S$15 million care fund for protection workers to start on Feb 1 to provide psychological, mentoring support
The care fund was announced last November during MSF's parliament statement on the case of Megan Khung, who died after months of abuse by her mother and her mother’s boyfriend.
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SINGAPORE: Social service agencies (SSAs) can tap a new S$15 million (US11.8 million) care fund for protection practitioners from Feb 1, 2026, to roll out well-being initiatives such as psychological support and mentoring.
It will be established by the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) to help SSAs build more supportive work environments, the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) and NCSS said on Saturday (Jan 24).
Agencies can also use the fund to make alternative manpower arrangements so they can provide their practitioners with up to two weeks of wellness leave.
The protection practitioners must be social service professionals working in social service agencies funded by MSF who carry out services that support the safety and well-being of individuals and families impacted by domestic violence.
This includes social workers, case workers, social work associates, care staff and their supervisors in these agencies, MSF and NCSS said.
"Protection work comes with a heavy emotional burden. Protection practitioners are regularly exposed to trauma during the course of their work and face distinctive pressures in dealing with urgent and high-risk cases daily," MSF and NCSS said in a joint media release.
The agencies thanked SSAs, including Montfort Care, TRANS Family Services, Allkin Singapore, and Casa Raudha, for sharing ideas to support their protection practitioners, such as psychological support, retreat programmes, and structured mentorship.
"These have helped to shape the design of the care fund, which is expected to benefit over 1,000 protection practitioners," they said.
Minister-in-Charge of Social Services Integration Desmond Lee said in parliament in November last year that MSF would set up a protection practitioners care fund to implement capability building and well-being initiatives for protection practitioners.
This was in response to recommendations for more structural support for social services practitioners made by a review panel that found multiple lapses and shortcomings in the agencies involved in the case of Megan Khung.
Four-year-old Megan died in February 2020 after being abused by her mother and her mother’s boyfriend.
