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Position Filled: CARE Administrative Executive (Full-Time)

We are no longer accepting applicants for this role.

AWARE’s CARE department is looking for a full-time executive who can help with day-to-day operational and administrative functions for the Women’s Care Centre. This will be a paid contract position until end of the year 2020.

Position: Admin Executive, CARE Department
Commitment: Full-time (10am – 7pm, five days weekly)
Salary Range: $2,410 – $3,710
Application deadline: 30 June 2020

Job Description

  • Providing administrative and operational support to the CARE department, including Women’s Care Centre and Sexual Assault Care Centre
  • Liaising between people in need and CARE staff and volunteers, to ensure smooth operations of various services offered under the department. This includes organising intake process, on-site operational support and scheduling support; gathering and analysing feedback, attending to general enquiries from people in need and referring them to various internal and external resources, etc.
  • Overseeing data management through regular documentation and filing of confidential notes, intake forms, tidying up of referrals, transcription of handwritten notes, etc. in line with standards set for different services.
  • Maintaining payment records and being responsible for prompt processing of invoices for the department
  • Managing external vendors by liaising with vendors that support various systems within CARE, like IP phones, data management software, scheduling software, etc.
  • Innovating and working with CARE staff to make administrative processes more efficient
  • Assisting in supporting staff and volunteers on various projects and ad-hoc programmes as required by the line manager
  • Meeting deadlines in a high demand environment while balancing workloads and competing priorities

Requirements

  • Minimum 1 year’s experience as an office administrator, office assistant or in a relevant role
  • Experience in client administration in social service industry is advantageous
  • Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office and G-Suite
  • Able to use initiative and judgment to solve problems independently
  • Strong belief in gender equality and the values of AWARE
  • Able to meet deadlines in a high-paced environment while balancing workload and competing priorities
  • Able to main strict confidentiality of sensitive information
  • Excellent interpersonal, empathy and communication skills in English (verbal and written)
  • Strong organisational skills

Read our privacy policy here. Email care-coordinator@aware.org.sg with any questions.

Research respondents needed: employers of foreign domestic workers who provide eldercare

AWARE is interviewing individuals who have hired foreign domestic workers (FDWs) to help look after an elderly person (above the age of 67) in Singapore, anytime from January 2018 and onwards.

This is part of our ongoing research to understand the experiences of family caregivers and FDWs. We aim to raise your challenges to policymakers, and make relevant policy recommendations. From this interview, we hope to understand employers’ perspectives and experiences in hiring an FDW for eldercare purposes.

As an employer, you will be asked about your experiences with your latest FDW (hired in 2018 or after), including: hiring, deciding on her working conditions and responsibilities, training, developing a working relationship with her, transferring/repatriating, etc.

Interview details

  1. The interview will be 1.5 hours long and conducted over Zoom, at a time of mutual convenience.
  2. Selected respondents will be interviewed in Q3 2020.
  3. Respondents will be given $30 as a token of appreciation for their time (via bank transfer or Paylah!).
  4. Interview findings will be anonymised and respondents’ personal details will be kept confidential.

If you are interested, please fill in this form by 14 August 2020. You may email Kristen at researchintern@aware.org.sg if you need any clarifications.

Video: How to respond when your friend is experiencing domestic violence

Empathy. Empowerment. Resources.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, AWARE has seen a worrying spike in domestic violence calls. The stress and anxiety sparked by COVID-19 is triggering abusers to lash out against people around them. At the same time, social distancing measures to stop the spread of the virus put potential victims more squarely in harm’s way, while also cutting them off from all-important avenues of social support.

It’s very possible that someone in your life is experiencing domestic violence: a relative, friend, neighbour or colleague. Some symptoms could be unexplained injuries, unusual emotional displays or social behaviour (such as avoiding others), sudden financial trouble or change in work performance.

If you suspect that someone is going through violence at home, watch this video for some simple steps you can take to help her or him.

For more support, call AWARE’s Women’s Helpline at 1800 777 5555 (Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm). If you cannot call, but would like to schedule an online chat with us, you may do so here.

Animation by Maryam Binte Muhamad Hamim.
Voiceover by Julie Wee.
Funded in part by Temasek Trust’s oscar@sg fund.

Video Transcript

Imagine that your friend is experiencing domestic violence. This could be physical, sexual, emotional, psychological or financial.

It may include hitting, threats, humiliation or unwanted touching. Your friend’s movements, online activities or money might be controlled by the abuser.

If you get a chance to speak with your friend…

Show empathy. Don’t make judgments or assumptions about the situation. You can say: “It sounds like you’re scared and confused because of how your partner treats you. Is that right? I’m here to listen.”

