President Halimah Yacob visits HCSA Dayspring

SINGAPORE, 25 September 2017 – President Halimah Yacob visited HCSA Dayspring this morning, barely two weeks after being sworn in as Singapore’s eighth President.

Accompanied by MPs Christopher De Souza and Alex Yam, the 63-year-old President toured the newly-renovated premises at Dayspring’s Residential Treatment Centre (RTC), the only Home in Singapore that provides trauma-informed care treatment to teenage girls.

The first of its kind in Singapore, Dayspring RTC is pioneer programme in Singapore focusing on the small group clinical approach, approved and licensed by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF). RTC had recently been upgraded to fulfil requirements under the enhanced care standard of a Therapeutic Group Home (TGH), which seeks to provide high
quality care and targeted, specialised treatment to meet the needs of children and young persons who exhibit severe emotional, behavioural and/or sexual issues.

The enhanced care standard includes Trauma System Therapy (TST), an evidence based and comprehensive phase based treatment programme for children and adolescents aged between nine to below 16 years old who have experienced trauma, and have been assessed by MSF as having moderate to high needs. TST aims to stabilise the child’s environment while enhancing her ability to regulate emotions and behaviours. The focus is on addressing trauma alongside the child’s needs.

A small celebration was also held in honour of President Halimah, as she blew out the candles on a cake specially prepared to commemorate her inauguration as the eight President of Singapore. She was also presented with a handmade infinity bracelet – a representation of the empowerment of abused teenage girls and single parents as they overcome adversity to find renewed hope and a purposeful future. Shaped like a sideways figure of eight, the infinity symbol is also a reference to Madam President as the 8th President of Singapore, and signifies the infinite possibilities she will bring to the people of this country as its first female President.

The President was also introduced to members of SPIN (Single Parents INformed, INvolved, INcluded), a new initiative that aims to improve the quality of single parents in caring for their children by improving their access to organised information and strengthening their social network.

Initiated by HCSA Dayspring, in collaboration with and supported by the National Council of Social Services (NCSS), SPIN seeks to reach out to and serve single parents (including lone caregivers of children under the age of 18) with limited or no social support network, helping them make well-informed decisions, as well as increase sources of practical and socio-economic support, through an ally volunteer network and interactive website that is currently in progress.

“We are extremely honoured that Madam President took the time to visit Dayspring today, despite her busy schedule,” said Ms Dominique Choy, Cochairperson of Dayspring, Executive Board Member and CEO, HCSA Community Services. “I remember Madam President last visited Dayspring in Feb 2012, when she was Minister of State for Social and Family Development and adviser to the National Council of Social Service. We are extremely blessed that her heart has always been and remains in the social services sector.”

Added Ms Choy: “HCSA Community Services is privileged to be able to transform the lives of both men and women in need, helping them move out of a life of despair into one where they have a future and a hope. We hope that Madam President’s recognition of the important role social service organisations play in helping the vulnerable in society, will help to raise awareness for HCSA’s cause, and enable us to better serve those in need.”

Said President Halimah: “Teenagers who are troubled and have been abused, need a safe place to recover, recuperate, to be assisted with therapy. The work that HCSA Dayspring is doing under their Residential Training Centre programme is very important. They need a lot of support and I’m very happy to see that apart from the Board members and the staff, there are also a lot of volunteers coming to help. That really helps to provide the young girls who need a safe place for them to recover and reintegrate back to society.”

Added Madam President: “In addition, HCSA Dayspring SPIN provides tremendous support to single mothers, particularly those who have very young children, or who are going to give birth. These mothers need to go through a healing process to recover and one can see that with support, the mothers can also regain that confidence in themselves. I met a mother who said that she lost her husband about 20 months ago and she has four children. She came here to heal herself and also support other mothers. This is truly very important and I’m glad that HCSA is doing very good work in this area.”

For media enquiries, please contact:
Vivian Lim
Assistant Director, Partnerships & Communications
HCSA Community Services
Tel: 6326 0456 / 9748 8454
Email: Vivian_LIM@hcsa.org.sg

HCSA Community Services, a charitable organisation with the Institution of a Public Character (IPC) status and a member of the National Council of Social Service (NCSS), was started in 1996 as a halfway house for recovering drug addicts and ex-offenders.

Today, our work has expanded to include teenage girls who have undergone the complex trauma of abuse and single parents with limited support.

As a family of dedicated staff, volunteer teams, and corporate and community partners, we continue to serve some of the most vulnerable in society, to give them a future and a hope.

Our mission to empower these vulnerable populations is achieved through our signature programmes:

HCSA HIGHPOINT
Helping ex-offenders rebuild lives

HCSA DAYSPRING Residential Treatment Centre
Giving hope to abused teenage girls

HCSA DAYSPRING SPIN
Empowering single parents

HCSA ACADEMY Culinary Training Centre
Preparing workplace ready F&B professionals

HCSA Highpoint halfway house started in 1996 as a shelter for drug addicts, and now provides a safe and drug-free temporary residence to help and support homeless male ex-offenders and those in recovery from addictions.

Today, the transitional residence focuses on offering homeless and newlyreleased prisoners from all races and religions a safe place to restart their lives – through a transitional living programme which empowers them to attain more permanent housing, gainful employment and financial independence, so as to live a productive life free from addiction, and successfully reintegrate into society.

Dayspring Residential Treatment Centre provides a caring, safe and therapeutic environment to help teenage girls who have suffered the complex trauma of abuse. Through the application of certified clinical therapy sessions, the centre strives to help these girls to become healthy individuals who can successfully reintegrate into their schools, families and society.

In 2017, Dayspring Residential Treatment Centre upgraded its quality of care by transiting to a Therapeutic Group Home service model for older girls with higher needs and risks.

HCSA Dayspring SPIN (Single Parents INformed, INvolved, INcluded) is an initiative in collaboration with the National Council of Social Service (NCSS). It aims to support caregiving and improve the quality of life for single parents or lone caregivers who lack, or have limited, emotional, physical or practical support.

SPIN provides easy access to resources through an ally network of volunteers and an interactive website empowering single parents to make informed decisions and strengthen their social support network.

HCSA Academy Culinary Training Centre offers a six-week course based on the Food Services skills framework by SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG), culminating in the highly coveted WSQ Higher Certificate in Food Services (Culinary Arts).

It follows a skill-training adult pedagogy with hands-on learning of the craft in the Academy kitchen, with job placements facilitated upon successful completion.

The Academy aims to equip HCSA’s beneficiaries and other vulnerable individuals with the professional skills required to secure stable employment in the F&B industry, giving them a new lease of life and a level playing field to support themselves and their families.

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