Latest news with #SocialServiceSummit
Straits Times
16 hours ago
- General
- Straits Times
15 receive social service honours, including founding member of S'pore's first inclusive pre-school
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Awwa chief executive J.R. Karthikeyan received the President's Award for Social Service Professionals at the inaugural Social Service Professional Awards on July 2. SINGAPORE - When Awwa chief executive J.R. Karthikeyan first thought about starting Singapore's first inclusive pre-school, he was sceptical about whether it would last as he thought it would be mistaken for an early intervention care programme. 'I wasn't sure we had the right playbook to set it up right,' he said. But he added: 'Because there are no existing rules to play by, you have more control over setting standards that are aspirational and possibly meaningful.' He went ahead to set up Kindle Garden Preschool in 2016, and nine years on, more than 650 children have attended the pre-school, located at the Enabling Village in Lengkok Bahru. Mr Karthik received the President's Award for Social Service Professionals at the inaugural Social Service Professional Awards on July 2. This is the highest accolade conferred to social service professionals with more than 15 years of experience, who have made significant contributions to the sector. 'The award is incredibly valuable to me because it affirms my contributions, and it's spurred me to do even better by my staff and the clients we support,' said Mr Karthik. In his 17 years with Awwa, he has also opened a therapy hub, set up a 300-bed adult disability home, and started an initiative that engages seniors with dementia to take on volunteer work. The Social Service Professional Awards recognise the contributions of social service professionals in Singapore, including those in the fields of social work, youth work and counselling, among others. Held in conjunction with the Social Service Summit organised by the National Council of Social Service, it recognised 13 individuals and two teams at the ceremony held at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre. The Ministry of Social and Family Development has designated 2025 as the Year of Celebrating Social Service Professionals to honour their contributions. Singapore currently has more than 20,000 social service professionals. President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who was the guest of honour, presented the President's Award to three individuals: Mr Karthik; Ms Priscilla Lim, medical social work lead at the Singapore National Eye Centre; and Ms Chan Lay Lin, principal medical social worker at the Institute of Mental Health. Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli presented the Excellence, Merit and Team Awards. One of those who received the Excellence Award was Ms Charlene Heng, deputy director of SOS Academy at Samaritans of Singapore (SOS). She recalled how she was inspired to start the charity's Be-A-Samaritan programme, which equips participants with the skills to respond to suicide distress, when she walked past a neighbour who was crying several years back. She realised many people could encounter a suicidal person but not approach them, as they do not know what to do or say, and are afraid to trigger the person. 'Sometimes a person just needs human companionship at that critical point,' she said, adding that neighbours, friends and colleagues could be trained to help those around them who are in distress. The Be-A-Samaritan programme has trained close to 6,000 participants since it was set up in 2022. Ms Charlene Heng, deputy director of SOS Academy at Samaritans of Singapore, was one of those who received the Excellence Award. PHOTO: SAMARITANS OF SINGAPORE Ms Heng also developed SOS into a SkillsFuture-recognised training provider. The academy has trained over 2,000 social service, mental health and community healthcare professionals. She said fund raising for new initiatives was a constant challenge in her 20 years in the social service sector, requiring 'painstaking' advocacy work. During the Covid-19 pandemic, her team started a 24-hour text-based helpline, CareText, after finding that young people preferred texting as a form of communication. There was no funding, and many risks around confidentiality and the worry that clients would screenshot and post their messages online, she said. But the team decided to start it anyway due to the urgent need during the 2020 circuit breaker, as people were confined to their homes and needed someone to text when they felt distressed. The service has since grown to respond to about 20,000 CareText messages every year. Ms Heng said that some companies wish to donate to the Samaritans, but are afraid to be associated with the suicide prevention cause. She hopes to break the stigma against suicide prevention, and work with more communities to tailor training to different contexts such as workplaces. 'If everyone is equipped with the skill set, I truly believe that is an answer to suicide prevention,' she said. Correction note: The headline of this story has been edited for clarity.
