SOCIAL and COMMUNITY SERVICES1
1 Introduction
1.1
Social and community services takes care of the welfare of the aged and the
disadvantaged, providing counseling and promoting volunteerism, helping to
ensure social progress along with economic progress. A strong people sector
will improve social cohesiveness and the overall well being of Singaporeans.
2 Nature of the Industry
2.1
The social and community services sector provides community-based as well
as residential social and community programmes. The services include
children’s homes; child care services; social services for youth, families,
elderly and disabled; community centres; job training for the disabled (Bizlink
and MINDS) and vocational rehabilitation services.
2.2
Workers in social services help the homeless; provide counseling and therapy
for the troubled; retrain the unemployed (CDCs in conjunction with NTUC);
care for children, the elderly, physically and mentally disabled and emotionally
disturbed individuals; help the needy to obtain financial assistance; and solicit
contributions for various social services.
3
Employment
3.1
The social and community services sector contributes 0.6% 2 of total
employment in the economy, employing 13,000 people. There are about 424
establishments that provide social services in Singapore.The breakdown is as
shown in Table 1 below.
1
2
Focus of this is on the social services aspect of the cluster.
Census of Population 2000, DOS
Table 1. Type and Number of Establishments3
Types of Establishments
Children and Youth Services
No. of Establishments
135
Family Services
81
Elderly Services
120
Disabled Services
70
Women Services
18
TOTAL
424
4 Occupations in the industry
4.1
As shown in Chart 1, 34% of the workforce in the Social and Community
Services sector in 2000 were employed as Technicians and Associate
Professionals (e.g. Occupational Therapists Assistants/Aides, Physiotherapist
Aides, Nursing Aides) followed by 14% as service workers (e.g. Welfare
Officer Houseparents and Rehabilitation Officers), 18% as clerical workers
and 13% as cleaners and labourers.
Chart 1: Employment (%) by Broad Occupational
Categories, 2000
Professionals & Managers
2%
2%
14%
13%
Technician & Associate Professionals
17%
Clerical Workers
Service & Sales Workers
Production Craftsmen & Related Workers
18%
34%
Plant & Machine Operators & Assemblers
Cleaners & Others
Source: Census of Population 2000, DOS
3
Directory of Social Services, 7th Edition
4.2
Within these broad occupational groupings, there are 16 key occupations
specific to the Social and Community Services sector.
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4.3
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Social Workers
Social Work Assistants/Aides
Marriage & Family Therapists
Psychologists
Counsellors
Occupational Therapists
Occupational Therapist Assistants
Occupational Therapist Aides
Physiotherapists
Physiotherapist Aides
Music Therapists
Music Therapist Aides
Speech Therapists
Recreational Therapists
Nurses
Nursing Aides/ Healthcare Attendants
For more information on the above occupations, you can refer to the following
websites:
Occupational Therapist (http://www.starhub.net.sg/~saot/SAOT.htm);
Physiotherapists(www.physiotherapy.org.sg);
Speech Therapists (http://web.singnet.com.sg/~speech/);
Social Workers (http://www.sasw.org.sg/)
Counsellors (http://www.spc.org.sg/member/sach1.htm)
Nurses and Allied Health Professionals
(http://www.nyp.edu.sg/shs/aboutshs.htm)
5 Training and advancement
5.1 Some occupations in the Social and Community Services sector have very
specific entry requirements, including most professional specialty occupations
and most of those require specific clinical training. Nevertheless, people with a
limited background in social service or education beyond secondary school
education can still fill jobs in the industry, such as nursing aid or child-care
worker. Some establishments provide on-the-job training, and many provide inservice training such as seminars and workshops. Table 2 shows the entry prerequisites required for each key occupation.
Table 2: Entry Pre-requisites for Key Occupations in the
Social and Community Services Sector
Occupation
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
Entry Pre-requisites & Institutions
Providing Training
Social Worker
Degree in Social Work or Psychology –
National University of Singapore
Social Work Assistant/ Aide ‘Diploma (Grade I)
‘A’ Level (Grade II)
‘O’ Level (Grade III)
Singapore Institute of Management
Marriage & Family Therapist Professional training in family and marital
therapy at post-graduate level, including 250
hours of supervised practical experience
National University of Singapore
Psychologist
Degree in Psychology
National University of Singapore
Counsellor
Diploma or Degree in Social work,
Psychology and/or counselling.
