FINANCIAL AND NON-FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR NEEDY SINGAPOREANS

FINANCIAL AND NON-FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR NEEDY SINGAPOREANS: 11.

Prof. Thio Li-ann asked the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports (a) what financial and non-financial assistance are available to the vulnerable sectors of society, such as widows with children who are unable to work or are otherwise unemployable and whether there is systematic aid, as opposed to ad hoc aid; and (b) whether his Ministry will actively co-operate with civil society groups such as Wicare, in ensuring that resources are provided for and do in fact reach those most in need of help.

Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon (for the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports): Mr Speaker, Sir, I thank the Member for her concern about this issue. The Government, grassroots organisations and the voluntary welfare organisations have multiple financial and non-financial schemes to help low-income and needy Singaporeans cope with difficult phases of life and achieve self-reliance.

The ability to work is key to achieving self-reliance. Our schemes are therefore designed to encourage and support work. Examples of such schemes are the

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Centre-Based Financial Assistance Scheme for Childcare (CFAC), and the Student Care Fee Assistance (SCFA) Scheme that enable parents to work while their children are cared for. The Kindergarten Financial Assistance Scheme (KiFAS) helps the low-income and needy to offset the cost of sending their children to kindergarten. The Baby Bonus can also be used to help defray the educational and medical costs of their children.

Those who are able to work, but need help to find employment, will be assisted under the ComCare Fund's Work Support Programme. They will receive employment assistance and financial assistance in addition to help with childcare and student care arrangements. Case management and employment-related training is also available. As at December 2006, 273 widows were on Work Support, the majority of whom have children.

We must also remember that the extended family has an obligation to support relatives who are less well off. This has been a key survival instinct for Asian societies, and we must maintain this noble tradition.

In extremis, those who are unable to work, and have no family support may be placed on the Public Assistance Scheme. As at December 2006, seven widows with young children were on the Public Assistance Scheme.

As part of our 'Many Helping Hands' approach, my Ministry works very closely with voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs).

The Family Service Centres (FSCs) and many VWOs provide many social services to vulnerable families, including specialised services, such as casework, counselling and support groups, to single parents, including widows, and their children.

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The CDCs also actively work with VWOs and grassroots organisations to provide help to the needy. For example, the North West CDC has established a referral system with Wicare, to refer needy widows to Wicare to participate in Wicare programmes, while Wicare would refer needy widows to the CDC for financial assistance. In January 2007, for example, WiCare referred seven needy children to North West CDC, so that they could benefit from North West CDC's distribution of stationery and gift vouchers to needy students. The other CDCs also have similar referral systems with various VWOs and community groups within their districts.

More is being done to strengthen the cooperation between the CDCs and voluntary welfare organisations through the Comcare Local Networks platform. This platform will enable us to identify any gaps, and share ideas on how to more effectively reach out to the needy amongst us. All of us have a part to play.