4. In which ways is the initiative creative and innovative?
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The first innovative aspect was the multi-systemic and collaborative approach adopted. To bring about sustained change and better outcomes for the children, MSF recognised the need to look at systemic barriers rather than take a narrow view of the problem. This led to the pioneering move to build fostering capabilities in the community through the set up of the first two FAs and the first-ever partnership with NCSS to develop the capabilities of the sector.
The second innovative aspect is the multi-modal outreach and recruitment strategy. To reach out and engage the public, MSF a) partnered with private organisations, religious and grassroots groups to cultivate a stronger presence in the community, b) engaged existing foster parents to serve as the “face of fostering”, c) leveraged on social media platforms to increase awareness on fostering, d) ride on marquee events and social movements such as newly launched the inaugural Foster Care Week to raise the signature of fostering, e) launched the commemorative cookbook with recipes and stories from foster families to reach out to more Singaporeans and e) developed the Refer-a-Family (RAF) scheme to encourage existing foster families to refer their relatives/ friends to sign up as foster parents.
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5. Who implemented the initiative and what is the size of the population affected by this initiative?
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The initiative was spearheaded by the Children in Care (CIC) Service under the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF). MSF is a ministry of the Government of Singapore that focuses on three key areas: a) development of families, b) enhancing social safety nets for low-income and needy individuals and families to improve their circumstances and c) improving the delivery of social services by raising sector capability and improving service coordination. The CIC Service maintains oversight of the development, delivery and management of OHC options and support services for vulnerable children.
The policy shift towards foster care will affect 100% of vulnerable children under the care of MSF, estimated to be 2,800 over the last 3 years. The total number of children in foster care today is 430, a 40% increase as compared to 2013. With the embedding of fostering, we expect the numbers to rise. These vulnerable children have usually experienced abuse, neglect or abandonment and are the most vulnerable groups in the Singapore society. Many other families and children can be helped by other social services available in the community. Coming under state care is the last resort in Singapore and such children or their families would usually have gone through other community services first. By the time they come into care, other safety nets would have been unable to address their needs and they would have experienced significant trauma and disruption in their lives.
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6. How was the strategy implemented and what resources were mobilized?
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The elements would involve the set-up of a dedicated department, secure resources, set up structures to transfer technical know-how and engagement of stakeholders.
a) Set up of the Children in Care (CIC) Service
MSF conducted several reviews of the child welfare landscape from 2011-2013. These reviews, which incorporated the voices of vulnerable children, NGOs and other community agencies such as the courts, hospitals and law enforcement. One of key recommendations was to set up the CIC Service, a dedicated department within MSF in 2013 to spearhead the initiative. CIC was a key driving force for the transformation of the OHC landscape.
b) Secured Funding for New Projects
MSF put up proposals articulating the importance of growing family-base care and secured funds from the Reinvestment Fund under Ministry of Finance (MOF) which supports innovative projects by public agencies to improve public sector delivery and productivity. Resources were provided to raise the number of foster parents, the development of the FAs by NGOs and capability development initiatives. Financial allowances are given to foster parents for the care of the child. Funding was made available for increase in this expenditure through re-prioritisation within MSF.
c) Expansion of Existing Initiatives
To change public mindset and intensity recruitment efforts, MSF cultivated stronger partnerships with the media and community agencies to raise awareness on the need for fostering. Besides print and broadcast media, we also leveraged on social media, community roadshows and launched a new fostering website: https://www.msf.gov.sg/Fostering/Pages/default.aspx. The website is a one-stop portal for members of the public to learn more about fostering through videos, articles and stories from foster families. To facilitate a stronger presence in the community, we expanded the number of partnerships to include government and private organisations, religious and grassroots groups. We ran roadshows at grassroots events, hospitals, religious organisations, shopping malls and other community locations.
d) Engagement of Key Stakeholders to get Buy-in
To build a shared vision across the OHC landscape, MSF had to actively engage stakeholders. Foster Services has always been provided by MSF. Most of the existing OHC NGOs have been providing residential care for years and fostering was therefore a new area for them. MSF recognised the need to partner and harness the vast experience of existing OHC NGOs and executed a multi-modal engagement plan that leveraged on building sector advocates, ground engagement, peer sharing and in-depth consultation. MSF also actively engaged other key stakeholders such as the courts, hospitals and other NGO community agencies in supporting the care of vulnerable children.
e) Set up of Structures to Support the Initiative
To increase the capacity of fostering, MSF built fostering capabilities in the communities through the set up of the FAs. The FAs will help broaden foster family outreach and recruitment efforts and provide support to foster parents to extend better care for their foster children. MSF used its in-house technical expertise to develop the service model and provide operational consultations to the new FAs. MSF intends to appoint the third fostering agency in 2017. MSF also initiated a strategic partnership with SSI under NCSS to strengthen the capability of foster parents and the FAs structured training and intensive coaching and mentoring. The decision to centralise training was a deliberate one by MSF to ensure consistency in quality of care for all vulnerable children.
f) Evaluation
These initiatives are reviewed regularly to evaluate if the initiative is meeting the desired objectives and targets as well as to inform improvements to service delivery.
