rental housing. The People's Association and the Silver Generation office, they swung into action quickly, leveraging on the networks that they have built over the years. They leveraged their staff and volunteers to check in regularly with seniors in need, offering support for their daily living needs and referring them to befriending services. Through their extensive networks, they helped ensure that no one was left to fend on their own. Ms He Ting Ru expressed concerns about the rise in the incidence of family violence during the pandemic. The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) and our partner agencies increased the frequency of check-ins with vulnerable clients through phones and video calls. We also stepped up home visits for cases assessed to be more urgent or high-risk, to ensure the safety of vulnerable adults and children.”
“We emerged stronger as a society. In my speech, I would like to touch on how mutual trust and mutual support enabled us to avert a social crisis together and safeguard our way of life, and how all this was only made possible because Singaporeans cared for one another and gave something of ourselves to help others. As the White Paper recognised, Singapore did well to support the vulnerable amongst us. Lower-income families were more vulnerable as they had less savings and resources to tide over these challenges. Others, who worked in sectors hardest hit by the pandemic, such as aviation, tourism, hospitality, F&B and retail, faced job losses or sizable reductions in income. They all benefited from quick and decisive support provided through the COVID-19 financial assistance schemes. At the same time, many affected individuals took it upon themselves to utilise various employment support programmes, with around 200,000 individuals placed into jobs under the SG United Jobs and Skills Package. Recently, I met a flight crew on a Singapore Airlines flight and he told me that during the pandemic, he had worked, first, as a transport hub service ambassador, then a restaurant staff and, finally, a furniture delivery mover before coming back to Singapore Airlines when the aviation industry picked up. This is an example of mutual support where the Government supported hard-hit industries like aviation and F&B, and worked with companies to redesign jobs to help affected individuals, such as our flight crew. At the same time, Singaporeans demonstrated personal resilience, by taking personal responsibility to secure their livelihood and continue to take care of their families.”
“Trust is the source of our collective strength and collaboration. The Government needs to continue addressing issues transparently, honestly and in a science-based manner, constantly adapting to new developments and changes in the world and achieving social consensus. Only by sincerely contributing to the good of our nation can we live up to the trust and expectations of the people. At the same time, we need to listen to the people's voices, encourage ground-up initiatives and good deeds, collaborate fully with communities, businesses and institutions, and work together with the people to build an inclusive, compassionate and empathetic society. I believe that through the Forward SG exercise, fellow Singaporeans can refresh our social compact and reaffirm the values we hold dear in our society. Together, we will be able to overcome any crisis and challenges and create a beautiful future together! (In English): Mr Speaker, Sir, in English, please. I speak in support of the Motion. COVID-19 did not just present a health and economic crisis, it also presented a social crisis. But what was more important was our response to the crisis, where the choices we made would define us as a people. I am grateful that we made the right choices together. We chose to recognise that we are all interconnected with one another. We chose by our actions to help others and, in so doing, helped ourselves. Most importantly, we trusted one another, in the authorities to manage the crisis to the best of its ability, as well as in one another as individuals to do the right thing. And because we did, each of us was able to respond with courage, concern and kindness. We overcame our initial fears, acted responsibly, worked together and supported one another. We not only averted a social crisis.”
“These ground-up initiatives were further promoted by the Government, community and businesses on a larger scale and benefited more people. People trust the Government's policies and guidelines, and the Government supports the actions and good deeds of the people. Through this virtuous cycle, we unite and help one other. This is both a manifestation of the beauty of humanity and a victory for collective collaboration. In a survey by the Pew Research Centre, among the 19 countries surveyed, many in those countries saw their society as becoming more divided after the pandemic. However, Singapore is an exception. Three out of four Singaporeans said that our country was more united than before COVID-19. After the pandemic, Singapore not only withstood the challenges but also emerged stronger and more united. In the post-pandemic era, many countries are experiencing social divisions, economic crises and a surge in ultra-nationalism and de-globalisation, leading to great uncertainty in the international situation. Although Singapore is currently in a relatively stable state, as a small country, we are inevitably affected by international turbulence. What new crises will we face in the future and how should we respond? I believe that Singapore's experience in fighting the pandemic not only provides lessons for dealing with similar crises but also has significant implications for our future governance and how we go about addressing social issues. The pandemic experience has shown us how important trust is between people. Trust is developed over time, through mutual understanding, mutual giving and mutual sacrifice. I hope that after this pandemic where we had strengthened trust in the process, that every Singaporean cherishes this hard-won and precious trust.”