Empower them. Offer your support but don’t make decisions on their behalf. You can say, “How can I help you? We could think through some options together.”

Suggest resources. Point them to people or organisations who could lend more support. You can say: “A Protection Specialist Centre may help. Do you want to call them together?”

  • AWARE Women’s Helpline: 1800 777 5555
  • National Care Hotline: 1800 202 6868
  • Protection Specialist Centres (Care Corner, PAVE, Trans Safe Centre)
  • Family Service Centres (call ComCare at 1800 222 0000)

Check in with them periodically. If you fear for your friend’s safety, consider calling the police. If possible, get your friend’s consent before you do so.

Remember: Empathy, Empowerment, Resources.

Reply to MOM: Not enough measures to protect foreign domestic workers during transfers

In this letter—a response to concerns from AWARE and HOME about its new transfer rules for foreign/migrant domestic workers (FDWs or MDWs)—the Ministry of Manpower notes that “the FDW, just like the employer, retains the flexibility to end the contract at any time. The employment agency can cancel the work permit when the FDW is agreeable and ready to transfer”.

However, in pointing out that FDWs have the option to end their own contracts, MOM may not be taking into account the complex power differential between FDWs and employers.

For one, while employers are encouraged to document agreements between themselves and agencies, they are not required to document the FDW’s consent to be transferred. As HOME put it, “As we give employers and [employment agencies] more power to determine the fate of MDWs’ livelihoods, the same power is not given to MDWs to control their own circumstances. The power imbalance between MDWs on the one hand, and employers and EAs on the other, remains entrenched.”

Secondly, employers have the last say in FDWs’ transfer requests (unless there are MOM or police investigations involved). It is unclear how FDWs can initiate or reject a transfer on their own. In HOME’s experience, it was rare for employers to give transfers pre-COVID-19. Many times, when the working relationship had broken down, employers simply wanted to send the worker back to their home country to “punish” them (even though they would have to bear the repatriation costs). HOME commonly heard from employers that they didn’t want to “subject” another family to the same worker.

Even when employers are under investigation by the police or MOM, FDWs’ rights to work in another household during the investigation period is subject to approval from the relevant authorities.

All this contradicts the idea that FDWs have equal say in their right to work as compared to all other parties involved.

Lastly, employers can circumvent agencies and transfer FDWs directly to another employer—a process that again only involves documentation of agreement between the two employers, not the FDW. MOM’s point that “the employment agency can cancel the work permit when the FDW is agreeable and ready to transfer” therefore does not always apply.

We continue to worry that there are not enough measures in place to protect FDWs’ interests and well-being during these transfers.

Position Filled: CARE Administrative Executive (Part-Time)

We are no longer accepting applicants for this role.

AWARE’s CARE department is looking for a part-time executive who can help with day-to-day operational and administrative functions for the Women’s Care Centre. This will be a paid contract position for one year.

Position: Administrative Executive
Department: CARE (Women’s Care Centre)
Commitment: Part-time (five days a week: five hours daily on Mon -Thurs; four hours on Fri)
Term: One-year contract
Application deadline: 30 June 2020

Job Description

  • Providing administrative and operational support to AWARE’s counselling and support group team
  • Scheduling clients with counsellors via phone, emails and/or face-to-face
  • Supporting incoming client and volunteer queries
  • Maintaining volunteer contracts, payment records and being responsible for prompt processing of invoices for the department
  • Documentation and filing of confidential notes, intake forms, etc.
  • Establishing processes for client feedback and ensuring prompt submission to relevant parties/systems
  • Supporting volunteer counsellor and support group facilitator recruitment, onboarding and engagement
  • Assisting staff and volunteers on various projects, reports and ad-hoc programmes as required by the line manager

Requirements

  • Minimum 1 year’s experience as an office administrator, office assistant or relevant role
  • Experience in the social service industry is advantageous
  • Excellent interpersonal, empathy and communication skills in English (verbal and written) and strong organisational skills
  • Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office (PowerPoint, Excel, MS Word)
  • Able to use initiative and judgement to solve problems independently
  • Strong belief in gender equality and the values of AWARE
  • Able to meet deadlines in a high-paced environment while balancing workload and competing priorities
  • Able to maintain strict confidentiality of sensitive information

Read our privacy policy here.

Survey finds that Foreign Domestic Workers face overwork, trouble remitting money and other obstacles during COVID-19

Foreign domestic workers (FDWs) are facing unique challenges as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak in Singapore.

