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Organisation Structure

The National Council of Social Service (NCSS) is the co-ordinating body for some 400 Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWOs) in Singapore. It is a statutory body established by an Act of Parliament (The NCSS Act) on 1 May 1992 with the charter to improve the lives of the disadvantaged in Singapore, taking over the functions of the former Singapore Council of Social Service and Community Chest of Singapore. It works closely with many government ministries, as well as, the people and private sector.

NCSS is managed by a Board of Council whose members are volunteers, either appointed or elected from amongst affiliates of the Council at its Annual General Meeting every two years. The Board oversees several committees, as illustrated in the following organisational chart:

Corporate Profile

The Service Development Division provides leadership and direction for services in the Children & Youth, Family, Disability and Eldercare sectors, in response to social trends and to meet social needs. The division plans, develops and implements services, sets service standards and assesses programmes for funding. It also works with VWOs and government agencies to pilot new and needed services, while enhancing and fine-tuning existing services to meet emerging community needs.

Community Chest is the fund-raising division of NCSS. It builds partnerships with individuals and corporations to raise funds on a yearly basis to meet the needs of the social service programmes that it supports: nurturing children to succeed; keeping families together; helping people with disabilities lead independent lives; and dignifying the lives of the elderly. Such funds can be raised through the SHARE programme, outright donations, fund-raising events organised by corporations, and other initiatives including planned giving on a sustained basis.

The Resource Allocation Division oversees and administers the allocation of resources, optimises funding for strategic/needed services and the resources to enhance the capability of VWOs. Its functions are as follows:

	Ensure optimal resource allocation (including provisions) to VWOs with reference to identified/established needs, norms and standards.
	Administer social service schemes and specific social service funds according to established policies and criteria.
	Periodically review funding policies, norms and criteria to ensure that critical social service needs are met within the resources available.
	Ensure that the right VWOs and services are resourced adequately, in accordance with established norms, and funds are spent efficiently and effectively to produce the desired outcomes.
	Monitor funding level and availability, expenditure status, allocation and disbursement timeframes, submission of reports, etc in connection with resource allocation.

The Membership and Service Management Division provides leadership and direction for services in the Children & Youth, Family, Disability and Eldercare sectors, in response to social trends and to meet various stakeholder needs and expectations. Through a two-pronged approach of engage and enable, it will front all general communications with NCSS member VWOs, and support them in their growth and development. The division leads in the management of services and engages VWOs to meet agreed service standards for effective service delivery. In addition, the division will develop and implement shared services and benefits for VWOs, including their staff and volunteer leaders.

The Social Service Training Institute (SSTI) offers a wide spectrum of services geared towards organisational excellence and the fulfilment of people-development goals. To equip social service professionals and volunteers with relevant skills and further learning opportunities, SSTI has partnered eminent educational institutions such as the National University of Singapore, Nanyang Polytechnic, Monash University, University of Sydney, and Flinders University. SSTI also provides non-profit consultancy services and conducts training needs analyses and training programme research for the social service sector. SSTI consists of:

	School of Social Service
	School of Non-Profits
	Training Development and Support Department

The Corporate Services Division* provides corporate services within NCSS, such as finance and administration.

* Corporate Services and Membership Division has been renamed Corporate Services Division with effect from 15 Apr 2010.

The Corporate Communications Division is responsible for the formulation and implementation of corporate communications strategy for NCSS.  It is also responsible for handling media and international relations, and production of regular publications such as Rapport and Annual Reports. In addition, it manages NCSS corporate image and corporate website.

The Corporate Development and Manpower Division is responsible for the following:

	Formulate and implement manpower development plans for the social service sector, in collaboration with VWOs, government agencies and other stakeholders.
	Develop and implement strategic/corporate plans for NCSS.
	Grow the organisational capability of NCSS.
	Employ InfoComm Technology to enhance the capabilities of NCSS, and the social service sector in general.

The Family Service Centre (FSC) Division oversees the service delivery and professional practice of FSCs, which are professional social service agencies that promote and strengthen the social well-being of families, serving as community-based focal points of family resources. With policy direction from the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, the division is dedicated to leading and facilitating the development of FSCs. It enhances the FSCs’ roles and functions in the community by promoting active identification of emerging needs and active engagement of stakeholders. Resources are also provided by the division so that the FSCs are adequately equipped and supported to deliver quality services to families in need.