Better Starts with Us – Supporting All Families Through Life
Introduction
1. Chairman, I thank members for their views.
2. MSF aims to foster a Singapore society where all families are supported at every stage of their life to thrive on their own terms.
3. Before I elaborate on our approach, let me outline what my colleagues will share.
a. MOS Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim will detail enhancements to support lower-income families;
b. SPS Eric Chua will elaborate on our efforts for families with persons with disabilities; and
c. MOS Goh Pei Ming will touch on how we will strengthen support for families.
4. At MSF, our policies are anchored on four core principles – family-centricity, proactive and upstream intervention, strengths-based approach and whole-of-society partnership.
a. These principles are enduring, even as we face increasingly complex issues.
5. First, we prioritise family-centricity because the family is the basic unit in our society that provides emotional support and imparts values.
a. Working with individuals may address immediate symptoms, it does not tackle issues at its root. We must build strong family relationships in order to bring about sustainable change.
b. This is why:
i. For all children, we seek to set good foundations for optimal health and development within family relationships and environments.
ii. For ComLink+ families, we develop a holistic action plan with the family after assessing their needs.
iii. For persons with disabilities, we do not neglect the well-being of caregivers and family members.
6. Our second principle is proactive and upstream intervention; we strive to provide early support to build strong foundations and address root causes before they escalate.
7. Third, we focus on the strengths of our clients rather than their deficits. By harnessing their strengths and assets, individuals and families are and can be empowered to achieve good outcomes.
8. Fourth, we work with the whole-of-society to weave a strong ecosystem of support.
a. MSF has been working alongside our social service agencies (or SSAs), corporates, institutes of higher learning (IHLs) and the community to better understand clients’ needs, finetune our policies and programmes, and to journey with our clients.
b. Such strong partnership is key. When we work together, we unlock new synergies, spark innovation and build better solutions for our clients.
9. To build a better tomorrow for all families, we will further strengthen these partnerships. We will do this through the following 3Cs:
i. Collaborating with our partners;
ii. Cooperating with regional and international counterparts in shared priority areas; and
iii. Co-creating to develop innovations of tomorrow.
10. Let me elaborate.
Working collaboratively with our partners
11. The first C refers to working collaboratively with partners to better serve families and individuals.
a. In recent years, we have stepped up collaboration with sector partners to make a greater impact.
b. We will continue to invest in such collaborations, and especially with four key groups – Government agencies, SSAs, corporates and IHLs.
12. First, we are collaborating with Government agencies to better support lower-income families and improve social mobility, a key concern raised by Mr Xie Yao Quan.
a. In 2025, MSF trialed the social-health integration model with MOH for ComLink+ families, to ensure that health challenges do not hinder their social mobility. Under this model, family coaches and healthcare staff came together to support families to adopt healthy lifestyles and to access suitable services. Later this year, we will bring more ComLink+ families onboard this trial.
b. Today, only residents aged 40 and above can enrol in HealthierSG. From 2027, MOH will extend Healthier SG enrolment to eligible ComLink+ residents aged 25 to 39. With this, more ComLink+ residents can benefit from personalised care from a trusted family doctor, subsidies for screening tests as well as vaccinations. They will also be able to access Health Promotion Board programmes via the Healthy 365 app. We will share more details in due course.
13. Second, we are collaborating with SSAs to support families.
a. Families may require support in navigating conflicts. For example, MSF works closely with SSAs under the Strengthening Families Programme or FAM which provides counselling support to them.
b. Over the past decade, we have also worked closely with the Family Justice Courts (FJC) to adopt a Therapeutic Justice model in resolving familial disputes so that the family can benefit from a restorative, holistic and forward-looking approach. We have expanded our support for couples going through divorce, which Ms Diana Pang spoke about. Since July 2024, all couples with minor children must go through the co-parenting programme run by FAM centres – and that is before they file for divorce. We hope this will prevent disagreements later over child access. But if such disagreements arise, they can approach the FJC for mediation, or apply for a child access order or to enforce an access order.
c. We want to encourage more couples to seek help early and not only at the point of divorce. Therefore, MSF will work with FAM centres to ramp up family counselling capacity.
i. By 2030, we will be able to serve 12,000 cases, double of today’s caseload. Members of the public will be able to access both in-person and online counselling services.
ii. In the meantime, we will continue to make family counselling more accessible and provide self-help resources online to better support families.