Straits Times
2 days ago
- General
- Straits Times
15 receive social service honours, including founder of Singapore's first inclusive pre-school
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Awwa chief executive J.R. Karthikeyan received the President's Award for Social Service Professionals at the inaugural Social Service Professional Awards on July 2. SINGAPORE - When Awwa chief executive J.R. Karthikeyan first thought about starting Singapore's first inclusive pre-school, he was sceptical about whether it would last, as he thought it would be mistaken for an early intervention care programme. 'I wasn't sure we had the right playbook to set it up right,' he said. But he added: 'Because there are no existing rules to play by, you have more control over setting standards that are aspirational and possibly meaningful.' He went ahead to set up Kindle Garden Preschool in 2016, and nine years on, over 650 children have attended the pre-school, located at the Enabling Village in Lengkok Bahru. Mr Karthik received the President's Award for Social Service Professionals at the inaugural Social Service Professional Awards on July 2. This is the highest accolade conferred to social service professionals with more than 15 years of experience, who have made significant contributions to the sector. 'The award is incredibly valuable to me, because it affirms my contributions, and it's spurred me to do even better by my staff and the clients we support,' said Mr Karthik. In his 17 years with Awwa, he has also opened a therapy hub, set up a 300-bed adult disability home and started an initiative which engages seniors with dementia to take on volunteer work. The Social Service Professional Awards recognise the contributions of social service professionals in Singapore, including those in the fields of social work, youth work and counselling, among others. Held in conjunction with the Social Service Summit organised by the National Council of Social Service, it recognised 13 individuals and two teams at the ceremony held at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre. The Ministry of Social and Family Development has designated 2025 as the Year of Celebrating Social Service Professionals to honour their contributions. Singapore currently has more than 20,000 social service professionals. Guest of honour President Tharman Shanmugaratnam presented the President's Award to three individuals: Mr Karthik; Ms Priscilla Lim, medical social work lead at the Singapore National Eye Centre; and Ms Chan Lay Lin, principal medical social worker at the Institute of Mental Health. Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli presented the Excellence, Merit and Team Awards. One of those who received the Excellence Award was Ms Charlene Heng, deputy director of SOS Academy at Samaritans of Singapore (SOS). She recalled how she was inspired to start the charity's Be-A-Samaritan programme, which equips participants with skills to respond to suicide distress, when she walked past a neighbour who was crying several years back. She realised many people could encounter a suicidal person but not approach them, as they do not know what to do or say, and are afraid to trigger the person. 'Sometimes a person just needs human companionship at that critical point,' she said, adding that neighbours, friends and colleagues could be trained to help those around them who are in distress. The Be-A-Samaritan programme has trained close to 6,000 participants since it was set up in 2022. Ms Charlene Heng, deputy director of SOS Academy at Samaritans of Singapore, was one of those who received the Excellence Award. PHOTO: SAMARITANS OF SINGAPORE Ms Heng also developed SOS into a SkillsFuture-recognised Training Provider. The academy has trained over 2,000 social services, mental health and community healthcare professionals. Ms Heng said fund raising for new initiatives was a constant challenge in her 20 years in the social service sector, requiring 'painstaking' advocacy work. During the Covid-19 pandemic, her team started a 24-hour text-based helpline, CareText, after finding that young people preferred texting as a form of communication. There was no funding, and many risks around confidentiality and the worry that clients would screenshot and post their messages online, she said. But the team decided to start it anyway due to the urgent need during the 2020 circuit breaker, as people were confined to their homes and needed someone to text when they felt distressed. The service has since grown to respond to about 20,000 CareText messages every year. Ms Heng said some companies wish to donate to the Samaritans but are afraid to be associated with the suicide prevention cause. She hopes to break the stigma against suicide prevention, and work with more communities to tailor training to different contexts such as workplaces. 'If everyone is equipped with the skill set, I truly believe that is an answer to suicide prevention,' she said.
