SINGAPORE - Families and those looking to start a family here can look forward to more help in the form of parent support groups, as well as marriage programmes and counselling, as part of a national plan to assist them through challenging times.

Launched on Tuesday, A Singapore Made For Families 2025 will also help improve access to adoption-related matters through an upcoming portal in 2025, and support ageing families through a new grandparenting programme and mediation support.

Support for divorced families will also be ramped up, with the upcoming expansion of child support programmes and a Mandatory Co-Parenting Programme for all divorcing couples with underage children.

The national plan was launched by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, who said it reflects a whole-of-society effort.

Mr Heng said the plan will strengthen families by focusing on three areas: culture, empowerment and upliftment.

He added that nurturing a culture that celebrates and supports families is important, and employers can play a big role in this area.

Speaking at the Consortium of Institutes on Family in the Asian Region (CIFA) Regional Symposium and Ministry of Social and Family Development’s (MSF) Asian Family Conference 2022 at the Hilton Singapore Orchard, Mr Heng said: “Creating a supportive and flexible environment for their workers to achieve work-life harmony is not just pro-family, it is also pro-business. Workers who are able to balance their work and family are able to better contribute at work.”

Family members can also make a difference by setting aside time to listen to one another or committing to family meal times.

Mr Heng called on fathers to step up too, noting that fathers today are more involved in their children’s lives compared with previous generations.

“I was very busy when my children were growing up, and it was difficult to balance work and family. But I am glad I set aside protected time for them,” said Mr Heng, who has one son and one daughter.

“But, with norms and cultures shifting, it is heartening to see fathers today spending more quality time with their children, helping out in the house and enjoying the journey of parenting.”

He said empowerment is important as well, and while there is strong support in place for young couples and families, ageing families must also be empowered as society ages.

Mr Heng said counselling and mediation support services at FAM@Family Service Centres will be expanded to ageing families from 2023, to help them cope with the potential stresses of ageing on marriages or family relationships.

Broadened support will be provided for families with different needs, such as lower-income families, single parents and families with those with disabilities.

“For such families, we will provide more upstream and integrated support to address their challenges and unique circumstances,” said Mr Heng.

The three-day conference, which started on Tuesday, was also attended by Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli, Minister of State for Social and Family Development and Home Affairs Sun Xueling, as well as ministers and speakers from Brunei, Cambodia and Indonesia.

The new national plan for families, in line with MSF’s Year of Celebrating SG Families, includes a new solemnisation site at the Family Zone@Gardens by the Bay from Nov 26 and a redeveloped Registries of Civil and Muslim Marriages building by 2030.

Those starting and raising families will also benefit from new parent support groups, and marriage and parenting programmes in neighbourhoods led by Families for Life.

A child-minding service by charity Daughters of Tomorrow has also been piloted in Punggol and Bedok for working parents who require caregiving services after the operating hours of childcare centres.

Mr Heng said families are at the heart of the social compact in Singapore, as well as the bedrock of societies around the world, and they must be empowered for society to remain cohesive and strong.

“They are our first line of care and support when we face challenges. It is also the family with whom we share our joys.

“The family is the basic building block of society,” he said.

“But the bonds that are formed extend beyond our immediate family to the concentric circles of relationships – the extended family, circle of friends, neighbours, acquaintances, the local community and, beyond that, the broader community.”

Mr Heng added: “By strengthening these concentric circles of relationships and care, we can build strong and cohesive communities in our society and around the world.”

A memorandum of understanding was also signed at the conference between MSF and its Indonesian counterpart, the Ministry of Women Empowerment and Child Protection of the Republic of Indonesia.

It will focus on women empowerment, child protection and family development, and will see the two ministries share best practices, conduct work attachments, and participate in training programmes conducted by both.