AN EXPLORATORY STUDY ON LOW-INCOME TRANSNATIONAL FAMILIES IN SINGAPORE ULITISING THE STRENGTHS PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

This study sought to understand the challenges of low-income transnational families in Singapore and the strength that can be elicited through their challenges and dreams. The findings found that Strengths Perspective is useful in finding about the strengths used by the low-income transnational couples to overcome the key challenges, recognizes untapped strengths preventing foreign spouses’ employment due to structural barriers, surfaces the need for more environment strength to complement with the personal strength of husband assisting the wife to adapt to Singapore for more effective intervention. Some major implications for social work practice and policy that are suggested in this paper are as followed. The first two recommendations is based on the rationale that having both spouses to work can overcome financial difficulties caused by low income earned by the husband and high remittance required by wife’s natal families. First, the provision of adequate subsidies for WSQ Qualifications to all foreign spouses will help them to acquire basic English listening, speaking and reading through the Employability Skills WSQ and acquire job-specific skills and competencies through the other WSQ Certificates based on the sector they are interested in, so that they will be equipped to work. Second, to advocate for the Letter of Consent which is the entitlement to the right to work in Singapore to be given to all foreign spouses who are legally married to a Singaporean husband. The third recommendation is to provide iv more environment support for foreign wives to gain language competency to function better in the society. Third, recommendation to have the current Transnational Family Support Centre under Fei Yue and Care Corner to have translation and interpreting services to provide free language services to marriage migrants to help them to overcome language barrier with their husband and have language competency needed to function in the society. The forth recommendation to provide environment strength to help the transnational families adapt to Singapore better. Forth, recommendation for Community Clubs and Resident’s Committees to have “Transnational Families Champions” in reaching out to the transnational families in each neighborhood through home visit, invitation to join grassroots activities and festive celebrations. This will provide additional support for the foreign spouse to overcome adapting to Singapore.