Vivian Balakrishnan
Singapore
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not issue advisories on wait times at overseas airports. Travellers may wish to monitor airline and airport websites, as well as news reports for real-time information on wait times and potential disruptions at specific airports.”
“When the conflict in the Middle East deteriorated and commercial flights were halted in March 2026, the Singapore Government mounted four repatriation flights from Muscat, Riyadh and Jeddah to bring stranded Singaporeans home.”
“The Government has stepped up public engagement to explain our foreign policy fundamentals and responses to key international developments to Singaporeans and to hear their views. We do this through dialogue sessions across segments of society, including students, youths, businesses and community leaders.”
“And the larger point during the Committee of Supply was that precisely, because the world is in such a difficult, prickly, volatile and dangerous state, actually, if we keep our wits about ourselves, we maintain unity and we continue to have this clear eye-realistic, but principled, approach, there are many opportunities for Singapore.”
“Well, in short, I completely agree with you. And that is why we have indeed been hosting these events and in your own capacity as a national athlete and also as an official now, you have seen how it works in practice.”
“Since 2022, about half of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) employees are women. The proportion of women in senior appointments has remained stable at about a quarter. We recognise that overseas postings are disruptive for officers with families, especially female officers who bear greater caregiving responsibilities.”
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Every one of 2,437 lines we hold for Vivian Balakrishnan, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 28 of 49.
“Dr Maliki and Dr Lily Neo have asked for plans to address the supply, development and retention of social workers. First, the SIM University and Nanyang Polytechnic are now running programmes at both degree and diploma levels in order to enhance the supply of trained social service professionals. We also give subsidies, scholarships and training awards to help in-service personnel attain social work qualifications. In addition, we provide training and upgrading opportunities for social workers through the Professional Leadership Development Scheme. Second, we enhanced the image and professionalism of social workers because we now have formal accreditation. As of January this year, 835 social workers and practitioners have been accredited. We also have the Outstanding Social Worker Award which is given every year by the President to recognise special social workers who are role models to others. Third, we have raised the funding norms for social workers regularly and, in the last five years, our funding for VWOs – the employers of this group of professionals – has increased by up to 27%, including a 14% increase last year. A recent survey by NCSS suggests that almost all the VWOs surveyed have increased their salaries or intend to do so shortly. Our focus this year is to continue to strengthen the professional and leadership capabilities of social workers. We are also glad to receive the $20 million hongbao from the Minister for Finance and he has told me specifically to use this money to enhance the professionalism of social workers. It is not going to buy equipment or to buy hardware but to work on the software.”
“With the Minister for Finance's extension of the 250% tax deduction for another five years and the introduction of the Community Silver Trust of $1 billion, I am confident that Singaporeans would continue to be generous and I think the VWOs should continue to be confident that the next five years, in fact, the next decade, will be a decade of growth for them. I also want to share a short anecdote because I do not want people to think this is all about money. The Compassion Fund has a programme called "Share a Meal". This basically raises funds for students whose family has suddenly lost a main breadwinner. One day, when the VWO was opening the cans – most of it were coins because you are raising funds by the students – they found two pieces of folded green paper. It was not a $5 note. When they unfolded it, they found out that a seven-year-old boy had actually put in his own meal coupons into the tin. He put in his own meal coupons because he is from a disadvantaged family, he was *Cols. 4291-4292. given the coupons to spend for himself to buy food, he sacrificed his food in order to share with others. Of course, the boy did not know that the coupons are only valid in his own canteen but the point is the motivation, the heart behind that act of giving by this little seven-year-old boy from a disadvantaged family. I think this is a very heartwarming story, a true story, and it is a timely reminder to us that philanthropy is not just about opening wallets but, in the words of the social worker who shared this story with me, it is also about opening hearts. We need to make sure that even as we improve our processes and build infrastructure and provide more money, never, never lose sight of the heart and the need to open hearts.”
“While we are doing so not because that is the be-all-and-end-all, but because we actually have done a lot and there has never been so many opportunities for the disabled to participate in the mainstream of our society. Can I now move to the social services sector? The office of the Commissioner of Charities was set up within my Ministry in 2006 and we established the people sector-led Charity Council the year after. Together, these two institutions have strengthened the standards of governance in our charities through a balanced regulatory framework that facilitates both the good work of the charities as well as given the public the confidence to donate, and knowing that the money will be properly stewarded and properly spent. Hence, in order to help the charities be more effective, the Code of Governance was introduced and this Code of Governance has been refined earlier this year. Beyond governance, we also continue to provide training grants for charity board members and key staff so that they can keep updated on proper ways to manage donors, to conduct fund raising and volunteer management. The next slide* [indicating a slide shown to hon. Members] will show what we are spending on social services and the trend over the last three years. A couple of things I want to point out. First, is that, in fact, the total sum is more than half a billion dollars. Second thing is to note that about half of that comes from Government and the other half from the community. This is a reasonable balance when we talk about the many-helping-hands model. In fact, even in the downturn, we noticed that donation amounts, especially from individuals, continued to hold steady.”
“Consequently, we will be developing a new day activity centre for person with intellectual disabilities and I will take up Mr Laurence Wee's suggestion that we review norm cost as well. We will also build a new home for the disabled by 2013. We will commission a study to project the future demand for disability homes in the next 15 years. The next two decades are going to be critical because of the extremely fast pace of ageing and we will make sure that that plan does not exclude the disabled. The $1 billion Community Silver Trust is also another big boost for this sector because it enables us to now work and support VWOs who are planning to provide innovative new services for elderly, disabled persons. I expect that we will see new ideas, new models of group homes, new concepts of community-based care facilities as well as the piloting of new technologies which, hopefully, can improve care and also, dare I say, lower costs. It will be a challenge. The Enabling Masterplan has allowed us to make much progress over the last five years. We are not perfect. I do not think we have arrived 100%. There were 31 recommendations and we have acted on every single one of them. At this point, I really want to thank the advocates. Ms Phua is in this House but there are many advocates outside this House who have passionately, diligently year after year pushed us to do more, given us new ideas, raised and mobilised support from the community. And, therefore, I would also be in a position to inform Assoc. Prof. Fatimah Lateef that we will accede to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and we will do so by next year.”
“I agree with Ms Phua that, perhaps, he should have taken a higher profile and communicated more with the public but I want to emphasis that there is no lack of high-level attention to this issue. Let me now move to what else we are going do. The Enabling Masterplan – the current one – will end soon and let me give the assurance that we will review it and we will have another masterplan from 2012 to 2016. Although we should not prejudge the outcome of that review, a couple of aspects I felt we should start focusing our minds on are: one, there is empirical evidence that there is an increasing number of pre-schoolers who are diagnosed with learning difficulties, with speech and language disorders. Our vision is that these children should stay in the mainstream and that they should be assisted by appropriate services in order to keep them in the mainstream. As suggested by Mr Laurence Wee, we will enhance the ability of pre-school teachers – this is in mainstream childcare centres and kindergartens – to diagnose potential disabilities and to either provide or recommend the additional intervention which they need. The second area of emphasis I was going to recommend to the Committee was to look at adult disability. This is something people like Ms Denise Phua and even my good friend, Dr Lee Wei Ling, have been campaigning for for a very long time. We recognise that with better healthcare and better community support, people with disability will also live longer. Increased life expectancy applies across the board. That also then means that there will be challenges and especially in a future where we envisage smaller family sizes and a rapidly ageing population.”
