AFTER many years of waiting, parents of children with special needs will finally have an avenue to provide for their children when they die.

The Special Needs Trust Company, incorporated in June, will start operations in early 2009.

It aims to provide affordable trust services to provide for the financial security of a person with special needs.

Parents must set aside an amount for the fund, and must make subsequent monthly payments. More details of how the fund works will only be released later.

Apart from this new initiative, Minister for Community Development Youth and Sport Vivian Balakrishnan on Thursday also announced at the NCSS annual Conference that a new Social Service Hub would be launched at Tiong Bahru Plaza next year.

The hub will house seven Voluntary Welfare Organisations which will share the facilities there.

The hub, which costs $1million, was co-funded by the Tote Board Social Service Fund and the VWOs.

The VWOs which will move in next year include the Children's Cancer Foundations, Fei Yue Family Services and the Special Needs Trust Company.