by MP for Aljunied GRC, Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap
Chairman Sir,
1. Family Service Centres have to fulfil specific KPIs set by the National Council of Social Services (NCSS) in order to receive funding for their operational costs as well as for the administration of specific programmes. There is no doubt that the Family Service Centres need to be held accountable for the usage of public funds and checks need to be in place to ensure that these funds are used to achieve their intended objectives.
2. However, the current Key Performance Indicators are typically too broad or generic to accurately measure and reflect the actual work done and the results achieved by the VWOs. As a result, FSCs are caught in the dilemma of devoting resources to achieve the KPIs to secure funding rather than to devote such resources to work which may not contribute directly to the KPIs but could provide more substantial and meaningful assistance to their clients. For example, the funding of the number of social workers employed at the FSC is tied to the number of clients they serve every quarter. This indicator fails to take into account the variations in the complexity of cases and the amount of resources required to manage these different cases. This is one example cited by the social workers I have spoken to.
3. As such, it is my recommendation that the Ministry conduct a comprehensive review of the KPIs which are being tied to the funding provided to FSCs and more importantly to seek the feedback of the social workers in this exercise to make it as fruitful as possible. The assessment of FSCs’ contributions should not be based on just quantitative indicators but also through regular interactions between the Ministry and the FSC to see what is actually happening on the ground.
4. On a broader level, I would like to call for the Ministry to reassess its relationship with the FSCs to be a more collaborative and consultative one instead of the highly “transactional” nature of the relationship today where FSCs are treated like “outsourced partners” to the Ministry. Thank you.