AWARE and Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics (HOME) have been studying the role FDWs play in providing eldercare in Singapore since 2019, and wanted to see how the pandemic and subsequent circuit breaker measures have impacted them. We surveyed 25 FDWs in April 2020 while circuit breaker measures were in place, to see how their working and living conditions might have changed. All 25 respondents are currently looking after a person above the age of 67.

The survey revealed that FDWs are facing challenges on multiple fronts. These include their working and rest hours, their ability to financially support their families back home and the lack of a clear channel of communication between them and MOM for information about the latest COVID-19 advisories and work entitlements.

Forty percent of our respondents were taking fewer rest days during the circuit breaker, and 20% were working without a single rest day in the month. Compounding the risk of overwork, 16% of our respondents said they were given work on their rest days during the circuit breaker, when they had previously not been given any.

The International Domestic Workers Federation’s recent policy brief on the impact of COVID-19 on FDWs has highlighted overwork as a common problem across multiple countries. FDWs are particularly vulnerable to overwork, as boundaries are blurred when FDWs’ living environments are also their working environments. Overwork has a detrimental impact on both physical and mental health. Several respondents reported feeling very tired and uncomfortable. One respondent said, “Now I have to take longer to buy stuff because everyone [is] at home. Have to buy each person different food. The queue is always longer.” Another said, “Everyone is working at home now, so more work everyday.” Overwork could also affect FDWs’ abilities to provide the best care outcomes for the elderly they are looking after.

While most employers were paying them for working on their rest days, three respondents said that they were being paid less than their usual daily rate for working on rest days, with no explanation from employers. One respondent revealed that her employer no longer paid her at all for working on her rest days. Some workers are therefore working more than usual without commensurate remuneration.

We learnt that 60% of our respondents are facing difficulties remitting money as frequently as they could previously as they are unable to leave their employers’ houses. This is especially worrying considering the majority of our respondents are married with children and need to support them. Twenty percent of our respondents said they are unable to remit money home at all, with one respondent saying that her children were having to pay for their own basic needs for the time being.

What exacerbates the above changes is the lack of clear communication to FDWs about measures affecting them. Only 20% of our respondents found out through MOM directly that they could no longer leave the house during their rest days. Even fewer, 12%, were informed of the change by their employers. The majority found out through various news and social media sources, which may not always be accurate. This could brew confusion about their entitlements during this period. Worryingly, 40% of our respondents did not know who to talk to if their employers did not follow MOM rules on working during their off days and necessary compensation.

When asked how FDWs thought MOM could help, they mentioned:

  • holding employers accountable for fair compensation
  • regulating the increase in their workload
  • looking out for FDWs’ welfare when they left the house to run errands on their employers’ behalf
  • providing increased financial support so they could look after their families back home.

One respondent highlighted the essential role FDWs play in supporting Singaporean families, saying, “[MOM] must care also [for] the FDW because they also part of a frontliner. Because they look after Singaporean family; they go outside to buy for the needs of the family.” Another asked for stricter enforcement by MOM, saying “They should at least make compulsory to the employer to pay FDWs if they don’t allowed them to go out and still work. Because some employers [are] really not following this rules.”

This survey reveals a need for authorities to ensure a direct channel of communicating matters that affect FDWs, during and beyond this disconcerting period. They also need to hold employers accountable for doing the same.

In addition, HOME has released a set of recommendations for how MOM can better support FDWs during this period. These include:

  • issuing a clarification for employers that FDWs should be allowed to leave their house to complete essential errands, and for exercise, while observing safe distancing measures
  • informing employers that FDWs should be paid their full salaries in a timely manner
  • allowing a levy waiver for the next three months for all employers of FDWs
  • facilitating the approval for work permit applications for all FDWs who are looking to transfer employers.

For more details, please refer to HOME’s full statement here.

A Recap: The role of consent during lockdown, an online panel by LUÜNA

written by Ramesh Oviya

On 7 May 2020, LUÜNA Naturals, a women-led period care company that emphasises social impact, hosted an online panel discussion on the role of consent during COVID-19, with three speakers from Singapore.

Hosted by LUÜNA founder Olivia Cotes-James, the panel was a part of the company’s event series #NoMoreSecrets, which aims to explore women’s issues traditionally shrouded in taboo.

Two of the panellists were part of AWARE’s Aim For Zero family. The first was Devika Panicker, a sexual violence survivor and spokesperson for the Aim for Zero campaign, which promotes zero tolerance towards sexual violence through training and dialogue. The next was Aim for Zero programme co-ordinator Rayann Condy. They were also joined by Dr Angela Tan, an intimacy coach who shared about working with couples and patients to understand and practice consent.

