Introduction – The ComCare Fund

ComCare was launched by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on 28 June 2005. The Community Care Endowment Fund (‘ComCare Fund’)¹ started out with a principal sum of $500 million and will eventually be topped up to $1 billion. Another $100 million will be added to the ComCare Fund for this financial year. The fund is intended to:

1    help low-income Singaporeans and their families tide over difficult times and work towards self-reliance;

2    help with the developmental needs of children from needy families, so that the next generation can break out of the poverty cycle;

3    help those who require long-term assistance (for example because they are not capable of work, for medical reasons) to integrate into society; and

4    enhance the community’s ability to help itself.

The ComCare Fund is administered by the government, and supports different social and work assistance programmes. The programmes under the ComCare Fund are administered by the five Community Development Councils (‘CDC’s),² with the help of grassroot organisations and voluntary welfare organisations (‘VWO’s).

The Three ComCare Pillars

There are three key components or ‘pillars’ to the ComCare Fund – ComCare Grow, ComCare Self-Reliance, and ComCare EnAble:

1    ComCare Grow programmes focus on the developmental needs of children from needy families, to help them break out of the poverty cycle;

2    ComCare Self-Reliance programmes focus on helping the needy achieve self-reliance; and

3    ComCare EnAble programmes focus on helping the needy who require long-term assistance, such as the elderly and people with disabilities, to integrate into the community.

Principles of ComCare

ComCare operates on the following principles:

1    Any assistance should aim to build self-reliance in the beneficiary. The emphasis is on mutual obligation, and not entitlement. Individuals seeking help should also be prepared to help themselves.

2    The family should remain as the first line of support – individuals seeking help should first rely on family support.

3    The ‘Many Helping Hands’ approach – community groups and organisations such as the CDCs, grassroots organisations, VWOs and self-help groups³ will play, and be encouraged to play, an active and frontline role in helping

the needy.

Nationwide Schemes under ComCare

The nationwide schemes presently under ComCare are as follows:

Kindergarten Financial Assistance Scheme     Work Support Programme                     Public Assistance/Special Grant

Centre-based Financial Assistance Scheme   ComCare Enterprise Fund                     Assistive Technology Fund

   for Childcare                                                         

Student Care Fee Assistance Scheme

Healthy Start Programme

Note: The schemes listed above do not include schemes by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (‘MCYS’), which are outside the ComCare umbrella, such as the Home Ownership Plus Education scheme,⁴ CDC local schemes,⁵ as well as schemes by other Ministries.

See the Annex for details on the nationwide schemes listed above, and also the HOPE scheme.

CCC ComCare Fund

For the financial year 2005, $4 million 
was set aside for the 84 Citizens Consultative Committees (‘CCC’s) to help them set up their CCC ComCare Funds. The CCCs use this money to help needy residents in different ways depending on the needs of their residents. Needy residents can approach their CCCs for assistance from the CCC ComCare Fund. The Fund was created in recognition of the important role that community organisations and grassroots leaders have in helping their needy residents.

ComCare Information and Resources

If your client needs help, you can advise him to approach his Community Development Council (‘CDC’),⁶ his Citizens’ Consultative Committee (‘CCC’) or a Family Service Centre (‘FSC’)⁷ near him. The officer there will assess his case, and provide him or refer him to the necessary help from the available ComCare programmes.

For more information on ComCare, please log onto the ComCare website at: http://app.mcys.gov.sg/web/serv_grant_english.asp. To make enquires on ComCare, please call 1-800-COMCARE (1-800-2662273) or e-mail comcare@mcys.gov.sg.

Want to Start a Programme or Social Enterprise to Help the Needy?

The ComCare Social Support Projects Fund

Ten million dollars have been set aside to fund pilot programmes under the ComCare Social Support Projects Fund. Grassroots Organisations (‘GRO’s), VWOs and other non-profit community organisations can propose new pilot programmes (ie programmes which fill a present service gap) to benefit the needy. ComCare will help provide the initial funding for these pilot programmes. Funding of up to 50 per cent of the total cost of the project for up to a maximum of three years may 
be provided.