“This was in the Pasir Ris Bus Terminal in 2006 and, today, I am glad to see that we are well on our way to making all public bus services wheelchair-accessible by 2020. We will have at least two barrier-free access routes in more than 70% of all our MRT stations by the end of this year. The Town Councils have all been working very hard to upgrade our precincts with barrier-free accessibility. In sports, we have made sure that all Singapore Sports Council facilities meet barrier-free access requirements. The Singapore Disabilities Sports Council and our National Sports Association run various outings, activities and programmes as Ms Denise Phua has advocated for. And disabled athletes do win medals and International competitions such as the Paralympics. People like Yip Pin Xiu and Laurentia Tan are heroines and are recognised icons for Singapore. They are not disabled icons, they are national icons and we should recognise them as such. Ms Denise Phua will also remember that she chaired a parents work group on financial security for the disabled and she echoed very eloquently the concerns that parents have about the long-term security of their children when the parents pass on. Because of Ms Phua's work and the work of her work group, if she looks back on the last few years, we have set up a Special Needs Trust company and we will be amending the CPF Act in order to implement the Special Needs Savings Scheme, and we will continue to provide advice and counselling to parents to enable them to plan for future financial security. 1.15 pm Ms Denise Phua asked about a central office. We have a standing committee on disability which coordinates across all Ministries. It is chaired by my Permanent Secretary.”
“From this year, SPED students will also begin their vocational education from the age of 13. Now, vocational education without jobs is also a dead end. We have also been working with some very enlightened employers who have constituted the Enabling Employers Network. This is an alliance of private sector champions who have provided work opportunities, attachments and internships in order to provide our students from SPED schools with some real exposure to real work. Enabling Employers Network has also launched two centres for training and integration in hospitality and call centres as part of the employment value chain framework. More than 450 disabled persons have benefited from the open-door fund which provides grants to employers for workplace redesign and apprenticeship opportunities for the disabled. In 2008, we set up the Centre for Enabled Living (CEL), a one-stop information referral centre for persons with disability and it also administers the caregiver training grant. Mr Chiam mentioned the need to support caregivers, so there is help available for caregivers. In fact, this grant has so far benefited more than 2,000 families with disabled members. CEL of course continues to provide public education and to advocate the inclusion of the disabled in society. We do not have a "disabled month" but we have a "Live Enabled Week" and a campaign. Although we have to make sure that we do not have an excessive proliferation of campaigns in Singapore, the point is there is attention, there is support and there are resources available. I still remember launching the first of 10 wheelchair-accessible buses.”
“So, it is $300 plus $600 for low-income families – $900. In addition to that, we know that those who are most needy will also receive help from VWOs, very often the service providers themselves as well as from the Community Chest. This allows me to say, hand over heart, that for the low-income families with disabled children, money is not the limiting factor. Having said that, we should also recognise that MOE recently announced that we will be extending the financial assistance scheme to special schools. My Ministry and NCSS obviously will have to do some fund-raising to help them but, again, it sends the message: if you are a low-income family, or a lower-middle income family, and you have a disabled child who needs to access education, help is available, money is not the impediment. I believe that this was a point that Mr Laurence Wee wanted reassurance, so I hope I have given Members some cause for reassurance. Now, if we solve the money side of it, there are still other challenges. We have been pushing to increase the number of EPIC Centres. In 2007, we have 10; today, we have 13. We have increased the number of places from 1,004 to 2,000 but guess what? Once I have provided more subsidies, I increased the number of places, the demand also went up. That means we will have to work harder. Over the next four years, we intend to build another seven EPIC Centres and to further increase the capacity to 2,700 places. I am sure in due time, demand will also increase and we will have to respond accordingly. The point is, we have made a lot of progress just within this term of Parliament alone. For older children, MOE has raised the age limit for special education to 21 so that students will be able to continue acquiring vocational skills beyond the age of 18.”
“The Member suggested that we extend the foreign domestic worker levy concession for children with disabilities who are older than 12. The Member will notice that when she was speaking I was having a side discussion with the Minister for Manpower. The negotiations with MOM have begun but, again, I am not in the position to make promises yet. Sir, the Member also asked MCYS to study the daily challenges faced by major disability groups, especially those who are poor. She gave a very apt example of, for instance, a person who is deaf will depend on sign language interpretation in order to integrate or to access mainstream services and participate in mainstream life. If we think about that on a larger scale, it is what we are also trying to do with the assistive technology to ensure that whenever tools or specific services are needed, we will look at the means-tested way to help those especially who may not be able to afford the extra services or extra technology which they need. So, we will continue to work on that. The Member has also asked MCYS to review the norm cost of the day activities centres: we will do this. I believe the Member has made some very valid points on sports and disabilities and I will say more about that later as well but, again, I agree with her. So you see, every year, I agree with almost everything that she asks for. Let us now go on with my substantive points on disability. A few months ago, we made major announcements to ensure that every Singapore Citizen child who needs to attend the Early Intervention Programme for Infants and Children receives a $300 base subsidy. In addition to that, low-income families will receive an additional means-tested subsidy from the government and that amount can go up to another $600.”
“We will be working with the MOE, WDA and the Prisons in order to enhance the educational and vocational framework in our homes. We will also introduce a more targeted and standardised assess ment in order to better tailor our intervention to the needs of these youths. In line with these changes, MCYS will spend $60 million to expand the Boys’ Complex not because I am expecting a flood of new entrants but because I want to provide a better environment for them. We will also enhance post-care support that means after discharge to follow up with them up to the age of 21 in order to help guide them and keep them on the straight and narrow path. Yes, it is true that MCYS, MOE and MHA can do more and that we can work collaboratively, more effectively and more synergistically. I want to emphasise that we need the support of the community and, in fact, not just the VWOs but the employers as well. Today, I want to acknowledge employers and enlightened employers like Alo Car Pro, Secret Recipe, Adrenaline Events and Education and N.K. Hair Works who have helped our youths re-integrate into society and I hope we will have more enlightened employers who will come onboard and join us in this cause. Mr Chairman, let me now turn to the disability sector. Ms Denise Phua has, as usual, made an impassioned and important speech which I have listened to carefully. Let me just deal with the specific points that Ms Denise Phua raised and then go on to the substantive ones. One of the things which Ms Phua asked for was to extend basic healthcare insurance to those born with congenital diseases. I think she is aware that MOH is reviewing this but we are not in a position to make specific announcements yet. So, watch this space.”
