OUR VISION
Empowering persons with cerebral palsy or multiple disabilities to realise their full potential and lead fulfilled, dignified lives.
OUR MISSION
Dedication to:
- Delivering fully integrated programmes and services at the highest standards with passion, integrity, care, and excellence
- Creating awareness of cerebral palsy and multiple disabilities, and advocating equal opportunities for all persons with the condition
Core Values
Hope: We seek to inspire hope in the hearts of our clients
Empowerment: Our aim is to empower our clients to overcome their challenges and live a life without limits
Aspiration: Never content with the status quo, we aspire not to only enhance the lives of our clients, but also our service and capabilities
Respect: Respect is a fundamental value that guides the actions of our staff
Trust: Above all, we value the trust that clients place in our organisation’s programmes and services
About CPAS
OUR MISSION
Empowering persons with cerebral palsy or multiple disabilities to realise their full potential and lead fulfilled, dignified lives.
OUR VISION
Dedication to:
- Delivering fully integrated programmes and services at the highest standards with passion, integrity, care, and excellence
- Creating awareness of cerebral palsy and multiple disabilities, and advocating equal opportunities for all persons with the condition
Core Values
Hope: We seek to inspire hope in the hearts of our clients
Empowerment: Our aim is to empower our clients to overcome their challenges and live a life without limits
Aspiration: Never content with the status quo, we aspire not to only enhance the lives of our clients, but also our service and capabilities
Respect: Respect is a fundamental value that guides the actions of our staff
Trust: Above all, we value the trust that clients place in our organisation’s programmes and services
SINCE 1957
Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore (CPAS) is a social service agency established in 1957. CPAS provides persons with cerebral palsy and multiple disabilities with early intervention, special education, rehabilitation services, day activity centre programmes as well as vocational training and gainful employment in Singapore.
Through active advocacy and the support of equal opportunities for all persons with cerebral palsy and multiple disabilities, CPAS hopes to empower these individuals by helping them realise their full potential and lead fulfilled, dignified lives. Driven by our core values of hope, empowerment, aspiration, respect and trust, the organisation is focused on delivering fully integrated programmes and services at the highest standards. At present, we look after over 800 clients ranging in age from a few months to 55 years old.
Registered Member of the National Council of Social Service
| UEN No: | S60SS0003K |
| Charity Status: | Registered |
| Date of charity registration: | 22/08/1984 |
| IPC Status: | Live |
| IPC Period: | 01/12/2024 – 31/12/2026 |
ENABLING MARK (SILVER)
Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore is proud to have received the Enabling Mark (Silver) in November 2023.
The Enabling Mark is a national-level accreditation framework by SG Enable that benchmarks and recognises organisations for their best practices and outcomes in disability-inclusive employment.
Significant Milestones
1957
The Rotary Club of Singapore invited Ms Paulette Leaning, a person with cerebral palsy from New Zealand, to give a talk on cerebral palsy at its premises on 10 October 1956. Ms Leaning’s inspiring talk prompted the members from the club and the medical profession to form an interim committee to study the possibility of starting an establishment to specially cater to the needs of children with cerebral palsy in Singapore.
1957
A small group of volunteers started a class of 10 children with cerebral palsy on 5 September. A month later, an inaugural meeting was held to form an Association. The Constitution and Rules were approved and the Spastic Children’s Association of Singapore (SCAS) was officially launched. The headquarters of SCAS was known as “Field House” and it was located at 25 Gilstead Road, Singapore 309070. It was named after paediatrician Professor Elaine Field, who was part of the small group of dedicated persons instrumental in forming SCAS.
1984
The Goodwill, Rehabilitation and Occupational Workshop (GROW) was set up as a sheltered workshop at 17 McNair Road. Its objective was to provide vocational training and employment opportunities for adults with cerebral palsy. GROW also gives students who have completed their education the opportunity to continue training at the Workshop.
1985
SCAS started making special seats for clients with cerebral palsy who had difficulties sitting on ordinary seats or wheelchairs due to their special physical needs.
1986
SCAS became a member of the Community Chest. This was to help fund its programmes and to continue providing quality services to persons with cerebral palsy.
1990
A pilot project for our rehabilitation professionals and volunteers to make visits to our homebound clients was initiated. The project was later known as the Home Management Programme (HMP). This was to help our severely disabled clients who were unable to travel to SCAS for treatment due to their difficulties in mobility. SCAS provided free clinical consultations with the support of volunteer doctors in many aspects of medical healthcare, including orthopaedic, splinting, neurosurgical, spinal, hands, eye and dental care.
1995
A pilot project was initiated to make customised moulded special seats called Foam-In-Place (FIP) for children with cerebral palsy who had postural problems. The project proved to be a success and SCAS had clients referred from other associations, hospitals and countries including Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam. Due to the long waiting list for admission to the special school, coupled with the lack of space at Gilstead Road, one of the rooms at GROW’s premises was converted into two classrooms.
1998
Two more classrooms were added at GROW by shifting the storeroom and the gymnasium to a specially constructed shed at the back of the premises. There were now 30 classes serving the needs of children with cerebral palsy aged five to 18-years-old.
1999
A Paediatric Neurology Clinic and a Feeding and Dysphasia Clinic were introduced.
2000
The Ministry of Education granted SCAS a 0.85-hectare plot of land at Pasir Ris Drive 1 for the construction of a special purpose centre to centralise all the programmes.
