Singapore Government Press Release
Media Relations Division, Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts,
MITA Building, 140 Hill Street, 2nd Storey, Singapore 179369
Tel: 6837-9666

Venerable Sek Meow Ee,
President, Viriya Community Services;

Venerable Shi Xuehang,
President, Care for the Elderly Foundation (Singapore);

Ladies and Gentlemen:

I am very happy to join you this morning for the official opening of the Whispering Hearts Family Service Centre and Student Care Centre.

These two centres are a welcome addition to the islandwide network of 35 Family Service Centres and about 150 Student Care Centres run by voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs). Such neighbourhood centres play a quiet but important part in improving the lives and meeting the needs of Singaporeans and their families. For families facing friction and conflict in the home, the counselling services provided are a beacon of hope. And for the majority of families not facing severe challenges, the various family-life education programmes run by such centres help strengthen the family unit. As for the affordable student care services, they help nurture and care for school-going children while their parents are at work. This is a source of comfort for many working parents, who are reassured that their children are in good hands outside of school hours.

A month after Whispering Hearts FSC was set up last August, I understand that it conducted a needs assessment exercise to determine the profile and needs of households in the Jurong West estate. This was to assist the FSC to develop services and programmes relevant to residents in the area. The study showed that the majority of households comprised young parents with very young or school-going children. Their needs included child and student care support, family life education such as parenting courses and workshops, and children’s programmes and tuition services. Whispering Hearts FSC has tailored its services to cater to these needs.

Like many of the newer FSCs, Whispering Hearts FSC also operates a Student Care Centre. This makes good sense. With more dual-income families, Student Care Centres are gaining importance as a place where school-going children aged 7 to 14 can rest, have their meals, socialise, study and play before or after school hours, when their parents are still at work. Student Care Centres that are linked to FSCs have the added advantage of complementing their programmes with other services by trained social workers. Indeed, I congratulate the Whispering Hearts Student Care Centre for providing a much needed service as reflected in the overwhelming response it receives from residents. I understand that the Centre is now operating at close to full capacity, so much so that Whispering Hearts is exploring setting up another Student Care Centre in this estate.

In April last year, my Ministry and the National Council of Social Service jointly introduced a Programme Evaluation System to help FSCs evaluate the effectiveness of their programmes with a view to raising service standards.

This morning, I would like to announce that my Ministry is developing a separate Programme Evaluation System for Student Care Centres. This system will enable Student Care Centres to monitor how well their programmes are meeting the developmental needs of youngsters in their care. At the same time, it will enable parents to assess the services provided. The Programme Evaluation System has been successfully piloted at five Student Care Centres from last September to March this year. Based on feedback received, the system is now being refined before its implementation in all VWO-run Student Care Centres at the end of this year.

This is part of our continuing efforts to improve the reach, relevance and quality of community services and raise the professionalism of organisations providing these services.

Ladies and gentlemen, before I end I wish to commend the good work of Whispering Hearts FSC and Student Care Centre, and I especially thank the various volunteers who help in your programmes. While both these centres are run by Care for the Elderly Foundation and managed by Viriya Community Services, which is the community services arm of Leong Hwa Chan Si Temple, I note that your services are open to Singaporeans of all faiths and races. This is most encouraging and deserves every appreciation and support in our multi-racial and religious society.

I wish the management and staff of Whispering Hearts FSC and Student Care Centre every success in the running of these centres and I wish all of you a very pleasant morning.

Thank you.

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