Mr Ishak Ismail, Chairman, Families for Life Council,
Families for Life Council members,
National Family Festival Organising Committee,
Distinguished Partners and Volunteers,
1. Good afternoon. Let me start by extending my sincere appreciation to all our partners and volunteers for contributing to a successful National Family Festival 2025.
2. The National Family Festival, or NFF, is an important highlight in our calendar of family events. This year is particularly meaningful, as it’s celebrated within our SG60 celebrations.
3. We kicked off the month with the Family Carnival at Expo, held in conjunction with Sport Singapore’s FunFam SportFest. We also had exciting moments like the People’s Association’s Family PLAYGround and the iconic Family Night Out at Universal Studios Singapore. I was especially touched by the warmth and connection among families at these events together with all the volunteers that also came together at these events.
4. Your collective efforts and steadfast support made this possible. I would like to recognise the efforts of our Organising Committee, led by the Families for Life Council and MSF, comprising NTUC Women and Family, National Youth Council, People’s Association, the Prime Minister’s Office Strategy Group, and Sport Singapore. This year, we collaborated with over 360 community organisations and corporates, almost double the 200 partners last year! I am glad our networks are growing, and our partners each contribute in their unique way.
5. First, many community organisations and social service agencies got involved and organised family events as part of the Festival, such as the HomeTeamNS’ Dip n Splash and Amazing Family Race, and Centre for Fathering’s Dad’s Day Out and Mum’s Day Out. Beyond providing bonding opportunities for families, they also organised experiential learning activities and shared useful parenting tips.
6. Second, our corporates showed up with strong support, leveraging their expertise to benefit families. Kopitiam hosted roadshows at their hawker centres, reminding families of the joy of togetherness during mealtimes. Many corporates organised activity booths at our Family Carnival at Expo and sponsored month-long family deals. Standard Chartered, for instance, organised financial literacy activities for families, and galvanised over 500 staff and their families to volunteer. PropNex Singapore and Gardens by the Bay collaborated on the Families for Life Picnic and Movie Screening, creating special memories for families.
7. Last, but not least, our heartfelt gratitude goes to over 680 of our FFL volunteer leaders and volunteers, who generously gave nearly 3,000 hours of their time to reach families across the island. They served as engagement ambassadors, supported at the Family Carnival, and organised picnics for lower-income families, just to name a few of their contributions.
8. Once again, thank you for making NFF a meaningful event for over 850,000 participants.
9. Our efforts to build a Singapore Made for Families extends beyond the month-long festivities of NFF. Strong families are the foundation of our society. With resilient families, we are better placed to build on our strengths, and to rise above challenges that our society face.
10. The second edition of the Family Trends Report will be released today. I am encouraged as the report shows that Singapore continues to be a good place to raise families. Families are strong and resilient, parents are supported in child-raising, and Singaporeans are embracing a family-friendly society. Our collective efforts have brought us this far, and we must continue building on this.
11. The report provides insights into the state of our families. It covers key statistics across life stages, from marriage and parenthood, to early childhood, and ageing. Allow me to highlight three key findings.
12. First, families remain strong and resilient across life stages.
a. There is greater marriage stability in recent marriage cohorts, with lower dissolution rates among the 2006 to 2013 cohorts, compared to the 2005 cohort.
b. Parents of children and youth have also shown resilience, with most reporting moderate to high family resilience. This reflects an ability to tide through challenges together.
c. In old age, elderly residents also feel supported by their family. A 2024 NCSS survey found that majority of seniors were happy with their familial relationships and satisfied with the support they received.
13. Second, families continue to be supported across life stages.
a. To increase access to preschools, the number of full-day infant care places have nearly tripled over the past decade. Full-day childcare places have nearly doubled. We are glad that majority of children are enrolled in preschools, with the cohort enrolment rate of children aged 3 to 4 years old at 90% in 2024, and for 5 to 6 years old at 93% in 2024.
b. The number of employees with access to flexible work arrangements has increased from 84% in 2022 to 87% in 2023. Many of you have played a part in providing such support, and we hope more can join us to support parents in balancing their caregiving responsibilities and career aspirations.
14. Third, we continue to gain momentum in strengthening mindsets.
a. Many of you supported the new Shared Parental Leave scheme, enabling your employees to spend more time with their children. With your support, the proportion of mothers who took Government-Paid Maternity Leave over the years remains high, ranging from 74% to 79%, while the proportion of fathers who utilised their Government-Paid Paternity Leave remains at over 50%. The early years of our children are a special time to cherish. With the new Shared Parental Leave in 2025 offering an additional 6 weeks, we hope to see more mothers and especially fathers utilising their leave provisions.
b. Organisations too, play a powerful role in creating lasting changes. At the launch of NFF, I announced the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding with CapitaLand. I look forward to more corporates partnering us and cultivating family-friendly practices. This can include organising family days and raising awareness on family support schemes.
15. We have done well to strengthen families, but our efforts must continue.
a. One area is family formation. Decisions surrounding marriages are deeply personal, but we can do more to assure couples if they do choose to start a family. We have enhanced our Marriage and Parenthood Package over the years to provide more comprehensive support. As a community, we can also support young couples around us, such as through sharing our own journeys and lessons.
Real Families Real Stories
16. Indeed, stories are a powerful tool in nudging change. That is why we launched the Real Families Real Stories campaign, to capture the depth of everyday family lives.
a. It is encouraging that in the 4,500 stories submitted during NFF, some shared about how supportive employers enabled them to have more family time, while pursuing work ambitions. Others reflected on how they went through challenging transitions and emerged stronger as a family.
b. The campaign will continue beyond NFF, and we hope to continue conversations on the shared joys and challenges in building families.
Conclusion
17. In this past month, many families have benefited from our efforts, made possible by a vibrant ecosystem of partnerships. Once again, thank you for your many contributions. Let us grow NFF into a beloved festival that families look forward to each year, and create even more meaningful ways to support families.
18. We have made good progress in strengthening families, and I am confident that we will continue to do even better. Together, we can create a Singapore Made for Families. Thank you.
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