Social & Financial Assistance

If you do not know which agency to contact when you encounter difficulties with your family, finances or employment, please call the ComCare Call Hotline (1800 222 0000). The operators will guide you to one of the appropriate agencies listed below for help:

Family Service Centre (1800 222 0000)

The Family Service Centre (FSC) is a neighbourhood-based voluntary welfare organisation that deals with family-related matters and will provide help regardless of age, race, language or religion.

All FSCs provide the following key programmes:

• Family Life Education Programmes
  Enriching the lives of families and individuals with programmes like talks, seminars, workshops, etc on marriage preparation/enrichment and parenting
• Outreach Programmes
  Reducing the risk of particular difficulties or dysfunctions by proactively reaching out to the needs of the community with programmes for children, youths, families and the elderly.
• Casework and Counselling Services
  Help families or individuals resolve their personal, social and emotional difficulties, and life challenges. Counselling services include Marital Counselling / Pre-marital Counselling, Behavioural Problems / Child Management, Domestic Violence, Financial Difficulties and Interpersonal relationships.
• Information and Referral
  When the FSC is unable to assist, this service links people in need with the appropriate community resources.

Community Development Council

The CDC provides various types of social assistance such as job matching services and financial assistance schemes, such as:

• Kindergarten Financial Assistance Scheme (KiFAS)
  If you want to place your child in a kindergarten, but cannot afford the fees, you may apply for help under KiFAS. Parents who qualify for the scheme will receive a fee subsidy every month.
• Centre-based Financial Assistance Scheme for Childcare (CFAC )
  Helps those who need to put their children in a childcare centre because they have to work, but have difficulties paying the fees. CFAC provides a subsidy for your child's childcare fee every month.
• Student Care Fee Assistance (SCFA)
  Student Care Centres (SCCs) provide before- or after-school care for children aged 7 to 14. If you need to put their child in a student care centre but cannot afford the fees, you may apply for help under SCFA.
• Public Assistance Scheme (PA)
  Assists those who are unable to work owing to old age, illness or disability and have no means of subsistence, and no one to depend on.
• Home Ownership Plus Education (HOPE) Scheme
  HOPE is a targeted incentive scheme to help young low-income families keep their families small. Benefits include educational bursaries, housing grant, training grant, mentoring and family support, cash incentives, etc.
• Primary Care Partnership Scheme
  Provides subsidies for needy elderly for common outpatient medical services and basic dental services.
• Employment Assistance Service
  

  Provides free employment assistance services to retrenched or unemployed residents such as job matching, career coaching/counselling and training opportunities for skills upgrading.