National Council of Social Service

Before 1958, social services were hampered by the lack of proper coordination and support. The Singapore Council of Social Service (SCSS) was established on 22 Dec 1958 to meet the urgent needs of the sector and to bring together organisations and individuals with interest in community service and social welfare.

In 1983, Community Chest was established as a centralised fund-raiser to relieve Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWOs) of the need to carry out fund-raising activities so that they could focus instead on providing better care and services for the needy. A year later, the SHARE (Social Help and Assistance Raised by Employees) programme, the Volunteer Action and Development Centre, and the Sharity programme were initiated.

The restructuring of SCSS in 1992 to become the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) set the momentum for social services to leap into the 21st century.