Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong today launched the ComCare Fund, which will help to ensure that no Singaporean is left behind while Singapore progresses.  With economic restructuring, a small but growing minority of Singaporeans will face hardship.  ComCare will provide a safety net for this small group, and serve as a springboard for them to become self-reliant.  With ComCare, there will be:

 

-          Targeted services for needy Singaporeans to achieve self reliance, (through ComCare SelfReliance); helping the children from needy families break out of the poverty cycle (through ComCare Grow); and assisting those who need long-term support including the elderly without family support and persons with disabilities (through ComCare EnAble[1]).

 

-          Greater decentralisation of the administration of social assistance to the community and grassroots organisations, and more flexibility in rendering help.

 

-          Simplification of social assistance schemes and processes, to make help more accessible.

 

2          The ComCare Fund complements the other elements of Singapore’s social safety net, such as Medifund, Edusave and the Lifelong Learning Fund.  ComCare will focus on addressing the social and financial needs of low income Singaporeans and their families. It will aim to look at the underlying problems faced by the needy and address them in a holistic manner.  ComCare will be based on mutual responsibility.  It will help those who are willing to do their part to help themselves.

 

3          Under ComCare, more will be done for needy Singaporeans, in focused and effective ways. For example, ComCare will ensure that no child will be denied access to pre-school education just because his or her family is poor.  MCYS will work with Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWOs) and Grassroots Organisations (GROs) to proactively reach out to needy families to get them to put their children in kindergarten.  In addition, the amount of assistance given to children under the Kindergarten Financial Assistance Scheme (KiFAS) will be revised upwards from a maximum of $50 a month, to $65 a month.  On average, a needy family would benefit from a further 43% reduction in their children’s kindergarten fees. They will typically only pay about $20 each month to send their child to kindergarten. Please see Annex A for details.

 

4          Through ComCare, the government will engage the community to deliver social assistance more effectively.  In particular, PM Lee emphasised the vital role that GROs, such as Citizens’ Consultative Committees (CCCs), can play in assisting needy Singaporeans.  The GROs are closer to the ground, and therefore better understand of the needs and circumstances of needy Singaporeans.  The government has therefore announced that ComCare will allocate $4 million to the CCCs to help them set up CCC ComCare Funds.  The money will help to augment the resources that CCCs have to assist those in need in their community.  It will also give the CCCs the flexibility to provide assistance to those who might otherwise not receive any.  (Details in Annex B)

 

5          Community-based organisations, GROs and VWOs will be empowered to do more for the needy in their midst.  $10 million will be set aside each year under ComCare for innovative pilot programmes to assist the low-income. (Details in Annex C)  GROs and VWOs can apply to the ComCare Supervisory Committee to tap on this fund to start pilot programmes to help the needy.

 

6          MCYS has also been working with the People’s Association, the Community Development Councils, the National Council of Social Service, several grassroots organisations and VWOs to develop pilot programmes that would be funded under ComCare.  For example:

 

(i)         ComCare Meals-at-Home for Homebound Needy Elderly

 

(ii)        ComCare Therapy @ Home

 

(iii)       ComCare Silver Connect

 

7          These programmes underscore the government’s Many Helping Hands approach in ensuring that no one is left behind.  (Details in Annex D)

 

8          Some existing programmes will also be enhanced under ComCare.  For instance, MCYS will re-focus its Social Enterprise Fund into a ComCare Enterprise Fund (CEF) which will focus on helping needy Singaporeans.  The CEF will provide seed funding to start sustainable business enterprises that will help needy Singaporeans either by employing them, or by running relevant services to help them.  This will further encourage self-reliance.  MCYS will also put in an additional $1m into the budget of the CEF, so that the fund will have an annual budget of $3m.  (Details in Annex E)

 

9          The ComCare Supervisory Committee will announce additional programmes to be launched over the next few months.  

 

10        ComCare will also be simplifying social assistance schemes and processes.  This would allow people in genuine need to get assistance more efficiently.

 

 

ISSUED BY:

MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS

28 June 2005

Annex A

 

 

 

ComCare Kindergarten Financial Assistance Scheme (KiFAS)

-          A programme under ComCare Grow

 

1          The Kindergarten Financial Assistance Scheme (KiFAS) is an existing programme that helps low-income parents pay for their children's kindergarten fees. It helps to ensure that needy children can access quality kindergarten programmes, which is important for their early childhood development. KiFAS currently provides assistance of 75% of the child’s kindergarten fees, up to a maximum of $600 a year ($50 per month). 

 

2          MCYS will ensure that no child misses out from kindergarten education because he or she is from a needy family. The assistance given will be revised upwards.  From 1 January 2006, the assistance cap per month from $50 a month will be raised to $65 a month for each child. Concomitantly, the annual cap would be raised to $780. This would reduce the cost to families to send their child for pre-school by an average of $15 (43%).  This works out to an additional saving of $180 a year for each child from a low-income family that attends kindergarten.