“This programme, of course, will complement what is already available – things like the Enhanced STEP-UP and the Streetwise programmes. The Central Youth Guidance Office will be piloting the Youth GO! programme. We will start off first with the North-East CDC. The Mayor just happens to be in my Ministry, pure coincidence. This programme will focus especially on outreach to youths who currently are not involved in any of our programmes. We hope to engage them in meaningful activities and to bring them back into the fold of the community and we have set aside a sum of $1.2 million for this pilot project in the next two years. We will also develop an inter-agency Youth Information System. That is to implement Members’ suggestion that we need a comprehensive and shared database so that the youths at risk and the factors for youths at risk will be shared between MOE, MHA and MCYS. This will allow us to draw, first, a composite picture of the problem as well as longitudinal data which will help inform future policy formulation. We will continue to provide a safe and supportive environment for our youths in residential care. I am not sure how many Members of this House have actually visited the Boys’ Home and Girls’ Home. We do want to introduce a wider and more engaging range of academic, vocational and therapeutic programmes in the Boys’ Complex and the Girls’ Home in order to cater to the different needs, risk profile and aspirations of these boys and girls. We want to ensure that they are not there just for punishment but that their time with us will result in them emerging with both vocational and emotional skills so that they can grow up to be contributing, well-functioning, well-balanced adults.”
“00 pm Mdm Cynthia Phua has quite rightly expressed concern about youth at risks and the issue of youth crime. Well, first, let us put things in perspective. Our juvenile crime rate is stable and even our recidivism rate if we include all youth offenders who have gone through either our guidance programme or probation or have had a stay in our boys' home or girls' home, in fact, 80% of them do not re-offend within three years. That is not bad. Good progress has been made over the years to lower the school attrition and to reduce re-offending. But I agree with Members that we can do more to improve co-ordination between the different agencies and Ministries and, in particular, focus upstream, especially on the risk factors. For instance, we know that a significant number of youths, who drop out of school prematurely, will ultimately get into trouble and end up in the criminal justice system, in fact, within five years from leaving school. Once they end up in that system, there is a risk of recidivism. Although I have said our recidivism rates may not be that high but the point is, we can join the dots: school drop out, crime, entering a programme or home and then facing another possibility of re-offence. And that is why arising from the recommendations of the Committee on the Prevention of Re-offending which was shared by the Minister of State for Education and Home Affairs, Mr Masagos, we decided to establish Central Youth Guidance Office (CYGO). Although this office sits within MCYS, it actually is an inter-Ministry office which co-ordinates the work of MOE, MHA and MCYS. Focus-upstream, comprehensive integrated intervention and long-term follow-up. I think Members of the House will support this programme.”
“We and our grassroots' leaders go and knock door to door to identify who is missing, why are they missing, are they overseas or is there a social problem. We have also a whole range of other programmes like the Healthy Start Programme (HSP), the Intensive Case Management framework pilot and, of course, the Home Ownership Plus Education (HOPE) scheme to help families and their children break out of the poverty cycle. Since we passed the International Child Abduction Act, and acceded to the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction last year, my Ministry has also set up the Singapore Central Authority in order to implement our obligations under this Convention. Basically, what this means is that we will help ensure the return of children who were wrongfully removed from their state of habitual residence and this works both ways. The message to parents is: please comply with Court orders. I know it is a very emotional and difficult thing but do not breach Court orders and kidnap your own children. Let me now move on to our plans for youths. Six years ago – actually, it is nearly seven years ago because I remember that was when I first came to MCYS – we conducted a nationwide youth consultation exercise which enabled many young Singaporeans to participate and give us ideas. The legacy of that exercise continues today with the Shine Youth Festival, the Young ChangeMakers grant, in fact, the new *Scape in Orchard Road, the Extreme Skate Park at the East Coast. These are legacies of that exercise. We believe that it is time to conduct a second youth consultation exercise. We will embark on this in the latter part of this year. I look forward to more fresh ideas from young Singaporeans. 1.”
“We need to remind people that this is available, and I agree with Members we will need to continue our outreach programmes to make sure that no parent ever keeps a child away from school simply because of worries about cash flow. There were some queries about childcare costs rising. Mdm Halimah brought this up. I have been watching this very closely and I agree with the Member. We have noticed that some, especially private childcare centres, have taken the opportunity of the fact that we have now given more subsidies to all parents to also raise prices. Some of those price rises may be justified if it has been accompanied truly by increased standards, increased and better infrastructure or better quality teachers. But beyond that, there is a free market operating and that is why I have been pushing for this accelerated rate of an increased number of childcare centres to be established in order to promote more competition and also while we are working closely with PCF and with the NTUC's the Little Skool-House, so that there will be anchor operators functioning in the same way like FairPrice does for supermarkets and food products, to ensure that there is healthy competition and fair pricing standards available. In the years to come, I will ensure that there is even greater transparency and more information available on every childcare centre, so that parents can make informed choices. We have also enhanced our outreach and programming for children in need. Members of the House will again be familiar that, every year, MOE gives us a list of children who have so far not been registered either in kindergarten or childcare.”
“Let me now move on to young children. Dr Lily Neo has spoken about the need for holistic and early support to be available for children in need. I agree with her. As I said earlier, the key for social mobility is to work with the young children, in particular, their education. We had a long debate yesterday in the Ministry of Education's COS session. Today, I want to remind Members that my Ministry has been investing considerably in early childhood education, in particular, to make sure it is affordable, of high quality and accessible to all. That is why we raised the income caps for the Kindergarten Financial Assistance Scheme (KiFAS) and the Centre-Based Financial Assistance Scheme for Childcare (CFAC) in order to benefit more children. In addition to having a larger group of children eligible, we have also made adjustments in quantum. It is worth highlighting again that in this term of Parliament, the quantum of subsidies for both schemes has increased significantly. For instance, for the lowest income tier, we raised the CFAC subsidies from $300 to $340. This is over and above the universal $300 subsidy. So, in other words, this lowest income family gets $340 every month available for childcare. For KiFAS, Members of the House will be familiar that we raised it in this term of Parliament from $65 a month to $108 a month. Mdm Halimah mentioned the need for deposits. There is a start-up grant available to ensure that even the deposit for uniforms and school text books will not be a hurdle. This allows me, again, to give that assurance that money will never be an impediment for children from low-income households accessing good quality early childhood education and, ultimately, education in primary and secondary school and beyond.”
“We should remind ourselves that PA recipients receive totally free medical care, they receive totally free education for their children, they receive rental subsidies, U-SAVE subsidies, as well as considerable additional support from the community. Even as we acknowledge that, I will continue to give the assurance that we will make sure no one will be left behind. No one will go hungry. No one will go without food on the table or without a roof over their head or healthcare for yourself or education, regardless of how the cost of living increases. We have the wherewithal to ensure that for this most vulnerable group in our society. It is also noteworthy that the Minister for Finance has made a $500 million top-up to the ComCare Endowment Fund. When I first thought of ComCare Endowment Fund, I wanted an Endowment in order to ensure that MCYS will continue to have funds available, even in a downturn. It has to be counter-cyclical because in a downturn, when all other Ministries' budgets are being cut, in fact, the Social Assistance budget may need to go up. When I first persuaded my colleagues to have a ComCare Endowment Fund, our target was only $1 billion. Now, very generously, the Minister for Finance has said, let us aim for a target of $1.5 billion and, in fact, today, it stands at $1.3 billion. I belabour this point because I want to emphasise that we have the wherewithal to look after our people even in tough times. And, therefore, I can give this assurance that our social safety net is robust and quite unique right now. Fully funded and sustainable for the long term. This is not the case in many other societies who pretend that they have got great social safety nets because they are going to run into intense physical pressures in the years ahead.”
