Social Dimension Singapore

PIONEERS OF THE PROFESSION: Mr K V Veloo

by Hayley Chau

In PIONEERS OF THE PROFESSION, we feature key figures in Singapore Social Work who have been influential in steering the development and direction of the Social Work Movement in Singapore. Today we feature Mr K V Veloo.

Mr. Veloo’s career that started in 1964 in Probation and Aftercare has spanned more than 35 years. During his stint in government service, he worked passionately on the issue of transportation for disabled people and on socio-legal issues facing intellectually disabled people. He also initiated the Singapore Indian Welfare Association (SIWA, current-day Singapore Indian Development Association or SINDA).

Mr. Veloo was the first President of the restructured and present Singapore Association of Social Workers (SASW).  He brought about the merger of the then two prevailing organizations, one for medical social workers and the other for general social workers.

Perhaps he will be remembered most of all of for helping the social work profession to gain inroads into the penal and correctional system. He was the first social worker to hold the post of Chief Probation & Aftercare Officer. A key achievement was the setting up of the Community Probation Service (CPS) in 1971 – staffed with more than 400 trained Volunteer Probation Officers (VPOs).It became the model for similar schemes not only within Singapore but also around the region.

 

PIONEERS OF THE PROFESSION: Prof Ngiam Tee Liang

 

In PIONEERS OF THE PROFESSION, we feature key figures in Singapore Social Work who have been influential in steering the development and direction of the Social Work Movement in Singapore. Today we feature Prof Ngiam Tee Liang.

Ask most Social Workers about Prof Ngiam Tee Liang, and stories of a humble, friendly and supportive mentor are shared.  Most of these Social Workers have probably been taught by Prof Ngiam, who is a lecturer at the Department of Social Work, in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences of the National University of Singapore.