A family in distress: How MSF’s SAFER helped a social worker step in earlier

How SAFER joins the dots

Rolled out since end-June 2026, the Sensemaking Alerts for Frontline Engagement and Response (SAFER) unit brings together information from different government agencies to give frontline professionals a fuller picture of a family’s situation. This helps them provide the right level of support earlier.

It was set up by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) after a 2025 review of Singapore’s child protection system, prompted by the death of four-year-old Megan Khung.

In its first two months, SAFER has flagged 70 cases to MSF’s Protective Service (PSV) and Child Protection Case Management Agencies’ case managers to step up or strengthen support for the families involved.

These comprised 68 existing cases updated with new information, a known case escalated to MSF PSV, and a new case referred to a family service centre.

It currently draws on data from MSF, the Singapore Police Force and the Central Narcotics Bureau.

SAFER will initially focus on families with children aged below seven where there are child protection concerns, says MSF.

Left without support for too long, those patterns could become entrenched and harder to undo. Victims, including children who grow up in abusive households, may come to see those harmful habits as normal, she adds, and not recognise them as harm.

But families in need must be found first – and some may suffer in silence.

Victims sometimes hesitate to disclose what is happening because they want to “save face” or fear implicating themselves, she says. Others may not realise they were harmed, Kalajayanthi adds.

While physical abuse can leave visible signs, psychological abuse – from economic control and intimidation to gaslighting and using children as leverage – can be harder to spot.

Detection has traditionally depended on outsiders, such as schools noticing cane marks on a child, she adds.

When more comes to light

To better understand the families they support, social workers typically contact schools, hospitals or community agencies about attendance, behavioural concerns or medical compliance, says Kalajayanthi.

Kalajayanthi says certain agencies require consent from clients before social workers can access certain information. When they refuse, it leaves gaps in what caseworkers know, she adds.

Family service centres (FSCs), or community-based social services that support vulnerable individuals and families with social and emotional issues, also work with community police units on these cases, she adds.

Before SAFER, a caseworker would usually be unaware of a family member’s arrest unless shared by the family, or if circumstances required existing protocols for law enforcement agencies to notify MSF of possible child safety risks.

In this family’s case, MSF’s initial checks with the child’s school did not turn up any signs of family violence. The school had identified behavioural concerns, and referred the child for assessment and support, Kalajayanthi says.

By bringing together relevant information across government agencies, SAFER now helps social workers like Kalajayanthi spot child safety risks that may not be apparent when the information is viewed separately.

But SAFER’s alert is only the starting point. Early intervention also means strengthening a person’s support network, from their own family to the wider community, she says.

“Protecting families is a shared responsibility,” adds Kalajayanthi, who encourages the public to report suspected abuse cases to the authorities.

“When individuals and families are given opportunities to access the right support at the right time, positive change becomes possible.”

In partnership with the Ministry of Social and Family Development