Our Singapore Conversation

 

I happened to have had the opportunity to facilitate a group discussion during a recent Singapore Conversation under the Singapore Association of Social Workers, where my group moved to talk about whether we as a Singaporean society were caring enough for disadvantaged groups in the community. 

Was a bit disappointed with the outcome of the conversation, as no clear outcomes or directions were delineated. It developed into the usual discussion of whether one should depend on the government to set directions, or whether the community (of Singaporeans, social workers, etc) can be empowered to better support disadvantaged persons in the community. But of course, realistically speaking, one might not have much expectations when partaking in a time limited endeavour where topics such as "Whether the disadvantaged were being cared enough Singapore" could only spark general conversations. 

However there were pertinent issues that were raised. I have chosen to briefly cover some:

1. The need to support persons with disabilities and their families in the community.

Participants raised concerns about gaps with regards to support for persons who have either a mental or physical disability in Singapore. Gaps were identified at two main points. First, was the area of early intervention support, where there is a need to tighten the identification and referral processes for children who have been identified to have a mental or physical disability.

The second was when these children become adults at age 18 and above, and services such as sheltered workshops and employment becomes limited. There is a need to continually provide support for persons with disabilities beyond training alone, and enable them to be productive members of the community. At the same time, their caregivers need training and respite services to reduce feelings of burnout. 

 

2. The need to look into supporting the welfare of low wage and contract based workers.

Income scales for low wage workers like cleaners have remained relatively static in the face of the rising cost of living due to various issues: the ease of entry of foreign workers which make it difficult for our workers to advocate for better pay, and the pay as you work structure, where workers are not protected from reduced income should they fall sick and take medical leave. At the same time these workers are not able to enjoy benefits enjoyed by the middle working class such as childcare leave, dental and medical benefits, health insurance, etc. 

 

3. The challenges faced by social workers when working with clients in financial distress

One interesting issue raised during the discussion was whether the current structure of supporting cases in financial difficulty is working in Singapore. One evidence that contradicts this is that for many financial cases, short term assistance and case management does not appear to be able to reduce their dependence on formal organisations for help. For many financial cases, they continue seeking assistance, and there is thus the question of whether more can be done to ensure that social work is more effective for these individuals and families, where the ideal outcome would be ultimate self reliance. 

There were other issues discussed, though beyond the scope of this post. One thing I notice is that too frequently we are easily able to point out the flaws in our system, but unfortunately not many are able to proffer realistic alternatives or solutions to address these issues (whether or not this mindset was developed from our paternalistic relationship to the government is another matter). It may be logical for the layperson to argue that he is not in a position to give expert solutions merely because he is not an expert, hence his role as a critic; however for professional social workers discussing these issues, I feel a tad disconcerted that we adopt this position as well. As social workers we should ideally be poised to analyse social problems from a macro perspective and discuss the impact of alternative solutions on the social and economic climate. 

Then again, my concerns may be a bit premature due to the structure of these generalised conversations, where participants may not necessarily be the experts in the issues involved. Hence, it would be unrealistic to expect the group to be mobilised to take community action (and attain the government's goal of reduced dependence and increasing the helping hands approach). Nonetheless this initiative represents a promising endeavour towards active citizen participation, and time will tell whether the OSC (Our Singaporean Conversation) platform will take it further. 

A more useful method of organising this conversation (or perhaps a follow up) may be the Communities of Practice approach, where common people with similar ideas come together to brainstorm the issues affecting their area of concern. Members would then vote on which issues they would want to prioritise and tackle as a team. This would promote increased focus in mobilising action, instead falling into the old maxim of No Action, Talk Only (NATO). 

 

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