New legislation would give social workers greater powers of access to such individuals in cases of suspected abuse
By Laura Philomin, TODAY. 31 Oct 2014
By Laura Philomin, TODAY. 31 Oct 2014
The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) has announced its plan to introduce a new law by the end of next year, which would allow the state to intervene and better protect vulnerable adults who are unable to care for themselves or have been abused.
Post by Chan Chun Sing.
By plugging the gaps in existing legal framework such as the Mental Capacity Act (MCA), the new law would cover issues not stipulated clearly in the MCA, such as assigning vulnerable adults to public deputies who will act in their best interests on financial and health matters, said Social and Family Development Minister Chan Chun Sing yesterday.
It would also give social workers greater power of access to these individuals who are suspected to have suffered abuse or neglect.
The majority of vulnerable adults, although defined as individuals above 18 years old who lack the mental or physical capacity to care for themselves, are, in fact, usually the elderly. The MSF was unable to provide statistics on this group, but Ms Tan Ching Yee, centre director of TRANS SAFE Centre, which specialises in dealing with family violence, said it sees about 80 to 100 fresh cases of elderly abuse every year. That is about a third of the centre’s total caseload.Of these, about 10 per cent have restricted access, which can affect investigations into the cases.
In some of these cases of suspected abuse, Ms Tan said the perpetrators — usually family members who are the primary caregivers — have restricted social workers’ access to these vulnerable elderly. Other cases have involved the elderly refusing to seek medical treatment or denying abuse to protect their family members.
“The families see our centre as a centre that gives them an opportunity to look at helping the (vulnerable adult) but … we have no mandate,” said Ms Tan, adding that she hopes there will be a mechanism that allows social workers to engage families and have more powers of investigation.
Speaking to the media after a dialogue session with about 20 TRANS SAFE management and staff, Mr Chan said this has yet to be a pressing issue, but he stressed the importance of putting in place now the support structures to protect this group, whose numbers are expected to grow.
“So we have enough time before we are hit with the problem in 10 to 15 years’ time,” he said.
Stressing that legal instruments should always be the last resort, Mr Chan said his ministry also plans to ramp up support for care-giving family members, as well as strengthen the capabilities of family service centres and specialist centres to help vulnerable adults and their families.
More details will be announced.
Help coming soon to those who cannot ask for it
By Janice Tai, The Straits Times, 31 Oct 2014
By Janice Tai, The Straits Times, 31 Oct 2014
A SON could be thrashing his elderly mother every evening, but a social worker cannot step into their home to help without permission. A frail old man with dementia, living in filth, could also suffer in solitude because no one knows he is in trouble.
By next year, a new law will likely be in place to protect such vulnerable adults, through deputies who will act on their behalf. Social workers and professionals like doctors will also be given more powers to get them the help and treatment they need.
The proposed law, announced by Social and Family Development Minister Chan Chun Sing yesterday, will give powers to the State to intervene, as a last resort, if the person is at risk of serious harm.
"By 2030, we may have up to 900,000 elderly and we are concerned that in time to come, there might be an increasing number of vulnerable adults who are not able to care for themselves or people who are unable to make judgments for their own well-being," said Mr Chan.
So public deputies, drawn from a pool of "public spirited" professionals like doctors, lawyers or social workers will be appointed to act in their best interests. Social workers will also be empowered to enter the homes of, say, suspected abuse victims, and take them somewhere safe.
Currently, Singaporeans can decide who will make decisions for them if they are unable to do so themselves, under the Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) scheme.
But some people would not have appointed anyone to act for them, while others may have no one willing to do so. And in some cases, there may be questions over whether the appointed deputy is acting in the person's best interests. A case in the spotlight involves a former China tour guide who was granted the LPA by an 87-year-old widow, giving him control of her $40 million assets.
Social workers lauded the new move, saying they are often refused entry into homes when it comes to abuse cases.
The authorities are also working out how to better support caregivers, as well as how agencies can detect cases earlier.
Mr Chan stressed: "We don't want a situation where just because we have this, then inadvertently, we have the unintended consequence of people pushing responsibilities to the State.
"It is the final safeguard, the last resort."