“Here, I think it may be worth reiterating and our priorities in ComCare are: first, to help people with urgent needs, immediate needs; second, to overcome the social barriers to work because ultimately we want them to get into jobs and if need be to take advantage of Workfare; and third, we must facilitate childcare arrangements because there is much concern in this House about social mobility. For social mobility, the key focus has to be on children. For those who are unable to work, with no means of income and either no or with very limited family support, we take care of that through the Public Assistance Scheme. We monitor the cost of living very closely and we pay particular attention to the price of basic food items. I would like at this point in time to remind Members that, in this term of Parliament, we have raised the Public Assistance rate. All the Members in this House came in here in 2006. In 2007, the Public Assistance rate for a single person was $260. Since then, I have raised it four times and today it will become $400. From $260 to $400 in one term of Parliament. In fact, for a household with two adults and two children, they will receive a total of $1,350, which will more than cover the cost of food. I think Mr Seah Kian Peng tried to calculate for us yesterday. Internally in my Ministry, we track what we call a basket of low-cost, uncooked food every month. We regularly shop at Fairprice. I am not trying to sell a commercial but making the point that we do track these very closely because we must ensure that nobody goes hungry in Singapore. It is also important to understand that we must not be overly focused on the cash component. It is only one component of the total Public Assistance package.”
“We also continued to foster integration through the work of the National Integration Council which I chair and, of course, Singaporeans will remember, the Inaugural Youth Olympic Games in August which is now part of our national legacy. My Ministry will continue to do more to strengthen social cohesion and support. Perhaps, I can classify our chief beneficiaries into the following five clusters. First, families in need; second, young children; third, youth, especially those at risk; then, the other vulnerable groups which include those with disabilities and also groups who may be susceptible to problem gambling. In addition to that, we have also been looking at the social service sector as key infrastructure for our social services in order to upgrade and to uplift that sector. Let me now go into more details on families in need. Mr Seah Kian Peng asked about our efforts to help the most needy amongst us. I know I have said this many times but I will have to reiterate again our key principles, just to make sure that we do not lose sight of them. Finding work and staying in work is the key to self-reliance. And that is why the Government invests so heavily in order to help Singaporeans upgrade their skills and to get higher paying jobs. For those in lower paying jobs, we have Workfare, in order to boost their income from work and to make work worthwhile. As low-income families upgrade themselves or look for jobs, there is a need, as Members have alluded to, to make sure that ComCare complements Workfare.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, Members of the House, I apologise for my voice, I have got a viral infection and it is not because I am campaigning prematurely. Last year has been an eventful one for MCYS. If I can just get the first slide up [hon. Members were shown a slide]. On the legislative front, we enacted the International Child Abduction Bill, we also made amendments to the Women's Charter and The Charities Act, The Children and Young Persons Act, The Hindu Endowments Act and, of course, if you all remember, Mr Seah Kian Peng amended the Maintenance of Parents Act. He amended it but we have to do the work. Beyond legislative work, we have also pushed ahead in enhancing our programmes for all Singaporeans. This next slide gives Members a flavour of some of the things we have been working on. For the needy, we refined the Public Assistance criteria as well as the means testing framework, in order to provide more subsidies for social services. We improved the accessibility and the quality of childcare by adding 107 new childcare centres in 2010. We also launched a Child Development Network and we upgraded the quality of our childcare teachers. We made the early intervention programme for infants and children more afforbable. Ms Denise Phua and Mr Laurence Wee spoke about this programme. We also opened up more employment pathways for the disabled in order for them, ultimately, to integrate into the mainstream. We raised the funding norms for social workers and we also launched the first of five new Family Service Centres. The Office of the Public Guardian began its operations last year, in order to bring the Mental Capacity Act into effect.”
“Mdm Deputy Speaker, I beg to report that the Committee of Supply has made further progress on the Estimates of Expenditure for the financial year 2011/2012, and ask leave to sit again tomorrow.”
“Madam, may I seek your consent to move that progress be reported now and leave be asked to sit again tomorrow?”
“The Government's emphasis on volunteerism has shown positive result – youth aged 15-24 make up the highest proportion of the volunteering population. In 2010, 36%[1] of this group were volunteers, up from 25% since 2004. [1] Results from National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre's (NVPC) Individual Giving Survey 2010. RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR THAIPUSAM 3. Mr Viswa Sadasivan asked the Minister for Home Affairs whether he could provide greater clarity on (i) what are the rules and regulations for Thaipusam; (ii) when were these rules first introduced and whether there have been modifications since; (iii) what are the reasons for these rules/modified rules; (iv) why the Hindu Endowments Board decided to specially compile and announce the rules this year; (v) how it was established that residents complained about the noise level; and (vi) whether the same set of rules applies to similar events/processions organised by other religious or cultural groupings.”
“The Community Involvement Programme (CIP) is an integral part of the curriculum in our educational system. Through participation in community work, students learn to identify with the needs of the community and develop a sense of social responsibility. Local universities also consider the extent and impact of students' involvement in CIP as part of the discretionary admission criteria. To complement CIP, my Ministry supports and facilitates volunteerism through programmes administered by the National Youth Council (NYC). The Young ChangeMakers (YCM) scheme, for one, provides individuals and groups of youth seed funding of up to $3,000 to initiate and implement projects for community benefit. To date, more than 1,000 projects have been supported. The Youth Expedition Project (YEP), launched in 2000, promotes youth leadership and participation in local and overseas community work. YEP has supported more than 20,000 youth and 900 expeditions to ASEAN, India and China. My Ministry also works with other organisations to support youth volunteerism. For example, Singapore (SG) Cares, a nation-wide initiative by the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC), offers youth a variety of volunteer opportunities to suit their interest and availability. At the recent International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE) Youth Volunteer Conference, over 300 youths from Singapore and around the world learnt about volunteering trends and the impact of their active participation in volunteer causes. To promote informal volunteerism, NVPC also recently launched the "Vertical Kampung" initiative to recognise simple acts of giving and offering help to neighbours, and encourage youth to become life-long volunteers.”
“I share the Member's concern and we are taking steps to put a stop to that type of very asymmetrical publicity. While they would want to publicise the wins, you will find that they would never publicise the losses and the consequences of those losses on the gamblers and their families. So, MCYS is taking steps to put a stop to that sort of asymmetric and unfair publicity which the IRs are embarking on. CURBING LOANSHARK HARASSMENT ACTIVITIES 6. Assoc. Prof. Paulin Tay Straughan asked the Minister for Home Affairs: (a) if he would provide (i) the number of youths arrested for loanshark and related harassment activities in 2010; and (ii) the profile of these youths; and (b) if the enhanced penalties provided for in the Moneylenders (Amendment) Bill passed in January 2010 have been effective in curbing loanshark harassments.”
