For Chan Fui Lee, 54, every day is a labour of love.

She is mother to Cheong Chel Sie, a 20-year-old who has autism as well as a chromosomal disorder that causes intellectual disabilities and severe health issues.

Since infancy, Chel Sie requires around-the-clock attention. “Being a full-time caregiver for a neurotypical and a special needs child without a helper at home was physically and mentally straining. I needed to cater for their different needs,” shared Fui Lee.

As Chel Sie grew up, her escalating behavioural issues became increasingly difficult to manage, even for care centres with trained personnel. As a result, “most of the time Chel Sie was at home and we needed to look for activities to engage her,” said Fui Lee.

Hope came when Fui Lee joined CAREconnect, a programme by CaringSG, an organisation that offers caregiver support and resources for caregivers of special needs children or persons with disabilities. This was among the 22 programmes supported by Tote Board’s Enabling Lives Initiative grant in FY2022/23. Through this grant, and in partnership with SG Enable, we bring together a community of partners to innovate and scale solutions for persons with disabilities and their caregivers.

CAREconnect offers a support network for caregivers like Fui Lee. Whenever Fui Lee and Chel Sie join CAREconnect activities, Fui Lee is able to have some time for herself and the rest of her family, while Chel Sie could engage with her peers through social activities. “With the mental support from fellow caregivers, we don’t feel as lonely in our lifelong journey in taking care of our special needs child,” said Fui Lee.

Since January 2022, CAREconnect has held 44 events which engaged 2,800 caregivers. Of these, over 1,100 are connected to support groups.

Chel Sie (centre, seated) and her family were among the 30 caregivers and children who attended a CaringSG event, where participants shared life experiences with other families.