Applications may be made through the CDCs, CCCs, or the National Council of Social Service which will conduct an initial assessment of the applications and give feedback on whether they are considered worthy of ComCare funding. The applications then have to be 
approved by the ComCare Supervisory Committee. Examples of pilot projects are: the Kids United programme by Beyond Social Services, which is a programme to keep low-income at-risk children off the streets through the provision of alternative supervision and care for these children after school; and the FM Loan project by SADeaf, which provides loans of FM sets to needy hearing-impaired pre-schoolers as well as other children while their own sets are under servicing or repair, or during the interim period pending the outcome of their applications for grants under the Assistive Technology Fund⁸ to purchase such sets.

More information on the ComCare Social Support Projects Fund and the application form may be obtained from the ComCare website at: http://app.mcys.gov.sg/web/serv_grant_english.asp#3, or by e-mailing comcare@mcys.gov.sg.

ComCare Enterprise Fund

The ComCare Enterprise Fund is a $3 million fund which has been set aside to provide seed money to start social enterprises to help the needy.

A social enterprise is a sustainable business with a social mission – for example, a business which employs persons from disadvantaged groups such as ex-convicts and people with disabilities; or a business which ploughs its profits back into a parent charity. Funding of up to 80 per cent of the capital costs and the first-year operating costs of the social enterprise may be provided, up to a limit of $300,000.

Applications for funding may be made to MCYS. All applications are evaluated by the ComCare Enterprise Fund Panel which consists of representatives from the public, non-profit and commercial sectors. Examples of social enterprises funded under the ComCare Enterprise Fund include Dignity Links Café, which employs persons with psychiatric disabilities, and Ikhlas Holdings Pte Ltd, a catering service which employs ex-drug addicts and ex-convicts.

More information on the ComCare Enterprise Fund can be found in the website www.se2.org, or by e-mailing: comcare@mcys.gov.sg. The application form may also be obtained from the website.

How Lawyers Can Help VWOs and Social Enterprises

Many lawyers currently do pro bono work in legal clinics and under the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme, advising and helping individuals. Organisations such as VWOs and social enterprises would also find it useful to have lawyers help out in various ways, including but not limited to the following:

1    Reviewing contracts with vendors/clients.

2    Checking the organisation’s
compliance with various pieces of legislation.

3    Interpreting an organisation’s own constitution, and checking if there has been compliance by the organisation.

4    Checking documents made available to the public or intended for public consumption (eg media releases, advertisements) for legal issues.

Law firms which would like to volunteer as a law practice helping VWOs and social enterprises may contact the Law Society at projectlawhelp@lawsoc.org.sg, or call the Law Society’s Director of Community Relations at 6532 3105.

Lim Hui Min⁹

Deputy Director

Social Support Division 1

Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports

E-mail: lim_hui_min@mcys.gov.sg

Notes:

1    The Community Care Endowment Fund Act (Act 33 of 2005) was gazetted on 24 October 2005.

2    Namely, Central Singapore CDC, Northeast CDC, Northwest CDC, Southeast CDC and Southwest CDC.

3    ie Chinese Development Assistance Council, Singapore Indian Development Association, Mendaki, and Eurasian Association.

4    HOPE is a targeted incentive scheme to help young low-income families keep their families small so they can concentrate their resources on their children and help them to break out of the poverty cycle.

5    Apart from the nationwide schemes, each CDC has its own local schemes to meet the needs of their respective local communities. For more information on CDC local schemes, log onto the respective websites of each CDC: www.centralsingapore.org.sg; www.northeast.org.sg; www.northwestcdc.org.sg; www.southeastcdc.org.sg; and www.southwestcdc.org.sg.

6    To ascertain the client’s CDC, he can log onto www.cdc.org.sg. The website has a function where he can enter his postal code to ascertain which CDC he belongs to.

7    The client can call 1800-8380100 to find out the nearest FSC from his home.

8    See the Annex for more details on the Assistive Technology Fund.

9    The author is grateful to Denise Low (Deputy Director, Social Support Division 1, MCYS) and Cecilia Lim (Assistant Director, Social Support Division 1, MCYS) for their comments on 
this article.