Counselling experience and interest.
Care and Counselling Centre
Occupational Therapist
Degree or Diploma in Occupational Therapy
Nanyang Polytechnic
Singapore Institute of Management
Occupational Therapist
Certificate in Occupational Therapist
Assistant
Assistant
Institute of Technical Education
Occupational Therapist
Min ‘O’ level qualification
Aide
Ren-Ci Medicare Centre
Physiotherapists
Degree/ Diploma in Physiotherapy
Nanyang Polytechnic
Singapore Institute of Management
Physiotherapist Aide
Min ‘O’ level qualification
Ren-Ci Medicare Centre
Music Therapist
To be decided by organisations that employs
them. No training courses available in
Singapore currently.
Music Therapist Aides
To be decided by organisations that employs
them. No training courses available in
Singapore currently.
Speech Therapist
Degree in Speech therapy/ Speech
Pathology. No training courses available in
Singapore currently. Recognised
qualifications are available from UK, Australia,
India and US.
Occupation
14.
Recreational Therapist
15.
Nurse
16.
Nursing Aide/
Health Attendants
Entry Pre-requisites & Institutions
Providing Training
Degree in therapeutic recreation or in
recreation with an option in therapeutic
recreation. No training courses available in
Singapore currently.
Certificate/ Diploma/ Degree in Nursing
Nanyang Polytechnic
Singapore Institute of Management
Health Care Assistant Training Certificate
Minimum ‘N’ Level qualification
Institute of Technical Education
Wilcare School of Health Sciences
Source: Ministry of Community Development and Sports (MCDS)
5.2
In the Social and Community Services sector, volunteering with a student,
religious, or charitable organisation is a good way for persons to test their
interest in social services. This may also provide an advantage when they
apply for jobs in this industry.
5.3 A total of 11 networks are also set in place to facilitate sharing of resources and
expertise among VWOs, in each area of work. These are proffessional
networks such as Singapore Association of Social Workers (SASW) and the
Physiotherapists & Occupational Therapists Network. They look into the
development and distributing of Standards of Practice for the two
occupations, HR practices and training.
6 Industry Outlook
A) Recruitment
6.1 The majority of social workers and Psychologists in Singapore are graduates
from the National University of Singapore (NUS). Nanyang Polytechnic offers a
Diploma programme for Therapists and Nurses. The other source of social
workers, psychologists and therapists are the graduates from overseas
universities.
B) Service Standards and Performance Targets
6.2 Clients of social service agencies will expect better service quality and
standards. Donors are increasingly asking for more information to help them to
make better decisions on how much to donate and who to support. Thus, there
is a pressing need to achieve higher standards of professionalism, particularly
in the areas of service, organisation and management. Programme Evaluation
Systems (PES), Best Practice Guidelines (BPG) and Service Level
Agreements (SLA) are some of the systems that funded Voluntary Welfare
Organisations (VWOs) adhere to for standardisation and accountability.
C) Occupations in need
6.3 Today, the Singapore family is basically healthy, but it is under increasing
pressure. We are seeing trends of dual income families, increasing
nuclearisation of families, smaller families, rising divorce rates, rising juvenile
delinquency and increasing family violence cases. These signal a greater need
for marriage and family therapists.
6.4 The majority of nursing aides and healthcare attendants are work permit
holders, reflecting the shortage of such manpower.
6.5 Besides the lower level occupations, Singapore’s society also faces shortage
in therapist professionals and special education teachers and their
assistants.
6.6 A rapidly ageing population will present a set of different problems for the
society and that could call for the need for more service workers to provide
services for the aged. At the same time, they represent a large potential
source of supply for the social and community service sector. Their vast years
of life experience and exposure would put them in a good stead as social
workers, counsellors and volunteers.
