The truth is most of us don’t really know what Family Service Centres do, so we interviewed one of the Family Service Centres, Care Corner Family Service Centre (Woodlands), in Part 1 of the “Only as Good as Our Last Man” series to find out more!

To start, FSCs serve as community based family resources, providing much needed support for families facing difficulties. There are a total of 43 FSCs in Singapore and they take care of families residing in different parts of Singapore. Care Corner Family Service Centre (Woodlands) takes care of low-income individuals and families specifically in the Woodlands and Marsling area.

With more than 10 years of practice under her belt, Jean Koh, Assistant Director at Care Corner FSC first came to social work after she witnessed children living in a garbage dump in the Philippines as a student. This opened her eyes to the fact that “there are many people out there who do not have access to certain things because of either barriers or lack of knowledge”.

Jean explained, “I cannot say that we have progressed in society when there’s a group of fellow Singaporeans who are still living in less than ideal circumstances.” In a society like Singapore’s, there is “still a lot of work to be done”, especially if we were judged based on the circumstances of our “last man”.  

In fact, her philosophy – one that keeps her going every day, is the belief that everyone has great potential in them. But “it always comes down to whether we have the means to realise this potential”.

In this way, FSCs, like Care Corner Family Service Centre (Woodlands), aim to help low-income individuals and families remove the barriers in the way of realising their potential through different services. These services include information and referral services where some clients are referred to the right services when they lack resources. Or for more complex cases, the FSC assesses the client’s case and history in order to determine their needs and the appropriate intervention. These interventions could range from provision of case work to group work or community work. At times, when the FSC is not equipped to render assistance, they refer clients to special services or agencies in other parts of Singapore.

Although Care Corner FSC mostly deals with low to medium risk cases, things get tricky when seemingly low-risk cases turn into more complicated high-risk issues upon further assessment. For example, a case with a presenting low-risk financial issue could actually be the effect of more serious problems like parenting or mental health issues. During these instances, case workers will quickly engage with family members or community partners in order to get the client the right help.

Thus, beyond a lack of time or resources faced, Jean explains that it’s more about having the trained resources to keep up with the kinds of complex issues that arise. As an FSC serving an open community, any case could potentially turn into a complex case. So it is necessary for case workers to receive the right training in order to learn how to identify the indicators and risk that might reveal more complex issues, and to learn how to respond appropriately when a case escalates.

“Many of our clients need financial support … the reality is that we are dealing with people every day and we face issues that often go unheard in public - like when a family shares one loaf of bread for the entire week. It’s not easy coming face to face with such things.”

With this in mind, and a total of 22 staff and about 18 active case workers, the centre takes special care in pacing their staff, which include limiting the number and frequency of cases handled every day. Jean explains that when handling lives like they do, staff sometimes feel responsible when something unfortunate happens to clients. That is why it is essential to have a supportive working environment as they come face to face with harsh realities on a daily basis. Additionally, they ensure that new case workers are guided by supervisors and participate in debriefing sessions after each case. Even for more experienced staff, supervision occurs monthly while group supervision happens bi-monthly. Meetings with clients are also not arranged back-to-back so there is always time for an immediate de-brief session to prevent the build-up of any supressed emotions.

Similarly, if you know someone and/or their family facing problems, it is good to get help immediately before the situation escalates. Convince them to approach an FSC sooner rather than later although it may be difficult or terrifying at first. There is also the option of joining a support group where families can help each other out. For example, Care Corner runs a powerful single-mother support group where mothers of different ages come together to share how they overcome the challenges they face, and help each other out.

In this sense, Jean believes that case workers should be more like gym instructors, not GPs – while we go to a GP only when there is a problem, "gym instructors focus on building wellness. The emphasis on building the capacity of the community for mutual support and not just seeing an expert for the diagnosing of a problem is a different approach that would really make a difference.”

After all, “what determines who we are as a society is that our last man never get left behind, and that we are as good as our last man.”

So show your support for the community by Playing It Forward! Catch the next run at Waterway Point from 14-20 March, simply donate $10 for 25 mins of free play in the ball pool and obstacle course! Find out more here.

Catch Part 2 of the “Only as Good as Our Last Man” blog-series for more stories.

 *Information and quotes provided by Jean Koh, Assistant Director at Care Corner Family Service Centre