Proportion of Social Workers and Staff to Persons with Special Needs

Ms He Ting Ru asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) in each of the last three years, what is the ratio of (i) social workers and (ii) staff members to persons with special needs at homes for adults and children with disabilities, non-profit organisations and day activity centres; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider collecting this data if such data is currently unavailable.

Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: The staff deployment in the disability homes and day activity centres (DACs) varies based on factors, such as the operating hours, programme requirements and the needs of the clientele mix they serve. In the last three years, the average ratio of social workers to persons with disabilities (PwDs) in the disability homes and DACs hovers around 1:40. The average ratio of other programme staff to PwD ranges from 1:2 to 1:4.