What are Family Service Centres (FSCs)? Who do they serve?
FSCs are key social service providers to you and your family near where you stay. Take note of the services available, as they may come in handy for you or someone you know.
FSCs are staffed with professional Social Workers and Counsellors who are trained to provide social, psychological, emotional and financial assistance. The services are to help every family member cope with the needs or difficulties that can occur throughout the family cycle.
These are the main services that you can receive at an FSC:
1) Casework: A Social Worker will work with you to help assess the situation, as well as identify and manage the resources needed for a stable and vibrant family life.
Every family needs social and practical resources to grow healthily. However, a family may have difficulty getting enough resources at times. Therefore the family will need help temporarily or for a longer term to prevent it from becoming overly stressed and in danger of falling into more complex problems.
Families with multiple difficulties/stressors, in particular, benefit from casework. This is because problems are oftentimes not straightforward in nature, and have an effect on various aspects of family life. For example, a problem gambler cannot pay for his child’s school fees, and the child’s studies suffer because of a sense of Insecurity or lack of nutrition. As such, help given in casework is often socio-economic in nature.
Casework largely involves very practical help at first, such as ensuring a child gets to school with enough pocket money for lunch or the paying of utility bills with vouchers. Nevertheless, in the process of working with a family or managing a ‘case’, the Social Worker goes on to look holistically into the members’ other needs even if they are not brought up.
For casework, go to the FSC near where you live. You need to be in the FSC’s service boundary to receive casework services.
2) Counselling: You can participate in counselling for various reasons. For example, you can go for pre-marital or marital counselling. Or, you can see a Counsellor to help manage behavioural problems in your children. There is also counselling for personal financial difficulties and interpersonal relationship matters.
In addition, Counsellors in FSCs also provide counselling for family violence issues, both on a voluntary basis or as mandated by the courts.
Counselling is especially helpful in times of crisis or change, such as marital difficulty or other breaks in relationships which disrupt the way life used to be; loss of employment or home; as well as a life-threatening illness or bereavement.
You can approach the FSC near your home for counselling. That will make it easier for you to travel to the Centre. Alternatively, identify an FSC with the best resources to address your needs. For example, ask about the type of counselling provided, methods used, and language ability of the counsellors.
3) Information & Referral: Approach an FSC to find out what help is available in your area or beyond. The FSC can help link you (provide a referral) to the relevant agencies. For example, upon assessing that you need some temporary financial assistance, the FSC can issue you food vouchers, and refer you to an agency that will help you look for a job in the long term.
Besides Casework & Counselling and Information & Referral, FSCs run Community Support Programmes and Specialised Services according to the needs of the neighbourhoods that they are located in. Examples include workshops, support groups, reading clubs for children, toy and books libraries and youth groups.
Such programmes are targeted at children, youths and parents, as well as specific groups such as ex-offenders. Some FSCs limit participation to clients living in their service boundary. Others do not have such limitations, especially if the service provided is not available in other areas. Simply ask to find out.
To know which FSC to go to,
1. Call ComCare’s toll free hotline: 1800-222 0000
This service is available 24 hours, seven days a week.
Operators can speak in English, Mandarin, Malay, Tamil and common dialects.
2. Visit Ministry of Social and Family Development’s (MSF) FSC online locator at:http://app.msf.gov.sg/dfcs/familyservice/default.aspx
3. Click here Appendix 1 for a list of FSCs (in alphabetical order) compiled by National Council of Social Service.
About the Author: The Dads for Life Resource Team comprises local content writers and experts, including psychologists,counsellors, educators and social service professionals, dedicated to developing useful resources for dads.
First published on 05-03-2013.