The Social Residential Homes Bill (“Bill“) was introduced for Second Reading in Parliament and passed on 8 April 2025. Social residential homes (“SRHs“) refer to premises that are used to provide residential accommodation to persons who require care and/or social intervention.
In his Opening Speech at the Second Reading of the Bill, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Social and Family Development Mr Eric Chua highlighted that the legislation is a proactive step taken by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (“MSF“) “to codify the good progress that has been made in raising the quality of care provided by the sector over the years”. It was not introduced in response to “uneven standards of care” but to prepare Singapore for the future, given the country’s rapidly ageing population and shrinking family sizes.
Key Features of the Bill
The Bill introduces a licensing regime for the regulation of SRHs that consolidates the regulation framework for the operation of homes for (i) children and young persons (currently regulated under the Children and Young Persons Act 1993), and (ii) sheltered homes (currently regulated under the Homes for the Aged Act 1988). It also enables the regulation of adult disability homes, welfare homes and other SRHs.
The Bill prohibits a person from operating a licensable SRH unless the person is authorised to do so by virtue of a licence granted under the Bill, or exempt from holding such a licence.
Clear standards for delivery of quality care through Codes of Practice
Under the Bill, MSF will issue Codes of Practice for licensable SRHs setting out regulatory requirements pertaining to key areas such as (i) governance of SRHs; (ii) management of premises; (iii) residential management; and (iv) incident management. Currently, in order to receive funding, some SRHs comply with certain standards outlined in MSF’s service model requirements. The Codes of Practice to be issued will clarify the standards of care that are expected from operators.
Enhanced safeguards for residents’ safety and well-being
The Bill makes it mandatory for all licensees, key appointment holders, persons-in-charge, staff and other individuals who perform prescribed duties, such as vendors who provide direct care to residents, to undergo a suitability assessment. This means only individuals with good standing are allowed to be deployed in the SRHs to perform various functions. This is to ensure continuity of SRH operations and care for residents within SRHs, and assure residents and their family members that individuals deployed therein can be trusted to provide quality care to residents.
Under the Bill, MSF will appoint a Board of Visitors (“BOV“) to carry out independent checks on SRHs. A BOV assesses the SRHs’ living conditions to ensure that their premises are safe and sanitary.
Comprehensive enforcement framework as a deterrent against errant operators
The Bill provides a range of regulatory actions against errant operators including:
- revocation of licences;
- modification or suspension of licences for less severe breaches;
- pursuing criminal charges for more serious breaches; and
- issuance of step-in orders (“SIOs“).
SIOs are issued to temporarily take over a failing licensee for continuity of care for residents. It may take the form of appointing (i) a third party to advise the licensee on SRH’s operations or a temporary transfer of residents to another SRH; or (ii) another operator to temporarily take over operations to ensure continuity of care for residents.
Implementation
The new law is targeted to be implemented in 2026 as stated in the MSF Public Consultation on the Bill (link here). MSF will adopt a risk-based regulatory approach to license SRHs in phases. As a start, it will license the following SRHs that provide long-term care for the most vulnerable residents: (i) Adult Disability Homes, which includes Adult Disability Hostels; (ii) Homes for Children and Young Persons which comprises Children’s Homes and Children Disability Homes; (iii) Sheltered Homes; and (iv) Welfare Homes.
Transition Support Package
To help SRHs transition to the new licensing regime, MSF and the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) will provide a S$33 million Transition Support Package to all SRHs that will be licensed under the Bill. This will be used for, among others:
- training of staff in critical areas such as management of violent behaviours by residents;
- updating or installing closed-circuit television (CCTV) systems to monitor the safety of residents; and
- supporting change management efforts such as reviewing internal work processes to adhere to regulatory requirements under the Bill
Click on the following links for more information (available on the MSF website at ww.msf.gov.sg):
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