Stepping Up Outreach to Caregivers

1 The Special Needs Trust Company (SNTC) will step up its outreach to caregivers of persons with disabilities in 2018. SNTC reaches out to caregivers of persons with disabilities to

i. Raise awareness on the need to plan ahead for their own retirement and provide for the future financial needs of their dependants;
ii. Increase knowledge of financial mechanisms such as the SNTC Trust, the Special Needs Savings Scheme, and how these financial mechanisms can help them to safeguard monies set aside for the care of their dependants.

Reaching Out to Caregivers

2 Currently, SNTC partners special education (SPED) schools, hospitals, family service centres, the Pioneer Generation Office, the Institute of Financial Literacy and lawyers to educate caregivers on estate planning. In addition to these partners, SNTC will be building networks with professionals such as financial advisors for them to better advise their clients who have dependants with disabilities. SNTC will also be raising awareness of its services through the mass media and events. More details can be found in the calendar of events at www.sntc.org.sg.

3 SNTC is a registered Charity and Institution of a Public Character (IPC) supported by the Ministry of Social and Family Development. SNTC provides trust and care planning services to support families in planning for the long-term care of their persons with disabilities. SNTC aims to support some 1,700 caregivers by 2021. This is a 70 per cent increase from the 1,000 caregivers it supports today. It is the only non-profit trust company in Singapore set up to provide affordable trust management services to persons with special needs.

Annex A Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is a trust?

A trust is a legal relationship in which an individual or institution (known as Trustee) holds property, subject to a legal obligation to keep or use the property for the benefit of another (known as the Beneficiary).

2. Who qualifies as a Beneficiary under the SNTC trust?

To set up a trust account, the beneficiary (or dependent) must be a Singapore Citizen or Singapore Permanent Resident with disabilities and residing in Singapore. Caregivers can set up the trust account with a minimum of $5,000.

3 What role does SNTC play in terms of supporting caregivers?

SNTC works with caregivers to plan and provide for the long-term financial and care needs of their dependants with special needs. These caregivers can use the SNTC trust to safeguard the monies they intend to leave behind for their special needs dependant. All monies in the SNTC trust fund are invested and managed by the Public Trustee Office under the Ministry of Law and the principal value of the trust fund is guaranteed by the Government. Caregivers can have a peace of mind that their monies are protected under the trust and will only be used for their special needs dependants.

SNTC has a team of dedicated Case Managers, to support persons with special needs and their caregivers. SNTC's Case Managers will work with the caregiver to develop a Care Plan for their special needs dependant. The Care Plan projects the amount needed to be set aside in the trust to provide for the dependant's long-term caregiving needs, upon the demise or incapacity of the caregiver.

The caregiver's wishes are recorded in a Letter of Intent so that the trust monies will be used for the benefit of the special needs dependant according to the wishes of the caregiver. SNTC will review the Care Plan with the caregiver and update the Letter of Intent to capture any changing needs of the dependant.SNTC's Case Managers will make home visits to check on the well-being of the dependant, when the primary caregivers have passed on. SNTC also monitors the trust funds and continues to review the Care Plan with the successor caregiver, i.e. the appointed caregiver.

4. What is the difference between SNTC's non-profit trust and a private trust?