Report outlines efforts to support young families and couples in S’pore planning for parenthood

SINGAPORE - Ms Yan Yue Mei used to fret over her daughter’s picky eating habits as the four-year-old was smaller than her peers.

The first-time mother turned to community nurses at Family Nexus at Our Tampines Hub (FamNex@OTH) who suggested using food colouring to make the food more attractive and letting the little girl help with food preparation, like helping to wash the fruits.

Ms Yan, 35, who works in the healthcare sector, is among 204 residents the centre has helped since November 2022. It was officially launched on June 14.

The centre was one of the initiatives highlighted in a report by an inter-agency task force on plans to support couples and families as they prepare for parenthood and to raise children.

The publication released on June 14 looks at the state of child and maternal health in Singapore, and some spots of concern such as complications from having children at a later age.

The

Child and Maternal Health and Well-being (CAMH) Taskforce,

led by Minister for Social and Family Development and Second Minister for Health Masagos Zulkifli, comprises policymakers and practitioners from across the health, social and education sectors. 

Its report, which is available on the Ministry of Health’s website, highlights ongoing and future initiatives to support couples preparing for parenthood, help families have healthier lifestyles, and provide more coordinated support for families as a unit.

Its nine recommendations have resulted in nearly 50 initiatives.

“To date, we have implemented more than half of the 48 initiatives and are seeing early positive outcomes,” said Mr Masagos on June 14 at SingHealth’s launch of FamNex@OTH.

Among them, families are treated as a unit when designing care services, he said. “Rather than receiving discrete services at different touchpoints, we are integrating support.”

For example, both mothers and children can access healthcare services in the same visit to the polyclinic, he said.

“While the child is scheduled for his routine vaccinations, the mum, too, can receive lactation support services and be screened for post-natal depression, to ensure that both mum and child are well,” he added.

This service is now available in 19 polyclinics across Singapore, ahead of the initial target of 14 polyclinics by 2025.

“With Family Nexus, families can visit the same location for a range of health, marriage and parenting services, even if they are offered by different partners, close to their home,” said Mr Masagos.

Since November 2022, families with young children and couples have been able to access health and social services at FamNex@OTH, as part of efforts to make such offerings more accessible and convenient.

At the site, community nurses provide services ranging from family planning and coaching young mothers on their child’s health to post-natal recovery.

To support parents and caregivers in raising children in the early years, guidelines have been launched across six areas such as eating, exercising and the use of screens, Mr Masagos added.

“While the areas can seem ordinary... what a child observes and practises from zero to six years old in her home and school environment has a profound impact on the child’s well-being and health for the rest of her life,” he said.

State of health

The

report

also looks at how Singapore fares in terms of child and maternal health compared with other countries.

Despite having one of the lowest infant and maternal mortality rates globally, the report cited statistics that first-time mothers in Singapore are getting older, increasing the risk of pregnancy-related complications.

In addition, in 2020, about one in 10 babies was born here with a low birth weight, which is linked to higher risks of physical and mental issues later in life.

Another area of concern is childhood obesity, which peaked at 16 per cent in 2021 due to the impact of Covid-19 reducing opportunities for physical activities. This has since decreased to 13 per cent in 2023.

Childhood obesity is linked to chronic illnesses later in life, the report noted, and there are ongoing efforts to improve family nutrition and encourage physical activity.

More integrated support

The newly renovated Family Nexus at Our Tampines Hub has community nurses who provide subsidised healthcare services for women and children below six, alongside a suite of programmes for couples and families.

The centre moved into its own physical space in April. It previously shared a space with other community service centres, and nurses did home visits.

After getting help from FamNex@OTH, Ms Yan intends to sign up for more programmes there because of the convenience. She lives one train stop away and often goes to Our Tampines Hub with her daughter to visit the library or to eat.

Currently, there are three other Family Nexus centres.

They are at Punggol Polyclinic, Choa Chu Kang Polyclinic/Keat Hong Community Centre, and Sembawang Polyclinic@Bukit Canberra.

FamNex@OTH is the only centre situated within a community space and not in a polyclinic.

More resources and mental support

From mid-2024, couples can expect more programmes within community spaces to help them cope with pregnancy as they prepare for parenthood.

To further support them, online platform

Parent Hub,

a one-stop resource portal, was launched in October 2021 by the Health Promotion Board to provide information on parenting.

Parents can access different resources on the portal, depending on the age of their child, from pregnancy to caring for a newborn and raising a teenager.

Ms Ella Badis, who has two sons, aged three and seven, looked for resources on Parent Hub that helped her soothe her older son when he faced issues sleeping.

When he was four years old, he would delay bedtime and wake up in the middle of the night due to nightmares.

She and her son also watched videos on Parent Hub starring a superhero character who highlights the importance of sleep.

“It’s very visual, so it resonated with my son since it’s a superhero character, and he was saying how we need to sleep so we can be strong,” said the 34-year-old senior clients solutions manager.

A huge draw for Ms Badis is how Parent Hub’s resources are catered for locals, especially with regard to advice on healthy food recipes, since Asian food is different from Western food. She also feels more assured by advice shared by local doctors.

She often refers to “My Healthy Plate”, a visual guide on how much of each type of food to eat.

The report also highlights ongoing efforts to provide more emotional support throughout pregnancy and parenthood.

Under National University Hospital’s (NUH) Women’s Emotional Health Service, care for mothers has been extended to six years, up from the previous period of one year.

They are screened for depression and severe anxiety during pregnancy to provide early intervention.

The programme now includes spouses, parents or parents-to-be who are at risk of anxiety and depressive symptoms.

Caring for children and families

Here is a list of initiatives in a report by the Child and Maternal Health and Well-being Taskforce to keep children and mothers healthy and well, and to support families. 

Preparing for parenthood 

Adopting healthy lifestyles

Providing services for families as a unit