2001
Construction work started for a four-storey centre that would accommodate all existing facilities, including new programmes such as the Paediatric Development Unit, Early Intervention Programme and Day Activity Centre.
2003
The Headquarters and GROW moved to the new premises in November 2003 and the School and Rehabilitation Centre moved in by December 2003. Designed for children with disabilities, the current site was bigger, with the capacity to expand as our services increased.
2004
The new Cerebral Palsy Centre, located at 65 Pasir Ris Drive 1, was officially opened by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on 18 September 2004.
2005
The Early Intervention Programme for Infants and Children (EIPIC) was initiated in the new premises. SCAS commissioned Dr Elsie Yu to create a sculpture, which was placed in front of the Cerebral Palsy Centre. The sculpture was unveiled on 14 November by Mrs SR Nathan, wife of the President of the Republic of Singapore.
2006
The Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) approved the set up and support of the Day Activity Centre (DAC) in SCAS as part of its efforts to cater for clients who were not suitable for open employment or the sheltered workshop. DAC opened with its first intake of clients in February 2006.
2007
EIPIC had expanded exponentially to meet the needs of the younger population of infants and children. The programme had 90 children at the end of 2007, a figure expected to continue growing gradually.
2008
SCAS aimed to establish itself as a Mega Therapy Hub that will act as a one-stop centre for physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech & language pathology, medical and psychological services for clients, along with members of the public who face issues related to cerebral palsy and other disorders of movement, posture and development. SCAS introduced an outreach initiative for EIPIC named Spastic Children’s Outreach Programme & Education (SCOPE). The mission was to help each EIPIC child maximise his or her potential by training parents, other caregivers, and teachers from mainstream schools in therapeutic techniques individually designed to enhance the child’s early development.
2009
To provide a one-stop centre for rehabilitation service at SCAS, a collaboration with Tan Tock Seng Hospital was initiated. This collaboration produced the Assistive Technology Clinic, Neuro Development Clinic, Sensory Integration Clinic and Combined Hand and Ortho Clinic. In line with its aim to establish SCAS as a Mega Therapy Hub, SCAS held a Seating and Positioning Workshop for rehabilitation professionals on managing critical back issues.
2010
From June to August, 24 therapists from Singapore and overseas participated in the Neuro-Developmental Treatment (NDT) Workshop organised by SCAS.
2011
An EIPIC satellite unit was initiated at Block 630 opposite the Cerebral Palsy Centre in July. This unit catered to the growing population of EIPIC students at the Centre and enabled SCAS to extend its services to those who had been waiting patiently for a place in the programme. The Cerebral Palsy Symposium was held from 7 to 10 September at Sheraton Towers Singapore. Workshops and talks were conducted by local and overseas faculties to benefit medical staff, therapists, teachers and parents who work closely with persons with cerebral palsy and other disorders of posture, movement and development.
2012
SCAS celebrated the first World Cerebral Palsy Day on 4 September. Following a global theme ‘Change My World in One Minute’, we aimed to gather ideas from the cerebral palsy community and the wider community that would make a difference in the lives of persons with cerebral palsy. The most popular ideas would be tested and the prize money would be offered to the inventor/creator.
2013
To better reflect its programmes and services to assist persons with cerebral palsy and related disorders as well as to give an improved name to safeguard the dignity of people with the condition, the organisation changed its name from “Spastic Children’s Association of Singapore” to “Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore” (CPAS) with effect from 14 January 2013.
2014
CPAS initiated the Spare Your Change Day to commemorate World Cerebral Palsy Day on 1 October 2014. A total of 21 corporate partners had 50 Suzy Doll Donation Boxes at their premises to encourage staff to drop their spare change to raise funds for our beneficiaries. Of the 48 countries involved in celebrating World Cerebral Palsy Day that year, Singapore topped the ideas count winning the World CP Day 2014 Ideas Award of US$10,000.
2015
CPAS launched its first fundraising event, Steptember, a health and wellness initiative to promote fitness while raising funds for people living with cerebral palsy. To address a growing need for more accessible specialised therapy services, CPAS opened up two out of its seven Specialised Clinics to the public, the Feeding and Swallowing clinic and the Audiology Clinic. CPAS hopes to provide the general public with more affordable options for therapy.
2016
The CPAS Connect Alumni Programme was launched on 5 October 2016. CPAS Connect aims to provide activities to improve the well-being of every individual beyond schooling years. CPAS also held its inaugural charity dinner on 30 July 2016. Themed ‘I Believe, An Evening of Possibilities’, the dinner strived to break down perceived limitations associated with individuals with cerebral palsy and raised funds for CPAS programmes and services.
2017
CPAS launched the Singapore Cerebral Palsy Registry on 8 September 2017. The first registry for cerebral palsy in Singapore, this project is a collaborative effort between KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, National University Hospital (NUH) and CPAS. This research registry aims to improve the overall understanding of cerebral palsy in Singapore and will assist in the future planning of services and resources for persons with cerebral palsy in Singapore.
2018
CPAS became the first social service agency in Singapore to fully implement the Trans-Disciplinary Approach in our early intervention programmes and special school.
2019
2020
2021
2022
CPAS commemorated the 65th anniversary of its founding with its Annual Charity Dinner, raising more than $260,000.
2023
CPAS opened its second government-funded special education (SPED) school, CPAS School (West), on 1 June 2023 at an interim campus at 6A Jurong West Street 52, Singapore 649297. CPAS School (West) offers High Support and Functional Programmes for students between 7-18 years old.