    Annex: Details on Nationwide Schemes

   ComCare Grow

Scheme

Kindergarten Financial Assistance Scheme (‘KiFAS’)

What it is for

KiFAS helps those who want to place their children in a kindergarten, but cannot afford the fees. It is available at eligible non-profit kindergartens. Parents who qualify for the scheme will receive a fee subsidy every month.

What it provides

KiFAS subsidises 75 per cent of the child’s monthly kindergarten fees, up to $65 per month (or a maximum of $780 yearly), whichever is lower.

Provides a Start-up Grant, capped at $200 per child per year. This is to help parents pay for kindergarten registration, to purchase uniforms, and pay the deposit, supplementary and other fees.

For example:

1    If the child’s fee is $40 per month, the KiFAS subsidy is $30 (equal to 75 per cent of $40), and parents pay the remaining $10.

2    If the child’s fee is $100 per month, the maximum subsidy is $65 every month. Parents need to pay the remaining $35.

Who can apply

The child must:

1    be a Singapore citizen or permanent resident of Singapore (‘PR’). If the child is a PR, then at least one immediate family member of the child must be a Singapore citizen;

2    attend a K1 or K2 programme (at least three hours long) in an eligible non-profit kindergarten; and

3    belong to a family whose monthly household income is $1,500 or below.

Where to apply

Check if KiFAS is available at the child’s kindergarten. If it is, it may be applied for at the kindergarten.

 Scheme

Centre-based Financial Assistance Scheme for Childcare (‘CFAC’)

What it is for

CFAC helps those who need to put their children in a childcare centre because they have to work, but have difficulties paying the fees.

What it provides

CFAC subsidises the child’s childcare fee, up to a maximum amount, in accordance with the income of the parents, the child’s birth order, and the actual fee of the childcare centre.

For a family with two children, the maximum subsidy¹ provided per child is: $300 if the family earns $500 or less; $250 if the family earns $1,000 or less but above $500; and $200 if the family earns $1,500 or less but above $1,000.

A one-off assistance grant (Start-Up Grant) to meet the start-up costs of placing the child in a childcare centre may also be provided. The maximum amount is $100 per child.

Who can apply

The child must be:

1    a Singapore citizen or permanent resident of Singapore (‘PR’). If the child is a PR, then at least one immediate family member of the child must be a Singapore citizen;

2    below seven years of age and attending a licensed child care centre;

3    of the first, second, third or fourth birth order; and

4    belong to a family whose monthly household income is $1,500 or below, and where the mother is working.

Where to apply

Check if CFAC is available at the child’s childcare centre. If it is, CFAC may be applied for at the child’s childcare centre.

Scheme

Student Care Fee Assistance (‘SCFA’)

What it is for

Student Care Centres (‘SCC’s) provide before- and after-school care for children aged seven to 14. SCFA helps those who need to put their child in a student care centre but cannot afford the fees. SCFA is also available to children with disabilities in Special Student Care Centres. For more information on this service, please refer to www.disability.org.sg.

What it provides

SCFA subsidises the child’s Student Care Centre fees. The amount of subsidy will depend on the type of Student Care Centre (eg school-based or non-school-based centre) the child attends and the family’s household income.

Who can apply

The child must be:

1    a Singapore citizen or permanent resident of Singapore (‘PR’). If the child is a PR, then at least one immediate family member of the child must be a Singapore citizen;

2    between seven and 14 years of age and attending a MOE-registered school;

3    have a mother/single father working full-time or part-time regularly; and

4    belong to a family whose monthly household income is $2,500 or below.

Where to apply

Check if SCFA is available at the child’s Student Care Centre. If it is, SCFA may be applied for at the Student Care Centre.

  Scheme

Healthy Start Programme (‘HSP’)

What it is for

HSP helps low-income families with newborn babies or children aged six years old and below to enhance their parenting skills and parent-child interactions. The aim of the programme is to strengthen the family as a unit and provide opportunities for their children to receive early childhood education/development programmes.

