Frequently Ask Questions

SPIN seeks to reach out to and serve single parents with limited or no social support network. Single parents whom we serve are members of SPIN – these include single and pregnant women, male and female single parents (widowed/ separated/ divorcees), as well as lone caregivers of children (under the age of 18).

Yes. Under an “extended ally” which comprises 2 ally families, members will be introduced into each other’s support spheres, with more allies to tap on. The interaction at this level will be less regular, with a more social and recreational objective. At a broader level, all ally families come together to form an “allied community”. We bring all ally families together to celebrate through recreational and leisure activities/outings.

We get referrals from hospitals (e.g. KKH), family service centres, institutions (e.g. Rainbow Centre and IMH), friends and churches. There are also self-referrals and online sign-up.

You or your friend can reach us via dayspring_spin@hcsa.org.sg or give us a call at 6326 2300, Mondays to Fridays, 9am to 6pm. Alternatively, your friend can click here to sign up online.

As a SPIN member, you will receive the following services and support: 

  • Needs Assessment by social workers who will conduct needs assessment and co-create individualised care plans with the parents to address the needs.
  • Workshops & Events for parents to attend various activities designed to achieve specific outcomes in the care plans such as social and therapeutic support and acquisition of skills and knowledge.
  • Befriending & Peer Support for parents to build social support and trust amongst other parents and volunteers.
  • Practical Support for parents to have direct access to practical support in community resources.
  • Counselling – Parents, if assessed to be in high need for emotional and mental health support, will be provided with counselling services.

SPIN, which stands for Single Parents INformed INvolved INcluded, aims to empower single parents who lack support to be resilient and self-reliant, and to attain increased capacity in caregiving/ parenting, improve social support, psychological well-being and increase access to practical resources.

Our services are for a period of at least 6 months and up to 12 months. We require and value commitment of our members to take part in the support and services provided by SPIN, including participating in the quarterly empowerment sessions and befriending programme.

MOE Financial Assistance Scheme (MOE FAS) provides lower-income Singaporean families with financial assistance for school fees and other expenses. Click here for more information.

Yes, there is financial assistance for SPED students.

The Ministry of Education, together with NCSS, provides financial assistance to needy Singapore Citizen students in MOE-funded Special Education (SPED) schools so that all Singaporeans, regardless of their financial background, can benefit from the best opportunities in education.  

Click on the following to find useful and relevant information now!

It can be distressing to experience difficulties in your marriage, your family, or with parenting. When you are feeling overwhelmed, your work, relationships, physical and emotional health may also be affected. In collaboration with the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF), the Community Psychology Hub (CPH) has developed an online counselling service for individuals facing marital, divorce, parenting, and/or family difficulties.

The online counselling sessions are:

  • Conducted over live chat, email and/or phone
  • Available to Singaporean residents, aged 18 and above
  • Free-of-charge

Try online counselling now!

For government schemes and services, you can find all relevant social and public support for individuals and families in Singapore at SupportGoWhere.

Look no further. Families for Life is a one stop resource portal that you can find lots of information, programmes, articles, tips and ideas on parenting related matter and more. Check it out now!

You are strongly advised to speak to a lawyer to know your legal rights and options. 

If you do not already have a lawyer, you can consider attending AWARE’s free legal clinic (open on the second and fourth Thursday evening of every month) which is by appointment only. To find out more about the legal clinic, click here.  For other free legal clinics, click LegalClinics.sg. 

Counselling is another option if you would like to work through the emotional issues surrounding your marriage. You can speak to a helpliner at AWARE, or have a counselling session with one of their counsellors. For more information, click here.

When you are facing strains in your marriage, considering divorce, or beginning divorce proceedings, things can feel very overwhelming.

Explore the information, resources and tips on Family Assist portal to make decisions, strengthen your marriage, manage the divorce proceedings, and mitigate the impact of divorce.

You can retain the flat if you have custody (including care and control) of the child. For further details, please click on Retain Flat Following Life Events. (source: www.gov.sg)

You can retain the flat if you have custody (including care and control) of the child. For further details, please click on Retain Flat Following Life Events. (source: www.gov.sg)

Wicare Support Group provides services to both the widow and the fatherless. You can call them at 6354 2475 for counselling.

You can also call Grief Matters Helpline at 8181 0448 or email them at griefmatters@montfortcare.org.sg to find out how they can support your needs.

