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About
NCSS |
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What is NCSS? |
|
| National
Council of Social Service (NCSS) is
the national co-ordinating body for
member Voluntary Welfare Organisations
(VWOs) in Singapore. |
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Is NCSS a government
body? |
|
| NCSS
is established by an Act of Parliament,
but it is not part of the Government.
|
|
Does NCSS receive
funding from the government? |
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| NCSS
is funded by three major sources: the
Government, investment income and Singapore
Pools (staff cost for fund-raising activities).
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Where is NCSS located?
How do I get to NCSS? |
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| NCSS
is co-located with the Ulu Pandan Community
Club in Ghim Moh. Our mailing address
is: |
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| NCSS
Centre,
170 Ghim Moh Road #01-02,
Singapore 279621 |
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| To get to NCSS, you
may travel by MRT or bus. |
|
- MRT : Alight
at the Buona Vista MRT Station,
cross the underpass, and walk along
the perimeter of the housing blocks
in Ghim Moh estate until you see
the Ulu Pandan Community Building,
which is easily distinguished by
a clock tower facade.
- BUS : Buses
100 and 111 take you to the Ghim
Moh Bus Terminal, located just next
to NCSS Centre. For buses 105, 106
and 147, alight at the bus-stop
along Commonwealth Avenue West (outside
the Buona Vista MRT station) and
walk towards Block 14, in the direction
of Ghim Moh Bus Terminal.
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NCSS
Membership |
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Who are NCSS members? |
|
| NCSS
members are Voluntary Welfare Organisations
(VWOs) who provide direct social services.
They are partners of NCSS in improving
the lives of the service users we support.
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|
What does it take
to become a member of NCSS? |
|
| To become
a member of NCSS, the VWO's aims and
objectives must be consistent with those
of NCSS. It must also be registered
under the Societies Act, incorporated
under the Companies Act or established
by or under any written law. The VWO
should also have been in operation for
a continuous period of at least two
years. Click
here to find out more about being a
member of NCSS or to apply now! |
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What benefits do
NCSS members enjoy? |
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| NCSS
lends support to member VWOs in the
following areas: |
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- Provision of consultancy in areas
of programme services such as programme
planning, and volunteer management.
- Provision of assistance and support
in application for premises, fund-raising
permits, COE exemptions, telephone
subsidies, as well as access to
NCSS facilities including the NCSS
Resource Centre.
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Are there different
types of membership? What is the difference? |
|
| There
are two types of NCSS membership. A
Full member refers to an organisation
whose primary function is to provide
a bona fide direct social service that
helps to meet existing needs of the
community. An Associate member refers
to an organisation that has an active
interest in social service but does
not provide direct social services as
its primary function. Membership dues
vary depending on the type of membership.
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Voluntary
Welfare Organisations |
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What are VWOs? |
|
| Voluntary
Welfare Organisations, or VWOs, are
essentially organisations that are voluntary
set-ups and governed by an elected Board
comprising volunteers, is non-profit
making, and caters to those in need,
in distress or at-risk. They help the
disadvantaged, disabled and underprivileged
to be self-reliant in fulfilling their
roles in their families and societies
by providing financial, emotional, educational,
health and social aid and support. Click
here to find out more about VWOs. |
|
How do I become
a VWO? |
|
| You
must register with the Registry of Societies
(ROS), the Registry of Companies or
established under any written law. Click
here to find out how you can register
with ROS or obtain charity status with
the Commissioner of Charities. |
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What types of VWOs
are there? |
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| VWOs
can be family service centres, special
education schools, hospices, halfway
houses, production or sheltered workshops,
and many more. They provide social services
to the disabled, the lonely and destitute
elderly, and families in distress or
difficulties. |
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What information
can I get about VWOs from this website? |
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| List of member VWOs. |
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NCSS Publications |
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What are the publications
that NCSS produces? |
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| NCSS
produces regular publications such as
Rapport,
Social
Service Journal and Sharity
Funtimes, as well as manuals and
guidelines such as the Accounting Handbook
for the Social Service Sector. NCSS
also produces one-time publications
such as Heart@Work, which celebrates
social services in Singapore through
four decades. Click
here to view the publications that are
available online! |
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What is Rapport? |
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| Rapport
is a bimonthly publication of NCSS on
the social service sector. Besides featuring
events and happenings in the sector,
Rapport also highlights the community
spirit of individuals and corporations.
Click
here to read the web version of Rapport.
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Can I obtain physical
copies of NCSS publications? Where
and how can I obtain them? |
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| If you
would like to obtain hard copies of
NCSS publications, please email to ncss_webmaster@ncss.gov.sg
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Can I subscribe
to Rapport? |
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| Rapport
is distributed to corporate partners,
member organisations and NCSS Board
and staff members. If you would like
your organisation to receive Rapport,
please call 6210 2631 or email to ncss_webmaster@ncss.gov.sg
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SSTI
Resource Centre |
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Can the public access
the Resource Centre (RC)? |
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| The
public can view the online Resource
Centre catalogue on the NCSS website,
but only RC members can borrow, reserve
or renew resource materials. |
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How do I become
a member of the RC? |
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| If you
wish to sign up as a RC member, please
email us at ncss_resource_centre@ncss.gov.sg.
You can also call 6210 2697 for enquiries.