14. Third, we are collaborating with corporates for more impactful philanthropy.
a. In 2024, MSF and NCSS launched the Sustainable Philanthropy Framework to encourage corporates to integrate social impact with their business goals and engage in more consistent giving and volunteering.
b. I am heartened that many corporates have adopted this framework.
i. For instance, DBS has pledged up to $1 billion and 1.5 million employee volunteer hours over the next decade to better support those with less means, including $6.5 million to KidSTART, and $30 million to the ComLink+ Progress Packages. DBS has also embedded giving into their corporate culture and we hope more organisations will do the same.
15. Fourth, we are collaborating on research and programme evaluation to build a strong evidence base for tomorrow’s solutions.
a. We work with various IHLs to build up our knowledge base of what works best in Singapore.
i. Mr Xie called for more longitudinal research to better understand the drivers of social mobility. We agree, which is why we have collaborated with the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) on a longitudinal study called PATHS (or Pathways and Trajectories of Households in Singapore) to better understand this.
ii. Other partnerships include evaluating ComLink+ Progress Packages with IPS and the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS).
b. Through these collaborations, we hope that our IHLs will build renowned experts and an impactful body of knowledge, and thereby lead in this field.
Cooperating with and learning from regional and international partners
16. The second C stands for cooperate – and in this context, cooperating with regional and international partners. Because we need to work with others beyond our shores in areas such as strengthening families, early childhood development and social mobility. We seek to do this at the government level, academia and practitioner levels.
17. This is because challenges confronting Singapore are not unique. By cooperating with like-minded partners, we can exchange ideas and evolve best practices to better serve our respective clients.
18. One initiative involves our regional neighbours: Cambodia, the Philippines and Thailand who have been keen to learn from our experience in setting up the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) and the KidSTART programme.
a. Last month, we launched the Capability Exchange Programme to create opportunities for learning and exchanges among government officials and practitioners from these countries. This programme would establish strong networks and foster cross-sharing of evidence-based approaches to benefit young children and families.
19. Other platforms include conferences where researchers and policy makers can interact and germinate ideas and relationships.
a. Last year, MSF and IPS co-organised the inaugural International Conference on Societies of Opportunity or ICSO, bringing together local and international thought leaders to discuss how we can better create opportunities and strengthen social mobility for our people. We will further such collaborations at ICSO in 2027.
b. We also organise the biennial Asian Family Conference, a dedicated regional policy-practice-research platform to discuss emerging family trends, policies and practices. Later this year, we will share findings of the inaugural regional collaboration between Singapore and ASEAN Member States that will enable us and our regional partners to better support families in our respective countries.
20. I am very excited by the new opportunities that such partnerships bring, so that we can do better by and for our people.
Co-creating the innovations of tomorrow
21. Before I go to the third C, let me touch on our professionals.
22. Professionals are the backbone of our sector. To enable them to deliver their best, we must first ensure that they are well-supported and cared for.
a. Mr Sanjeev Kumar Tiwari asked about support for professionals’ development and well-being. SSAs can leverage training subsidies and sponsorships under the Professional Capability Grant to support staff development and upskilling. Recently, we enhanced the schemes to benefit more professionals to support their development and retention.
b. Eligible social service professionals may also tap on the Sabbatical Leave Scheme, which gives them 10 weeks of paid leave, to recharge and refresh. For protection practitioners, we launched the Protection Practitioners Care Fund to enable SSAs to implement well-being initiatives and practices to support them even better.
c. Officers at MSF can access Well-being@Gov, which provides well-being resources, coaching and counselling services. Those in the Protective Services receive additional support including clinical supervision and peer support groups.
23. But support for our professionals does not stop here; we will leverage AI and technology tools to enhance their quality of life and work while making work more impactful. This is how the third C comes in – co-creation. Co-creating the innovations of tomorrow that will improve the quality of life, not only for social sector professionals, but also for their clients.
a. As the sector developer, NCSS is working closely with public and private sector agencies to develop and drive the adoption of AI and technology solutions across the sector.
b. One such example is Scribe, a tool developed by Open Government Products that translates and summarises conversations in multiple languages and transforms transcripts into structured notes. Just over the past year, over 100 SSAs have adopted Scribe. We have heard from many social workers that Scribe has saved a lot of time and allowed them to focus on what they care most – the clients.