Besides the bountiful information readily available online or through our website, Joyful Parenting (Helpline: 6488 0286) is an initiative of Family Life Society which prepares new mums for labour, advocates breastfeeding and provides various other guidance and support through a pool of mum volunteers, some of whom are experienced family educators, International Board Certified Lactation Consultants qualified nurses, and home-makers.

Here at SPIN, we too provide guidance and support through our social worker and volunteers.

We understand the frustration and helplessness you feel especially when there is no one around beside you and your crying baby. Just remember that whatever you do in attempting to stop the cry, do not harm your baby. Take a deep breath and try to hold yourself back. 

Be sure to know that you are a good mum and your baby needs you. If it is easier, you can research and read online articles to find out the possible reasons why your baby cries. Read on to learn more about how to care for your child in his/her early years.

Postnatal depression is a condition that is common among new mothers. Seek help and speak to someone about it. You can get help from KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (Tel: 6294 4050) which runs Postnatal Depression Intervention Programme.

If staying with family members or relatives is not possible, there are other housing options available to you. 

You can consider buying or renting a HDB flat under the Public Scheme or Public Rental Scheme. Click here to find out how government can help single parent household.

If you absolutely cannot find an accommodation (including at your family’s, relatives’ or friends’), there are shelters for women and children such as Star Shelter, Good Shepherd Centre, Casa Raudha, and Pertapis.

We understand it takes courage and confidence to ask others (e.g. family members, friends, counsellors or experts, etc.) tough questions to ensure the options you decide on are available to you. As this will be one of the most difficult decisions you’ll ever have to make, it is important that you are well educated about your pregnancy options, which include: keeping the baby, placing the baby up for foster care or adoption, or terminating the pregnancy.

Here are some people you can talk to.

HCSA DaySpring: SPIN (Single Parents INformed INvolved INcluded)

Tel: 6326 2300 (Mondays to Fridays, 9am – 5pm)

Email: dayspring_spin@hcsa.org.sg

Address: 1 Lorong 23 Geylang, Block 4, #01-04  Singapore 388352

Family Life Society: Pregnancy Crisis Service

Website: http://pregnancycrisis.sg

Helpline: 6339 9770 (24-hour)

Email: help@pregnancycrisis.sg

Address: Agape Village, 7A Lorong 8 Toa Payoh, #04-01, Singapore 319264

Babes Pregnancy Crisis (for teenagers only)

Helpline: 8111 3535 (24-hour)

Email: hello@babes.org.sg

Address: 26 Jalan Klinik #01-42/52, Singapore 160026

Thye Hua Kwan Moral Society: MUM-TO-BE Helpline (offers confidential support to pregnant women in difficult situations)

Helpline: 1800 686 8623 (24-hour)

Sanctuary House hotline: Crisis Pregnancy / Emergency Infant Care

Hotline: 9817 0588 (24-hour)

It’s alright to be scared; it’s OK to cry. You may feel confused and lost as there are probably many questions running through your mind at this very moment. Help is out there and you don’t have to figure this out on your own. Here are some people you can talk to.

HCSA DaySpring: SPIN (Single Parents INformed INvolved INcluded)

Tel: 6326 2300

Email: dayspring_spin@hcsa.org.sg

Address: 1 Lorong 23 Geylang, Block 4, #01-04  Singapore 388352

Family Life Society: Pregnancy Crisis Service

Website: http://pregnancycrisis.sg

Helpline: 6339 9770 (24-hour)

Email: help@pregnancycrisis.sg

Address: Agape Village, 7A Lorong 8 Toa Payoh, #04-01, Singapore 319264

Babes Pregnancy Crisis (for teenagers only)

Helpline: 8111 3535 (24-hour)

Email: hello@babes.org.sg

Address: 26 Jalan Klinik #01-42/52, Singapore 160026

Thye Hua Kwan Moral Society: MUM-TO-BE Helpline (offers confidential support to pregnant women in difficult situations)

Helpline: 1800 686 8623 (24-hour)

Sanctuary House hotline: Crisis Pregnancy / Emergency Infant Care

Hotline: 9817 0588 (24-hour)

You can find them here at Health Hub!

