$7.5m boost for social service agencies to assess programmes and refine services

The SG60 Towards Sustainability Fund will provide one-off $30k grant to each agency

- Shermaine Ang

Social service agencies can now tap a new $7.5 million fund by the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) to assess their programmes, refine services and better support clients.

The SG60 Towards Sustainability Fund will provide a special one-off grant of $30,000 to eligible agencies.

This move to strengthen the capabilities of agencies will help them attract sustained funding from donors, ensuring that their programmes can continue to thrive, said Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli on July 2.

He was speaking at the Social Service Summit held at Sands Expo and Convention Centre. About 2,000 industry professionals and foreign delegates attended the two-day event.

Social service agencies that are NCSS members can apply for the new fund.

Mr Masagos laid out three moves to bring the social service sector forward: tapping technology for greater impact, developing social service agencies' capabilities and uplifting professionals in the sector.

He said the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) is implementing various digital tools to support the social service sector. It will roll out a new system for the sector, CaseCentral, which uses artificial intelligence to streamline case management processes, automate workflows and provide insights on clients and their families.