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SINGAPORE: The Government will launch a series of public engagement sessions with young couples on raising families in a post-COVID-19 world, said Prime Minister Indranee Rajah, who oversees the National Population and Talent Division, said. (NTPD), on Friday (January 1).
Indranee said the goal of these talks, which will begin after the February budget, was to understand the issues and concerns young families have in the new post-pandemic normal, given that COVID-19 has caused some couples to defer marriage plans and others worry about costs.
“It is important if we want Singapore to be an ideal place for families, if we want Singapore to be a place that supports couples and families, to understand what young couples and families are thinking about,” Ms Indranee said in an interview with the virtual media during her visit to the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital to meet the babies born in the New Year.
Through the sessions, which will be held online, Ms Indranee said she hoped to find out what issues might be needed and see if they were policies or initiatives that needed to be introduced.
“Our TFR (total fertility rate) is 1.14, we would love it to be better. But having that better also means that you also have to make sure that families are better supported,” he said.
READ: COVID-19: One-time S $ 3,000 Grant for Parents of Children Born in the Next 2 Years
She brought up the idea of teleworking as a topic that could be discussed during these virtual meetings: how flexible work arrangements have helped and hindered parents, and how to make it part of the new normal.
Ms. Indranee said the goal was to be “as complete as possible” in the people the government listens to. They will reach young families at different stages of life, including newlyweds, expecting parents, those with children up to elementary school age, single parents, and parents with children with special needs.
The priority, he added, was to support Singaporean families, but would not “exclude feedback” from permanent residents or foreigners.
Authorities, Ms. Indranee said, were still calculating the “optimal number” of people to talk to, and other policy makers will also be tied down, she said, as there are multiple ministries, such as health and education. , which deal with family issues, adding that more details would be provided in the future.
Previously, the Government tried to address the difficulties that COVID-19 brought to family planning.
In October, it introduced a one-time S $ 3,000 COVID-19 baby voucher for parents of babies born between October 2020 and September 2022, in addition to existing payments worth up to S $ 10,000 for each child.
The one-time cash gift is to help couples “defray the costs of parenting during these extraordinary times,” the NPTD said in a news release at the time.
