‘What comes after?’ Father on planning ahead for sons with disabilities

When Ron Chiam’s youngest son Adriel was born in 2022, he and his wife faced new questions about the future of their three children.

Four-year-old Adriel, like his older brother Aldric, nine, was born with Down syndrome. The genetic condition, caused by an extra copy of chromosome 21, can affect cognitive and physical development. Their sister, Amber, aged seven, does not have the condition.

Aldric needs help to practise writing, speaking and tasks requiring a firm grip. Adriel, who has had gut surgery, requires support with using the toilet.

“All we knew was that they will (be in) special education (schools) until they are 18. But what comes after?” says Chiam, 36, a multimedia executive.

“Will they be able to be self-sufficient? Will they be able to survive on their own?”

The couple also wanted Amber to be able to build her own life – not one shaped by caregiving alone.

The questions led Chiam and his wife, who is in her late 30s, to SG Enable, the national agency for disability. Talks this year with case manager Yu Qingling, 40, began with the children’s finances and grew to cover future housing and caregiving.

With Yu’s support, the couple have started putting plans in place for their sons. “The whole process allows us to see a glimmer of hope in the future,” Chiam says.

“We don’t feel like we’re alone,” he adds.

Planning life transitions

Many families share Chiam’s struggle in planning for the lifelong needs of loved ones with disabilities, according to a report published in October 2026 by the Taskforce on Assurance for Families with Persons with Disabilities.

They often seek support only when circumstances change – focusing on immediate needs and not later life stages – which can cause stress and anxiety.

The Taskforce was set up in December 2025 to study ways to better support persons with disabilities and their families across life stages. It recommended introducing Future Care Planning support in October 2026, building on existing Individual Transition Plans in special education schools

To help families plan ahead, the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) and SG Enable will put in place Future Care Planning across adult disability services starting 2027. (See below)

Before speaking with SG Enable’s Yu, Chiam and his wife had little time to plan ahead. Both work full-time to cover the family’s expenses. Chiam says the boys’ medical, care, and school costs alone come to about $2,000 to $3,000 monthly.

Yu helped the Chiams approach long-term planning in smaller steps – “to start on whatever is doable for them, and build up the care plan one step at a time”, she says.

The Chiams’ first step was to set up a Special Needs Trust account. It is a legal arrangement to hold assets for persons with disabilities and support them financially, when their caregivers can no longer be around.

They initially thought they could not set aside enough funds, so Yu pointed them to the new Gift Of A Lifetime Plus (GOAL+) scheme.

Eligible families can open a trust account with $5,000 from the Community Chest, the fund-raising arm of the National Council of Social Service. The Government will match their deposits up to $10,000 across a five-year top-up window. GOAL+ runs from April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2031.

The couple also planned for Amber and the boys’ godfather, a family friend in his early 30s, to work with SG Enable on financial decisions, living arrangements and other support for the boys in future.

They hope their sons will live together in the family’s four-room Housing Board flat as adults.

These arrangements have “dramatically helped us to shape how we plan our finances”, Chiam says. “That helped bring relief in a substantial way.”

Early planning gives families more time to build savings, teach independent-living skills, and identify future caregivers and support networks, says Yu.

“If planning is delayed until a crisis occurs, families may have fewer options and less time to make important life decisions,” she adds.

“This can lead to added stress for caregivers, disruption for the person with disability, and sometimes higher costs associated with making arrangements at short notice.”

Planning also means understanding what loved ones need and want.

Some families may assume an adult disability hostel with professional care is best, Yu says. “But if you speak to the person with disability, they may not want that. So we need to bring both caregivers and their loved ones into the care planning conversation.”

Tapping support

Caregivers do not have to journey alone. Relatives, friends and community groups can form part of a care plan for persons with disabilities, says Yu.

In the early years, Chiam says the couple often worried about how the family would get by and how the boys would earn a living in future.

Help came close to home. The couple’s parents and retired aunts look after the children on weekends, and contribute towards the boys’ care and schooling.

Chiam’s employer, a church, offers work-from-home and flexible hours, which let him fit school runs and care around his job.

Yu also assured them they can approach SG Enable for Future Care Planning support.

Including persons with disabilities and their caregivers in community activities, and showing empathy, can help them feel less isolated, says Yu.

“If their support networks are strong enough, they are more likely to know who they can turn to, and this helps them start talking about Future Care Planning a bit earlier,” she adds.

“They know that their loved ones (will) be supported in the future.”

In partnership with the Ministry of Social and Family Development