Foster Care Support and Recruitment
Dr Neo Kok Beng asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) what the present estimated shortfall of foster parents is; and (b) what additional programmes are planned to address this shortfall, if any.
Dr Neo Kok Beng asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) whether the Ministry has any plan to issue guidelines for co-parenting arrangements between foster and biological parents; and (b) if so, when will these guidelines be issued.
Dr Neo Kok Beng asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) what has been the attrition rate of foster parents in the last three years; (b) what are the reasons or issues for such attrition; and (c) how can these issues be resolved.
Dr Neo Kok Beng asked the Minister for Social and Family Development given that Child LifeSG Credits (CLC) are meant to offset the household expenses for the benefit of the child, what action is the Ministry taking to ensure Child Development Account records are updated so that kinship or foster care households will receive the CLC for the children under their alternate care.
Answer
1. Mr Speaker, may I have your permission to take questions for oral answer filed by NMP Dr Neo Kok Beng in today’s Order Paper together, as they pertain to matters concerning foster parents. My response will also address related questions filed by the member for subsequent sitting, and if the member is satisfied with the response, he may wish to withdraw his questions after this session.
2. MSF will continue to grow our pool of foster parents so that more children in state care can be placed in safe and stable family-based settings, which generally provide better social, emotional, and developmental outcomes than institutional care.
3. MSF has partnered Fostering Agencies, community organisations, religious groups, and private organisations to raise awareness and recruit more foster families. We have also strengthened support measures, such as increasing the fostering allowance for those caring for teenagers from October 2025, and removing the minimum household income and educational requirements for applicants from July 2024. On co-parenting, we are open to considering arrangements between foster and biological parents where appropriate, particularly to facilitate reunification of the child with the biological parents, and where it is in the child’s best interests.
4. On attrition, about 6% of foster parents have been deregistered each year on average over the last three years. The reasons include new family commitments, health or age-related factors, and relocation. We will continue to strengthen support, training, and engagement with foster families to improve retention and build a strong fostering ecosystem. The member may wish to refer to Parliamentary Written Answers on Increasing Enrolment of Foster Parents on Sitting Date 18 February 2025 to learn more about earlier enhancements to foster care.
5. On Child LifeSG Credits (CLC), they are credited to the Child Development Account (CDA) trustee of an eligible child to ensure that support is directed to the individual responsible for the child’s care and upbringing. While it is possible for the trustee to change the CDA trustee through the bank’s portal or mobile application, I would like to point out that in designing the foster allowances, MSF does not assume reliance on these credits.
6. Foster parents receive a monthly fostering allowance ranging from $1,100 to $1,800, depending on the child’s age and needs, to help defray childcare and other out-of-pocket expenses. In addition, foster children are eligible for childcare, student care and medical subsidies.