“I would like to specially mention a ground-up initiative, Masks Sewn With Love, because it is a shining example of how ordinary citizens can have agency and do good even in the most difficult of times. What started out as a local community effort in Punggol to sew reusable cloth masks for children and the vulnerable at a time when children-sized masks were not readily available grew into a nationwide initiative which saw 6,000 plus volunteers working from home to sew over 400,000 cloth masks for our children, seniors and frontline workers. I fondly remember Aunty Amy who, at over 70 years of age, did not let age or cancer hold her back from giving to others. Sitting at her sewing machine from dawn to dusk, Aunty Amy single-handedly sewn hundreds of masks for children, seniors, persons living in shelters and frontline workers. And Uncle Chung, a retired SAF officer, who worked with Grab delivery riders to deliver donated cloth to stay-at-home mums and grandmothers so they could participate in Masks Sewn With Love. Masks Sewn With Love also received support from various sectors of society. For example, the Temasek Foundation provided the non-woven melt-blown filters to enhance filtration efficacy. Temasek Foundation also placed advertisements in newspapers teaching the public how to sew masks at home. Singapore Post provided free mailing services for these masks; by simply writing "Masks Sewn With Love" on the envelope, the masks would be delivered to the needy beneficiaries for free. As we can see, Singapore not only has top-down pandemic policies from the Government which could only be effectively implemented due to trust from the people, but many ordinary citizens also stepped up to initiate ground-up actions during these challenging times.”
“We chose not to shut our schools because we understood the difficulties the caregivers would face. The closing of schools might be the easy way out, but it will disproportionately affect these families. Furthermore, if children do not go to school for a long time, resulting in a lack of interaction with teachers and classmates, will it affect their social interaction skills and even their physical and mental health? Hence, we decided to keep our schools open most of the time, because as much as we value health, we also place great importance on the future of these 604,000 students and 190,000 preschoolers, as well as the lives and livelihoods of all parents. The vast majority of parents followed the Government and schools' guidelines. Attendance rates in 2020 and 2021 were comparable to the pre-pandemic period, which fully demonstrates the parents' trust in the Government. In April 2020 and May 2021, a decision was made to swiftly pivot formal schooling to full home-based learning (HBL) to support our national COVID-19 strategy. Everyone – educators, parents and students – took pains and made sacrifices to make it work. Educators rose to the occasion to adapt quickly to new ways of teaching and came together as a professional community to share lesson resources and best ideas. Many educators who are parents themselves juggled the responsibility of educating their students via HBL while also taking care of their own children. Kudos to all our mothers and educators! Thank you very much for your sacrifices and efforts! In addition to the hard work of schools, parents and educators, many also came forward during this time to help our children.”
“3 billion to more than half a million individuals, helping to ease the financial burden of COVID-19 on those affected most severely. At the same time, around 200,000 individuals found job opportunities through the SGUnited Jobs and Skills programmes. In the private sector, countless kind-hearted individuals donated generously to support vulnerable communities, social service organisations and charities. Giving.sg, a one-stop online donation platform, raised a record of $286 million from 2020 to 2022, with many giving more to the social welfare, health and community sectors. Community Chest was able to raise over $87 million from April 2020 to March 2021. During the pandemic, schools in some countries were closed for extended periods, resulting in children's studies being delayed by half a year to a year, or even longer. However, in Singapore, while ensuring our children's health, we were able to keep preschools and schools mostly open, allowing them to continue their education with minimal disruption and with virtually no delay in their learning progress. I recall being in Ministry of Education (MOE) meetings when it seemed like the most straightforward solution was just to shut our preschools and schools. Then, the responsibility for taking care of the children would fall on their parents, and the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) and MOE would not have to take any responsibility. But what about the longer-term impact on the learning and developmental needs of our children? What about exacerbating inequalities as lower-income families might have to grapple with finding child-minding alternatives and some might even have to quit their jobs to care for their children?”
“They had to change their daily routine and engage in home-based activities. The Government then specially designed television programmes on nutrition, healthcare and home fitness for them. Active Ageing Committees in some of the communities also purchased portable radio sets to distribute to the elderly for free, enabling beneficiary seniors to be kept up-to-date on COVID-19 news. The interactive talkshows on the radio also helped our seniors keep loneliness at bay. Our elders bravely embraced technology. Although they are not digital natives, they wanted to learn digital technology to stay connected with their families and friends during the pandemic. The Seniors Go Digital programme played an important role in this regard, working with community partners in equipping our seniors with the skills to go online. Many seniors also learned to use WhatsApp to send each other text messages and greetings to keep in contact and check in on each other. Some even participated in group activities such as celebrating Mid-Autumn Festival and Lunar New Year through Zoom. These activities promoted connection among seniors and this enabled them to provide each other with emotional support. In the past three years, about 210,000 elderly people have transitioned to digitalisation. Kudos to them for seizing the moment and making the best out of a difficult situation! During the pandemic, we paid special attention to vulnerable families. Government assistance packages and active donations from the public provided care for vulnerable families in Singapore in a comprehensive way. Through various Budgets, we provided financial assistance as part of an enhanced safety net. Altogether, the COVID-19 financial assistance schemes disbursed around $2.”