 

3          MCYS will also work with grassroots organisations and voluntary welfare organisations to actively encourage low income families to send their children to kindergarten. This may include door-to-door outreach, as well as the early identification of ‘at-risk’ families for intervention. MCYS will also work with MOE to explore other ways to identify and ensure that children from needy families attend kindergarten, rather than stay at home.

 

 

            Annex B

 

 

CITIZENS’ CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE COMCARE FUND

 

1          ComCare will be setting aside $4 million in 2005 for Citizens’ Consultative Committees (CCCs) set up CCC ComCare Funds.  This money will help to augment the resources that CCCs have to assist their needy residents.  For every dollar that a CCC has set aside to help needy Singaporeans, ComCare will match it with four dollars.  As a start, each CCC will get at least $33,000.

 

2          The CCCs will use the CCC ComCare Fund to come up with the most appropriate ways to help their needy residents. These include helping the needy person to find work, issuing food vouchers to help needy families through a difficult period, helping with utilities and school fees payments etc. 

 

3          Needy residents can approach their grassroots leaders for assistance.  They may also make enquiries at their Community Centres and Clubs.  The resident must be a Singapore citizen or permanent resident of Singapore (PR).  If the resident is a PR, at least one of the household members must be a Singapore citizen.  The CCCs will assess the individual circumstances of the resident and determine the assistance to be rendered.

 

Annex C

 

$10 million set aside for Pilot Programmes under ComCare

 

ComCare will set aside $10 million in FY2005 for new programmes for unattended needs. The funding would be used as seed money for ‘bottom up’ pilot projects proposed by community organisations to help needy Singaporeans and their families.  GROs and VWOs can apply to tap on this fund to start pilot programmes.

 

2.         Programmes benefiting from ComCare support may enjoy:

 

(i)                 Funding on a 50:50 basis.

 

(ii)               Funding for programmes which involve direct transfers to needy families or the cost of administering a programme targeted at helping needy families.

 

(iii)             Funding up to a maximum of 3 years.

 

3.         Organisations applying for funding under ComCare will need to demonstrate that they have the capability to implement the proposed programme and to sustain the programme after ComCare funding expires. Applications should meet the following guidelines:

 

(i)         Targeted at helping needy Singaporeans.

 

(ii)               Meet an existing gap in service, emerging need or improve the value of an existing service.

 

(iii)             Have clear outcomes and a graduation mechanism.

 

(iv)              No double funding from other government agencies.

 

(v)                Secular in nature and open to all ethnic groups.

 

(vi)              Do not duplicate existing programmes or services.

 

4.         Applications which satisfy the following criteria would be preferred:

 

(i)                 Registered with IRAS as a charity.

 

(ii)               Co-funded by other community based organisations.

 

(iii)             Partnership with a Community Development Council.

 

5.         Applications to tap on ComCare funding for new pilot programmes can be submitted to the National Council of Social Service (for VWOs only), Community Development Councils (CDCs), or the Citizen Consultative Committees (CCCs).

 

6.         There will be quarterly deadlines for submission of applications. The submission deadlines are:

 

(i)                 1 January

 

(ii)               1 April

 

(iii)             1 July

 

(iv)              1 October

 

7.         Duly completed applications will be evaluated within 21 working days for applicants seeking funding of $50,000 and below, and 28 working days for applicants seeking funding of more than $50,000. Applications which are of exceptional complexity may take longer to evaluate.

 

8.         Application forms can be obtained from the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, Citizens Consultative Committees, Community Development Councils and the National Council for Social Service from 28 June 2005.  The forms can also be downloaded from www.mcys.gov.sg. Please email comcare@mcys.gov.sg for more information.

Annex D-1

 

ComCare Meals-At-Home for Homebound Needy Elderly

– A programme under ComCare EnAble

 

1          ComCare “Meals-At-Home for Homebound Needy Elderly” is an enhanced meals delivery service to support frail and homebound seniors living in their own homes in the community.

 

2          Meals are currently delivered to the homes of some homebound seniors under the existing MCYS-funded Home Help Service.  However, in view of the number of seniors on the programme, there is little time for the service providers to connect with or spend more time with these seniors. Sometimes the meals are simply left outside the door. 

 

3          Given the increasing number of seniors living alone, two VWOs, the Sunlove Abode for Intellectually Infirmed Ltd and Moral Home Help Service (West), have come forward to help the homebound elderly by going beyond just meals delivery to one of ‘touching’ the lives of these seniors. 