SG Enable is an agency dedicated to enabling persons with disabilities. Its key functions include:

  • Enhancing information and referral services for child and adult disability schemes
  • Administering grants and support to persons with disabilities and their caregivers
  • Improving transition management across different life stages
  • Enhancing employability and employment options for persons with disabilities
  • Rallying stakeholder support in enabling persons with disabilities

For a complete list of services and resources, please visit www.sgenable.sg.

Click here for a list of SPED schools.

If you are distressed or feeling suicidal, call Samaritans of Singapore’s (SOS) 24-hour helpline at 1800 221 4444.

Depression is highly treatable and there are many treatment and support options available. You can approach the organisations that provide mental health support services (i.e. counselling centres, helplines, polyclinics and hospitals) for help. Get in touch with them today.

We are unable to provide emergency help in crisis situations.

For emergency or crisis situations, call 999 for police assistance or 995 for emergency ambulance / medical assistance.

If you are feeling distressed or suicidal, call Samaritans of Singapore’s (SOS) 24-hour helpline at 1800 221 4444.

If you are facing a mental health crisis, call the Institute of Mental Health’s (IMH) 24-hour emergency helpline at 6389 2222, or seek medical help at the IMH’s 24-hour emergency services.

You can consider joining our programme at SPIN which serves single parent families and provides volunteers in the form of social network and community support. You can email or call us.

There are also single parent support groups such as those run by HELP Family Service Centre (click here to find out more).

There are different leave schemes such as 6 days of unpaid infant care leave, 6 days of paid child care leave, 2 days of paid extended child care leave, etc. depending on the age and citizenship of your child, as well as your employment status.

The Baby Bonus Scheme is part of the Marriage and Parenthood Package designed to defray child-raising costs. The scheme includes a cash gift, Child Development Account (CDA) First Step grant, and Government matching to savings in the child’s CDA.        

Although children of unmarried parents are not eligible for cash grants under the scheme, they are included in the CDA scheme. This means that your child will receive CDA benefits of (1) a fixed sum of $3,000 (known as CDA First Step Grant); and (2) dollar-to-dollar match, i.e. Government’s matching contributions for each dollar saved into the CDA, up to a maximum amount.  

If your child is a Singapore Citizen, you will be entitled to infant care and/or child care subsidies.  The amount of subsidy will depend on your employment status and the programme type that your child is enrolled in (e.g. infant care or child care, full day or half day, etc.).

Besides infant / child care subsidies, there are further financial assistance such as ComCare Child Care Subsidy, known as Kindergarten Fee Assistance Scheme (KiFAS), ComCare Student Care Financial Assistance, MOE FAS scheme and Independent School Bursary Scheme. 

SPIN volunteers are known as “ally volunteer”. They are like “ally families” for the single parents, providing them with social and emotional support and sharing their skills and knowledge. ally family = 1 member family + 2 assigned allies

The 2 assigned allies will provide both practical and socio-emotional support to the member through interaction in the natural sphere of day-to-day casual communication, with an objective of building intimacy and trust relationships. This includes phone and online conversations, face-to-face interactions etc.

Practical support are given on a case by case basis depending on members’ needs.  For example: 

  • Accompanying members to their medical check-ups, divorce proceedings
  • Baby-sitting their children while they attend to appointments
  • Cooking nutritious foods and teaching them how to do it
  • Providing food rations
  • Providing maternity clothes or work wear clothes
  • Providing baby resources (diapers, bottles, formula if they need it)
  • Lending a listening ear – social support
  • Giving antenatal advice and aftercare advice about contraception and family planning
  • Giving advice about pregnancy care and parenting skills (informally)
  • Connecting them to jobs and preparing them for interviews 
  • Organising family activities and skills workshops (children friendly)

Thank you for your interest in volunteering with SPIN! Your involvement will enable us to serve and support many more single parent families in need within our community. 

You can click here to sign up online.

We’d love it that you want to volunteer with SPIN!  Other than partnering our members as their allies, you can also contribute in one or more of the areas: 

  • Trainer / Facilitator – providing training or conduct workshops (e.g. parenting, job interview skills, etc.)
  • Donation in kind – milk & diapers, food rations, second-hand items (in mint conditions)
  • Contribution of articles, expertise opinions, inspirational stories to SPIN website
  • Childminding
  • Delivery
  • Sponsorship
  • Cash donation 

To volunteer with SPIN, click here to sign up online.
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