Govt to coordinate help for families with complex issues

SINGAPORE — With the long-term goal of promoting independence and resilience in those in need of help, as well as better coordination of assistance on the ground, the Government will launch a pilot this year aimed at vulnerable families with complex issues that could take years to resolve, by bringing together government agencies to manage their cases.

The Government will also be raising the monthly household income cap for the ComCare scheme from the current S$1,700 to S$1,900 so that more families — an additional 1,800 — can benefit from medium- to long-term assistance, starting July.

Announcing these measures as he wrapped up the Ministry of Social and Family Development’s (MSF) Committee of Supply debate yesterday, its minister Chan Chun Sing laid out the ministry’s priorities for the year: To “retain currency and ensure adequacy” of its social support policies, establish an integrated system for “effective execution” of policies and groom the next generation of leaders and professionals for the social service sector.

Noting that Singapore’s population and its demographics are evolving rapidly, Mr Chan said family support is also changing rapidly, with people staying on their own with less extensive support from their relatives.

Hence, ComCare will be extended to more families and there will be more flexibility when it comes to the period of assistance. “I want to emphasise once again that the measure of our success is not the amount of money that we hand out. It is how we are able to use the ComCare scheme to allow people to stand on their feet again,” said Mr Chan.

Meanwhile, the pilot will begin with about 500 families that have persistent complex issues. Their numbers are not big, but such families take up “a disproportionate amount” of resources in the social service sector, Mr Chan noted. It will see government agencies such as the Housing and Development Board and the Ministry of Education looking into issues each family faces. “By themselves ... they might just miss the qualifying criteria (for assistance). But we want to come together so we know when we need to exercise a bit more flexibility in judgment,” he said.

An MSF spokesperson said the scheme will leverage on the existing social service system and eligible families will be picked through agencies such as Family Service Centres and the Social Service Offices. If effective, another 500 families could be put on the scheme next year.

In addition, a programme will be launched to mitigate the negative effects of divorce on a family, so parents considering divorce will have to undergo a programme to discuss their children’s needs and understand the importance of positive co-parenting as well as the detrimental effects of divorce.

Mr Chan stressed the MSF’s goal is to promote independence and resilience. “The MSF does not judge our success on the amount of handouts that we give people or the number of people whom we have helped,” he said.

Noting that Members of Parliament have called for more integration in social service delivery as well as tackling social issues “upstream” to minimise problems “downstream”, Mr Chan cited examples of efforts that are already underway, such as the establishment of a national database of families in need, which is set to be piloted next year.

The strongest social safety net the Government can provide is making sure Singapore has a “strong system” that provides good jobs, education, housing and healthcare, he said, adding: “These are all the upstream work that we are committed to do.”