Connection before Correction- Strengthening Youth Offender Rehabilitation through Family Engagement

ICPA2024 Presentation by Rouisanna Wong and Ms Tham Ru Ting (ICPA2024-PID136)

Authors

Ms Rouisanna Wong

Assistant Director, Youth Residential Service / Ministry of Social and Family Development

Rouisanna Wong received a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology (Honors) from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and a Masters in Counselling from Monash University. She has extensive experience of more than 10 years in working with youth offenders and their families in correctional setting through her previous vocations as a Probation Officer and Caseworker in both the Boys’ Home and Girls’ Home. She currently leads the Therapeutic Casework Unit (TCU) in Singapore Boys’ Home and oversees the enhancement of family work within YRS. She is interested in using systemic and attachment-based approaches to explore the underlying function of the offending behaviour and to increase their desistance. She is also keen to learn about family engagement practices adopted by other correctional settings within Singapore and overseas.

Miss RU TING THAM

Senior Manager, Probation and Community Rehabilitation Service / Ministry of Family and Social Development

Tham Ru Ting graduated with a Degree in Psychology (Honors) and took on her first job at Child Protective Service (CPS). She worked at CPS for 8 years before receiving a postgraduate scholarship to deepen her practice. After graduating with a Masters in Social Work, she switched from protection to rehabilitation work and joined the Probation and Community Rehabilitation Service (PCRS) in 2022. She is particularly interested in understanding the intersection between juvenile justice and child welfare systems – for example, the impact of welfare issues on youth’s offending attitudes/behaviors and vice versa, similarities in the challenges and needs of youths known to both systems – and looks forward to applying her child protection knowledge to enhance rehabilitation practices.

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