CaregiverAsia and Great Eastern will sign an MOU with Extra•Ordinary People to kickstart program that will encompass an insurance protection plan, therapy services and medical escorting/ childminding services. Some 50 enterprises and individuals have contributed more than 300 programs to networks of families with children with special needs. The program ensures that children with special needs are able to continue with their therapy for up to 15 years with accompanying care services such as medical escorting and childminding should something happen to their parents or guardians.
The Extraordinary Care Program (EOCP) seeks to support children with continued long-term therapy and professional care services through an insurance pay-out of SGD150,000 in the event of accidental death or permanent disability of the parent or guardian. This pay-out will ensure that the child receives regular therapy and care services for up to 15 years. Additionally, the EOCP will provide families with immediate access to complimentary hours of care services and comprehensive therapy services at highly subsidised rates.
Senior Minister of State at the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and Ministry of Communications and Information, Sim Ann said: “While many important social services are publicly funded, there are also meaningful opportunities for corporates to contribute to social good. This can be done not only through outright donations in cash and in kind, but also through offering services at low-bono rates. Today, three organisations from the private sector and people sector have come together to do something for families of children with special needs. This collaboration embodies the spirit of SGTogether and SGCares. I hope to see more corporates stepping forward to forge similar partnerships with the people sector, bringing us towards a more inclusive and compassionate society”.
Ms Yeo Wan Ling, CEO, Caregiver Asia said that Singapore has over 30,000 students with special needs, yet there is a market gap in products that ensure financial safety nets are available for children to continue with their therapy when their families go into financial duress.
The EOCP will launch with Extra•Ordinary People as its inaugural therapy partner. A Singapore-based charity, Extra•Ordinary People provides child-centric and multi-disciplinary therapy services for special needs persons through their one-stop integrated therapy centres in Joo Chiat Place and Beach Road. The program is open to all integrated therapy service providers, and hopes to see more providers come forward with their services in future.
In addition to securing the means to long term therapy, the EOCP is also designed to assist parents in safe escorting of their children to the therapy sessions by means of the accompaniment of trained Caregivers skilled in working with special needs children. In preparation of the increase of demand for such Caregivers, CaregiverAsia will augment its pool of freelance Caregivers by working closely with the South West Community Development Council (CDC) on the Caregiving @ South West programme.
The Launch will see some 50 enterprises and individuals contributing to over 300 of the EOCP to be given to networks of families with children with special needs. Ms Lynn Chow, Executive Director of Nursing Home Charis Manor and CEO of healthcare education institute CSM Academy International said, “When we were approached to pledge our support for the EOCP, I immediately agreed to it, as it is doing our part as a Singapore enterprise to show that we stand behind the Special Needs community and we will continue to do our part to support inclusiveness”.
Mr Ryan Cheong, Managing Director for Digital for Business at Great Eastern; “We are thrilled to be part of this partnership where we create products that protect our community in meaningful and relevant ways. We believe that we should continue to look towards contributing to an inclusive society. The launch of the EOCP is a small step in this direction.”
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