Publications from ODSW Social Insights: Letters by DSW (Vol 2) | Page 164

Special Editions
KEYNOTE ADDRESS AT ANG MO KIO FAMILY SERVICE CENTRE’S
LAUNCH OF
BOOK “LEARNING BY DOING- INVOLVING CHILDREN
IN SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE”
ON 17 NOV 2015
Dear colleagues, friends and guests,
Thank you for inviting me to this occasion. I am impressed by the work of
your social workers in publishing “Learning by Doing- Involving Children in
Social Work Practice.”
Today gives me the opportunity to share with you something that is integral
in social work practice, which is the need for evidence-based practice. We
have been talking about the importance of it, and I am happy that your
agency has taken steps to conduct practice-based research.

The Value of Evidence-Based Practice
2
Those of us who work with families know many factors that influence
child outcomes. Increasingly, our policies and programmes are guided by
research and evaluation of what works in practice to shape child outcomes.
So let us start with the birth of a child. We now know with greater certainty
that a child’s long-term wellbeing is profoundly shaped by influences in
pregnancy 1. I recall seeing our own local data on child’s birth weight from
our largest children’s hospital and they confirm that a child’s birth weight is
correlated with the child’s development.
3
An article published by the Economist revealed that children born to
poor mothers are at an even greater lifelong disadvantage than previously
thought. Poorer people are more likely to go hungry and less likely to know
what pregnant women should eat. They also tend to face more stress and
many of the stresses are known to damage foetuses. How does this inform
policy and programmes? Most of us understand and we now know for sure
that with better health education, nutrition supplements, prenatal care and
targeted subsidies, we can reduce significantly the incidence of low birth
weight among poorer women. 2
1

2

The Economist. (2015, April 4). Unequal Beginnings. The Economist. Retrieved from http://
www.economist.com/news/international/21647641-childs-long-term-well-being-moreprofoundly-shaped-influences-pregnancy?frsc=dg%7Cc
The Economist. (2015, April 4). Unequal Beginnings. The Economist. Retrieved from http://
www.economist.com/news/international/21647641-childs-long-term-well-being-moreprofoundly-shaped-influences-pregnancy?frsc=dg%7Cc
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