Youth Work Association (Singapore)

26/04/2026

26/04/2026

A month ago, we were honoured to be invited to contribute to the COMPASS Symposium, a vital platform bringing together professionals committed to strengthening youth mental health and addiction support in Singapore.

Our President had the opportunity to speak on a panel about “Youths Living the Struggle of Drug Addiction”, alongside fellow practitioners and a courageous voice with lived experience.

The session unpacked the complex realities that young people face when navigating addiction and behavioural challenges, and the often unseen struggles that shape their recovery journeys.

The conversation underscored a shared truth: supporting youths in recovery requires more than individual effort, it calls for a coordinated, compassionate ecosystem across families, schools, and community services.

We are grateful to be part of this important dialogue and remain committed to advocating professional, collaborative, youth-centred approaches that strengthen care, deepen understanding, and create pathways for meaningful engagement and recovery.

31/10/2025

Official Statement from the Youth Work Association (Singapore) – 30th October 2025

In response to the recent case involving a Youth Worker convicted of beating a 12-year-old living at a Children’s Home, reported on The Straits Times, 29 October 2025.

The Youth Work Association (Singapore) (YWAS) is deeply concerned about the recent incident, involving a youth worker who has been sentenced to imprisonment for assaulting a young person under his care.

While we do not know the full context surrounding the incident, what has been reported is distressing and deeply regrettable. Violence and aggression have no place in youth work. At the same time, we believe this incident is an important moment for reflection and collective growth within the profession and the systems that support it.

At the heart of youth work lies a belief in the potential and dignity of every young person. Youth workers are called to engage, guide, and empower youths that promote holistic development. It is a vocation that demands not only skill and patience, but also deep empathy, resilience, and ethical commitment.

Youth workers deserve the same empathy and grace that they extend to the young people they serve. We urge all not to dwell on the sensational details of this case in ways that diminish the integrity, ethics, and commitment of the many youth work professionals who serve with dedication every day.

We affirm that youth work is a profession that has much to contribute to a society that values its young people. Our mission as youth work professionals is to create a safe, supportive, and empowering environment where young people can thrive despite the challenges they face.

Youth work is also a specialised, high-intensity profession. Youth workers often serve in emotionally charged environments, supporting individuals who may display trauma-related or volatile behaviours. In these moments, the difference between intervention and harm lies in specialised training, strong supervision, and supportive organisational systems. While the actions of the accused must never be excused, this incident must strengthen our collective resolve to mandate professional training in de-escalation and therapeutic intervention as a baseline standard for all who work with youth.

The ultimate strength we can build from this painful incident is the uplifting of the entire youth sector—to create a system that honours and validates the emotional labour of those who perform this essential role daily, and ensures that they are met with the resources, training, and supervision they need and deserve.

YWAS reaffirms her commitment to working closely with the government, social service agencies, and organisations working directly with youths in Singapore to:

Strengthen training and competency frameworks for youth work.

Promote structured supervision, ongoing professional development, and well-being support for youth workers.

Establish clearer standards of practice and accountability.

Every youth worker deserves the tools and support to act with integrity and compassion, and every young person deserves to be met with care and dignity.

YWAS will continue to champion a sector where both can flourish.

Nicholas Gabriel Lim
President
Youth Work Association (Singapore)

01/08/2025

We organized a visit to Grovve for fellow youth workers recently and were really inspired by how different agencies came together for a common cause to make youth mental health support more accessible. The conceirge concept where youth workers served as guides to help clients navigate both Grovve and also the mental health support ecosystem also inspired us to think about how we can replicate such a concept in our own physical and digital youth work practice. Are there places you would like to visit? Let us know in comments below and we will try to coordinate something! =)