What it provides

Families will be provided with the following:

1    Parenting Programme – Parenting skills to promote parent-child bonding.

2    Family Development – Counselling and family support.

3    Subsidies for Pre-school Education – Assistance to pay for the kindergarten and childcare fees of their children.

Who can apply

1    Families with newborn babies or children aged six years old and below who have little or no family or social support, and whose pre-school-going children are not receiving pre-school education;

2    The child must be a Singapore citizen or permanent resident of Singapore (‘PR’). If the child is a PR, then at least one member of the immediate family should be a Singapore citizen;

3    The family’s monthly household income is $1,500 or below; and

4    The family must meet the assessment criteria of HSP agencies based on an assessment checklist.

Where to apply

HSP may be applied for at the following Family Service Centres (‘FSC’s):

The Ang Mo Kio FSC, Beyond Social Services, Care Corner FSC (Woodlands), Fei Yue FSC (Bukit Batok), Tanjong Pagar FSC, and TRANS Centre (Bedok).

(For contact details of the FSCs, log onto www.mcys.gov.sg)

ComCare Self-Reliance

Scheme

Work Support Programme

What it is for

Helps needy families find employment and achieve self-reliance.

Where to apply

At the CDC serving the applicant’s district.

The CDC will assess the application to determine if the applicant qualifies for the scheme.

Scheme

Work Support (Employment)²

What it is for

Helps households with no working members find employment.

What it provides

Assistance is given based on the needs of the household. For successful applicants, the assistance provided may include a combination of the following:

1    Job placement services.

2    Case management services.

3    A monthly allowance of up to $400.

4    Education assistance for the children.

5    A grant to help with payment of utilities and service and conservancy charges.

Who can apply

1    The applicant must be a Singapore citizen or permanent resident of Singapore (‘PR’). If the applicant is a PR, then at least one of the immediate household members must be a Singapore citizen.

2    There are no working members of the household.

3    Applicant is unemployed and medically fit for work.

4    Low income.

Where to apply

See above.

 Scheme

Work Support

(Self-Reliance)³

What it is for

Helps households with at least one working member but which are still struggling to make ends meet achieve self-reliance.

What it provides

Depending on the needs of the household, one or more of the following types of assistance may be provided:

1    Rental, utilities and service and conservancy vouchers.

2    Monthly cash grants to meet basic needs.

3    Children’s educational assistance.

4    Medical assistance.

5    Enhanced case management directed towards self-reliance.

6    Training grant of $2,000 per household per year, for approved programmes.

Who can apply

1    The applicant must be a Singapore citizen or permanent resident of Singapore (‘PR’). If the applicant is a PR, then at least one of the immediate household members must be a Singapore citizen.

2    Low income.

3    The household has no family support.

4    The household satisfies needs test (eg arrears, no significant assets, income < reasonable expenditure).

Where to apply

See above.

Scheme

ComCare Enterprise Fund

What it is for

Provides seed funding to start sustainable business enterprises which are focused on helping needy Singaporeans.

(*See the main article under ‘ComCare Enterprise Fund’ for more details.)

ComCare EnAble

Scheme

Public Assistance Scheme (‘PA’)/Special Grant

What it is for

PA assists those who are unable to work owing to old age, illness or disability, and have no means of subsistence and no one to depend on.

Special Grant is a similar scheme to PA, but for permanent residents of Singapore (‘PR’s).

What it provides

PA recipients may get:

1    Cash Grants – Monthly cash grants to help with basic living expenses.

2    Medical Aid – 
Free treatment at polyclinics and government/restructured hospitals.

3    Education Grants – 
Education grants to help with the children’s schooling expenses.⁴

Who can apply

Singapore citizens who:

1    are unable to work owing to old age, illness or unfavourable family circumstances; and

2    have no means of subsistence and no family members to depend on.

PRs who fulfill the above conditions may apply for help under the Special Grant scheme.

Where to apply

At the CDC serving the applicant’s district.

The CDC will assess the application to determine if the applicant qualifies for the scheme.

Scheme

The Assistive Technology Fund (‘ATF’)

What it is for

ATF provides persons with disabilities with financial assistance in purchasing assistive technology (AT) devices, to pursue mainstream education or gain open employment.

AT can help to maintain or improve the functional capabilities of persons with disabilities. Examples of AT include hearing aids, computer-related devices, and synthesizer software.

The AT Fund does not support AT needed for daily living, which are not directly related to studying or for use in the workplace. These include daily living aids, mobility and transportation aids, recreation and leisure aids, as well as home adaptation devices.

