The PAP Government will explore expanding the Family Nexus initiative. This initiative brings together health and social support services for families with young children and couples planning for marriage and parenthood.
Second Minister for Health and Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli gave a progress update on the various initiatives presented in the Child and Maternal Health & Well-being Taskforce report published on June 14.
Some of the initiatives that were implemented include pilot programmes like The Family Nexus, launched at four sites in Tampines, Punggol, Sembawang, and Choa Chu Kang. Such centres improve coordination and make it easier for families to access the support they need.
FamNex@ Bukit Canberra has attracted more than 1,500 participants since it began operations in November 2023, reflecting a “keen interest among parents and caregivers to engage in educational and wellness building activities with their children”, Mr Masagos said.
FamNex@OTH had received more than 380 referrals from community nurses since its soft launch in November 2022 while FamNex@Punggol had referred more than 500 cases to social service agencies from December 2023 to May 2024.
“We are tapping on these pilot sites to test out different models of bringing together partners to offer co-located programmes and services,” he said. “MOH will study which elements of these models are most effective and explore how they can be scaled to residents in other regions.”
Mr Masagos added that the Ministry would consider the density of young couples living in an area and their potential of having and raising children when rolling out the next tranche of Family Nexus locations.
Of the 48 initiatives outlined in the report, 28 have been implemented and the remainder will be rolled out over the next two years.
“I hope this can give support to improve our TFR (Total Fertility Rate). Because this is part of the programmes we want to make Singapore made for families. We will do everything and anything to support our mothers, particularly in raising their children and having families.”