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7. Who were the stakeholders involved in the design of the initiative and in its implementation?
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While MSF spearheaded and set the overall direction for the initiative, we engaged a wide spectrum of stakeholders including public organizations, NGOs and citizens.
Input from vulnerable children, NGOs, foster parents, the courts and other key stakeholders were involved in the early conceptualisation and design of the initiative. OHC NGOs were also included in study trips/learning journeys and in-depth discussions to co-create solutions.
To enable the initiatives, MSF engaged MOF extensively to secure resourcing. MSF bidded for resourcing under the Reinvestment Fund windows, which specifically funds new and innovative projects by public agencies to improve public sector delivery and productivity. After a rigorous evaluation, MSF was awarded the funding by MOF.
To drive implementation, MSF also actively engaged partner NGOs and share the vision to align the larger child welfare sector from the point of placement by the Courts to NGO partners who provided residential care for these vulnerable children as well as the larger public. To enable effective outreach, MSF worked with foster parents to be ambassadors and spread the fostering message at various media platforms/roadshows. We also partnered with community agencies and grassroots organizations to increase awareness and change public mindset. We worked closely with the identified OHC NGO partners to set up the first two FAs in Singapore.
As capability development is crucial to the delivery of OHC services, MSF established a strategic partnership with NCSS to address capability gaps for the sector through a centralised training institute, SSI. NCSS is the umbrella body for some 460 social service NGOs and provides leadership in enhancing capabilities and capacity of their NGO members, advocating for social service needs and strengthening strategic partnerships. NCSS was a natural partner for the implementation of measures to raise capabilities of the OHC sector.
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8. What were the most successful outputs and why was the initiative effective?
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Many of the vulnerable children and young persons in OHC have experienced significant trauma and disruption in their lives, largely due to abuse, neglect and other traumatic childhood experiences. This often has a negative impact on the holistic development of the child. Unlike the majority of Singaporean children whose families and communities provide a nurturing environment and support their overall development and well-being, these vulnerable children and young persons have no or limited access to these essential scaffolding for their growth. These children and young persons have been through situations where there was a lack of food, safety and supervision and this potentially puts them at a high risk for maladaptive outcomes in the future. The inequality between these vulnerable children and young persons and the rest of the children in the Singaporean society is extremely stark.
The most successful outputs of the initiative are as follows:
a) Organised 170 community outreach events and roadshows
b) Established 154 partnerships with public agencies, community groups, grassroots organizations, private agencies and religious groups
c) Conducted 292 media outreach activities (includes print, radio, television and social media)
d) Facilitated 792% increase in foster parent applications
e) Set up of 2 FAs
These outputs have led to an increase of foster parents by 70% and a 40% increase in the number of children and young persons placed in foster care as well, thereby promoting the overall well-being and increasing opportunities for vulnerable children and young persons in the longer-run.
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9. What were the main obstacles encountered and how were they overcome?
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a) Low Receptiveness towards Fostering
With increasingly busy lifestyles, higher cost of living, reluctance of Singaporeans to have children and shrinking families, there were concerns as to whether Singaporeans would be receptive and willing to open their homes to these children. Foster parents need to provide 24 hour care, manage behaviours that may arise due to trauma and manage complex dynamics with natural parents. Members of the public, even if moved by the plight of these children, often feel daunted by the commitment required to be foster parents.
There was also very low awareness on fostering. 9 out of 10 Singaporeans at MSF’s roadshows had not heard about fostering previously. Many also felt that residential care was a better care option for these vulnerable children due to the greater public oversight as compared to fostering which is within the private sphere of foster families. MSF embarked on efforts to change public mindset towards fostering through the media and other community outreach activities. To help families feel more empowered to come forward, MSF partnered experienced foster families to share about how they came into fostering and overcame some of these challenges. This approach has helped to make fostering less intimidating and inspired many families to come forward.
b) Building Capability for Fostering in the Community
As fostering was a new area of work for the community, there were concerns amongst OHC NGOs if they have the relevant expertise to work to provide quality care for vulnerable children. To better support, MSF took a proactive approach and established a strategic partnership with NCSS to embed capability development in the sector through structured training and coaching/mentoring for sustainability and scalability. To enable this, MSF provided NCSS with professionals with the requisite technical know-how to ramp up the capability in the FAs.
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