“I share the Member's concern for low-wage foreign workers, especially those who are living in our own homes, and the risks that they will be subjected to if they access the casinos. However, our current regime provides for Voluntary Self Exclusion. So I would encourage employers of foreign domestic workers to get them to sign the Voluntary Self Exclusion, and my Ministry together with the Ministry of Manpower would facilitate their process. But at this point in time, it has to be voluntary. You cannot impose it. Although you can apply for Family Exclusion Order for your own relatives, you cannot apply for that type of order for your employee. On the other point about the positive buzz, I think she is referring to the positive publicity which the Integrated Resorts obviously would like to project in order to increase their patronage. She is quite right. We need to continue with it and, in fact, we need to step up our efforts to educate our local population and, in particular, our young in schools about the very real risks of gambling, the propensity to addiction, the avenues to seek help and also the early warning signs and the terribly corrosive and destructive effect it can have on family relations. This is going to be ongoing work. We will continue to work with the Ministry of Education, together with the voluntary welfare organisations running the Family Service Centres as well as other organisations providing family education in schools. This has to be work which we will continue and we will need to increase.”
“Can the Minister update us on the efforts taken to educate school kids and youths on the ill effects of addictive gambling?”
“But what I can say is that we will continue to enhance the safeguards in order to protect vulnerable Singaporeans, PRs and foreigners residing here, if necessary. Both the operators of the casinos have also been reminded that they are not to target the local population. There have been concerns raised about foreign worker patronage at the casinos. The Casino Control Act currently allows for Voluntary Self Exclusion to be made for foreigners. Thus, these foreign workers may also apply for Voluntary Self Exclusion. The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) is working with various community and social organisations to facilitate the Voluntary Self Exclusion for foreign workers. The NCPG is also looking at ways to enhance the convenience of applying for Casino Exclusion Orders. In fact, just a week or two ago, the NCPG announced that it has shortened the family exclusion process from six weeks to two weeks. It is currently looking into making the applications available online in order to facilitate the process further. More details will be announced in due course. MCYS will continue to monitor these trends, and I will give Members the assurance that we will take appropriate action, if and when necessary. Assoc. Prof. Paulin Tay Straughan (Nominated Member): Sir, may I ask the Minister two supplementary questions on this issue. Will the Ministry consider allowing friends of low-wage foreign workers to invoke an exclusionary order, for example, our foreign domestic workers (FDWs). I think given their wage structure, most of them should not be able to afford to gamble. My second supplementary question has to do with the very positive news buzz that we get around the Intergrated Resort (IR).”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, there are three types of Casino Exclusion Orders, namely, Voluntary Self Exclusion, Family Exclusion and Third-Party Exclusion. As at 31st December 2010, there were 3,519 Self Exclusion Orders, 297 Family Exclusion Orders and about 27,500 Third-Party Exclusions in force. I have asked for some charts* to be circulated to hon. Members which will contain the profile of the persons placed on Casino Exclusion Orders, and in the meantime, let me highlight a few points. For Self Exclusion Orders, 78% of the applicants were male and 92% were *Cols. 2329-2336. Chinese. 36% of them were in their 30s while 25% were in their 40s. For Family Exclusion Orders, the pattern is very much similar – 81% were male and 95% were Chinese, and 31% of the respondents were in their 40s and 22% in their 30s. Slightly more than a third of the respondents had "N" level or lower education, and another third had "O" level or ITE qualifications. Thirty-seven percent of the applications for Family Exclusion Orders were actually made by the spouses, 24% from parents, 20% from children and 19% from siblings. Third-Party Exclusion covers persons who are on public assistance and all undischarged bankrupts, hence the high number. They are automatically barred from the casinos. As of 31st December 2010, there were about 27,500 individuals who were excluded on this basis. The hon. Member has also asked if the Government is satisfied with the measures currently in place. As both casinos have been operating for less than a year so far, it would be premature to draw a conclusion of the impact the casinos has on the local problem gambling situation or on the adequacy of our social safeguards.”
“At present, MCYS has 197 foster parents who care for 324 foster children. MCYS has been actively recruiting foster families through news advertisements, media publications, and public awareness campaigns. We also work with community organisations in our recruitment efforts. These include MadAboutKids, Dads for Life, Centre for Fathering, Faith Organisations, Voluntary Welfare Organisations, Singapore Teachers' Union, Singapore Nurses' Association, and People's Association Women's Executive Committee. There has been a 22% increase in the number of foster parents over the last five years (from 161 in 2005 to 197 in 2010). Fostering requires the full commitment of the entire family to meet the foster child's needs and, more importantly, the love and care that forms a secure base from which children understand the world. As such, recruitment of foster families is a challenging task as it involves a high level of commitment and candidates have to be selected after a rigourous selection and training process. MCYS will continue in its outreach efforts to heighten public awareness and participation in foster care. CURBING YOUTH VIOLENCE (Restrict sale of weapons) 7. Er Lee Bee Wah asked the Minister for Home Affairs given the recent spate of youth violence whether the Ministry will consider regulating the sale of knives, daggers, kris and other sharp implements such as parang to young people.”
“Singapore Sports Council (SSC) monitors the usage of those carparks around sports stadiums and recreation centres that are under its management. These carparks are well utilised during peak periods such as in the evenings and over the weekends. The number of carpark lots for each sports facility adheres to the parking provision standard set by the Land Transport Authority (LTA). For a stadium, the number of carpark lots is determined by the stadium seating capacity. The proximity of our stadiums to residential areas and other sports facilities such as swimming pools and indoor sports halls enables the sharing of stadium carparks and optimises their usage during non-event days. These carparks, where viable, are made available for season parking by nearby residents, office workers, the Park and Ride scheme and Heavy Vehicle Parking. As of 1st December 2010, the management of five carparks(1) has been outsourced to maximise utilisation. SSC will continue to optimise the usage of stadium carparks while ensuring there are sufficient carpark lots for users and participants of sports facilities and events. (1) The five carparks are Kallang Car Park H, Jurong West Sports and Recreation Centre (SRC) Car Park, Yio Chu Kang SRC Car Park, Toa Payoh SRC Car Park and Choa Chu Kang SRC Car Park. NON-RENEWAL OF RE-ENTRY PERMITS FOR PERMANENT RESIDENTS (Reasons) 20. Ms Audrey Wong Wai Yen asked the Minister for Home Affairs (a) what is the number of Singapore permanent residents who were unsuccessful in obtaining renewals of their re-entry permits in the past three years; and (b) what are the reasons for not granting these renewals.”
“The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. – [Dr Vivian Balakrishnan]. Bill considered in Committee. [Mr Deputy Speaker in the Chair]”
“This is called the child abuse review team. This is attended by child protection officers and managers, professionals with experience in the child protection sector as well as others who are involved in the management of the specific case who have detailed knowledge of that individual case. Let me conclude by coming back to first principles. It is still about families and about parents discharging their responsibility. We recognise that some families will need additional help in order to discharge those responsibilities and we will do so through policy and through operations run through MCYS. Having said that, this is not a simple case where you penalise people if they do not fulfil their end of the bargain because there is this other element called a "child or young person" whose interest we are committing in this House with this amendment to put paramount. What that means is that sometimes we will have to achieve a difficult balance – a balance between fairness, due process, the rights of the parents versus the real danger and risk of neglect or harm to children. We have to get the balance right. I, as the Minister for MCYS, would confess to having a bias and, if in doubt, I would rather err on the side of safety for children. Nevertheless, what we have is a system with proper checks and balances, proper reviews and a system which is sufficiently resourced to make sure that people who need help get help and children who need protection will be protected. But, again, I want to emphasise that this is something which we cannot do alone and it is not something which we can do with legislation. This is something we have do as a community. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time and Committed to a Committee of the whole House.”
