SINGAPORE - Social workers and disadvantaged families can now relieve their stress by attending retreats at a new wellness centre in Siglap.

The Kampung Siglap Lifeskills Training and Retreat Centre, run by New Hope Community Services, offers space for social service workers to attend a well-being retreat to get away from the stress of work.

At the retreat, called Tenang (“calm” in Malay), social workers take part in activities such as sports, arts and crafts, and talks on mental wellness and how to recognise burnout.

The centre also serves as a community space for them to build stronger relationships with one another and collaborate within the social service sector.

Meanwhile, at retreats for beneficiary families of social service agencies, they will learn life skills, create stronger family bonds and connect with other participating families.

Kampung Siglap director Willy Ong said: “One of the key aims is to provide respite because life is overwhelming. Many of them (social workers), for example, were front-liners during the Covid-19 pandemic, or on shift work, and it’s hard to spend time with their family members.”

He added: “It may also be hard to get beneficiaries to come for life skill training programmes. But in an overnight retreat setting, where they can get respite and enjoy family time together, we can integrate the learning with these.”

Minister for Law and Home Affairs K. Shanmugam, who was the guest of honour at the centre’s opening, said that after dealing with the pandemic, social services such as those that New Hope Community Services offers are valuable.

The organisation had beefed up staff strength three times in the past few years.

“One can see the value that the community places on such services, and the commitment of its volunteers to rise up and respond to the needs of the community,” said Mr Shanmugam.

He said the vulnerable population, in particular, the lower-income and disadvantaged families, requires more support. The centre offers a very important service.

“The good thing about it is I have no doubt it will succeed, and it will offer valuable lessons for others to follow in the footsteps. The seed that is planted, the work that is done, the value is that it will be replicated elsewhere,” he added.

Kampung Siglap is one of the best examples of an old building being put to good use, Mr Shanmugam added. The premises were previously occupied by Siglap Primary School.

New Hope said on Friday that the pandemic has worsened social inequality and exhaustion among the disadvantaged in Singapore, and due to their rapidly increasing needs, social service professionals have been providing extended hours of care.

It said: “This, in turn, has led to a growing threat of burnout in the sector.”

New Hope soft-launched the centre in 2020 to address the issue, but its plans for the centre were affected by Singapore’s Covid-19 lockdown.

Kampung Siglap’s activities were ramped up in 2022, and it now serves 1,000 beneficiaries. This year, the centre hopes to triple its reach to 3,000.

Since the retreat for social workers was launched in August 2022, close to 20 workers attend the programme every month.

Pastor Andrew Khoo, founder of New Hope Community Services, said: “For our clients coming to Kampung Siglap, it might be their first experience of such a getaway to de-stress. We hope they can make many happy memories with their loved ones and friends, and gain a new perspective on life.”