News

We thank Ms Andrea Lim for her suggestions to encourage families to have more children ( , Sept 23). The latest enhancements to the Baby Bonus Scheme and Government-Paid Paternity Leave address feedback from our engagements with close to 20,000 Singaporeans, including young parents and couples of child-bearing age. They shared that they would like more financial and work-life support, especially when their children are younger. Other than financial support and parenthood leave schemes, the Government has put in place a range of measures over the years to support Singaporeans in getting married and raising children. These include supporting young couples in securing their own homes, significant investments in healthcare and education to give every child a good start, as well as working with tripartite partners and employers to encourage the adoption of flexible work arrangements to help parents manage work and family commitments. To better support parents with more children, some of our measures are tiered according to the number of children couples have, such as the Baby Bonus Cash Gift, government co-matching for savings into the Child Development Account and the Working Mother’s Child Relief. We understand parenthood decisions are personal. Beyond government support measures, it is also important that we work together as a society, to build a supportive environment that values children and families, be it at the workplace or within our communities. We will continue to work with stakeholders to shift mindsets and put in place policies and practices that support couples in raising their children, especially to encourage shared parental responsibility and more family-friendly workplaces. The Families for Life movement, which brings together community partners, volunteers, social service agencies, corporates and government agencies, is one such effort. As a society, let us work together to build a Singapore Made For Families. Senior Director, National Population and Talent Division Strategy Group, Prime Minister’s Office