Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song (Aljunied): Sir, parents who are engaged in shift work often require childminding support outside of childcare centres’ operating hours, which are typically from 7.00 am to 7.00 pm. Many of these parents are from the lower-income groups, for whom shift work is more common. The Forward Singapore report said that childminding service options will be expanded.
Could the Minister share further updates on this programme, including how many families have benefited from it so far? Can MSF look into subsidising wages for childminders in order to attract more to join the scheme? In order to scale up the service to benefit more parents, could MSF take the lead to roll out this programme nationwide? What are the current efforts in promoting this service to parents, and can it be integrated into KidSTART, Comlink and other related programmes for the low-income?
The Chairman: I know Mr Giam you have raised your hands several times. I had given priority to those who have filed cuts first. You can have the floor now.
Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: Thank you, Sir. I did file a cut on this. I am very glad to hear that MSF is planning to professionalise and subsidise childminding services.
So, my question for Minister of State Sun is, can I ask how this will affect existing informal childminders? I have residents who look after their neighbours’ infants and kids after school and these are usually older women who are not highly educated and may not be prepared to be formally employed by childminding operators. So, they may have difficulties completing formal courses and passing written tests. So how will these informal childminders and the parents who engage their services, be able to tap on the subsidies that MSF is offering under this programme?
Ms Sun Xueling: I thank the Member for his question. Our intent is to have more options for parents, which means that if there is an existing arrangement between a nanny or an infant childminder in the community with a parent, we are not going to go in there and change the arrangements. The informal arrangements can continue.
But because we are launching a pilot and when we launch a pilot, we do hope that the results from that pilot will guide us in being able to have it more as a permanent programme. So, we have to make sure then that the parameters are such that it is sustainable and, therefore, we will need to have certain standards in place.
So, what I would say is: in the situation that you mentioned, whatever is an informal arrangement right now – if it is something that they are happy with and there is something ongoing, it is something that they have been doing for a long time between the parent and the infant childminder, they can just go ahead with whatever it is that they have right now. But if they should want to be able to be part of this pilot so that the parent is able to make use of the subsidies that the Government is providing, then we would require the childminder to adhere to the standards that I have shared earlier. This is also so that MSF is responsible for the pilot and then we know what are the parameters that would make this work.
Ministry of Social and Family Development
6 March 2024
https://sprs.parl.gov.sg/search/#/sprs3topic?reportid=budget-2390
Office of the Leader of the Opposition 