Support for Social Service Agencies to Increase Number of Special Student Care Centres

Ms Carrie Tan asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) whether the Ministry has plans to support Social Service Agencies in increasing the number of Special Student Care Centres in Singapore; and (b) if so, whether these centres will be set up in more diverse locations across Singapore to make them more accessible to families of children with special needs.

Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: Special Student Care Centres (SSCCs) provide before and after school care services for students with special needs aged seven to 18 who attend Special Education (SPED) schools. There are currently 10 SSCCs of which eight are co-located with SPED schools, providing a total of 320 places serving students with special needs of different profiles.

While there are sufficient SSCC places for children with sensory impairment and intellectual disabilities, we project an increase in demand for SSCC places for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We have, therefore, worked with Social Service Agencies (SSAs) to start two new SSCCs with a capacity of 100 places for children with ASD in July this year.

The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) works closely with SSAs and SG Enable to identify areas where there is demand for SSCC services. We plan to set up more SSCCs, in tandem with the Ministry of Education’s plan to build more SPED schools, to provide greater convenience to families with children with special needs who require SSCC services. MSF will continue to engage stakeholders, including parents and caregivers of children with special needs, to gather feedback and improve the accessibility of SSCC services.