SINGAPORE – AMKFSC Community Services, one of the major social service agencies here, is changing its name to better reflect the scope of its work. It is now known as Allkin Singapore.
From its inception in 1978 as the Ang Mo Kio Social Service Centre located in Ang Mo Kio, the agency has expanded to operating in over 40 locations in the central and north-east regions, such as Bishan, Sengkang and Yishun.
It runs centres such as family service centres (FSCs), active ageing centres and transitional shelters for the homeless. It also offers services such as family counselling, marriage and parenting support, and mental health services.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who is the charity’s patron, launched its new name at its 45th anniversary dinner at Sands Expo and Convention Centre on Friday evening.
He said its new name reflects the agency’s broader scope of work, given that it now serves a range of people in need. They include at-risk youth, frail seniors, former offenders and persons with mental health conditions.
Dr Vincent Ng, its chief executive, told The Straits Times that its old name, AMKFSC Community Services, is often misconstrued and does not represent the full suite of its work today.
He said: “Many still think of us as just an FSC that operates in Ang Mo Kio, which can be confusing for clients, employees and other stakeholders whom we work with.”
“Hence, we needed to elevate and strengthen our identity and position to better encapsulate our strategy, offerings, growth and geographical boundaries,” he added.
Dr Ng said Allkin combines the words “all” and “kin”. This name represents the agency’s commitment to “embrace inclusivity, foster togetherness, and spark human connections”.
He added: “It also reflects how we espouse kinship beyond conventional notions of biological, socio-cultural ties, and instead broaden it to relationships forged by a common purpose of wanting to do good together and providing support for a fellow citizen in times of need.”
In 1978 when it first started, the Ang Mo Kio Social Service Centre was Singapore’s first one-stop FSC to help families with financial, psycho-social, housing and other issues, Dr Ng said.
He added that the centre served as the model for FSCs run by various social service agencies today.
The charity has changed its name twice since then. It became the Ang Mo Kio Family Service Centres in 1995, and the AMKFSC Community Services in 2014.
The agency now has about 400 staff and helped about 20,000 people in 2022.
In his speech, PM Lee said FSCs play an important role in supporting families in need, by helping them achieve stability, self-reliance and social mobility.
Allkin’s many locations bring help closer to residents’ doorsteps, he said. For example, Allkin is starting a new centre at Block 326 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3, which will mobilise residents to lead ground-up initiatives for children and families in need, among other things.
He added that Allkin and other community partners play a key role in strengthening Singapore’s social compact – the glue which holds society together.
He said the Forward Singapore report unveiled on Friday morning has thrown up several ideas to improve the Community Link (ComLink) programme. These include training ComLink officers as family coaches, to motivate families to achieve their goals and navigate the various support programmes.
Under the ComLink programme, low-income families with children living in highly subsidised HDB rental flats are given coordinated and comprehensive support for needs ranging from job assistance to their children’s development.
PM Lee also presented the charity’s first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award to Dr S. Vasoo, a pioneer in the social service sector, for his contributions to the charity and community.
Dr Vasoo, an 82-year-old Emeritus Professor of Social Work at the National University of Singapore and a former Member of Parliament, has been Allkin’s adviser for nearly 40 years, PM Lee said.