“Mdm Halimah Yacob also brought up a very valid point about coordination between agencies. Unfortunately, we all know about the case that the Member referred to when the father was released from jail years after his initial offence and then re-victimised his daughter. This tragic case illustrates the need for greater and stronger inter-agency management and flow of information. I can assure you all the relevant agencies have learnt their lessons from that case. Our agencies will work closely to make sure that there is an integrated and comprehensive community safety net for victims and we will also commit to working in the long term for the safety of these potential victims. Simply because a case has been identified, prosecuted and jailed is not the end of the story. Family relationships go on for a long time and it may be that there are some families that are in need of long-term supervision. So we will have to maintain a register, that is internally within the Ministry, of such cases, and we will also work with our other agencies. So I will give you an example of that. We have this thing called the child abuse protection team. This team includes the Police, medical social workers from the hospitals, psychologists and other professionals, and it meets weekly for case discussions. Where relevant, the teachers, the school counsellors, the staff from the Children and Young Persons Homes are also invited to participate in a discussion where relevant and where the cases involve their oversight. This child abuse protection team has proven to be an effective and is an ongoing feature of our child protection system. Besides this team, we have also set up another team that meets on a regular basis to discuss the ongoing progress of individual cases.”
“You know, the key to solving this problem is to acknowledge that there is a problem, and then to commit to resolving the problem to the best of his or her ability as a parent and together with the support and supervision of the community organisations and the child protection officers. So that is what is going on. I just want to reassure Members that all this is not a back-door attempt to remove children from their families without judicial oversight. That is absolutely not the intention at all. There were questions on not complying with the bond and the penalty. I think both Mdm Halimah Yacob and Assoc. Prof. Fatimah Lateef asked about it: whether the proposed penalty would end up being punitive and make it more difficult for the families. When a child or young person established by the Court to be in need of care or protection, it means, by definition, that there are already sufficient concerns about the child's welfare. The Act provides that the Court may order the parents or guardian to enter into a bond to ensure the proper care and guardianship of the child. Now, we all know we tend to put a dollar value to bonds but the real issue when we are imposing a bond is to impose a change in behaviour – to incentivise, to persuade and focus the minds of the families that a change in behaviour is needed in order to improve the outcome for the child. I do not think the Court derives any satisfaction from collecting or levying the penalty for failure to discharge the bond but, nevertheless, we do need to have a system in which there are both incentives and penalties if parents do not comply with the recommended changes which are necessary in order to protect their children. So that is what it is about. It is not about money, it is about a change in behaviour.”
“Now, let me cite you some actual numbers so that you get an idea what actually happens on the ground in Singapore. In 2009, there were 169 cases that were investigated by the Child Protection Service. Of the 169 cases, 124 of the allegations were substantiated. That is actually quite a high number. Of these 124 cases that were substantiated, however, only one-third – 60 of them – proceeded to a formal care and protection order awarded by the Court. In these 60 cases, we had no choice but to do so because of the seriousness of the abuse. What about the others? The remaining cases were assessed – first, that the allegations were substantiated; secondly, we will assess that there were welfare concerns that had to be addressed and it had to be escalated so that the children would have access to further child protection measures. The Child Protection Service therefore works with these families together with the support of other community agencies to address these concerns and formulate a concrete plan of action in which support and assistance would be given to improve the family situation, proper supervision and monitoring of the child's welfare was in place and that we have created a synergistic partnership between child protection officers, parents and the community organisations and the resources. So this is actually what happens on the ground and I am glad to report that, in fact, the majority of the families are actually very cooperative because they do want what is best for their child.”
“I give Members the assurance that all our child protection officers, wherever possible, wherever it is safe, wherever it is practical, will do their best to ensure that the child is looked after in the context of an intact family. And I also give Members the commitment that the reason Child Protection Service is under MCYS is because where additional resources – financial, emotional and social – are necessary in order to support and empower the family to look after the child, MCYS will do so. And I make that assurance in this House to all of you. There have also been questions of what constitutes emotional and psychological abuse. I know that is difficult to define easily but, again, I would go on a practical basis and I think that anything that causes damage to the behavioural, social, cognitive, affective or physical functioning of a child, including things like terrorising a child, rejecting or degrading a child, isolating, exploiting or corrupting a child would constitute emotional or physical abuse. I think most Members here, in this House, would agree with that definition. There has been much talk on this issue of voluntary care agreement and that is why I took pains to go into at length in my opening speech. Again, I want to emphasise that this is not an attempt to take children away from their families without judicial review. That is not the intention at all. In fact, as I alluded to earlier, it is intended to provide for early intervention and early support to be given to the families to work out collaboratively with their families what are their needs, how can we support their needs in order to better look after and protect their children. If children need to be removed, and that is the last resort, we will go to Court.”
“Having said that, I think Mdm Halimah Yacob has a valid point when she asked what is the definition of "adequate". Well, the working definition for "adequate" will actually be a very basic threshold. In other words, what is necessary for the child's survival, physical development, emotional and psychological help. It is at a basic level. We are not saying that everybody needs to be at the middle-class or upper middle-class level in order to look after their children. In fact, I would go so far as to state that there are many – in fact, the vast majority of poor families are well able to take care of their children. Usually when there is child abuse, the dysfunctionality relates more to values and relationships, and not to poverty. So, please do not raise poverty as a "bogeyman" in this debate. There have also been questions about safeguards. When you read the Bill, it appears that the Director of Social Welfare has got enormous powers at his or her disposal. But the due process is that every case is discussed at the multi-disciplinary platform within the Ministry, in order to tap the different and relevant professional perspectives and the views of the team. In other words, this is not a case of one-man or one-woman's decision being imposed unilaterally. I would also go on to emphasise what I said earlier, that the removal of a child is the last resort. In fact, even if you were to look at this purely from a utilitarian perspective, it is far more efficient, far more effective and, ultimately, also the morally right thing to do, to bring up a child within the context of an intact family.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I thank the hon. Members for their thoughtful contributions. Assoc. Prof. Fatimah Lateef asked about licensing fees. We will charge a nominal $12 a year, $1 a month, and bear in mind the fact that MCYS is actually funding the VWOs. I think you will agree with me that the licensing fee is not an issue. As for the Review Board, it will consist of a multi-disciplinary team, in order to provide all the necessary insights into the cases being reviewed. We would, of course, have to go on a massive recruitment campaign to get enough people in order to ensure that every case is reviewed appropriately. Mdm Halimah, and I believe also others, asked whether the formulation of section 4(c) is too broad and whether there would be different standards on what constitutes adequate care. A political point was raised by Ms Sylvia Lim and she asked whether this will result in poor families being exposed to a higher risk of being broken up. I think we need to put this lie to rest. We are trying to protect children. Children, through no fault of their own, will sometimes be exposed to risks or harm and neglect. The greatest danger is to assume that it is a natural reflex that all of us will look after our children or the corollary to that is to use poverty or some other social disadvantage as an alibi for neglect and that somehow excuses the family from being held accountable for care. So, I want to state this categorically that this is not about a group of child protection officers imposing middle-class values on poor families and using that as an excuse or a pretext to take children away from their families. That is not the intention and I want to reiterate that categorically.What we are after is simply to identify children at risk and to take appropriate actions.”
