IMPROVEMENT OF FAMILY SERVICE CENTRES

IMPROVEMENT OF FAMILY SERVICE CENTRES

41.

Mdm Halimah Yacob asked the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports (a) if he will give an update on the proposal to set aside $16 million to improve the 36 Family Service Centres; (b) how far has the work progressed; and (c) whether this will include increasing the number of social workers and putting in place a proper system for training and improving their salaries and benefits.

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: MCYS has set aside $16 million this year to provide more support to the Family Service Centres (FSCs). This is 23% more than the amount spent in FY 2008. The additional funding, made available to the 36 FSCs from April this year, was a result of a review of FSCs completed earlier this year. The review aims to ensure that FSCs remain relevant to society’s needs and are adequately resourced to carry out their work well.

At maximum capacity, each FSC can now hire up to three more social workers and two social work associates, bringing the total staff establishment to 17 per FSC. This allows the social workers to have a more manageable caseload. In turn they are better able to provide more holistic and intensive social work intervention to families with complex or multiple problems.

Besides the FSCs’ own staff recruitment, we have successfully placed 21 social workers in 12 FSCs through the Social Work Training Scholarship (SWTS), Professional Conversion Programme (PCP), VWOs-Charities Capability Fund (VCF) and the Lien Foundation Scholarship for Social Service Leaders since April 2009.

We are also building more FSCs in areas with high and sustained demand. MCYS and the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) have studied the needs and profiles of residents, for the siting of the new FSCs. The development work for the first new FSC is estimated to start in January 2010 after consultations with Mayors and Grassroots Advisers and the appointment of the service provider.

Resources have also been provided to enhance the competencies and capabilities of FSC staff. The training modules have been enhanced to take into consideration emerging needs such as understanding families from different ethnic groups, help for dysfunctional families, closer linkage and collaboration with government agencies. There will be avenues to promote professional learning among FSC staff and better supervision of junior social workers by senior staff.

Since April 2009, the Social Work Accreditation Board has started receiving applications for social workers and social service practitioners to be accredited. This will help professionalise the social service sector. To date, there have been close to 419 applications for accreditation as social workers and social service practitioners. As at 11th November 2009, 336 professionals have been accredited by the Social Work Accreditation Board.

MCYS is also looking into making the remuneration of social workers and related professionals more competitive. We will make adjustments to their pay packages if necessary.