Nearly 600 children and youths live in residential and youth homes in Singapore. What happens when they must live independently? Social service providers tell CNA Insider what more can be done to ease the transition for the vulnerable.
SINGAPORE: At age four, he was placed in a residential home for children who had been neglected or abused.He had started thinking about this day when he was 16 and had discussed it with his social worker in Melrose Home. His aunt agreed to take him in.His aunt lived in a four-room flat already occupied by four people. James slept in the living room. Without a sense of personal space, he felt “kind of naked”.
“All this kept repeating. Then the poly workload came, so I had to juggle. It was super messy,” he said. As at the end of last year, close to 600 children and youths were living in these homes, a ministry spokesperson said.But some have no family or kin to return to as they approach the homes’ general age ceiling of 21. An average of 15 youths are discharged from residential and youth homes into independent living each year, the MSF said.This transition can be fraught with anxiety and challenges, say social work professionals, who believe more can be done to ease the process.
“These kids don’t have that kind of backing. So they’re very frightened, even though they may look macho,” she said. “Transitions are more anxiety-provoking .” He cannot remember whether he cried. “Most people will cry first night; it’s like a ritual,” he said.“It helped that there were a lot of other children there, so I was distracted by the games and all that,” recalled the 25-year-old, who lived at the home until he was 18.He participated in the daily programmes and saw his mother at weekends. “Slowly you get used to the routine, and I adapted quite well,” said Raymond, whose three siblings joined him in the home a year or two later.
“We’re no longer a room-and-board home. Today, we provide many professional services for the children to restore … their lives with new perspectives and opportunities,” said Low.The home also hires its own cleaners, cooks and other support staff, which means the children are surrounded by familiar, safe and caring persons, said Low. At last year’s Christmas get-together, two members of the support team were voted the children’s favourite persons in the home, he shared.
CSLMCH’s family care team journeys with youths for several years after their discharge, said Low. This could be through monthly phone or video calls, meeting up or even going to receive those who are discharged from reformative training. Raymond with Chen Su Lan Methodist Children’s Home executive director Low Kee Hong and support team member Keith Ang.
It aims to equip Melrose’s youths aged 17 and above to be self-sufficient, responsible for themselves and able to make independent decisions. For her and her colleague Aiswarya Ajith, seeing the youths look out for one another was heart-warming.When viewing a unit with an oddly shaped room, James dismissed the idea of having a bunk bed because the upper bunk would be too uncomfortable, even though another boy was willing to sleep there. “They’re not selfish … even though they like to bicker,” said Soh.
The “constant worry” as she journeys with the boys is the hardest part, said Aiswarya. “Will they be okay by themselves?”In reply to CNA Insider’s queries, the MSF said it is committed to supporting children and young persons who are unable to be reintegrated with their families or kin despite the efforts of all parties.
For those who need housing, social service professionals can facilitate referrals to hostels, rental or other housing options, the spokesperson said. Some residential homes allow youths to continue their stay, while others provide additional financial support and check in regularly with the youths, she added.
It was only this year when he overcame many of his reservations and saw his family “in a different light”. “I really wanted to be close to them and really wanted to protect this family,” he said. The change has made him feel “a lot lighter”. The social workers follow up on the youths for 12 to 15 months after their discharge and connect them with community resources they can tap.
“If we have time with them, it’s only until 21, so we’ll do our best in that space to teach them independent living skills.”
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