“Indeed, protecting the CYP must be a collaborative effort with all hands on deck – from the family, schools, peer groups, NGOs and VWOs personnel, the neighbourhood, the community and, of course, the Ministry. Sir, I support the Amendment Bill. 6.32 pm”
“As a society and nation, we must lead the effort to help these families start their lives anew, and reshape their minds and lives. We must continue to educate and increase awareness. Our community spirit must compel us to monitor our neighbours and report suspicious cases. We must possess a high level of awareness in order to save innocent children and young persons. This Bill must send a strong signal about this issue. We must strengthen efforts and implement its enforcement. We must defend our children. *Cols. 2167-2168. (In English): In deciding whether CYP is in need of care or protection and in deciding what intervention is best for the welfare of the child, all stakeholders must actively and sincerely participate in the decision making process in line with Article 9 of the United Nations CRC which states that, I quote, "State Parties shall ensure that a child shall not be separated from his or her parents against their will except when competent authorities, subject to judicial review, determine in accordance where applicable law and procedures have been applied that such separation is really necessary for the best interest for the CYP." The law must provide guidance and set out principles upon which removals are appropriate. As mentioned by High Court Judge V.K. Rajah in overturning the decision of the Juvenile Court in the case ABV and Another versus Child Protector (2009 SGJC 4): "the removal of a child from the parents must be a very drastic remedy and that must only resorted to only when there is real fear of imminent physical or psychological danger." He also said that instead of using the blunt instrument of removing a child, parties should work together to ensure the child's welfare.”
“I support the removal of the minimum length of the Approved Home Orders and Approved School Orders, now to be known as Juvenile Rehabilitation Centres for CYP who are beyond parental control. The current duration is rather long and it will be better to have this meted out on a case-by-case basis with some flexibility. Can I also ask, on the average, how many beyond parental control (BPC) cases are reported annually and where the BPC order is invoked? How many of these do we manage to eventually return to the mainstream? I would like to speak in Malay, Sir. (In Malay): [For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A *.] Singapore has achieved much in terms of the development of children and young persons as well as in fulfilling many resolutions under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). In fact, some of Singapore's efforts exceed the prescribed requirements. We have moved forward from a Third World country to a First World country in a short time. In the UNICEF's report on "The State of the World's Children" in 2001, Singapore is placed first in the list together with countries like Sweden, Switzerland and Japan. However, it is distressing and embarrassing to see that we have incidents like the Nonoi case and, more recently, the Danish Iman case. There are cases where small children are sexually abused by their own parents. Issues like young marriages and multiple re-marriages, dysfunctional families, single mothers and other socio-economic problems will surface from time to time. The lack of social morals and ethics will become more pronounced among those affected. The widening generation gap among some families must also be given attention to.”
“The Singapore family size is small. Our population is ageing. Children and young persons are valued members of the family and are our assets of the future. I strongly support our approach to maintaining their well-being, education, health, physical and emotional development regardless of race and socio-economic status. With regard to section 49(1) which stipulates that if the parent does not enter the bond in a timely fashion or is unable to meet any of the conditions of the bond, they will be liable to a fine. I understand the need for strict enforcement. But can I ask the Minister to consider for the multiple-challenged families, where most of these cases are coming from anyway, who are often over-stressed, stretched to the maximum and under-supported? Such action and measures can be counter-productive and not supportive of parents' effort to care for the children. To their burden, we will now be adding stress with further fines and arrears. This may only tend to worsen their existing condition. I do, however, Sir, support very strongly the penalties stipulated for sexual exploitation of a child. Pertaining to the Part IIIA on the "fee for and duration licence", can I ask the Minister how much is the fee that a VWO has to pay for the issue of and also renewal of their licences? I do hope that this can be kept affordable as we are dealing with VWOs. Sir, I strongly support the formation of the Review Board to review all cases residing in CYP homes and to visit these homes to ensure conducive environment. Can I also inquire who and which personnel will make up the members of the Review Board?”
“At the same time, I know that there had been calls for us to adjust the definition of children and young persons down to below the age of 15, thereby making those who are 15 and above liable to be dealt with outside of the juvenile justice system. The argument behind this call is that youths appear to mature at an earlier age nowadays compared to a generation ago. I believe that while providing deterrence is one of the considerations for the juvenile justice system, I would like to emphasise that our objective of the CYPA and our juvenile justice system is not only to punish but also to rehabilitate. I hope Members of this House will agree that we have the right balance at this point in time. So, Sir, I would like to conclude with a note of caution. This Bill updates and improves our child protection framework. But we must bear in mind that despite all our best efforts, there will, inevitably, from time to time be some tragic cases. There will also be occasions when we may be over zealous in our efforts to protect children and young persons, and we have to get the balance right both in legislation as well as operationally on the ground. It is not an easy matter but it is an important matter, and I would also add that the State cannot unilaterally protect all children and young persons. This is a sacred duty that all of us as parents, family members, members of the community, professionals, officials and law makers will have to perform this duty collectively. Sir, I beg to move. Question proposed. 6.25 pm Assoc. Prof. Fatimah Lateef: Mr Deputy Speaker, the Children and Young Persons Act first enacted in 1949 safeguards the care, protection and rehabilitation of children less than 16 years. It has gone through several amendments and review over the years.”
“This was especially in response to some more violent episodes involving young people in recent times. We decided not to make any changes to our long-standing position. I would like to assure Members that there are currently adequate safeguards and mechanisms to protect and rehabilitate both young as well as older youth offenders who are more than 16 years old. The Guidance Programme, which is a Court diversionary programme for first time offenders, will be further extended to accommodate youths up to the age of 21 years of age. New community based sentencing options, such as the Community Service Orders, Day Reporting Orders, Mandatory Treatment Orders, Short Detention Orders and Community Work Orders have also been provided for through the amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code which came into effect on 2nd January. The upshot of all this is that we have more rehabilitation options for the Community Court to use in dealing with offenders between the age of 16 and 21 years of age, and for the continued approach of deterrence, restorative justice and rehabilitation of young offenders. Where young offenders are assessed not to be suitable for community-based rehabilitation, reformative training is another option in lieu of imprisonment. Our justice system, and I have taken some lengths to emphasise this point, is both based on restorative and rehabilitative and deterrence. All these elements are available and operate in conjunction to deal with this problem of young people who may be at risk. The approach has worked well so far and we have in Singapore a robust rehabilitation and protection system for young people, and I believe we should continue in this direction.”
