Working with Low-income Families in Singapore

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Date: 21 April 2016, Thursday
Time: 9.30am to 5.15pm
Venue: Kent Ridge Guild House, NUSS, 9 Kent Ridge Drive, Singapore 119241
Room: Guild Hall

The 2016 conference aims to showcase local research that provides understanding of how disadvantaged families in Singapore can be better served. The specific conference goals include:

(i) Showcasing local research related to low-income families, thus providing participants with an understanding of low-income families and effectiveness of interventions with them;

(ii) Enabling the cross fertilization of ideas to improve policy and services for low-income families by bringing together academics, professionals and policy makers; and

(iii) Crafting strategic research partnerships centered on low-income issues.

Time	Program
9:30am	Registration and Breakfast
10:00am	Arrival of Guest-of-Honour and Advisor to SSR Mr Goh Chok Tong Emeritus Senior Minister
10:05am	Welcome Remarks A/P S Vasoo Associate Professorial Fellow, Department of Social Work; Chair of Advisory Board, SSR; National University of Singapore
10:10am	Keynote Address by Guest-of-Honour
10:30am	Session 1: Assets and Low-income Families Health Matters: The Economic and Psychological Impact of Poor Health on the Working Poor A/P Irene Y.H. Ng Associate Professor, Department of Social Work; Director, SSR, National University of Singapore Public Rental Housing in Singapore: Professional Perceptions and Policy Implications Dr Ng Kok Hoe Assistant Professor, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore Dr Neo Yu Wei Senior Lecturer, UniSIM College, SIM University Unpacking Debts and their Effects on Low-income Households Dr Ong Qiyan Research Fellow, SSR, National University of Singapore Dr Walter Theseira Senior Lecturer, UniSIM College, SIM University
11:30am	Lunch
12:45pm	Session 2: Working Cross-culturally Minority Report: Malays Reaching Malays Ms Nur Hilyah Bte Saparin Deputy Director, Clinical, AMKFSC Community Services Watch the (Care) Gap: Class Differentials in the Struggle for Work-life Balance A/P Teo You Yenn Associate Professor, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University Transnational Families: An Environmental Scan Ms Alyssa Rose Fernandez Researcher, Feiyue Community Services
1:45pm	Session 3: Interventions Across Life Stages Data Profiling, A Learning Journey Ms Prema Mohan Principal Social Worker, Thye Hua Kwan, Family Service Centres Mr Leo Lee Assistant Senior Social Worker, Thye Hua Kwan, Family Service Centres HEALTH Planning – A Holistic Model in Understanding Elderly Population Ms Cheong Ee May Deidre Principal Medical Social Worker, Medical Social Services, Jurong Health Services CSC Time Use Survey: Selected Preliminary Findings Mr Lim Wen Hui Leon Lead Researcher, Institute of Governance & Policy, Civil Service College
2:45pm	Tea Break
3:15pm	Panel Discussion with Sector Leaders: Working Together Holistically to Uplift Low-Income Families in our City State: Hierarchy or Pluralism? Chair Professor Paul Cheung Professor, Department of Social Work; Chair of Steering Committee, SSR; National University of Singapore Panel Members Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng Mayor, Central Singapore District A/P Ho Kong Chong Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, National University of Singapore Ms Lee Yean Wun Principal Social Worker, Kampong Kapor Family Service Centre
4:15pm	Mini Research Clinic Facilitator A/P Irene Y.H. Ng Associate Professor, Department of Social Work; Director SSR, National University of Singapore
5:00pm	Closing Remarks Professor Paul Cheung Professor, Department of Social Work; Chair of Steering Committee, SSR; National University of Singapore
5:15pm	End

2016-Post Conference

2016 SSR Conference Proceedings

Click below to download the PDF of the conference proceedings.

Hard copy of the conference proceedings will be available for purchase from our office or at SSR events at $10 from Jan 2017

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"The SSR conference is now shaping up to be the annual platform for researchers and practitioners to discuss social issues properly and we’re so pleased to be a part of it"

"My colleagues and I truly benefited from the conference, and personally brought back a lot of insights that I’m continuing to reflect over. I really believe that conferences like this would help encourage more practitioners to embark on research and contribute to the dialogue for the benefit of our clients"

HIGHLIGHTS

The plight of low-income families in Singapore and how policies and services could be relooked to help this vulnerable group were surfaced at a conference titled “Working with Low-Income Families in Singapore: Challenges and Innovations” organised by the Social Service Research Centre (SSR) at NUS Arts and Social Sciences on 21 April. SSR Advisor Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, who launched the Centre dedicated to local social intervention research last April, graced the event as Guest-of-Honour. In his keynote address, Mr Goh highlighted the valuable role of research in strengthening evidence-based policies and professional practice in working with vulnerable families, as well as deepening our understanding of effective intervention models and approaches. He added that in order to empower these families and find solutions to social issues, stronger linkages between the government, community partners and academia are required. “This SSR conference brings together partners from all three units. It is an important platform for knowledge to be shared, ideas exchanged and the links between the theory of social science research, government policies and the practical aspects of implementation on the ground, strengthened,” said Mr Goh. Through a series of informative sessions on topics ranging from health and housing to debt and cultural demographics, the conference, held at the NUS Society Kent Ridge Guild House, showcased local research efforts and provided participants with a greater understanding of low-income families. Bringing together more than 300 academics, professionals and policy makers, it also facilitated the cross-fertilisation of ideas aimed at improving policies and services for this sector of society. The conference kicked off with presentations of three research studies undertaken — a discussion by SSR Director Associate Professor Irene Ng from NUS Social Work on how poor health affects employment both directly, as well as indirectly through a sense of reduced personal mastery; a study by Assistant Professor Ng Kok Hoe from the NUS Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and Dr Neo Yu Wei, Senior Lecturer at SIM University, on the perceptions of social workers with regard to public rental housing issues and its implications on policy recommendations; and a project by SSR Research Fellow Dr Ong Qiyan and Dr Walter Theseira, Senior Lecturer at SIM University, which examined the effectiveness of a debt-relief programme and how factors such as educational level and debt repayment strategy could cause debt and poverty, and affect day-to-day functioning. Summing up the purpose of the conference, Assoc Prof Ng said, “In a way it’s kind of hypocritical of us; we’re here privileged, in power, talking about low-income families in this air-conditioned place, but we need this because we need to understand…to do better.”

NEWS MEDIA

The Straits Times Online, 21 April 2016

TODAY Online, 21 April 2016

Channel NewsAsia, 21 April 2016

The Straits Times, 22 April 2016, Home, pB6

Lianhe Zaobao, 22 April 2016, p12

My Paper, 22 April 2016, pB2

Tamil Murasu, 22 April 2016, p3

PHOTOS

Click here to photos from the conference.