“The elderly are most at risk from COVID-19; hence, taking care of them is an important part of our work. During the circuit breaker period, visits to the elderly were temporarily restricted to minimise virus transmission. However, essential services for the elderly continued to operate. Community partners also initiated home visits, delivering cooked meals and necessities to elderly individuals without family support under hygienic and safe conditions. When vaccines became available, the Government dispatched Mobile Vaccination Teams to nursing centres to vaccinate the elderly and caregivers. Community partners actively persuaded and guided elderly individuals who had concerns about the vaccine. Eventually, the vaccination rate among Singaporean seniors reached 90%. Their health has been safeguarded. We would also like to thank the elderly for their willingness to listen to our advice and receive the vaccines and boosters that we have prioritised for them. This is not an easy task in other countries, especially when the elderly may not have the habit of receiving vaccinations regularly. There were even instances in other countries where people do not follow government guidelines. Trust works both ways. While the elderly and the families trust the Government and community partners to do the best for them, the Government and the community also empowers the elderly to engage in organic and spontaneous activities, supporting their endeavours and promoting their well-being. For example, during the pandemic, the daily lives of the elderly were affected by strict restrictions and they were unable to engage in group activities such as going to the hawker centres or the markets or gathering at the coffee shops.”
“They examined various factors such as a country's healthcare system or medical advice, but these were not the decisive factors in reducing mortality rates. The key factor was the level of trust in society. The high level of trust between people in Singapore is the key to our success in fighting the pandemic. People trust that the Government can handle the crisis in a transparent, honest and scientific manner. Businesses and institutions not only focus on their operations but also consider the health and caregiving responsibilities of their employees, providing them with the confidence that they are being taking care of. Every individual fulfils and stands by their roles, takes care of their families and cares for others. It is because of the mutual trust between the Government, businesses, institutions and the people of Singapore that Singapore can harness the energies of everyone, unite in mutual assistance and overcome the pandemic. The trust of the people in the Government is not inherent. Trust is earned through years of sincere efforts and practical actions. During the most challenging times of the pandemic, the MTF held press conferences almost daily to inform people of the progress of the pandemic control efforts and gave guidance to the people on the preventive measures they should individually take. When Singapore secured high-quality vaccines, the Prime Minister and ministers took the lead in getting vaccinated and recorded videos for everyone to watch. These efforts aimed to reassure the public, build mutual confidence and unite everyone in fighting the pandemic. "Caring for the elderly and young children as one’s own parents and children". This has been well reflected in our fight against the pandemic.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, in Chinese, please. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] COVID-19 is the pandemic of the century. COVID-19 did not just present a health and economic crisis, it also presented a social crisis. Given its unclear origins and elusive transmission pathways, the secretive nature of the virus can lead people to guard against others and focus on self-protection. These various factors may lead us to become a society driven by fear, where we may turn on each other for the sake of personal survival. We have seen severe divisions in some countries over whether to wear masks or to get vaccinated, leading to a failure of implementing preventive measures. We have also seen other countries experience strain on their healthcare system and even ethnic conflicts. Fortunately, none of these happened in Singapore. The reason we have been able to overcome the pandemic and minimise its social impact is due to the strong collective collaboration and a high level of mutual trust in Singapore. COVID-19 is different from ordinary diseases because of its highly contagious nature. When one person falls ill, it affects not only their own health but also the health of others. Everyone may have their own views on COVID-19, whether to wear masks, whether to get vaccinated, whether students should go to school. However, if everyone only considers their own views without regard for others or is unwilling to collaborate collectively, it would be challenging to implement preventive measures with success. The foundation of collective collaboration lies in the trust between individuals. Confucius said, "Without the people’s trust, a nation cannot stand." A study by Oxford University found that countries with higher levels of trust have lower COVID-19 mortality rates.”
“I thank the Member for his clarifications. We all recognise that, indeed, we do have a shortage of manpower in the early childhood industry. Currently, our manpower stands at 24,000 persons. As I have mentioned in my main speech, we would need an additional 2,500 persons to join the early childhood sector by 2025. The Member is right that it is in the areas of infant care educators, infant care carers, that we do face an acute shortage. So, ECDA has embarked on a three-pronged approach. I have mentioned reviewing of their working conditions, ensuring competitive salaries and also ensuring that they have good skills development and that there is career progression for them. Over and above these three areas, ECDA is also working with AOPs and other preschool operators to step up recruitment through online means as well as through job fairs. We are also working with AOPs, where possible, for them to consider diverting their manpower internally so that there is good deployment between infant care and childcare where they are operating in the same premises. Over and above that, as I have mentioned in my main speech, we are working with the AOPs to actively reach out to both local and foreign sources of manpower. We definitely hope that we can encourage more people to consider joining the early childhood education industry. I have mentioned that we are tapping on community networks and these community networks are very wide. It will include People's Association (PA), Daughters Of Tomorrow and also "Women at Work" by MENDAKI. So, through these combined efforts, we hope to be able to encourage more to join the early childhood education industry.”
