Family coach helps family of six work towards financial stability

SINGAPORE - Ms Ng Shan Yi, 30, was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed when she first knocked on the door of a public rental flat in Henderson Road in March, ready to meet the family of six who lives there.

She was greeted with a smile, but could sense the family’s reservations.

Ad hoc delivery driver Tan Su Beng, who lives there with his wife and four children, took four months to eventually open up fully to her about his struggles.

Ms Ng is one of the many engagement officers under the Ministry of Social and Family Development’s Community Link (ComLink) programme who work with families living in highly subsidised public rental flats.

On Thursday, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced that these ComLink officers will be trained to take up the role of a family coach.

They will no longer just coordinate the provision of social support services, but will also work closely with each family to determine and customise the support they need, he said.

After building rapport with Mr Tan’s family, Ms Ng learnt that they had many financial struggles.

She said: “They needed to see how our relationship was going and they needed to feel that they trusted us enough to share deeper issues. The frequent engagement helped to build that trust.”

Mr Tan, 61, earns around $600 a month. His wife, 39, who gave birth earlier in 2023, was not able to work as the family could not get infant care near their home.

A trigger-happy decision two years ago to bet on a soccer game had landed him in debt.

Putting aside money for the monthly payments while raising four children aged four months to 10 years was tough, and he had to borrow cash from friends during some months.

Ms Ng helped the family find avenues of help, including financial assistance and taking the children on excursions.

She said: “We have goals for the families we work with, but more importantly, we need to align it with what they want in the near future and work towards that.”

Mr Tan’s goal is to be more financially stable. Ms Ng is helping his wife, Duong Thi Cam Giang, to get a full-time job to help with the family’s expenses.

Apart from helping the family find infant care in a centre near home, Ms Ng is also helping them to apply for various financial assistance schemes.

She put them in touch with free tuition services in the community for their two primary school-going children, who are weak in mathematics.

She also heeded the father’s plea to find a way to take his children on fun outings.

Mr Tan said: “I don’t want my children to get left behind. I want them to go to these places like other kids.”

Through sponsored programmes recommended by Ms Ng, Mr Tan and his family have now visited attractions such as Gardens by the Bay and the S.E.A Aquarium.

“I’m very happy whenever I see my children so happy,” he said.