What it provides

Applicants who qualify can receive a subsidy of a maximum of 90 per cent of the cost of the device or $10,000, whicheverApplicants who qualify can receive a subsidy of a maximum of 90 per cent of the cost of the device or $10,000, whichever is lower. The amount of subsidy will be determined based on the applicant’s household income.

Who can apply

1    The applicant must be a Singapore citizen or permanent resident of Singapore (‘PR’). If the applicant is a PR, then at least1           Pre-school children 
(ie those in a registered kindergarten, early intervention centre, or childcare centre).

2    Students in mainstream education courses (eg PSLE, ‘O’, ‘A’ level, ITE, diploma, degree).

3    Persons offered or working in an open market job.

4    Students or adults with disabilities in other educational institutions (eg special schools and private institutions) who have a good prognosis of pursuing mainstream education or employment – these will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

All applicants should be a Singapore citizen or a permanent resident of Singapore, with a per capita gross monthly household income of $1,000 or below.⁵ If the applicant is a PR, at least one immediate family member of the applicants must be a Singapore citizen.

Where to apply

Applications requesting 
for devices above $500 must be accompanied by an assessment report and recommendations from a specialised AT Centre. Application forms can be obtained from:

ATF Secretariat National Council of Social Service Ulu Pandan Community Building 170, Ghim Moh Road, #01-02, Singapore 279621

(Tel: 6210 2542) The application procedure differs for assistive devices which are below $500 and for those which are above $500. See the NCSS website for more details on ATF.⁶

Scheme outside ComCare umbrella: Home Ownership Plus Education Scheme

What it is for

HOPE is a targeted incentive scheme to help young low-income families keep their families small so they can concentrate their resources on their children and help them to break out of the poverty cycle.

What it provides

1    Educational bursaries for the children from pre-school up to university-level education.⁷

2    A housing grant of $50,000 to help the family pay for the home mortgage. The grant will be disbursed in annual installments of $2,500 into the mother’s CPF account.

3    A training grant of up to $10,000 per family to enable the parents to attend skills training. This grant will be divided equally between the parents in order to encourage the mother to acquire new skills and enhance her employability.

4    A one-off cash grant of $1,000 to help the family offset utilities bills upon joining the scheme.

5    Mentoring support from a social service agency to guide the family and help them resolve any problems.

6    Cash grant of $6,000–$9,000 for family planning.

Who can apply

1    Married couples with one or two children.

2   Either the husband or wife must be a Singapore citizen, and the spouse must either be a citizen or a permanent resident of Singapore.

3    Both husband and wife do not have post-secondary educational qualifications; OR for those with post-secondary qualifications:

a    wife is aged 30–35 years; and

b    neither spouse earns more than $1,000 a month.

4    household income must be $1,500 or lower per month.

5    Husband is employed.

Where to apply

At the CDC serving the applicant’s district.

The CDC will assess the application to determine if the applicant qualifies for the scheme.

Notes

1    This subsidy is given in addition to the government childcare subsidy of $150 a month.

2    Those placed on this programme are required to participate actively in their own job search, attend all scheduled job interviews, accept any reasonable job offer, and comply with the action plan mapped out by their case manager. If they do not do so, they may be terminated from the programme. Assistance will be provided for three months in the first instance, and any extension is conditional on whether beneficiaries have fulfilled their obligations to seek and undertake employment.

3    Those placed on this programme may be required to attend counselling and casework sessions with a social service agency arranged by the CDC. In addition, they must comply with the action plan mapped out together with their case manager. If not, they may be terminated from the programme.

4    The school-going children will be referred to the Ministry of Education (‘MOE’) for assistance under the MOE Financial Assistance Scheme.

5    [Per capita gross monthly household income] = [Total monthly gross household income] ÷ [No of persons in the household]

6    http://www.ncss.org.sg/ncss/social_services/atf.html.

7    The annual bursaries for the various educational levels are as follows:

• Pre-school: $250 per annum                                               • Primary: $400 per annum  

• Secondary: $800 per annum                                                • Junior college/polytechnic/ITE: $1,200 per annum

• University: $2,000 per annum                                              • Special education: $600 per annum