[BCM] [CAS] [E3] [BIA] [PS] Key Product and Services

Key Products and Services

The Children’s Aid Society

The Children’s Aid Society (CAS), through its core programmes such as Melrose Home and Melrose Care, provides critical care, protection, and therapeutic support for vulnerable children and youths in Singapore.

In the context of business continuity management, identifying and safeguarding the organisation’s key products and services is vital to ensure that essential operations can continue during an incident, emergency, or disaster.

This chapter outlines the key products and services linked to CAS’s Critical Business Functions (CBFs), ensuring that the organisation can sustain its mission of offering safe shelter, holistic care, and psychosocial support to children and families in need.

By prioritising these essential deliverables, CAS maintains its ability to uphold child safety, provide emotional and therapeutic support, meet regulatory requirements, and preserve organisational resilience, even under adverse conditions.

Key Products & Services for CAS by Critical Business Function (CBF)

CBF-1: Residential Care Operations

Key Services/Products

• Emergency shelter and safe accommodation for children and youths (e.g., continued operation of Melrose Home or emergency accommodations).
• 24/7 residential care protocols—including meals, hygiene, and basic health monitoring.
• Crisis staffing arrangements to ensure essential personnel (caseworkers, guidance officers) remain on site.

CBF-2: Therapeutic & Counselling Services

Key Services/Products

• Continued provision of trauma-informed therapeutic interventions (e.g., counselling, art therapy, play therapy, TF-CBT) through alternative delivery (virtual sessions or safe off-site spaces, if needed).
• Crisis counselling support for acute emotional or psychological distress.

CBF-3: Case Management & Social Work Interventions

Key Services/Products

• Ongoing case assessments and care planning, including remote follow-ups or safe field visits.
• Coordination with external agencies (schools, healthcare providers, child protection services) to maintain support networks.
• Emergency care or reunification planning for each child or youth in the caseload.

CBF-4: Safety & Security of Residents

Key Services/Products

• Maintaining safe, secure environments (either at Melrose Home, temporary shelters, or safe community hubs).
• Deployment of emergency safety protocols: lockdown procedures, evacuation plans, or safe routes during disaster scenarios.
• Communication channels for child safety alerts and family contact.

CBF-5: Compliance & Regulatory Reporting

Key Services/Products

• Timely submission of critical reports to regulatory bodies (e.g., Ministry of Social and Family Development).
• Documentation and incident reporting—even in a disrupted environment—to ensure legal and funding compliance.

CBF-6: Donor Relations & Fundraising

Key Services/Products

• Maintaining communication with donors and corporate partners to ensure ongoing support.
• Launching emergency appeal campaigns or grant applications to secure crisis response funding.

CBF-7  IT & Data Management

Key Services/Products

• Ensuring continuity of critical IT systems—client records, counselling notes, case files—via backups and remote access.
• Secure access to digital platforms and communication tools for staff to coordinate care.
• Data protection to safeguard sensitive child/youth confidentiality under crisis conditions.

CBF-8 Staff & Volunteer Management

Key Services/Products

• Rapid mobilisation and deployment of essential staff and trained volunteers to support residential or community care.
• Emergency training and briefings on crisis protocols and trauma-informed care.
• Alternate staffing plans (e.g., cross-cover shifts or remote support roles) to maintain safe operations.

Summary Table of Critical Business Functions

Contextual Reference to CAS Services

• CAS operates Melrose Home, a residential care for youths aged ~7 to 21 facing protection issues
• Through Melrose Care, they deliver subsidised counselling and specialised therapies to youths and families.
• CAS is actively developing Melrose Village, a combined residential and therapeutic facility, to centralise and enhance these services

How This Serves the MBCO Requirement

Per BCMpedia, the Minimum Business Continuity Objective (MBCO) sets “the minimum level of services and/or products acceptable to the organisation to achieve its business objectives during an incident, emergency or disaster”

CAS’s business objective is to support the healing and development of children and youths who have faced trauma.

Thus, the Key Products & Services identified ensure that even under disruption, CAS continues to deliver:

• Safe shelter and care (Residential operations),
• Psychosocial support (Therapy & counselling),
• Structured care and protection (Case management),
• Secure environments (Safety & security),
• Compliance with regulations (Reporting),
• Financial and operational sustainability (Fundraising and donor relations),
• Critical digital infrastructure (IT & data),
• Workforce continuity (Staffing and volunteers).

These establish a clear baseline of essential services that align with CAS’s mission—even during emergencies.

Summing Up ...

The Children’s Aid Society’s key products and services represent the lifeline of its mission to protect, nurture, and empower vulnerable children and youths.

By defining and aligning these services with its critical business functions, CAS ensures that continuity of care and protection remains uncompromised, regardless of disruptions.

Whether through the provision of safe residential care, the delivery of counselling and therapeutic support, the safeguarding of children’s wellbeing, or the maintenance of donor and regulatory commitments, each element contributes to sustaining CAS’s core purpose.

Ultimately, this focus on essential products and services not only strengthens organisational resilience but also reaffirms CAS’s commitment to safeguarding the welfare and future of every child under its care.

Resilience in Service: BCM Implementation for Children’s Aid Society
eBook 3: Starting Your BCM Implementation
MBCO	P&S	RAR T1	RAR T2	RAR T3	BCS T1	CBF
CBF 1: Residential Care Operations
DP	BIAQ T1	BIAQ T2	BIAQ T3	BCS T2	BCS T3	PD

 

 

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