 

4          Under this new programme, those who deliver meals to the more frail and homebound elderly will spend some time with them when the meals are delivered (twice daily – lunch & dinner) and also ensure that they take their meals. This increase in contact would help facilitate early detection of any changes in the senior’s social and medical conditions, flagging immediate assistance or intervention.

 

5          A total of 80 seniors will be targeted under the ComCare Meals-At-Home, for a 6-month pilot.  If successful, MCYS will consider incorporating this programme into the Home Help Service as part of the broader framework to enhance community-based services for homebound elderly who live alone.

 

6.         The pilot programme is expected to start in August 2005. Interested seniors should approach Sunlove Abode or Moral Home Help Service for details:

 

Moral Home Help Service

301 Henderson Road S(108931)

Tel: 63371201

 

Sunlove Home Help Service

70 Buangkok View S(534190)

Tel: 63873593

 

 

 

Annex D-2

 

ComCare Therapy@Home

-          A programme under ComCare EnAble

 

1          Therapy services can help a person with disabilities to master the skills necessary for daily life. This allows persons with disability to lead a more independent and meaningful life with an overall increase in the quality of life they live.

 

2          However, some persons with disabilities are not able to attend therapy sessions outside of their homes due to mobility problems.  This is especially so for lower-income persons with disabilities, whose families are not able to afford the direct cost of therapy provided by private agencies and the indirect cost of transport to reach the existing community based services.

 

3          The National Council of Social Service, supported by MCYS will therefore launch the Therapy@Home programme. Under the programme, therapists will visit the homes of the persons with disabilities and help by:

 

(i)                 Rehabilitating and training persons with disabilities to remain or achieve independence in their  Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) within the home environment,

(ii)               Rehabilitating and training to clients to remain or achieve independence in the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living skills within their immediate community.

(ii)        Building competence of caregivers to care for persons with disabilities in the areas of Activities of Daily Living.

 

4          The pilot programme is expected to serve a total of 400 beneficiaries per year, comprising 200 direct clients and 200 caregivers. These should be low-income Singaporeans, earning less than $700 on a per capita household basis.

 

5          The National Council of Social Service will announce the request for proposals by 2^nd Qtr of FY05/06 and announce the project bidder by 3^rd Qtr of this FY.  The successful agencies are expected to begin to offer services to persons with disabilities in the last quarter of FY 05/06.

 

 

Annex D-3

 

ComCare Silver Connect

-          A programme under ComCare EnAble

 

1          A service gap currently exists for the elderly who may not live in 1-2 room flats, but are nonetheless relatively poor, isolated or vulnerable. Many of them cannot be reached by existing services for the elderly.

 

2          Tampines-Changkat Citizens’ Consultative Committee therefore aims to engage volunteers, grassroots and voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs) in befriending and supporting the lonely, vulnerable and lower-income elderly living in the community and who lack a strong family network. 

 

3          This project encompasses training of volunteers, including members from “Singles Connect”[2], as befrienders to reach out and regularly visit elderly who are isolated, vulnerable and lack family support.  They will also organise activities such as ‘Free Coffee Mornings’ to engage the elderly, promote social networking and provide ‘meals-on-wheels’ for unwell, homebound elderly.  The project will also educate the elderly on the importance of peer support and the availability of services that they can tap on in times of need.  By involving “Singles Connect”, younger singles can better appreciate the ageing process, and the value of family and community support.  It will also provide opportunities for the elderly to socialise and find companionship with other elderly persons. 

 

4          The pilot project will be launched in Tampines Changkat Constituency in November/December 2005. This project will be piloted at five HDB zones and one private estate with an elderly population of 3,200 elderly (aged 60 years old and above).  The projected number of needy elderly who can be reached by this initiative is estimated to be 1,000.  It will focus on helping needy, lonely and homebound seniors who are likely to lack family and social support from the community.

 

 

Annex E

 

ComCare Enterprise Fund

– A programme under ComCare SelfReliance

 

1          Social enterprises focus on social causes.  They use business to drive social change.  To help the needy achieve self-reliance, MCYS will re-position its Social Enterprise Fund (SEF) into a ComCare Enterprise Fund (CEF), which will provide seed funding to start sustainable business enterprises which are focused on helping needy Singaporeans.  Such help could either take the form of providing employment to needy Singaporeans, or using the profits generated to run programmes for needy Singaporeans.

 

2          The funding is set aside for viable business projects.  An organization that wishes to apply for CEF funding, must show that the core business of the entity is viable and it is not just a social programme which it intends to run. Profits generated from business are to be channelled back to the social enterprise’s social objective.

 

3          SEF started this financial year with a budget of $2 million.  ComCare has added another $1 million, bringing the CEF budget for this year to $3 million.

 

4          Applications to the CEF can be made, from 1 August 2005, at the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports. For further enquiries on the CEF, please email: comcare@mcys.gov.sg.