“Let us work closely together to empower parents to give our children the opportunity to achieve their fullest potential – by nurturing their early growth and development at home, and enrolling them in preschool by age three, so that they can benefit from quality preschool education. (In English): Chairman, parents should have the assurance that their children will be well-supported and have good access to opportunities to progress in life, regardless their starting points. This is a commitment that we want to make and a journey on which we want to walk with our families. We are all familiar with the phrase "it takes a village to raise a child". What it means for us today is that it takes many helping hands to give every child a good start in life and build a Singapore Made for Families together. Our preschools, SSAs, healthcare institutions, and other community partners have made good progress in supporting families with young children. The Government will continue to work with them in a more coordinated manner. Even as we work together to strengthen support for families, every family must be willing to come forward, seize the opportunities presented to them, and do their part to achieve stability, self-reliance and social mobility.”
“The Government is studying how to better support families with infants, to meet varying preferences and needs. We will share more when ready. For children aged three years and above, preschool can be the best option to meet parents' caregiving needs while supporting children's development. We have made good progress in improving access to affordable and quality preschools and will continue to invest heavily in our preschools. There are also some families that need more help in their journey. We will step up our efforts to provide targeted and timely support for children from lower-income families, as well as families who have children with developmental needs. We need community partners and volunteers to come alongside such families to create a strong tapestry of support, empowering them and their children to rise above their circumstances. Preschools and early childhood educators also play an important role, working closely with parents and the community to equip these children with the tools that they need to develop and thrive alongside their peers. It takes a whole-of-society effort to build a Singapore Made for Families. For the next three years, MSF will shine the spotlight on and celebrate the good work of those who deliver social good every day – starting with 2023 as the Year of Celebrating Social Service Partners – to recognise the integral contributions of platform from within and beyond the social service platform sector, who work with us and with each other, to build strong families and a caring society.”
“Last year, we launched a Parents' Guide to provide parents and caregivers with information on EI services, as well as caregiver training and support at key milestones along their caregiving journey. Parents have given feedback that they have found the guide to be useful. We have since made vernacular versions to make it accessible to more parents. With everyone's support, we can forge a more caring and inclusive society, beginning in the early years, where families provide the first line of support and care for their children. More children receive timely support in early intervention centres and preschools. And the community embraces the diversity of abilities in children, supporting all children to play, learn, contribute and participate meaningfully alongside one another. Chairman, in Mandarin, please. 7.15 pm (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] It is important that we continue to build strong and resilient families, which are the bedrock of society. Families play an indispensable role in caring and raising our children, especially in their earliest years. Families encourage our children to progress towards their aspirations, help them develop the right mindset to overcome challenges and inspire them to take the best of the opportunities presented to them. These are the most valuable lessons that will carry our children through life. We recognise that parents may have different needs and preferences when caring for their children. Today, most infants are cared for in a home-based setting by caregivers, such as parents and family members, while around one in five infants are in centre-based infant care. At the playgroup years, between one to three years old, there is also a growing segment of families who are enrolling their children in preschools.”
“From 1 July this year, ECDA will introduce caps on the maximum amount that families pay for PPIP. As an illustration, a middle-income family can expect to pay around $190 per month after subsidies, less than half of what they are paying today. With this, we hope that more families who are waiting for a place in EIPIC will enrol their children in PPIP instead. Finally, we plan to scale up the Inclusive Support Programme to more preschools from 2026 onwards, after it has undergone evaluation. These plans will help us generate sufficient Government-funded places to serve 80% of children requiring medium to high levels of EI support by 2027, up from 60% today. We have also implemented initiatives to enhance inclusion and support for children with developmental needs in preschools. The Inclusive Support Programme was piloted in October 2021 to integrate the provision of EI services within preschools. Families of children enrolled in the pilot had found the pilot helpful, as children can now benefit from preschool and EI services in one location rather than shuttling between different locations. Parents have also shared that an inclusive learning environment has been beneficial for children with developmental needs, as well as their typically developing peers. We currently have around 1,000 trained inclusion coordinators. They will play a crucial role in preschools to refer families to relevant EI resources and work with fellow educators to identify children with potential developmental needs for further assessment. We are making good progress towards our aim of appointing an inclusion coordinator in every preschool by the end of this year. Families need to be adequately supported to make informed decisions.”