“The Bill proposes for the penalty for sexual exploitation of children and young persons under section 7 to be raised from a minimum two years' imprisonment and a maximum of four years, to a minimum of five years and a maximum of seven years. Penalties for sexual exploitation of a child or unlawful transfer of possession of a child and importation of a child under false pretences have been adjusted to align with penalties against similar offences in the Women’s Charter to ensure that equal protection is accorded to both boys and girls. Serious child sexual abuse cases may also be prosecuted under the Penal Code which carries even higher penalties. The Penal Code had also been reviewed and amended in 2007. Under section 376A, the penalty for sexual penetration of minor below the age of 16 years is 10 to 20 years of imprisonment. For less serious sexual offences, sections 354 and 354A provide for imprisonment terms of five or 10 years where the victim is a minor below the age of 14 years. Together, the penalties within the CYPA and the Penal Code should provide for adequate deterrence against sexual exploitation of children and young persons. Age definitions of the child At this juncture, I would also like to address recent comments and discussions concerning age definitions of the child and young person. In our law, currently, we define a child as a person below the age of 14 years. A young person is defined as a person 14 years or above and below the age of 16 years. During the public consultation of the Bill, we received sometimes contradictory suggestions on these definitions. Some suggested increasing the threshold to 18 years, meaning more people would be defined as children and young persons whilst others suggested decreasing the threshold to 15 years.”
“However, the child’s privacy may also be compromised during the investigation period leading up to Court proceedings, for example – and this is in real life – sometimes you get news reports or a photograph of the child or identifying details of the child and sometimes even the address is available either in the mass media or on the Internet. Such exposure and infringement of privacy would negatively affect the recovery process for the child or young person. Clause 15, therefore, introduces a new provision that will extend current protections such that the identity of the child or young person who is or has been subject to an investigation under the CYPA to such protection. In particular, this provision is meant to address the publication of information in the mass media or other broadcast or online platforms but it does not prevent the sharing of information among the appropriate, relevant professionals who are providing help to these specific children or young persons. To further safeguard the child or young person’s privacy, another provision will be introduced to prevent breaches of confidentiality by persons who may be in receipt of information on the child that was shared with them in the process of exercising any powers or duties under the Act. It is vital that the systems and processes put in place to protect children do not end up, inadvertently, further traumatising the child or young person. The amendments I have just elaborated on are key to ensuring that Singapore’s child protection system continues to be child-centric whilst efficient, expedient and safe. Penalties for sexual exploitation Sir, I would like to mention the penalties for sexual exploitation of children and young persons in the Act.”
“Such children usually require medical attention or temporary care while arrangements are being made to bring the case to Court within three days of the removal, for child protection proceedings. For example, there have been cases where the alleged perpetrator or the family members appear at the hospital to threaten and intimidate the child into retracting his or her statement. The priority during this period is to ensure, first, that the child is safe. Secondly, that the child receives medical and other emotional treatment and, furthermore, that we do not allow the child to be further re-victimised or harassed by the alleged perpetrators or perpetrator while the investigation is underway. The other area which we are working on is on exempting children and young children from Court appearances. Court proceedings are often very intimidating for children, especially when proceedings take place over several sessions, or if the perpetrator is in Court in person. Clause 23 of the Bill proposes that the Court be given discretion to exempt a child or young person from having to attend Court proceedings, in cases where it is assessed that Court attendance may adversely affect the child. Another area is in protecting the identity and privacy of the child or young person. In 2001, section 35 was introduced in the CYPA which prohibits the publication and broadcast of information that would identify a child or young person involved in Court proceedings.”
“Obtaining information to establish if child/young person is in need of care and protection In line with the objective of early intervention, the Bill also proposes clarification to section 8 to enable a Protector to make inquires where he has reasonable grounds to believe that a relevant offence has been, is being or will be committed against any child or young person or if any child or young person is in need of care or protection. Currently, the CYPA provides that the Protector may obtain information only when an offence is believed to have been committed in respect of a child or young person. However, there may be situations where a child is in need of care and protection, before an offence has actually been committed. Consequently, this amendment will enable a Protector to make inquiries at an early stage, so long as he has reasonable grounds to believe that such a child or young person is in need of care or protection. The objective in both these provisions is early detection and early intervention and, hopefully, without having to drag the case and the parents into Court and be subjected to the full litany of legal processes and procedures, whilst we still keep that power in reserve. Enhancing the management of child protection cases When a child is established to be in need of care and protection, it is important that we make sure that each case is managed in the best interest of the child. And this Bill, therefore, seeks to enhance the management of child protection cases, in the following areas. First, protecting children or young persons who have been removed. Clause 10 of the Bill includes a proposed amendment that will allow the Protector to restrict access or require supervised access to a child or young person that has been removed under the CYPA.”
“The voluntary care agreements represent an attempt to formalise and encapsulate the joint efforts of both the parents on one hand and the child protection officers on the other hand to work together to collaborate on a voluntary basis to ensure the safety and well-being of the child. Currently, child protection officers work with families on care plans for the child, and such care plans will address issues such as the child’s educational needs, supervision of the child, support and assistance that may be rendered from community agencies, etc. Having such explicit plans or agreements – drawn up and agreed – help the parents to better understand and to better implement the steps that are needed in order to address the needs of their child. My Ministry will also issue regulations as to how these voluntary care agreements can be made, how they will be reviewed and how they will be adjusted according to the needs of the child and family, and in particular, to safeguard the rights and interests of the child and the parents. This provision does not compel the parents to enter into a care agreement involuntarily. I want to emphasise that such agreements must be voluntarily entered into. There may be situations where parents may decline to comply with the advice of the Child Protection Service at an early stage. In such cases, the Child Protection Service will have to simply be extra watchful. And if the situation worsens to the point where the child is in danger or is clearly in need of extra care or protection as defined in section 4 of the Act, only then will an application to the Court for a formal care and protection order under section 49 be made. So, we need to achieve the right balance.”
“The licensing scheme will also extend protections to children with special needs in three other Homes for the Disabled currently that take in such children. Review Board There will be a Review Board to review all cases of children in residential care. This is in keeping with international practice and we want to have a system which will ensure that there is early planning for each child’s welfare and it provides for a multi-disciplinary platform for workers from the Homes and other professionals to work towards a care plan for the child that will best meet his or her specific needs. A Review Board comprising individuals with relevant expertise will be established to review all children residing in all licensed Homes. Early intervention with children and families This Bill also seeks to enhance early intervention for children and families that require assistance in providing for their safety and well-being. Let me touch on this point of voluntary care arrangements. Voluntary care agreements The Bill introduces a new provision on voluntary care agreements which provides for care agreements promoting the welfare of the child to be made by the parents or guardians of the child. Child protection work has often been associated with Court orders and removing the child from his or her home. But I want to stress that this, in fact, should be a last resort. There is much more that can be done to enable or empower a family to take better care of the children and to nurture their children before the situation spirals out of control. Too often, serious cases of child abuse occur when there is no early detection or failure of early intervention for families who are struggling to cope with raising their children.”