In every society, there is a small segment of children and young persons who are at risk or have been in trouble with the law. MSF engages families, the community and partners (including the Subordinate Courts, the Ministry of Home Affairs and social service agencies) in the rehabilitation and reintegration of these children and youth.
MSF believes that individuals and families are capable of overcoming their difficulties, becoming self-reliant and should be empowered to do so. MSF and its partners have developed a range of holistic policies and programmes that address the rehabilitative needs of at-risk and delinquent children and youth.
For children and young persons under the Family Guidance Order, MSF has in place programmes to help and rehabilitate them so that they do not slip into delinquency and the juvenile justice system. Parents and families are also empowered to better handle and relate to their children.
For children and young persons who have committed offences, MSF believes in community-based rehabilitation where possible, with institutionalisation as the last resort:
- Probation Order
Probation is a community-based sentencing option by the Court for people who have committed offence(s). Probationers are supervised by a Probation Officer or a Volunteer Probation Officer for a period between 6 months to 3 years. The Probation Order includes a set of conditions for compliance to ensure the probationer's good conduct and prevent him from committing a further offence. - Other Court-Ordered Options or Conditions
Community Service Order and Weekend Detention Order are examples of other options available to the Court. - Diversionary Programmes
Integrated Service Providers (ISPs) are social service agencies appointed by MSF to conduct Guidance Programme, Streetwise Programme, Enhanced Streetwise Programme and the Youth Enhanced Supervision scheme. - Triage System
The triage system aims to assist in the early identification and diversion of youth offenders from the criminal justice system for upstream work.
When rehabilitation in the community is not possible, MSF employs institutional rehabilitation strategies to rehabilitate and reintegrate these children and youth back to society as socially responsible individuals.
Outreach & Support for Youth
Programmes that reach out to support our youth to stay meaningfully engaged, become resilient individuals and realise their potential:
- Youth GO! Programme
A community-based outreach, engagement and intervention programme that reaches out to youths, aged 12 to 21 who hang out on the streets, and are not meaningfully engaged in school or at work. - Enhanced STEP-UP (ESU)
ESU is an intervention programme provided by Integrated Service Providers (ISPs), targeted at students with chronic absenteeism. - Streetwise Programme
The Streetwise Programme is an intervention programme for youths who are associating with gangs. - Career Advice and Mentoring Programme (CAMP)
CAMP serves youths who have left ITE prematurely by matching them to industry mentors.
Rehabilitation and Protection Care Conference 2017
The Rehabilitation and Protection Care Conference (RPCC) brings together government officers, professionals, community partners and organisations working in or with Singapore's out-of-home care sector to improve the quality of care in the local
system for vulnerable children in need of care and protection. Hosted by Mr Desmond Lee, Minister for Social and Family Development, the Conference serves as a good platform for the sharing of knowledge, experiences and best practices in this area
of work.
See Also
Institutional Rehabilitation of Children & Young Persons
Guiding principles, strategies, programmes and aftercare services for institutional rehabilitation of children and young persons who have committed offences.
Management of Juvenile Delinquency
Explains key terms
and programmes relating to juvenile delinquency in Singapore, and provides a flow chart of the work flow from the time the juvenile commits an offence to seeking court orders to rehabilitation.