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Key Areas of Support

Recognition and Support for Caregivers

Caregivers are the cornerstones of our families, and we recognise the crucial role caregivers play and the sacrifices they make.

We want to provide support for those who have to take up this role, and we note that caregiving arrangements vary from family to family. We will continue to provide support for the family as a whole.
Caretaker and elderly woman (Cartoon)
Elderly lady doing handicrafts with a caretakerWhile more men have stepped up to assume caregiving duties, there are still discrepancies in gender roles at home, with women shouldering a disproportionate share of the caregiving load.

 

Since end-2025, 80% of preschoolers can have a place in government-supported preschools. 

All families with Singaporean children enrolled in infant care and childcare programmes receive a universal Basic Subsidy, with eligible families receiving the means-tested Additional Subsidy. Full-day childcare fee caps at government supported preschools have been reduced in 2025 and 2026, to $610 for Anchor Operator centres and $650 for Partner Operator centres. With the most recent 2026 fee cap reduction, full-day childcare expenses, before means-tested subsidies, will be similar to what households pay for primary school and after school care fees combined.  

Find out more about the subsidy schemes here. 

To support working fathers in caring for their newborn children and encourage shared parental responsibility, since 1 April 2025, eligible fathers are eligible for a total of 4 weeks of Government-Paid Paternity Leave (GPPL).

The new Shared Parental Leave (SPL) scheme provides 10 weeks of paid leave to be shared between both parents, in addition to their Government-Paid Maternity Leave (GPML) and GPPL entitlements. 

Since 1 April 2025, eligible parents can share 6 weeks of SPL between themselves. This will increase to 10 weeks from 1 April 2026.  

Read more on the SPL scheme here. 

Launched in 2016, KidSTART empowers eligible pregnant mothers and parents with young children, up to 6 years old, to become confident caregivers in supporting their child’s development.

Support begins during pregnancy at KidSTART partner hospitals. After the child is born, a KidSTART practitioner will work with parents through home visits to equip them with child development knowledge and skills. This support will continue until their child turns 6.

The programme aims to support 80% of eligible children born from 2023 by the time they turn 6. As of April 2025, KidSTART has expanded nationwide, making its services accessible to all eligible families.

The Child and Maternal Health &Well-being (CAMH) Strategy and Action Plan is being progressively implemented to strengthen support for mothers, children and families across Singapore.

Key implementation milestones have included the introduction of perinatal mental health guidelines and the establishment of Family Nexus sites, which provide integrated, community-based support services.

The action plan’s implementation reflects a coordinated, multi-agency approach that prioritises prevention, early intervention, and equitable access to quality care. Through systematic delivery of these initiatives, the strategy aims to create lasting improvements in maternal and child health outcomes while strengthening the support systems available to Singapore families.

Singapore’s efforts to create a more disability-inclusive Singapore are guided by the Enabling Masterplans (EMP). The EMPs are long-term roadmaps collectively developed by the people, private and public sector, for Singapore to chart our progress towards building a more caring and inclusive society. The latest iteration of the EMP, the EMP2030, comprises of 29 recommendations spanning 14 focal areas, and are organised by three strategic themes to achieve a more inclusive Singapore by 2030. 

As the Focal Agency for disability and inclusion in Singapore, SG Enable serves to create equitable opportunities for persons with disabilities through thought leadership, sustainable social innovation, and impactful partnerships. SG Enable has also developed the Enabling Guide, the first stop online resource for persons with disabilities and their caregivers, offering information and advice on disability-related schemes, services, supports, and resources in Singapore. 

The Enabling Services Hubs (ESHs)work with community partners to reach out to persons with disabilities and their caregivers, and deliver community-based activities and programmes. Two more ESHs became operational in 2025, bringing the total number of ESHs to three.  

Under the Enabling Masterplan 2030, SG Enable has worked with MINDS toenhance MINDS’ FutureReady website, which provides helpful resources to guide caregivers in developing and putting in place future care plans for their loved ones with disabilities.  

