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About NCSS

 

Purpose

 

To ensure that every person has the opportunity to live a life of dignity to his or her fullest potential within society.

 

Mission

 

To provide leadership and direction in social services, enhance the capabilities of social service organisations, and promote strategic partnerships for social services.

 

Setting the Pace

 

NCSS leads and coordinates the social service sector in Singapore. Member voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs) are our valued partners. We engage them to identify service gaps, and enable them to pioneer new programmes and set best practice guidelines. The aim is to continually enhance the quality of social services for the disadvantaged.

 

Engaging and Enabling

 

NCSS works closely with VWOs for better management and delivery of social service programmes. The objective is to stretch the charity dollar so that more people can benefit from the quality services provided.  

It will continue to build its own capability, including strengthening the research component, to equip the sector in the areas of operational readiness, quality enhancement and assurance, enabling the VWOs to fulfill their roles as service providers with more effective reach and better outcome for their clients. To improve productivity and service delivery to clients, NCSS, with support from the Ministry of Social and Family Development and the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore, has embarked on a five-year Social Service Sector Infocomm Technology Master Plan.

NCSS also recognises the importance of investing in human capital to build a strong social service sector, with resources being allocated for the continuous growth, training and recognition of manpower. To create better incentives for the manpower in the sector, NCSS will also offer more perks and privileges to social and recreational facilities and services to its member VWOs and their staff.

 

Fund-raising

 

Community Chest, the NCSS fund-raising arm, helps the disadvantaged and distressed realise their hopes and dreams. Over $50 million needs to be raised each year. The money raised is given out entirely to funded VWOs to provide the social service programmes needed by the community. The programmes will benefit more than 320,000 service users, which include direct service users, indirect service users such as caregivers and service users reached by public education efforts.

 

Social Service Institute

 

The Social Service Institute, takes on the strategic and leadership role in driving training efforts for the social service and non-profit sector.

 

Public Education

 

Promoting and developing greater community involvement through strategic partnerships is an integral part of the NCSS vision. Public Education is a key tool to enhancing community involvement.

 

NCSS Vision for the 21st Century

 

The NCSS Vision of Social Services in the 21st Century was developed in 1999. Guided by anticipated scenarios, trends and strategic considerations, the vision is used by NCSS to plan, develop and reposition social services for the 21st century in the following areas:

 

	Social service planning and development
	Strategic partnerships
	Volunteerism
	Funding and accountability
	Governance and management

 

Vision 2008: Towards 50 Years of Structured Social Services

 

The year 2008 marked 50 years of structured social services in Singapore. In 2004, NCSS conducted the Vision 2008 exercise, with reference to the NCSS Vision for the 21st Century, to review and further refine strategic directions for the social service sector in the years leading up to 2008 and beyond. The product of this exercise is a strategic document titled Vision 2008: Towards 50 Years of Structured Social Services, prepared by NCSS with inputs from VWOs and relevant ministries. The strategic thrusts of the Vision 2008 include:

 

	New services to meet emerging needs
	Higher service standards
	Optimisation of social service delivery
	Technology for human services
	Exemplary levels of accountability and transparency
	Greater meaning and significance to social service volunteering and giving
	Affirmation of the dignity of social service recipients
	Organisational excellence for NCSS

 

NCSS Strategic Directions

 

	Undertake social service planning and development
	Enhance the capabilities of VWOs
	Promote community partnerships
	Enhance NCSS corporate communications and development