| South West District - Social Assistance Schemes |
Social Assistance Schemes | Description | Eligibility Criteria |
| Admission to Homes | Process admission for applicants or family members who require residential / nursing care but are unable to afford the commercial rates of aged / nursing homes. | 1. Medical assessment report from the medical officers 2. Means testing |
Centre-based Financial Assistance Scheme for Child Care (CFAC)
| Provides child care fee assistance to help low-income families who want to place their child/children in childcare centres to enable mothers to return to the workforce. | 1. The child must be: - Singapore Citizens or Permanent Residents.
- From a low-income family.
- A pre-schooler between
0-6 years old. - Attending a registered child care centre.
- In the first to fourth birth order.
2. The mother must be Working or intending to find work within 3 months from the date of application for subsidy or currently being trained from the date of application for subsidy. 3. One of the parents must be a Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident of Singapore. |
Student Care Fee Assistance (SCFA)
| Provide fee assistance to parents who place their children in non-profit Student Care Centres (SCCs). This is to ensure that SCCs are within the reach of parents who need to place their children in SCCs for before and after school programmes, so that mothers can remain/join the workforce. | 1. At least one parent must be a Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident of Singapore. 2. The child attending the centre must be: - Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident of Singapore.
- 7 - 14 years of age
- Schooling
3. The mother/single father is working full-time or part-time regularly .4. The combined gross income of both parents does not exceed $2,500. |
Home Ownership Plus Education Scheme (HOPE)
| The objective of HOPE is to offer a package of comprehensive assistance to young low-income families and their children to help them break out of the poverty cycle. The Scheme aims to help low-income young families who choose to keep their families small so they can focus their resources on providing for and educating their children. Benefits - The following types of assistance may be provided: Educational bursaries for the children from pre-school up to university-level education. This is on top of what is already provided for under Edusave. The annual bursaries for the various educational levels are as follows:-
- Preschool - $250 per annum
- Primary - $400/- per annum
- Secondary - $800 per annum
- Junior college/ polytechnic/ITE - $1,200 per annum
- University - $2,000/- per annum
- Special education - $600 per annum - A housing grant of $50,000 to help the family pay for the home mortgage. The grant will be disbursed in annual installments into the mother's CPF account
- A training grant of up to $10,000 per family to enable the parents to attend skills training. This grant will be divided equally between the parents in order to encourage the mother to acquire new skills and enhance her employability
- A one-off utilities grant of $1,000 to help the family offset utilities bills upon joining the scheme
- Mentoring and family support from a social service agency to guide and follow-up on the family, and link them to other community resources if required
- Cash incentives of $6,000-$9,000 to help the couple with family planning
| HOPE applicants should fulfill the following criteria:
1. Married couples with 1 or 2 children
2. Either the husband or wife must be a Singapore citizen, and the spouse must either be a citizen or a permanent resident of Singapore
3. Monthly household* income of $1,500 or below
4. Age of wife is 35** years or below
5. Husband is employed This scheme will also be extended to widows. * For families where at least one spouse has post-secondary education, neither spouse earns more than $1,000 per month each
** For families where at least one spouse has post-secondary qualification, the wife must be aged 30 - 35 years old
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Kindergarten Financial Assistance Scheme (KiFAS)
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Kindergarten education helps your child prepare for primary school. If you want to place your child in a kindergarten, but cannot afford the fees, you may apply for help under KiFAS. KiFAS is available at eligible non-profit kindergartens. From July 2008, KiFAS is extended to the nursery programme.
What KiFAS Provides
Fee Subsidy
KiFAS subsidises 90% of the monthly fees, up to $82 per month, whichever is lower. From July 2008, a new subsidy tier will be added for families earning a net household income of $1,501 - $1,800 monthly. These families will be given 70% subsidy up to a cap of $65 month under KiFAS (for K1 and K2 programme) or $51 a month for nursery programme. Please refer to the table below for the respective subsidy tiers.
New subsidy rates for KiFAS with effect from July 2008
Monthly Household Income
Percentage
Monthly subsidies up to a maximum of
Less than or equal to $1,500
90%
$82 (for kindergarten)
$65 (for nursery)
$1,501-$1,800
70%
$65 (for kindergarten)
$51 (for nursery)
Start-up Grant
In addition, needy families earning $1,000 or less will be assisted with a start-up grant of up to $200 per child. This start-up grant is to help defray the initial costs in their child's deposit, registration fee, uniforms and insurance at the beginning of the year. |
Who Can Apply
· Children who are Singapore citizens. Children who are permanent residents of Singapore (PR) can apply if at least one member of their immediate family is a Singapore citizen;
· Children attending a K1 or K2 programme (at least 3 hours long) or a nursery programme (at least 2 hours long) in an eligible non-profit kindergarten; and
· Children whose family's monthly household income is $1,800 or below can apply.
Where to Apply
Check if KiFAS is available at your child's kindergarten. If it is, you can apply for KiFAS directly at the kindergarten. |
| NTUC Fairprice Food Vouchers | These vouchers are given in place of or to supplement financial assistance to the needy. | Granted on a needs basis. |
Primary Care Partnership Scheme (PCPS)
| PCPS is set up by the Ministry of Health to let needy elderly gain better access to basic health care. There are currently 17 polyclinics and for some, getting to the polyclinics can be inconvenient. Through the scheme, they now can receive similar healthcare and basic dental services from nearby participating GPs and dental clinics.Participating GP and dental clinics will have a sticker reflecting 'Primary Care Partnership Scheme' displayed on the doors of their clinics. | To qualify for PCPS, the resident MUST BE EITHER - a Singapore Citizen who is 65 years old and above with per capita income of $700 and below and holds a 'Community Medical Benefits Card' issued by a Community Development Council (CDC); or
- currently under the Public Assistance (PA) Scheme, regardless of age.
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Special Grant
| Administered parallel to Public Assistance (PA) Scheme, this scheme is meant to assist Permanent Residents of Singapore. Recepients enjoy the same benefits as those placed on PA. | Permanent Residents of Singapore who are:
- Aged (60 & above) who has no means of support.
- Aged destitute
- Disabled, mentally ill or chronically sick and unfit to work
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South West District Short-Term Financial Assistance Scheme
| Provides interim financial assistance or NTUC FairPrice Food Vouchers to help needy residents tide over their difficulty. Usually granted for a period of between one to three months. | Granted on a needs basis. |
