SINGAPORE: Singapore’s Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) Minister of State Sun Xueling told Parliament on Wednesday (Jan 12) that the ministry is working with social service agencies to develop a common assessment and intervention framework to deal with domestic violence cases.
“The framework will enable frontline professionals to better identify domestic violence cases, make timely referrals and facilitate case discussions among relevant agencies, and support agencies in managing risk and addressing the needs of survivors and perpetrators,” said Ms Sun. .”
She answered questions from three MPs who asked about the support available to victims and whether authorities could take a more proactive approach to preventing domestic violence.
The government’s domestic violence task force said last year that the number of domestic violence enquiries and new cases received by social service centres has steadily increased.
According to the task force’s report, the PAVE Integrated Services Center, a domestic violence specialist center and a personal and family protection integrated service specialist center, received 1,103 new cases in fiscal 2020, an increase from 966 in fiscal 2019 and 891 in fiscal 2018 .
Support for Survivors
Ms Sun said on Wednesday MSF was working closely with community-based domestic violence specialist centres (FVSC) and PAVE to provide support to people experiencing any form of violence, regardless of gender.
These include safety planning to reduce the risk of recurrence of violence, providing survivors with alternative safe housing and supporting them through the Personal Protection Order application process.
In addition to addressing immediate safety risks, these centers provide counseling for survivors, such as those traumatized by violence.
“The community has also opened a variety of support and treatment groups, including FVSC and PAVE for survivors of domestic or sexual violence, to allow them to talk about their experiences in a safe and supportive environment,” Ms Sun said.
She added that survivors with mental health or trauma needs can also seek services from professionals at restructured hospitals, including those with specialized trauma clinics.
Ms Sun said MSF would continue to strengthen support for families traumatised by domestic violence, as recommended by the task force.
She added: “We will serve forensic-trained psychologists at each FVSC and PAVE, enabling them to work more effectively with survivors and perpetrators.”
“This includes addressing trauma and mental health issues, providing assessments and interventions to identify and address risk factors and needs associated with abuse by abusers. And working with social workers to develop safety plans for survivors.
“In combination, assessment, intervention and safety planning can help reduce the risk of recurring violence.”
There are currently three domestic violence specialist centres. Ms Sun said two of them, Care Corner Project Start and PAVE, have been able to provide comprehensive social and emotional support, including counselling and other interventions, to survivors of various forms of domestic and external violence, including sexual violence.
She added that MSF was working with a third centre, TRANS SAFE, to enhance its capacity and capacity to provide “similarly comprehensive support” to survivors of sexual harassment and violence in the second half of the year.
Responding to a supplementary question from MP Carrie Tan (PAP-Nee Soon) about the manpower of these centres, Ms Sun said MSF was prepared to increase the overall capacity of these facilities so that it could effectively assist survivors and perpetrators. domestic violence.
