SINGAPORE – For 20 years, Mr Mohamad Ali A Wahab was a manufacturing engineer who would spend his work day on stand-by to fix technical issues and ensure machines run smoothly.
From August, the 56-year-old will be one of around 200 family coaches supporting lower-income families that are working towards achieving stability in their lives.
“Switching from engineering to social service allowed me to align my career with my passion for making a positive impact on people’s lives. I find greater fulfilment in helping people and using my problem-solving skills to address social issues. It is much more human,” he said.
On Aug 8, he was among 30 family coaches who graduated from a six-week foundation training programme under the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF).
The family coaches will be reaching out to eligible families to invite them to sign up for the ComLink+ Progress Package for Pre-school.
Under the ComLink+ scheme, lower-income families will be given financial incentives and other support if they work towards improving their lives.
Last November, MSF announced four ComLink+ Progress Packages, which focused on early education, home ownership, employment and debt clearance.
The ComLink+ Progress Package for Pre-school is the first to be officially rolled out. The others will follow suit progressively from the end of 2024.
From August, families under the scheme will be able to receive incentives when they enrol their children in pre-school before the age of three and ensure that they attend regularly.
They will get a one-time $500 top-up to their children’s Child Development Account (CDA) when they turn three, and this can be used to pay pre-school fees.
In addition, children between the ages of three and six will get a $200 CDA top-up every three months if they attend pre-school regularly.
The role of family coaches is to motivate and support ComLink+ families in working towards their goals.
As of July 2024, MSF said there were close to 200 family coaches across 24 social service offices.
Together with family service centre case workers, they serve 10,000 ComLink+ families. MSF is looking to recruit another 100 family coaches by end-2024.