A family provides the most ideal environment for children’s growth, as it plays a key role in supporting their development and well-being, especially when it has the child’s best interest in mind. It strengthens emotional bonds, promotes stability and provides a safer and more nurturing environment for the child to flourish. However, some families may require state intervention to ensure children are properly cared for and protected. In such instances, children may be temporarily placed in out-of-home care and reunified with their families when it is safe and appropriate.
Reunification should always prioritise the child’s safety, with intervention and support to ensure the family can provide the necessary care and protection. At Singapore Children’s Society, we have a dedicated Reunification Service (RS) team which sits under the Children In Care Group, supporting vulnerable children and youth between 0 to 21 years old.
Group photo of the Reunification Service team. (From left to right) Natasha, Angeline, Nurul, Faith, Nawal
Our reunification services focus on fostering safe and meaningful connections between children and caregivers, involving partners like professionals, friends and even neighbours to strengthen family resources. Using a collaborative, strength-based approach, we work with families to ensure the future safety of children and youth.
In RS, we genuinely believe that “It takes a village to raise a child.” Due to this belief, we focus a lot of our efforts in pulling people together to support the families. It is no easy task to raise a child. RS normalises help-seeking behaviour and pull in informal networks to support the family based on their needs.
"I was supporting one of the caseworkers to build a lost connection between a mother and her child. The child was removed from his biological family when he was just a few months old and placed in foster care. During the reunification process, it was apparent that we needed to strengthen the parent-child relationship as the child was not familiar with the parent and did not want to go home. "
The sessions were indeed tough. The child was often crying and saying that he did not want to spend time with his mother. It was crucial for us to support the mother emotionally, especially during moments when she felt discouraged and hopeless about the possibility of building a connection with her child and achieving reunification. Despite these challenges, both the child and the mother showed remarkable resilience, even when they displayed signs of fear, anxiety and hopelessness.
After about five sessions, we began to see a shift. The child became more open to interacting with his mother, allowing her to feed him and change his diaper. One of the most touching moments was when the child sat quietly on the mother’s lap without any prompts from the workers. These moments were heartwarming and empowering for everyone, especially the mother, because they showed moments of connection between the birth mother and her child.
On a lighter note, Ms Nawal also shared with us that the team finds solace in the midst of the chaos in their work through prank therapy. It is a light-hearted team-building activity where they take turns to surprise each other, fostering a sense of camaraderie and fun in the team!
Colleagues surprising each other during occasions
“The road to reunification can be long and challenging for everyone involved. Both parents and children can experience various feelings, such as hope, fear and anxiety. For workers, it takes a lot of patience and the ability to hold a space for families to navigate these feelings without being swept away. However, the journey can be empowering and rewarding when caregivers work through their challenges and parent-child connections are re-established. Witnessing such a transformation, small or big, motivates workers to continue ensuring that children feel safe, loved and belonged in their families.”
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