SINGAPORE - Students who leave the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) prematurely will receive support under a new programme pilot that aims to pair at-risk youths with mentors who can serve as positive role models.

It will be launched by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) later this year, and target 100 young people over two years.

The programme was announced by the Parliamentary Secretary for Social and Family Development Eric Chua on Friday (March 5).

Speaking during the debate on the ministry's budget, Mr Chua described its main objectives: "First, to expand the youths' network of positive relationships.

"We hope that the mentees find lifelong friends and role models in the mentors, pick up useful life skills, and gain access to a trusted adult that they feel comfortable reaching out to.

"Second, to empower the youths to achieve their aspirations. We hope to broaden their exposure to opportunities, and support them in building on their strengths and talents."

MSF said that it will be making a call for mentors across industries to participate in the pilot, which will be launched in the fourth quarter of 2021.

Aside from the mentor programme, Mr Chua, who is also Parliamentary Secretary for Culture, Community and Youth, said that young people discharged from MSF Youth Homes will be receiving longer post-care support from February this year.

MSF Youth Homes, which include the Singapore Boys' Home and Singapore Girls' Home, function as a place of detention and juvenile rehabilitation centre.

The extended post-care support was announced in March 2019 and commenced in the fourth quarter of 2019 with a select group of young people discharged from the homes.

Youth and post-care officers provided useful feedback during the initial phase to refine the support provided.

Improving outcomes for at-risk youth

Mr Chua said that the programmes aim to improve outcomes for vulnerable and at-risk youth through a whole-of-society approach.

He cited the example of the Localised Community Network (LCN), piloted in Boon Lay in 2019.

It identifies students in need upstream and tracks their progress regularly with systematic inter-agency data-sharing.

The LCN brings together government agencies, schools, social service agencies, community organisations and volunteers.

"Through the LCN pilot, we provide wraparound, coordinated support to children and youth with complex family circumstances or those who exhibit at-risk behaviours," Mr Chua said.

Over 70 students and families have been supported by the network of government and community partners through the LCN pilot, MSF said.

Four primary and secondary schools were involved.

The ministry said it is studying the findings and will explore if other schools or target groups of children or young people could benefit from this approach.

Referring to the overall efforts to support at-risk youth, Mr Chua said: "We have made steady progress.

"The number of youths arrested has fallen by about 40 per cent over the last decade. Pre-court diversionary programmes have significantly contributed to keeping first-time youth offenders who commit minor offences out of the court system."

Mental well-being of youth

Responding to Mr Shawn Huang (Jurong GRC) and Mr Xie Yao Quan (Jurong GRC), who had asked how the Youth Mental Well-Being Network will help to support young people, Mr Chua said: "The Network gives us a platform to brainstorm with the community and try out new ideas to better support our youths' mental well-being."

Over 30 potential projects have been initiated by network members to date.

They include an outreach programme which taps on the experiences of former youths-at-risk and informal community touchpoints, which are points of contact such as hairdressers and small mom-and-pop shopkeepers.

The programme seeks to strengthen the social support network and introduce protective factors for at-risk adolescents.