Singaporeans hit hard by the COVID-19 crisis will continue to get support from the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF).
Support for mental and family well-being will also be boosted, said Minister Masagos Zulkifli on 25 August in his ministry’s addendum to the President’s Address.
The Government will also monitor the economic situation and consider the need to introduce new support schemes or make structural changes to social policies, the MSF said in response to queries.
These are among a raft of measures from the ministry’s action plan to help people cope with the crisis and ensure social mobility.
Schemes to team up groups to actively reach out to those who need support will also be expanded, including SG Cares Community Networks and Community Link initiatives that serve lower-income households.
The MSF’s agenda includes: reaching out to people with disabilities and their caregivers; encouraging family-friendly practices such as flexible work and work-from-home arrangements; and adopting a more preventive approach and better rehabilitative methods to help youth at risk and offenders.
To ensure that every child can start off on the same footing, the KidStart programme for disadvantaged children will be expanded to benefit more children.
The MSF’s efforts to tackle inequality will be augmented by the Ministry of Education (MOE), which also released its addendum yesterday.
Partnerships under the MOE’s UPLIFT initiative, which sees schools and the community working together to support students from disadvantaged families, will be deepened to further help students.
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Source: The Straits Times, 26 August 2020