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
New $7.5m fund to encourage social service agencies to track impact of their programmes
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli speaking at the Social Service Summit on July 2. SINGAPORE - Social service agencies can now tap a new $7.5 million fund by the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) to assess their programmes, refine services and better support clients. The SG60 Towards Sustainability Fund will provide a special one-off grant of $30,000 to eligible agencies. This move to strengthen the capabilities of agencies wil l help them attract sustained funding from donors, ensuring that their programmes can continue to thrive, said Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli on July 2. He was speaking at the Social Service Summit held at Sands Expo and Convention Centre. About 2,000 industry professionals and foreign delegates attended the two-day event. Social service agencies which are NCSS members can apply for the new fund. Mr Masagos laid out three moves to bring the social service sector forward: tapping technology for greater impact, developing social service agencies' capabilities and uplifting professionals in the sector. He said the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) is implementing various digital tools to support the social services sector. It will roll out a new system for the sector, CaseCentral, which uses artificial intelligence to streamline case management processes, automate workflows and provide insights on clients and their families. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore 3 out of 4 in Singapore cannot identify deepfake content: Cyber Security Agency survey Singapore GrabCab, Singapore's newest taxi operator, hits the roads with over 40 cabs to be rolled out in July Life Star Awards 2025: Xiang Yun and Chen Hanwei are the most decorated actors in show's 30-year history World Paramount settles with Trump over '60 Minutes' Harris interview for $20 million Asia Dalai Lama says he will have successor after his death Business Cathay Cineplexes gets demand for $3.4 million in arrears from Jem landlord Singapore Man charged over allegedly receiving scam proceeds of more than $1.5m in his firm's bank accounts Sport FAS introduces 'enhancements' to SPL, with increase in prize money and foreign player quota Another tool MSF has introduced is Scribe, an AI-powered tool that transcribes and summarises conversations in multiple languages, including English, Mandarin, Malay, Cantonese and even Singlish, into case notes. Developed by Open Government Products, the tool was made available to eligible social service agencies in January. In his speech, Mr Masagos also touched on the benefits and risks of technology advancements. This includes its potential to connect people, but also lead to increased social isolation, as well as the impact of social media on mental health, especially among the young. And while technology greatly facilitates the sharing of information, poor cybersecurity can lead to data leaks and misuse, he said. 'These are just some of the very real issues that face our society and our clients. As part of the social service sector, we must become familiar with them,' he said. He said social service agencies can reach more people with their services with the prevalence of AI chatbots, virtual assistants, and remote services such as online counselling. 'Ultimately though, we are a sector built on heart and soul,' he said. 'Our use of data, technology and AI can allow us to provide more personalised and targeted care. But the human touch and empathy with which we deliver our services can and must be evident even as we leverage technology for service delivery.' Ms Petrina Tan, head of corporate communications and partnership at Care Corner Singapore, said the new fund would help the agency to measure 'meaningful progress' for initiatives where impact can only be seen over a long time, to know a programme is on track. 'It's important for us to understand early on whether the programme design needs any adjustments, so we can stay responsive and ensure it delivers the best outcomes,' she said. At Care Corner Singapore, over 100 of its social workers have used Scribe, in counselling and casework sessions with clients - which include low-income parents, seniors and couples going through divorce - since January. This has cut down the time taken for them to prepare case notes from one hour to 30 minutes, said Ms Gina Lin, design lead in Care Corner's Innovation Squad. Previously, social workers took notes on paper during the sessions or relied on their memory to put reports together. 'Now that the worker doesn't have to write notes to remember or just try to recall what the client has said, it has allowed them to be a lot more present and just to focus on the client during the session,' she said. To support their digitalisation efforts, agencies can also tap NCSS' Transformation Sustainability Scheme, which provides funding for human resource functions and talent attraction, among other aspects . Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli touring the exhibition at the Social Service Summit 2025 on July 2. ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI To recognise the more than 20,000 professionals in the social service sector, MSF has also designated this SG60 year as the Year of Celebrating Social Service Professionals, said Mr Masagos. 'This year, we have publicised the meaningful work of social service professionals on various channels, to raise awareness of the different roles in the sector and inspire greater appreciation for their many contributions.' The inaugural Social Service Professional Awards will also be presented on July 2 to honour the work of professionals from social work to therapy and corporate services, he said. Salary ranges for the sector are also constantly reviewed to ensure it continues to draw talent, he said, adding that about 80 per cent of employees in the social service sector are paid according to the guidelines.