SG Enable's 'Take-A-Break' (TAB), provides subsidies for short-term home-based respite services to caregivers of persons with disabilities. Caregivers can engage respite service providers for assistance in a range of services to support the needs of the care recipients. These services include point-to-point escort service, assistance with personal care tasks and activities of daily living, and/or engaging the care recipients through social activities. 

Today, through the Special Needs Trust Company (SNTC), caregivers can make financial care plans and deposit funds for SNTC to manage, on behalf of persons with disabilities after their caregivers have passed away. From 1 April 2026 till 31 March 2031, families with per capita income of up to $3,600 will be able to sign up to receive matching top-ups of up to $10,000 to the SNTC trust. This government-funded initiative (GOAL+) will reach more families and provide than was previously available through SNTC's Gift of a Lifetime sponsorship scheme. 

Caregivers of seniors and persons with disabilities can also look forward to enhanced subsidies for long-term care services in 2026, with more eligible for such subsidies with the raise in maximum qualifying per capita household income to $4,800. 

Through the Caregiver Support Action Plan launched in 2019, the Government has rolled out a suite of measures to support caregivers of seniors, through care navigation, financial support, respite services, caregiver empowerment and training, and workplace support. In addition, Age Well SG, launched in 2023, supports seniors and their caregivers by strengthening social and health services in local communities. This includes supporting seniors to age actively and independently, proactively care for their needs and preventing social isolation, to reduce the care burden on caregivers. 

Financial support is provided through subsidies, grant schemes and national long-term care insurance to defray the cost of long-term care, with more assistance provided to those with lower income. One such scheme is the Home Caregiving Grant. 

In 2019, MOH launched the Home Caregiving Grant (HCG), providing monthly cash payouts of $200 to defray caregiving costs for eligible persons with at least permanent moderate disability in the community.  In March 2023, MOH enhanced the HCG with cash payouts of up to $450 per month to provide more support for caregiving costs in the community.   

From April 2026, the HCG will be further enhanced with cash payouts of up to $600 per month to further defray caregiving costs in the community. The maximum qualifying per capita household income threshold will also be increased from $3,600 to $4,800 so that more caregivers receive support.  

We have enhanced support for caregiving training. Since 2023, caregivers can use their SkillsFuture Credits to co-pay for eligible caregiver training courses.  

In 2024, the Caregivers Training Grant (CTG) was enhanced from $200 per year to up to $400 per year per care recipient[1], to subsidise the cost of caregiving training conducted by approved training providers. As of January 2026, Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) offers over 240 CTG-subsidised courses, covering a range of caregiving training skills.  

Sign up for caregiving courses to learn how to better help your loved ones with their daily care.
 

Footnotes 
[1] Initial allowance of $400 per care recipient per year, and unutilised allowance per care recipient carried forward by a year, up to a maximum of $400. 

Caregiver Support Network Community Outreach Teams (CREST-CSN) was set up by AIC and community partners to provide support to caregivers of Persons Living with Dementia and Persons with Mental Health Conditions, who have or are at risk of developing depressive and anxiety symptoms and burnout due to their caregiving role. CREST-CSN supports caregivers in self-care through health and wellness activities, stress management and future planning (e.g. Lasting Power of Attorney, Advanced Care Planning), and link caregivers up with peer support groups and counselling services such as Community Intervention Teams (COMIT) where needed. CREST-CSN also empowers caregivers to become pillars of support for other caregivers.

To help all Singaporeans, including caregivers, build sufficient savings for retirement, the Government has been progressively enhancing the Central Provident Fund (CPF) system and other support measures over the years.  The increase in senior workers’ CPF contribution rates, enhancements to the Silver Support Scheme and Matched Retirement Savings Scheme help improve the retirement adequacy of seniors, some of whom may have caregiving duties. Caregivers who are working may also be eligible for the Workfare Income Supplement as well as Earn and Save Bonus under the Majulah Package, which supplement workers’ income and retirement savings.