New inter-agency task force to strengthen support for people with disabilities and their families
The Taskforce on Assurance for Families with Persons with Disabilities will look at three key areas - employment, community living and affordability.
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong speaks at the 10th anniversary of the Enabling Village on Dec 5, 2025. (Photo: SG Enable)
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SINGAPORE: A new inter-agency task force will be set up by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) to enhance support for persons with disabilities and their families, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on Friday (Dec 5).
It will be chaired by Minister of State for Social and Family Development Goh Pei Ming, and will engage those with disabilities, caregivers, community partners, employers and other stakeholders.
MSF said the Taskforce on Assurance for Families with Persons with Disabilities will complement the Enabling Masterplan 2030 by adopting a "life-course and family-centric perspective" to develop recommendations that provide greater opportunities and assurance to persons with disabilities and their families.
It will look at three key areas - employment, community living and affordability. This includes examining how to better support those with disabilities in a fast-changing employment landscape, as well as ways to keep disability support services affordable.
The other members of the five-member task force are Minister of State for Health and Digital Development and Information, Rahayu Mahzam; Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Social and Family Development and Law, Eric Chua; Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Manpower and Finance, Shawn Huang and Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Education and National Development, Dr Syed Harun Alhabsyi.
The task force will make its recommendations in 2026.
SUPPORT AND ASSURANCE
In announcing the task force, Mr Wong said the government will look holistically at how it can strengthen support and assurance to persons with disabilities and their families across life stages.
Speaking at an event to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Enabling Village, Mr Wong said that many parents are concerned about the post-18 transition for their children. Worries include what comes after special education (SPED) schooling, and if they will be ready for work and independent living.
"We hear these concerns. Under the Enabling Masterplan 2030, we have a series of recommendations that the team is working on to strengthen post-SPED and post-18 support. But there is still more that can be done, because in Singapore, we are never satisfied with the status quo, and we are always looking to improve," he said.
He noted that one key area of priority is to improve employment outcomes for persons with disabilities, with those graduating from SPED schools and institutions of higher learning requiring more support to transition from school to the workplace.
"Our efforts to help them must go beyond the short-term - it is not just about transiting them to their first job, we have to support persons with disabilities and their families across the entire life stage, and journey with them on a continuing basis - to help them upgrade and learn new skills, and to live independently for as long as possible.
"That is how we ensure that they are not just recipients of care, but integral, and dignified contributing members of our society."
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ENABLING VILLAGE'S NEW EXTENSION
Friday also marked the official opening of Vista, a new four-storey extension of the Enabling Village.
SG Enable said Vista will house more key initiatives such as the Enabling Academy, the Independent Living Studio and the Future Care Planning Resource Centre.
The Independent Living Studio block provides training for persons with disabilities to develop essential daily living skills in a simulated Housing and Development Board flat, said SG Enable, adding that it offers a realistic environment that brings learning beyond the classroom.
Vista will also be home to partners such as CaringSG and Voices of Singapore to provide "meaningful engagement opportunities for persons with disabilities and support caregivers’ well-being".
"With Vista, we will build on the strong foundations laid over the past decade, enhance service offerings, and create even more opportunities for persons with disabilities. We will expand training to new sectors like IT, finance and the creative industries – including music and media," said Mr Wong.
It will also provide space for new initiatives that strengthen support for caregivers.
The Enabling Village was set up in Redhill in 2015. It is Singapore’s first integrated community space combining retail, lifestyle, training and support services for persons with disabilities.