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Can I make reservations
for the materials I want? |
|
| Rapport
is a bimonthly publication of NCSS on
the social service sector. Besides featuring
events and happenings in the sector,
Rapport also highlights the community
spirit of individuals and corporations.
Click here to read the web version of
Rapport. |
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How long can I borrow
the resource materials for? |
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| Resource
materials can be borrowed for up to
3 weeks. |
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Can I extend the
loan period? How? |
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| Renewals
are allowed for one-time only, and can
only be effected if the items have not
been reserved by other members. You
can also renew your item loans online.
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Do I have to go
to NCSS Centre to obtain the resource
materials? |
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| Yes,
you can collect the items personally
or ask someone to collect on your behalf.
The RC Membership Card that the items
are reserved with must be produced for
verification. |
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Do I have to go
to NCSS Centre to return the resource
materials? |
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| Yes,
you can return the items personally
or ask someone to return on your behalf.
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Career
Opportunities |
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What career options
are there in the social service sector?
How do I join the social services? |
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| You can
be a social worker, Special Education
teacher, counsellor, occupational therapist,
physiotherapist, speech therapist, or
a music therapist. You can view the
job opportunities in both NCSS and our
member Voluntary Welfare Organisations
on our site. To apply for positions
within NCSS, you may wish to contact
our Human Resource department at 6210
2500 or email us to ncss_hr@ncss.gov.sg.
For positions in VWOs, you may wish
to contact the relevant personnel as
indicated. Careers in the social services
are extremely rewarding. Click
here to find out more about the careers
in the sector or how you can join NCSS!
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Are scholarships
available in the social service sector? |
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| NCSS
offers the Therapy Scholarship Scheme
to nurture therapists through study
with a local or overseas institution.
Upon graduation, our scholars can look
forward to a professional
career as an Occupational Therapist,
Physiotherapist or Speech Therapist. |
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Community
Chest / Donation |
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What is the difference
between NCSS and the Community Chest? |
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| NCSS
is the national co-ordinator of voluntary
welfare organisations (VWOs) in Singapore.
The Community Chest is the fund-raising
arm of NCSS - it raises about $42 million
a year to support more than 300,000
service users. |
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Is the Community
Chest a government body? |
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| The Community
Chest is established by an Act of Parliament,
but it is not part of the Government.
It is independently run by a Board comprising
volunteers from various walks of life.
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Is the Community
Chest a charity? |
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| The Community
Chest raises funds on behalf of more
than 50 charities in Singapore, which
deliver services to the needy, disadvantaged
and distressed through social welfare
programmes. |
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Is the Community
Chest very rich? |
| The charities
under ComChest rely on the funds it
raises to provide welfare services to
those who need them. The funds raised
by the Community Chest will be disbursed
to the charities on a quarterly basis,
and fresh dollars have to be raised
every year. |
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How much of my donation
actually goes to help the disadvantaged? |
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| All donations
go to the charities under the Community
Chest. Our longstanding partner, Singapore
Pools , covers the administrative and
operating costs incurred by the Community
Chest. So, when you support the Community
Chest, you can be assured that every
dollar raised goes to benefit someone
in need. |
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How can corporations
help? |
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| There
are two ways that corporate partners
can render assistance: through the Corporate
Community Involvement Programme (CCIP)
and SHARE, a monthly donation by employees,
which can be matched by corporations.
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What is CCIP? |
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| CCIP
involves the giving of corporate resources,
time, knowledge and influence to enhance
the well-being of the less fortunate
and the less privileged in our community.
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What is SHARE? |
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| SHARE
is a fund-raising programme of ComChest.
Individuals help by making a small,
yet consistent, contribution through
monthly payroll, GIRO, credit or charge
card deduction. |
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Can I make regular
donations? |
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| You can
opt to do so via the SHARE programme,
and you can choose as your mode of deduction
your monthly payroll, GIRO, credit or
charge card. |
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The
Sharity Programme |
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What is the Sharity
programme? How is it related to NCSS? |
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| This
is a public education programme by the
National Council of Social Service (NCSS).
Launched in 1984, the mascot for the
programme is the Sharity Elephant -
symbolising the qualities of caring
and sharing. |
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What does the Sharity
programme do? |
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| The Sharity
programme aims to promote three main
messages to children: |
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- It is good to care and share with
the less fortunate through better
awareness of their needs, by making
monetary and voluntary contributions.
- As mainstream school children,
they are in a more privileged position
to help make a difference in the
lives of the less fortunate.
- Children should learn to accept
and integrate with others in society,
such as the elderly and people with
disabilities.
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How will my child
benefit from the Sharity programme?
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| Your
child can participate and benefit from
an array of activities/ programmes such
as the: |
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- Sharity Funtimes newsletter
- Sharity Camp
- Sharity School Talk
- Sharity Birthday Event
- Sharity
website
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| By learning how to
accept, integrate and assist the less
fortunate through the above activities/
programmes, your child will be ingrained
with a strong foundation in caring and
sharing, so that he/she will grow up
to be a responsible and compassionate
adult. |
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Besides the Sharity
programme, what other forms of public
education does NCSS have? |
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| NCSS
also has various ad-hoc public education
efforts aimed at promoting community
involvement among adults. Some examples
include corporate presentations, monthly
volunteering orientation sessions, launch
of the social service volunteers' month
and the production and dissemination
of collateral. |
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