New $7.5m fund to encourage social service agencies to track impact of their programmes

SINGAPORE - 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.

Another tool NCSS has introduced is Scribe, an AI-powered tool that transcribes and summarises conversations in multiple languages, including English, Mandarin, Malay, Cantonese and even Singlish, into case notes.

Developed by Open Government Products, the tool was made available to eligible social service agencies in January. 

In his speech, Mr Masagos also touched on the benefits and risks of technology advancements. This includes its potential to connect people, but also lead to increased social isolation, as well as the impact of social media on mental health, especially among the young.

And, while technology greatly facilitates the sharing of information, poor cyber security can lead to data leaks and misuse, he said.

“These are just some of the very real issues that face our society and our clients. As part of the social service sector, we must become familiar with them,” he said.

He said social service agencies can reach more people with their services with the prevalence of AI chatbots, virtual assistants, and remote services such as online counselling.

“Ultimately though, we are a sector built on heart and soul,” he said. “Our use of data, technology and AI can allow us to provide more personalised and targeted care. But the human touch and empathy with which we deliver our services can and must be evident even as we leverage technology for service delivery.”

Ms Petrina Tan, head of corporate communications and partnership at Care Corner Singapore, said the new fund would help the agency to measure “meaningful progress” for initiatives where impact can only be seen over a long time, to know a programme is on track.

“It’s important for us to understand early on whether the programme design needs any adjustments, so we can stay responsive and ensure it delivers the best outcomes,” she said.

At Care Corner Singapore, over 100 of its social workers have used Scribe in counselling and casework sessions with clients – who include low-income parents, seniors and couples going through divorce – since January.

This has cut down the time taken for them to prepare case notes from one hour to 30 minutes, said Ms Gina Lin, design lead in Care Corner’s Innovation Squad.

Previously, social workers took notes on paper during the sessions or relied on their memory to put reports together.

“Now that the worker doesn’t have to write notes to remember or just try to recall what the client has said, it has allowed them to be a lot more present and just to focus on the client during the session,” she said.

To support their digitalisation efforts, agencies can also tap NCSS’ Transformation Sustainability Scheme, which provides funding for human resource functions and talent attraction, among other aspects.

To recognise the more than 20,000 professionals in the social service sector, MSF has also designated this SG60 year as the Year of Celebrating Social Service Professionals, said Mr Masagos.

“This year, we have publicised the meaningful work of social service professionals on various channels, to raise awareness of the different roles in the sector and inspire greater appreciation for their many contributions.”

The

inaugural Social Service Professional Awards

would also be presented on July 2 to honour the work of professionals from social work to therapy and corporate services, he said.

Salary ranges for the sector are also constantly reviewed to ensure it continues to draw talent, he said, adding that about 80 per cent of employees in the social service sector are paid according to the guidelines.