By Imelda Saad, Channel NewsAsia
| Posted: 11 February 2009 1833
hrs
SINGAPORE : The budget for the
ComCare programme, which currently helps some 24,000 needy
Singaporeans, will be raised to S$77 million - a boost of 54 per
cent.
Announcing this in Parliament on Wednesday, Community Development
Youth and Sports Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan gave the assurance
that in these difficult times, social help will be administered
flexibly to best cushion the impact of the downturn on the most
vulnerable groups.
20-year-old "Geraldine" has had a tough childhood. Growing up in a
broken home, she joined a gang, dropped out of school at 10 and was
eventually placed at the Singapore Girls' Home after she was caught
stealing. That was five years ago.
Today, through a mentorship programme, counselling and her own
desire to better her skills, Geraldine has a stable job as a
mechanic. Ties with her parents and grandmother have also
improved.
During this downturn, dysfunctional families like Geraldine's are
expected to come under even more stress. They could be experiencing
multiple or severe problems that affect the family's well-being,
such as family violence, addiction and trouble with the law.
"We have in Singapore, our estimate, about 7,500 such families.
These are families with multiple social, personal relationship
problems, which makes them stuck in a hole which they cannot climb
out of," said Dr Balakrishnan.
To help such families, the government will set aside S$25 million a
year, over the next five years.
Measures include identifying touch points like polyclinics, schools
and police for families seeking help. An identification aid to help
identify families in distress will also be developed.
There will also be a new mentoring plan for 150 youths from
high-risk families. This initiative will provide strong individual
support for youths who lack role models at home.
An intensive case management plan will be piloted, where one senior
social worker oversees a maximum of 10 families at a time, instead
of the usual case load of up to 50.
There will also be another slew of measures for the needy. Those on
Public Assistance will get a higher payout of between S$30 and
S$120, depending on household type.
Each of their children will also get up to S$130 a month to ensure
they stay in school. This additional money can be used for the
child's incidental school expenses, hygiene and nutritional
needs.
As more Singaporeans may lose their jobs, the government will
enhance the flexibility of the ComCare Work Support scheme which
offers temporary financial help to those seeking work.
There are currently some 2,400 cases on ComCare Work Support. Help
under the scheme will be extended from six to 12 months.
Families who have trouble coping with basic living expenses, but
fall just outside the eligibility criteria will also be helped,
while those with very young children will get more childcare and
kindergarten subsidies.
In delivering the initiatives, Dr Balakrishnan stressed that
Singapore cannot offer a permanent needs-based welfare system
despite its alluring simplicity.
"We need to make sure we keep on track and maintain a system that
emphasises empowerment and not entitlement, a system that
encourages dignity, not dependence, and a system that emphasises
self-reliance, and not state reliance," said Dr Balakrishnan.
He added that the system is supported by Singapore's unique "Many
Helping Hands" approach where everyone from the government,
grassroots organisations and charities play a role to ensure no
needy Singaporeans fall through the social safety net. - CNA
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