Early intervention key to helping dysfunctional families: Chuan-Jin

SINGAPORE — Looking back on his tenure in the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) so far, Mr Tan Chuan-Jin reiterated his belief in intervening as early as possible when helping needy and dysfunctional families, and this is an area in which he wants to continue to improve.

One of the initiatives the ministry rolled out under Mr Tan’s watch is KidSTART. Introduced by the Early Childhood Development Agency last July, the programme seeks out vulnerable children from low-income families — in some cases, even before they are born — and ensures that they are not disadvantaged, by providing them with better support in education, healthcare and other developmental needs.

Their parents will be equipped with the parenting knowledge and resources to support the child’s upbringing. Based on their needs, the families will also be linked up to existing community resources. “The question is how early (does the Government intervene), and frankly, KidSTART ... is as early as it gets. It goes all the way (to the) pregnancy stage. For example, whether it’s unwed mums, whether it’s transnational marriages or women coming from much more challenging backgrounds when they are pregnant,” said Mr Tan.

The pilot programme will support 1,000 children up to the age of six, from Bukit Merah, Kreta Ayer, Boon Lay, Taman Jurong and Geylang Serai. Mr Tan added: “What it means is that these children, by the time they reach primary school, the gap (between them and) perhaps children from middle-class or upper-middle-class backgrounds ... is narrowed. And it gives them every chance to do well in life.”

Mr Tan was appointed as Minister for Social and Family Development in April 2015, following a three-year stint helming the Ministry of Manpower. Before entering politics in 2011, he served in the Singapore Armed Forces for nearly 24 years.

Other initiatives he has spearheaded at the MSF include measures to strengthen family ties, such as pre-marriage counselling and greater parental support. Cash handouts under the ComCare Long Term Assistance scheme were increased, following a review of the public assistance plan which was prompted by his experience as a Member of Parliament in Marine Parade GRC.

Policies have also been adjusted for single and unwed mothers — a group that Mr Tan said he felt “quite strongly about”. For example, unwed mothers can now get the full 16 weeks of paid maternity leave, up from eight previously. Their children will also have access to a Child Development Account, a savings scheme meant to pay for childcare and healthcare costs.

While he has always been interested in social issues, Mr Tan said he was glad that he did not start out at the MSF in his political career.

“The Ministry of Manpower is ... very much a social ministry as well because the policies you put in place really have an impact on the lower-income families,” he said. “In many ways, work is the best form of welfare.”