Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman, Parliamentary Secretary for National Development; and Deputy Chairman, National Committee on Youth Guidance and Rehabilitation

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

Welcome

1          A very warm welcome to all, especially our international guests in the audience. 

2          Earlier this year, the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (or MCYS), celebrated its 60^th anniversary.  MCYS saw its beginnings as Singapore’s Department of Social Welfare. Even in those early days, an integral part of the work was to provide rehabilitation for young offenders.  In 1947, the Boys’ Home started with only 20 boys, followed by the Girl’s Homecraft Centre.  The Homes have since evolved to provide comprehensive therapeutic, educational and training programmes to rehabilitate and reintegrate youth at-risk and young offenders back to their families and the community. 

3          The MCYS Probation Service has also achieved many milestones since its establishment in 1949. One worth special mention is the Community Service Order programme, now in its eleventh year. Most of the 100 or so agencies providing community service opportunities to our youth have remained as our partners because of goodwill, mutual support, and a shared belief in giving youth offenders a second chance. Just last Saturday, I was also told that four probationers helped out in a charity fund-raising event at the Istana with their host agency, Sunlove-Marsiling Neighbourhood Link. Three of these four have already completed their assigned number of community service hours, but chose to continue volunteering because of their positive experience with Sunlove.

Why focus on youth offenders?

4          This is brings me to the reason as to why we are all here today – the rehabilitation of youth offenders.  I can think of at least two key reasons why we should concentrate on this group.  First, we need to protect the youth offenders from further damaging their own lives.  Young persons are by nature, more impulsive and rebellious.  Most will eventually grow out of their delinquent behaviour as they outgrow the adolescent phase and enter adulthood.  However, some have strayed too early and too far that they cannot find their way back into mainstream society. That is why they need our help and proper rehabilitation.

5          The second reason is that we know that young people who grow up under difficult circumstances such as poverty, dysfunctional family structures, substance abuse, mental illness and violence, are at greater risk of becoming delinquents and offenders.  For example, a recent study[1] commissioned by my Ministry has found that children of incarcerated fathers are at higher risk of becoming offenders themselves.

6          We need to address some of the key factors of instability in a young person’s life and social environment in order to reduce their vulnerability to delinquency and crime.  The family is the basic unit of society and will remain the primary institution in the socialisation of our youth. Consequently, rehabilitation of youth offenders must involve their families. 

Theme of Conference - Expanding Horizons

7          Singapore has several approaches to youth justice and rehabilitation which have proven successful. These include the use of diversionary programmes for youth offenders, creative rehabilitation programmes such as the Community Service Order, as well as various re-integrative initiatives involving the community, like the Yellow Ribbon Project. I want to commend the bold approach taken by the Subordinate Court last year in establishing the Community Court, which aims to address the needs of individual offenders through the use of a problem solving approach in meting out sentences, where possible. 

8          Building on the momentum, we must continue to develop a collective body of knowledge on youth rehabilitation across agencies and partners. We must learn from each other.  This conference provides an excellent opportunity for us to do so. 

Involving the community in the rehabilitation of offenders

9          We also need to create stronger partnerships with all stakeholders and agencies in the community.  Working with youth offenders is a journey that no agency can perform alone.  By involving the community, we also help to facilitate the growth of a more compassionate and cohesive society.

10        One of our most fruitful partnerships with community agencies in recent years is the Guidance Programme. It was developed in 1997 to give first-time youth offenders a chance to undergo rehabilitation, in lieu of prosecution in Court. During the six-month programme, offenders learn to accept responsibility for their crimes, develop social skills and relate better to their parents.   Over the past decade, the Programme has seen more than 6,000 youth who have gone through it, and a success rate of over ninety percent for those who completed it.  The Guidance Programme has since expanded to include youths up to 19 years old.  It has also been customised to meet the needs of youth offenders with intellectual disabilities.

11        The expertise to operate this Programme did not come about overnight. Our 17 partner agencies play a critical role and they have devoted resources to build up their knowledge and skills over time.  Their efforts should be recognised.  I am pleased to announce today, that MCYS will be increasing its funding for the Guidance Programme. Partner agencies will see an increase of up to 25 per cent in their annual funding.  This increase will provide agencies with more resources to expand their good work within the Programme.

Developing capabilities to better rehabilitate offenders

12        Any programme is only as good as its execution.  The effectiveness of the programme is dependent on the skills and experience of the practitioners. As part of ongoing efforts to enhance the specialist skills of social work students and practitioners in the area of rehabilitation, MCYS and the National University of Singapore are planning to start a module on juvenile rehabilitation as part of the social work programme on campus. This module will give social work students an opportunity to acquaint themselves with the field of offender rehabilitation before they embark on their careers. It will also serve as an additional source of training for practitioners in the field.

13        The tie up between the fields of academia and operations provide a win-win formula to synergise the development of evidence-based programmes and provide greater contextualisation in the exploration of theories in the classroom.  We aim to start this 13-week module in the next academic year.  I hope this will encourage many new social workers to come forward to work with youth offenders and their families.

Conclusion

14        Rehabilitation is a long journey. It starts with a young offender at a cross road. He can either lose his way by continuing to re-offend or be redirected to become a resilient and socially responsible individual.  It is up to all of us to put our hearts and minds together, and to walk with these young people as they rebuild their lives. I wish you all a most fruitful conference.

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