SPEECH BY MDM RAHAYU MAHZAM, MINISTER OF STATE, AND CHAIR, POLICY ADVISORY COUNCIL, CHILD AT THE CHILD CONFERENCE DINNER RECEPTION 2025

Professor Chong Yap Seng, Dean, NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine

Professor Nick Sevdalis, Executive Director, CHILD

Distinguished guests

Ladies and gentlemen

1.             Good evening to you. I am glad to be here tonight at the dinner reception for the Centre for Holistic Initiatives for Learning and Development, in short, CHILD, Conference as the Chair of the Policy Advisory Council.

Role of Policy Advisory Council

2.             Our mission at CHILD is to drive research, education and innovation in early childhood development, ensuring that every child has the opportunity to develop optimally. So when I was first asked to be the Chair of the Policy Advisory Council by Prof Chong, it was very easy to say yes. It is such meaningful work that I was happy to be part of this and to carry it forward. The Policy Advisory Council consists of representatives from key government agencies, including the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Social and Family Development, Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA), and Health Promotion Board (HPB).

3.             The Council plays a pivotal role in guiding CHILD’s strategic direction. It provides advice on emerging policy issues, acts as a consultative and discussion resource on policy issues that impact CHILD’s work, and facilitates access and dialogue with government agencies, healthcare institutions, as well as community partners. By doing so, the Council ensures that CHILD’s work is aligned with national priorities and that its initiatives have a meaningful impact on the early childhood landscape.

Importance of Collaboration and Dialogue between Policy Makers and Researchers

4.             The theme for this year’s conference is “Translating Evidence for Impact: Bridging Research, Policy and Practice in Early Childhood”. This is important as it allows policymakers to adapt research findings to local contexts and apply evidence-based practices in our policies, ensuring appropriateness and effectiveness. It is made possible from the continuous dialogue between policymakers and researchers facilitated by the Policy Advisory Council, enabling the exchange of ideas, discussion of emerging issues, and alignment of research with policy needs.

5.             Such dialogues on bridging research and policymaking have led to policy shifts that have positively impacted families and children. Let me demonstrate with two examples where we see the significance of research on policies.

6.             First, the interagency Child and Maternal Health & Well-being (CAMH) Taskforce has completed its Strategy and Action Plan and published its report in June 2024. The Taskforce reviewed research findings from local cohort studies like the Growing Up in Singapore Towards Healthy Outcomes (GUSTO), led by Professor Chong Yap Seng, which engaged public and private agencies across the health, social and education domains to identify and address critical gaps in support for children and mothers, particularly for the vulnerable and at-risk groups. This resulted in 48 initiatives which are being progressively implemented.

7.             Second, our new population health effort, Grow Well SG, launched in January this year, aims to foster healthy habits for physical activity, nutrition, sleep and screen use in children early. This was also based on compelling local and international evidence, including the GUSTO study, which has shown that early health behaviours significantly impact long-term health and development in children. This is why under Grow Well SG, government agencies are rolling out initiatives across natural touchpoints such as preschools, schools, healthcare institutions and community to educate and support families in building and reinforcing healthy habits among children from young to optimise long-term health benefits.

8.             The thing is, there is a lot of information out there. Sometimes too much information is no information if it is not given to the right groups and not meaningfully unpacked. CHILD’s existence allows us to have direct access to unpack meaningfully some of the findings that can be translated into policies. It can sharpen what we already have and it can make us look at the gaps in some of our efforts.

Value Add of CHILD to Policy Makers

9.             We can see meaningful and tangible outcomes from partnerships that CHILD has undertaken in the early childhood development space. CHILD’s partnership with government agencies like HPB has enhanced the capabilities of key caregivers for children. Using CHILD’s Evidence Insight series, HPB developed bite-size messages and infographics on healthy behaviours such as screen use, nutrition and sleep for parents and caregivers. These are now accessible on HPB’s Parent Hub website, an online repository of health information which is accessible to all.

10.          In addition, CHILD has been working with the National University Health System to implement a community preventive paediatrics health project for children from low-income families, known as the Health and Development Support in Preschool Partnerships, or HEADS-UPP in short. HEADS-UPP is one of the initiatives under the CAMH Action Plan.  

11.          This project enhances support for lower-income families through targeted health and developmental screening to identify at-risk children, and refers them to social agencies and preschools to receive customised and individualised health action plans. To date, HEADS-UPP has benefitted over 250 children with more than 750 family encounters, and has engaged 15 preschools and trained at least 110 professionals.

12.          CHILD's value to policymakers is further exemplified by its ability to forge strategic partnerships and provide evidence-based insights that inform policy decisions. A notable illustration is the Enhancing and Supporting Early Development to Better Children's Lives project, known as EASEL, which was conducted in collaboration with ECDA.

13.          The EASEL project implements a universal classroom-based approach to improve preschool children's social-emotional, behavioural, and executive functioning outcomes. This approach involves a set of educator-led practices that are integrated into the daily classroom environment for children aged three to six years.  The EASEL trial was held at 18 childcare centres across Singapore, reaching close to 50 educators and 560 children.

14.          The EASEL intervention has positively impacted both educators and children. Educators reported significant improvements in their teaching practices and felt more confident in their ability to support their students’ development. By focusing on evidence-based practices and providing continued support for educators, the EASEL project ensures sustainable improvements in early childhood development outcomes. We are now building up mechanisms, alongside CHILD partners and collaborators, to scale up the learnings of this trial across educational providers.

New Horizon Scanning Project

15.          Undoubtedly, CHILD has played a vital role in shaping children’s health and development in Singapore. I am pleased that CHILD’s impact will expand further.

16.          CHILD’s new horizon scanning project aims to identify emerging trends affecting children’s development, building CHILD’s capacity to inform new areas of policymaking. I would like to take this opportunity to encourage all sectors and researchers to actively participate in future dialogues for this project. Your insights are crucial in ensuring that government policies and practices remain relevant in supporting children and families.

Closing

17.          In closing, ongoing dialogues between policymakers and researchers are key to advancing childhood development through strategic guidance, evidence-based research and collaborative initiatives. By leveraging such sharing platforms and networks, we ensure that our efforts are both informed and impactful

18.          Together, we can make a lasting impact on the lives of children and shape a brighter future for our nation. Thank you, and I wish you all a fruitful conference ahead.