On 15 February 2017, close to 450 participants attended the second bi-annual AMKFSC-UniSIM Social Work Symposium, which saw SIM University's (UniSIM) School of Human Development and Social Services (HDSS) taking the opportunity to celebrate the 10th anniversary of our Social Work programme.
Professor Cheong Hee Kiat, President of UniSIM, delivered the welcome address, in which he detailed the achievements of the Social Work programme through the past decade, and paid tribute to those instrumental to these successes. In his speech, Guest-of-Honour Mr Tan Chuan-Jin, Minister for Social and Family Development (MSF), talked about the merits of collaborative work across sectors to achieve the best results.
The symposium, held at our Performing Arts Theatre, was themed 'Breaking Barriers, Bridging Strengths', and had as its keynote speaker Mr Cormac Russell, Managing Director of Nurture Development and a faculty member of the Asset Based Community Development Institute at Northwestern University, Chicago. This guru of community development gave a refreshing and informative talk on building communities. This was followed by breakout sessions, which included sharings by local social workers.
On stage celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Social Work programme were (from left) Associate Professor Cheah Horn Mun, Dean of HDSS; Professor Tsui Kai Chong, Provost of UniSIM; Professor Cheong Hee Kiat; Associate Professor Seng Boon Kheng, Head of UniSIM's Social Work programme; Minister Tan Chuan-Jin; Dr Vincent Ng, Chief Executive Officer of AMKFSC; and Dr Ang Seng Bin, Chairman of AMKFSC.
Minister Tan Chuan-Jin addressing the audience.
Keynote speaker Mr Cormac Russell enlightening the audience on community building.
Minister Tan Chuan-Jin (second from right) officiating the launch of AMKFSC's Centre for Collaborative Practice.
Panel members (from right) Ms Ang Bee Lian, Director of Social Welfare at MSF; Associate Professor Seng Boon Kheng, Head of UniSIM's Social Work programme; Mr Cormac Russell; and Dr Vincent Ng, Chief Executive Officer of AMKFSC, in a discussion moderated by Mr Mohamed Farid bin Jaaffar, Lead Social Worker at AMKFSC.