A survivor of child sexual abuse, Devika talked about the importance of teaching basic information about consent to kids from a young age, whether at school or at home. She suggested that one impediment to consent education at home was the common worry among Singaporean parents that, by speaking of sexual health, they are encouraging their children to engage in sexual activities at an earlier age than they otherwise would.

Rayann agreed, saying that the pro-abstinence sex-ed programmes taught in Singaporean schools often have the unfortunate effect of shaming and victim-blaming amongst survivors of sexual violence. It can be harder for them to speak up about uncomfortable sexual experiences if sex outside of marriage is so widely villainised. Thus, Rayann reminded everyone, when survivors do summon the courage to talk to someone about their experiences, they should be treated with empathy and made to feel heard.

In response to Devika’s point, Dr Angela cited some studies conducted in other countries that found that in schools where more holistic sex-ed was provided, the age of youth having sex increased and teenage pregnancies decreased. She went on to share that in her experience, people do find it difficult to simply enjoy their relationships as Singapore’s approach to sex-ed is “fear-driven”. She notices that people are often uncomfortable voicing out their likes and dislikes in the bedroom.

Next, Olivia asked the speakers to share about new trends they’ve observed since Singapore’s circuit breaker began.

Rayann likened the situation to a “pressure cooker”, where many sexual violence survivors have no outlets for recovery and relief. She cited the 112% increase in Helpline calls pertaining to domestic violence this April compared to last April; some of these calls come from women experiencing sexual violence at the hands of spouses, intimate partners or other relatives. Rayann mentioned a positive uptick in outreach from bystanders to AWARE: Some people, for example, are calling the Helpline because they are worried by what they are hearing from their neighbours. She finished off with details about how members of the public can support survivors, using the EER acronym: Respond with empathy, empower them, and share resources that may help.

Dr Angela reinforced Rayann’s analogy, describing the harms to one’s mental health being stuck in a confined space.

She then brought up the situation of couples stuck in different houses during the circuit breaker, and the notion of consent in cyberspace, e.g. when sharing nudes and other intimate content. Verbal communication between partners is integral in this situation, she said.

Olivia termed this “online consent”. Devika also jumped in to share how such online consent plays a part in her current relationship. She also spoke about how some of her peers face sexual expectations from their partners that they are not comfortable meeting, circling back to each person’s right to consent.

The panellists wrapped up by discussing the difficulties they have faced in trying to carve out a safe space for others while in lockdown.

During the Q&A section, an audience member asked how to encourage discussions about consent in Muslim communities. Acknowledging that, unfortunately, many religions discourage believers from learning too much about sex, Rayann asserted that one’s faith and sexuality don’t have to be “mutually exclusive”. Citing more studies, she reiterated what the panel had expressed over and over: that talking about sex does not necessarily encourage people to have sex.

As the panel discussion drew to a close, Olivia reminded participants to support survivors of sexual assault with EER, and to arm themselves with self-care tools in this trying time.

Take a survey about COVID-19’s impact on low-income self-employed persons

AWARE is conducting a new survey on low-income self-employed persons in Singapore, about the effects of COVID-19 and their experiences applying for government assistance.

To be eligible for this survey:
  • You must be female.
  • You must be self-employed/freelancing. (If you are not sure whether you qualify as self-employed, please also sign up.)
  • You must have a monthly household income of under $650 per capita.
  • You plan to apply for, have already applied for (and are waiting to hear back about), or are unsure if you are eligible for the Self-employed Person Income Relief Scheme (SIRS).

Please do not sign up to be a respondent if you already received notification from the Government that you will be receiving a SIRS payout.

If you satisfy the criteria above, please email Ning Qian (advocacy@aware.org.sg) with your name and your phone number to sign up.

Successful survey respondents will receive $20 as a token of appreciation.

Take a survey about COVID-19’s impact on female family caregivers

In collaboration with Tsao Foundation, SCWO and PPIS, AWARE is conducting a new survey to document COVID-19’s impact on caregivers in Singapore.

To be eligible for this survey, you must:

  1. Be a female family caregiver to an older person in Singapore
  2. Co-reside with your older care recipient
  3. Care for a person with either:
    a. Dementia, or another mental condition
    b. At least one activity of daily living (ADL) limitation (i.e. trouble with eating, bathing, getting dressed, toileting, transferring and continence), requiring human assistance
    c. Complications from diabetes, heart failure, liver failure and/or stroke.

If you satisfy the criteria above, please email Yoke Mun (yokemun@aware.org.sg) with your name and your phone number. She will call you to ask a simple set of questions.

Successful survey respondents will receive $20 as a token of appreciation.