About Us

INTRODUCTION

The Businesses for Families Council (BFC) is a people sector led Council set up in June 2009 to help businesses adopt strategies, infrastructure and services to cater to families. This is a win-win proposition for both families and businesses. While businesses could reap the rich potential of the family market, households can benefit from services and products which family members can enjoy together. The Council is supported and resourced by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS). The formation of the Council and the support given to it reaffirm Government’s goal in making “Singapore the best place for families and children”.

The Council adopts a 2-pronged approach to attain its objectives. Firstly, it encourages and equips businesses to adopt strategies, implement infrastructure and provide services that benefit families. The Council does this through public education initiatives to raise awareness of the merits of family-friendly businesses, and the provision of the Businesses for Families Grant to fund businesses in this endeavour. It also administers and promotes the Businesses for Families Pledge and Mark to encourage businesses to progress in the journey of being Family-friendly, and recognise those who achieve success in doing so. Further, the Council provides resources online and sharing sessions to build expertise in the formulation and implementation of family measures. While assisting businesses, the Council’s second thrust is to raise, among consumers, an awareness of and demand for businesses that cater to families.

The Council adopts a multi-stakeholder approach to help businesses better serve families and enlarge their market opportunities. One major effort is to broaden its relationship with the various trade and business associations, private and public sector businesses, as well as government agencies to promote the effort.

COMPOSITION

The BFC comprises members from various business enterprises as follows:

Chair

• Mrs Mildred Tan, Managing Director, Ernst & Young Advisory

Members

• Mr Mohd Abdul Akbar, Managing Director, Nan Guan Construction Pte Ltd
• Mr Yeo Swee Hong, Executive Editor, Lianhe Zaobao, Singapore Press Holdings
• Ms Lau Chuen Wei, Executive Director, Singapore Retailers Association
• Mr Andrew Lee Kok Keng, Group Chief Marketing & Distribution Officer, Great Eastern Life Assurance Co Ltd.

BUSINESSES FOR FAMILIES GRANT

The Businesses for Families Grant is a $2 million fund that is given to businesses to assist them adopt and implement business practices that welcome families. The Grant is offered by Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS), and administered by the Council. A key challenge identified through industry feedback was a lack of know-how, especially among Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), in devising strategies and infrastructure to welcome families; as well as measuring tangible outcomes of such practices. The Grant was set up to encourage more businesses to overcome these challenges by helping them defray some of the costs involved.

The Grant can be used to implement projects that welcome families as customers, and to defray the cost of:

• Business consultancy
• Infrastructure development
• Training, development and implementation

Any organization or business can apply for the Grant as long as:

• The company is registered or incorporated in Singapore (Cooperatives are also eligible to apply)
• It has at least 1 outlet
• It targets (or plans to target) families as one of the main customer groups; and
• It looks out for the interests of their customers’ families

The Grant would fund up to 70% of the costs incurred for approved projects, subject to a cap of $50,000 for businesses with single business outlet, and up to a cap of $80,000 for businesses with multiple business outlets. Approved project(s) must be completed within one year upon the approval of the grant application.

BUSINESSES FOR FAMILIES PLEDGE

Businesses are encouraged to take the first step to become family-friendly by joining the Businesses for Families Community as Pledgers. The Businesses for Families Pledge is a sign of commitment from businesses that they will undertake efforts to make their businesses welcome families. Upon taking the Pledge, businesses can apply for the Businesses for Families Grant to implement family-friendly measures to better prepare themselves for accreditation.

BUSINESSES FOR FAMILIES MARK

The Businesses for Families Mark is a national accreditation programme. It gives further impetus for businesses to go the extra mile to cater to families. Businesses which meet specific standards relating to their Strategy, Service, Infrastructure and Business Outcomes (Results) will be awarded the Mark.

Assessment Process

The assessment process will start with a guided self-assessment for the applicant to do a health check on its family-friendly business practices. All applicants will also receive a feedback report and a score sheet detailing how they rate in each Business for Families criterion. The feedback report identifies strengths and opportunities for improvement. This enables the business to adopt specific measures to serve their family customers better.

Benchmark and Network

As part of the Businesses for Families community, businesses will have ample opportunities to learn and benchmark their family-friendly measures against the best. Businesses will also get the opportunity to network with other companies. They can share ideas with one another, learn from peers in diverse industries and sectors, discuss common issues and solutions, and gain good business contacts for future use.

PRIVILEGES ENJOYED BY MARKERS AND PLEDGERS

Media Coverage

Markers may enjoy media coverage as part of the publicity efforts to promote the Initiative.

Updates on Family Initiatives

Markers and Pledgers will receive updates from time to time on interesting news, programmes, and campaigns on families.

Marketing Platforms

Markers and Pledgers can plan marketing and promotional packages to coincide with our Family-friendly initiatives and marketing programmes.

Logo Display

Both Markers and Pledgers will also receive attractive window stickers and counter displays for all their outlets to show that they welcome families. They are also permitted to use the Businesses for Families logos (red logos for Markers and blue logos for Pledgers) in their publicity materials to promote their business as a Business for Families.

Logo for Markers	Logo for Pledgers

LEARNING JOURNEY

As part of the learning network of the Businesses for Families Community, the Learning Journey offers a platform for the Markers and Pledgers to come together and gain knowledge of some successful best practices.

Model companies will be invited to offer insight into their management system and their journey towards the deployment of family-friendly practices. This is also a good opportunity for businesses to network and discuss viable business collaboration within and across industries.

JOIN THE BUSINESSES FOR FAMILIES COMMUNITY TODAY

As members of the Businesses for Families community, you will have a lot of opportunities to leverage on the extensive publicity platforms to promote your business to your family customers.

Increase your sales by adopting strategies, infrastructure and services to cater to families. Join the Business for Families Community Today !