Children under Care of Child Protection Services and Number Ineligible for Fostering

Ms Hazel Poa asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) how many children are currently under the care of Child Protection Services; (b) how many of them are being taken care of by (i) Government agencies and (ii) non-Government agencies; (c) whether the current capacity is sufficient; and (d) how many of these children are not eligible for fostering and what are the reasons for their ineligibility.

Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: Currently, there are around 1,150 children under the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) Child Protective Service's care, placed with foster parents, in children's homes or in MSF's Youth Homes. As of September 2024, around 47% are in foster care, 48% in children's homes and 5% under Care and Protection Order in MSF Youth Homes. The current capacity across these care options is sufficient.

We try to place children in foster care, where possible. However, immediate placement with a foster family may not always be possible due to specific needs, such as specialised support for children with special needs; or logistical challenges, like the foster home being too far from the child's school, which could, in turn, disrupt their routine and stability. In such cases, we ensure alternative arrangements that best support the child's wellbeing until a suitable foster match becomes available.

MSF regularly conducts outreach to encourage more families to offer their homes as foster parents, such as the annual Fostering Open House where potential applicants can find out more about fostering. Members of the public interested in fostering can register their interest through MSF's website.