Working parents in Singapore will get more support from the government with the new bill passed on Monday (Aug 2).

In pro-family amendments to the Child Development Co-Savings Act, the Parliament issued that working parents of stillborn babies will still qualify for government-paid benefits, including maternity and paternity leave. This applies to parents whose stillborn child would have been a Singaporean, Channel News Asia reports.

The Child Development Co-Savings Act (CDCA) was first introduced in 2001 to encourage married individuals in Singapore to have more children, and to facilitate the provision of cash grants and other forms of support for the development of a child.

Commenting on the new amendments, Minister of State for Social and Family Development Sun Xueling said that parents who deal with the loss of a baby need to recover physically and emotionally. This move is expected to help them in such a difficult journey.

Stillborn or deceased children will also count towards the number of children a mother has had, which will determine her eligibility for benefits.

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“Depending on whether they are entitled to leave or benefits schemes, including them in the child order determination will allow more employers and working mothers to receive a higher quantum of reimbursement or payment,” said Ms Sun, who is also Minister of State for Education.

The Parliament expressed hope that the bill will go some way to help mothers, and also encourage employers to be more supportive of working mothers with more children. This is among seven amendments to the Act.

Under the changes, parents who are retrenched and have to give up their remaining parental leave will have the benefits paid out to them.

Read also: Singapore Offers Cash Benefits for Parents Ineligible for Paternity and Maternity Leave