D) Long term trends
6.6 Long-term trends indicate that the structure of developed economies will
continue to shift to services. One of the most rapidly growing sectors in both
output and employment terms would be community, social and personal
services4. Experience in the United States shows that some of the fastest
growing occupations are concentrated in social services. US projects that the
number of homemaker-home health aides grow 79 percent throughout the
economy by 2006; occupational therapist, 66 percent; social and human
service assistants, 55 percent; and social workers, 32 percent, compared to 14
percent for all its occupations combined5.
6.7 Jobs are expected to increase much faster than average due to the expansion
of facilities and programs for the elderly and disabled and for families in crisis.
Opportunities for qualified people should be thus excellent.
4
5
Singapore as a Knowledge Based Economy: Manpower development, July 1999, NUS and MOM
Career guide to industries, Bulletin 2503, US BLS
7
7.1
Initiatives to Develop the Social and Community Services Sector
Several initiatives are in place to address several of the manpower issues
faced by the Social and Community Services sector. The most recent
initiatives are highlighted in the paragraphs below.
a) Training and Upgrading Opportunities
7.2 Several organisations are offering scholarships to people pursing a career in
the social services (The Lien Scholarships and VCF Scholarships
administered by NCSS). Through NCSS’ s Educational Scholarship and
Training Funds, more scholarships were awarded to those wanting to study
Speech therapy, Occupational Therapy and Human Services and Social Work.
Upon completion of their studies, scholars are required to work at NCSS
member agencies
7.3 At the tertiary institutions level, the Department of Social Work and
Psychology of National University of Singapore works very closely with
MCDS to constantly reorganise the courses to ensure that the social work
graduates are equipped with the skills that the industry needs.
7.4 To address the shortage of well-trained personnel in the industry, Nanyang
Polytechnic introduced a Diploma course in Community Service Management
in July 1997 to ease the manpower crunch in the social services sector 6. As of
May 2000, about 40 graduants from each cohort of the course have been
joining the industry as Social Work Assistants and Programme Officers.
7.6 NCSS also worked together with the Singapore Institute of Management to
develop the Specialist Diploma in Human Services a diploma level
programme, which was launched in August 2002. This is specially designed to
upgrade the knowledge and skills of non-graduates employed in social
service-related settings. Trainees of this programme can apply for training
subsidy under the Strategic Manpower Conversion Programme (SMCP).
7.7 NCSS and MCDS have worked jointly to set up the Social Service Training
Institute (SSTI). The institute which is located within NCSS opened its doors
to trainees on 1st April 2003. The core training areas that the institute focuses
on is professional training required by the personnel working in the social
service sector. SSTI also has courses that cater to volunteers helping out in
the social service sector.
For more information on the Social Service Training Institute, you can refer to,
(http://www.comchest.org.sg/ncss/about_ncss/training_calendar.html)
6
“Singapore Nanyang Poly Launches New Social Service Course”, The Straits Times, 24 Jan 1997.
7.7 The National Council of Social Service (NCSS) and Voluntary Welfare
Organisations (VWOs) provide in-house training programmes. For example,
to increase the competence of social service professionals in the area of
mental health, a mental health curriculum consisting of basic and intermediate
modules was introduced by NCSS.
7.8 A project team comprising members from various NCSS divisions was set up
to review current NCSS and VWO training practices. Recommendations are
made with the objective of inculcating professionalism among social service
personnel.
b) Improving image and perception
7.9
The public image and perception of social work is unclear and is commonly
confused with volunteer work. MCDS’s efforts in training and improving service
conditions and public education on who the social service professionals are, is
underway. MCDS sponsors some specialised training for social workers in
areas such as family violence. It also studies into how best to achieve a good
standard of practice, especially in the most critical areas of social work
interventions like child abuse and domestic abuse. MCDS is also looking into
devising an ethical code of practice and the need to regulate the practice in
those critical areas to ensure social workers are qualified to handle cases.
