SINGAPORE – As a troubled 12-year-old, Jai Kishen Ramakrishnan was sent to Boys’ Town for four years to help him break out of a bad cycle.

He had started smoking, drinking and keeping bad company after a rough childhood and the loss of his father, and was placed by his mother in Boys’ Town.

Now 30, he roams the streets after sunset as a senior youth worker for the very same children’s home, looking out for boys and girls who may be veering down the wrong path.

It is people like Mr Jai and many other past residents who have gone back to help at the home as adults who keep the passion of helping these children alive, said Boys’ Town executive director Roland Yeow.

Mr Yeow, who also stayed at the children’s home in his youth in 1992, said: “It comes full circle. As youths, we were the beneficiaries, but now we can come back to serve and take the opportunity to enhance the services available at the home.”

Around 500 children with welfare concerns resided in children’s homes between 2021 and 2023, Minister of State for Social and Family Development Sun Xueling told the media during a visit to Boys’ Town on Sept 3.

Boys’ Town is one of 19 homes for vulnerable children in Singapore, providing residential care to those who need protection, and treatments such as help to recover from traumatic experiences.

After completing his national service and diploma studies, Mr Jai started working as a youth worker at the home after learning that they were hiring.

He said: “I thought I could come back for a year, scold a few boys, then leave. But I quickly realised that this was something I cared a lot about, and something that was very impactful.

“Everyone needs a safe space and safe person.”

The latest data from the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) shows that Child Protective Services investigated 2,141 cases of abuse in 2021.

In 2022, the number of cases investigated by the authorities for serious child abuse or neglect concerns “remained high” and was comparable with 2021.

MSF said that it strives to place children requiring out-of-home care in a family-based setting, like foster care, rather than in a residential home. This allows children to be given care and attention within a nurturing and loving home environment that facilitates their growth, it said.

As at December 2023, there were 614 foster families under MSF’s fostering scheme.

Foster care is a temporary arrangement for children and teenagers, with foster families providing safety, stability and shelter for children who are abused, neglected or abandoned, MSF said.

From 2021 to 2023, 500 children have been placed in foster care.

Ms Sun added that the Government hopes more people will come forward to be foster parents.

As at June, Boys’ Town housed 57 boys across different residential units. The boys are split by age and level of needs.

One of them is 16-year-old Eric (not his real name), who entered the home in January 2023 due to familial issues.

He said he had to adjust to the routine nature of living in the home, something he was not used to. He used to attend school only twice a week due to disinterest, but now attends school regularly.

Now in Secondary 3, he hopes to enter polytechnic and open up his own food business.

“I can say I have improved a lot since I came here, I gained more self-discipline,” he said.