Scheme to help vulnerable families meet aspirations to go national

SINGAPORE – An initiative to help vulnerable families develop their talents and aspirations through sponsorships will be expanded nationwide.

Known as Gift-A-Family (GAF), the scheme is intended to help such families move beyond stability to achieving self-reliance and social mobility, Minister-in-charge of Social Services Integration Desmond Lee said on Nov 11.

GAF, which complements the national ComLink+ framework of state support for lower-income families, started as a pilot in Boon Lay in 2022, and has since been extended to Clementi, Jurong East, Bukit Merah, Queenstown and Tampines.

Seven more divisions will come on board in the coming months: Hong Kah North, Marsiling, Nanyang, Nee Soon Link, Paya Lebar, Punggol North and Toa Payoh Central. 

The eventual aim is for GAF to cover eligible ComLink+ and vulnerable families supported by social service offices islandwide by 2028, the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) said in a statement on Nov 12.

The ministry said it will work with the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) and the People’s Association (PA) to expand the GAF programme. 

To support the expansion, Community Chest, the philanthropic arm of NCSS, will provide seed funding of $100,000 for each division each year from 2026 to 2028, totalling $4.2 million.

GAF works by identifying the interests of both children and parents in ComLink+ families, such as in sports, music and vocational training, including attaining a driving licence.

It also provides support in areas such as academic enrichment and therapeutic programmes.

The scheme has to date supported more than 180 lower-income families and individuals.

“These are mostly not needs – these are additional forms of support that will help the family achieve self-reliance and social mobility,” said Lee, who is also Minister for Education. “So it often helps with the studies, helps them with upskilling, and is motivational in nature.”

Under the initiative, social service offices (SSOs) will identify suitable families and individuals who would benefit from sponsorship to pursue their aspirations, including those referred by PA, said MSF. 

Through regular conversations with their ComLink+ family coaches, families identify goals that are important to them, and explore courses and opportunities that can support their progress. 

Support will be tailored to each family’s or individual’s circumstances, strengths and aspirations, MSF said. 

From stability to social mobility

Singapore’s national support schemes and the work of charities and social service agencies help families achieve stability, but GAF is meant to go further, said Lee. 

The initiative aims to connect families to individual donors and mentors, and in doing so, to enhance the outlook of such families and motivate them to achieve breakthroughs, said the minister.

He gave an example of a boy in the scheme’s pilot who had difficulties with school attendance and focus. 

The school’s counsellors found that the child had an interest in music and drumming. GAF matched him with an individual who was also interested in drumming, and who agreed to fund music lessons.

“The two of them still jam together – total strangers from seemingly different worlds in Singapore, but united through this common interest,” said Lee.

He also cited a parent who was funded by GAF to be certified in crawler crane operation, and has secured a job in construction, as well as a student who received mathematics tuition before her O-level examinations, and saw her results improve. 

The ideal outcome is for every ComLink+ family – including the children and some parents – to be paired with another Singaporean through the programme, added Lee, who said there are many successful Singaporeans who want to contribute.

The programme is very labour-intensive because it is about tailored, one-to-one support, Lee added, but this approach was chosen as it is also meant to help families know that other Singaporeans are looking out for them. 

“It is a sense that our ComLink families’ journey of empowerment is not just about the Government or social services playing a part, but that there are other Singaporeans who’ve done well in life who also want to contribute,” he said.

While GAF began in Boon Lay, where Lee is an MP, the goal was always to see if it could be replicated elsewhere, he said.

But progress will not be linear for every family, said Lee. He cited the case of one family where a parent had to be incarcerated, which set back the family’s earlier progress.

“We say ‘Never mind. We may have taken a few steps back – let’s try again’. GAF is there, ComLink+ Progress Package measures are there. The family service centre is there. The family coach is there,” he said.

It will also be another tool for situations where intensive support is needed. He cited another case where a grandmother with no income is taking care of two children, with the parents out of the picture. 

This is where GAF can step in to help. Overall, the aim is for families to lead good, fulfilled lives, Lee said.

“To do that, we must first settle stability issues and then help them to break through. If not for this generation, then the next, the children.” 

The programme is also meant to give families the sense that another person is prepared to invest in them or their children. This is in line with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s call for Singapore to be a “We First” society where people continue to uplift one another, added Lee.

“That signal of Singaporeans empowering other Singaporeans – particularly Singaporeans who have succeeded in life, recognising that they succeeded because of the environment around them, and that they are paying it forward to support others – it’s a very powerful signal,” he said.

MSF said that over time, local councils will be set up in the various divisions to bring together community networks such as business owners, community groups and residents to raise funds and mobilise resources for GAF. 

Wendell Wong, who chairs the GAF council for Boon Lay, said the programme should add “firepower” to Singapore’s ecosystem of social support and help fill gaps on the ground.

It is meant to be a catalyst to help uplift families and spur them “to dare to dream beyond their circumstances”, added Wong, who is a director at law firm Drew & Napier.

Organisations and individuals who wish to support GAF can donate through the Community Chest, and residents in the participating divisions can approach their SSOs to find out more, the ministry added.