NUS SSR-TOUCH Conference 2025

Sustained Well-Being in Future-Ready Communities, is a conference jointly organised by Social Service Research Centre (SSR) of National University of Singapore and TOUCH Community Services. This is also in conjunction with SSR’s 10th anniversary.

The Conference values the importance of empowering communities with resources and skills to overcome stressors, achieve and maintain positive well-being outcomes over the life course (see Figure 1) and be better positioned for the future. It aims to advance conversations among participants and strengthen sectoral capabilities in social research, evidence-practice translation, sustainable collaborations, and impact measurement – all of which are critical levers of change.

Anchored on the importance of empowering communities with resources and skills to overcome stressors and be better positioned for the future, the conference will focus on four themes:

• Building Strong Communities of the Future
  Social initiatives that involve and empower the community can achieve and sustain positive outcomes, including holistic well-being and health over the life course. Recent trends, enablers, and challenges to strengthening communities’ resilience and readiness for the future will be explored. 
• Evidence-Informed Practice for Effective Change
  We have made remarkable progress in establishing a research culture and using evidence to inform practice, including the design and development of social services. Key milestones and possibilities for collective growth will be discussed. 
• Technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Social Service Planning and Delivery
  Technology, including artificial intelligence, can be a double-edged sword. How may we harness the power of technology effectively while keeping the human element, including socio-culturally attuned practices and connections, at the core of social services?
• Collaborative Efforts for Sustainable Change
  Collaborations are key to driving and sustaining changes for social impact. How may we build and strengthen care ecosystems where stakeholders are interdependent and collectively advance the frontiers of care and well-being? Critical success factors such as strategy, leadership, culture, and processes will be examined.