24. For the early childhood sector, Mr Melvin Yong will be pleased to know that under the refreshed Industry Digital Plan, ECDA will be supporting preschools to adopt AI-enabled tools, including AI video analytics solutions. Specifically, these tools will support preschool educators and leaders in tasks such as curriculum planning, portfolio management, and reviewing CCTV footage. Ultimately, our goal is to ease our professionals’ workload, enhance their well-being, and improve care and education of our children.
25. At MSF, we have also similarly incorporated AI and technology solutions to support our officers in their work.
a. For example, in our Youth Homes, time-consuming processes such as filling out paperwork and cross-referencing files are now digitalised under the Home Central Information System. Officers also use AI tools such as Pair and AIBots that generate first drafts to help officers work more efficiently. Taken together, Youth Guidance Officers such as Mr Rayner Hoe, now have more bandwidth to engage with youths, which is the most fulfilling part of their job.
26. Beyond these examples, there is more potential for technology to be harnessed to improve the quality of life for our professionals. But I will now turn to our clients.
27. In the past few years, MSF has worked closely with the sector to co-create innovative solutions to make our services more client centric.
a. One example would be the Family Services Landscape Review, which we announced in 2024. We have been engaging SSAs, practitioners and other stakeholders to reimagine how we can better support our clients where they are – one-stop shop, something Ms Mariam advocated for.
b. Another example would be the Enabled Living Programme, where we work with our partners to pilot innovative approaches to empower persons with disabilities to live independently, build meaningful connections and enhance their overall well-being.
28. In addition, we want to push the envelope and co-create AI and technology solutions that directly enhance the quality of life of our clients.
a. In my work trips to China and Qatar last year, I was deeply impressed by the adoption of innovative AI solutions and the possibilities they presented to enable persons with disabilities to work, live and play.
i. For hearing-impaired individuals like Mr Raiyme, he is a desktop engineer at NCS, new technologies coming onstream can be very empowering socially. For instance, with the real-time transcription and translation capabilities of the LLVision’s AI-powered glasses, Raiyme is able to converse better at home with his mum – whom he lip reads in Malay and of course AI machine need to learn Malay better and with his daughter’s Mandarin teacher, which he does not need translation because AI does it for him.
ii. In Qatar, hologram assistants that can respond to hearing-impaired persons via sign language are installed in public spaces, including public transportation sites.
b. These technologies may only impact a small proportion of each society, but the impact is profound on the beneficiaries and their families. When we collaborate and cooperate with regional partners, it allows us to have greater scale that will attract the support for the development and adoption of such technology.
29. For Persons with Disabilities, SG Enable will continue to champion the responsible use of AI and technology solutions – a topic that is close to Ms Rachel Ong’s heart.
a. Subsidies are provided to persons with disabilities under the Assistive Technology Fund to purchase assistive technology devices to enable independent living. SG Enable will continue to curate more devices for persons with disabilities, including those enhanced by AI capabilities.
b. Under the Enabling Lives Initiative Grant, funding is also provided to support AI solutions that improve independence and expand employment opportunities for persons with disabilities. One example would be AiSee, an AI-powered wearable device that enables persons with visual impairment to better understand their surroundings through voice prompts.
30. Beyond the belief that AI and technology take away jobs, they can in fact be a force for good; enablers that allow us to break new ground both in how we support our professionals and clients. I am excited by its potential and possibilities.
Conclusion
31. Chairman, I will now conclude. Our goal is clear – we want better for our clients and families we support. Better outcomes, better opportunities, better lives. This is what drives our work at MSF.
a. The way to achieve this is through all of us working together and staying united amidst global uncertainties. At MSF, we are making progress with our partners across the social service sector, with corporates, with IHLs, with volunteers and with the community. Together, we have been able to make strides in nurturing resilient individuals, strong families and a caring society.
b. I am heartened that since the launch of SG Gives last year, we have seen over S$100M in donations made to the Community Chest, President’s Challenge and the Collective for a Stronger Society. The Government will match these donations to amplify our collective impact and support communities in need.
c. But there is more we can do. I call on all Singaporeans to join us in this endeavour. When we work together, we unlock new possibilities and achieve far better outcomes than what we can accomplish alone. It is this collective spirit and the willingness of Singaporeans to support and empower one another that drives real and lasting change.
d. Which is why MSF will soon launch a campaign “Better Starts with Us”, because at MSF, we believe that it is through this shared commitment that each of us – we are not just building a strong and united society, but a Singapore that is a great place for all families to achieve their goals and aspirations.
32. Thank you.