NCSS and NVC are also looking into the upgrading and training of staff and
volunteers in the sector.7
7.10 NCSS launched Social Service 21 in September 1999, with the key objective
to inject more professionalism into the sector, from staff to volunteers to
management boards8.
d) Career and Professional Development Plan
7.11 NCSS launched a career development plan in 1997 9. This plan caters mainly
to professional staff, such as social workers, physiotherapists and
occupational therapists, so that they can move among the social work
agencies without losing seniority. The components of the plan included a
consultancy system, staff movements and a better recruitment plan, staff
development, career coaching and executive development.
7.12 The Principal Consultancy Unit (PCU) was set up to spearhead NCSS’ efforts
in the professional development of physiotherapists and occupational
therapists. NCSS also has plans to draft out some sort of career plan for
“Singapore Government looking into Better Training Programmes for Social Workers”’ Business
Times, 20 Mar 1998.
8 “Singapore; Social Service Plan for 21st Century”, The Straits Times, 8 Jun 1999
9 “Singapore; Career Development Plan for Social Service”’ The Straits Times, 21 Jul 1997
7
volunteers – becoming leaders and training newcomers10. It has also put in
place a databank that contains information on volunteers and the social
service sector’s needs.
e) Strategic Manpower Conversion Programme (SMCP)
7.13
In collaboration with MOM and NCSS, MCDS is piloting SMCP for the social
service sector. It is an initiative of MOM to channel those who are displaced
due to structural unemployment to sectors where there is a shortage of
skilled manpower; such as the social service sector. This scheme was
introduced to the social service sector in August 2002.
7.14
Under the scheme, two conversion programmes targeted at Social Workers
& Social Work Assistants are being rolled out through NUS & SIM.
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7.15
Graduate Diploma in Social Work (tenable at NUS) for persons
holding degrees other than social work (18 months part-time or 12
months full-time)
Specialist Diploma in Human Services (tenable at SIM) for persons
with GCE “O” level and above who are keen to work in welfare
organisations and related settings (12 months part-time)
The applicant will be reimbursed 50% of the course fee (capped at $4,000
per course) when the applicant switches to the social service sector within 12
months of completion of the course. While attending the conversion
programmes, NCSS will concurrently assist the applicants gain employment
in the social service sector.
For more information on the criteria and application forms, please click
here: http://www.ncss.org.sg/smcp/
f) Training for Employment in the Social Services (TESS)
7.16
TESS is a joint initiative by MCDS, MOM, NCSS and NTUC. The primary
objective of TESS is to equip new and current staff of Voluntary Welfare
Organisations (VWOs) with critical skills to meet service delivery standards in
the social services sector. The TESS scheme offers reskilling opportunities
to lower level workers who might have been structurally unemployed. TESS
helps to meet the shortage of workers especially in positions such Healthcare
Attendants and Nursing Aides in the social service sector.
7.17
Under the scheme, there are six training programmes targeted at Healthcare
Attendants, Nursing Aides, Home Care Workers, Nurses, Therapist Aides,
Cooks and Cleaners.
10
“Singapore; Scheme to Evaluate Social Service Bodies”’ The Straits Times, 25 Oct 1998
7.18
It utilises funding from existing national schemes such as the Skills
Redevelopment Programme (SRP) and People for Jobs Traineeship
Programme (PJTP). Each scheme funds a specific component of the overall
staff training cost.
For more information on the respective training, criteria and application forms, log
on to http://www.comchest.org.sg/ncss/about_ncss/tess.html
g) VWO Capability Fund (VCF)
7.16 The Government will inject $30 million into the VWO Capability Fund (VCF)
over the next five years. The fund is intended to further enhance the
professional and service capabilities of the VWOs providing social services in
Singapore. The National Council of Social Service (NCSS) will administer
the VWO Capability Fund.
The VCF provides co-funding for the following:
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Scholarships and Training
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Research
 Consultancy
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Pilot Projects
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Information-Communications Technology (ICT)
Infrastructure and applications
For more information on the criteria and application forms, please click
here: http://www.ncss.org.sg/vcf/
8 Conclusion
8.1
As trends and forecasts have shown, this industry will assume greater
importance and job prospects are encouraging. There is a heavy emphasis on
training to ensure that Singapore will have a ready and available pool of
professionals and non-professionals to support her in social and community
services for the next millennium.