Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman graduated with the Bachelor and Masters degrees from the National University of Singapore (NUS). He obtained his doctorate in Social Work from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1998 and became an Assistant Professor at the NUS Department of Social Work and Psychology that year. Dr Maliki is currently the Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of National Development. He served as Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports from August 2004 to June 2006 and the Ministry of Health from August 2004 to October 2005. At the community level, Dr Maliki is Advisor to the Centre for Promoting Alternatives to Violence and ADAM (Active Devoted Able family Men) Association. He also chairs the Family Development Network of the Malay/ Muslim Community Leaders’ Forum.

Mr Mohd Ali Bin Mahmood is the recipient of the President’s Outstanding Social Worker Award 2009. He has been a social worker for more than 18 years and currently Senior Director of PPIS Social Services & Training and Consultancy.

In the nine years with PPIS-Jurong Family Service Centre, he has spearheaded many innovative social intervention programmes, including the setting up of INSPIRASI PPIS – a marriage preparation and enrichment hub for young couples. He also oversees the running of two PPIS Student Care Centres in Jurong and Bedok.

Mr Mohd Ali has given talks and workshops at various schools and organisations, and has written several articles for Berita Harian on family matters. He is a member of the National Family Council, the Panel of Assessors for National Council on Problem Gambling and the Fostering Committee in the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports.

Mr Muzafar Muneer holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Southern Queensland and will be completing his post graduate diploma in Social Work from the National University of Singapore this year.

He has experience in counselling having served first as a para-counsellor during his stint as a regular in the Army before joining the Moral Family Service Centre (Bedok North) in 2005 where his responsibilities included providing casework and counseling to families, as well as in organising and conducting preventive developmental programmes with a special emphasis on youths.

He has also been certified as a qualified practitioner for the management of family violence mandatory counselling programme by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports.

In 2008, Mr Muzafar Muneer joined the Malay Youth Literary Association (4PM) as a Senior Counsellor before moving on to Yayasan MENDAKI in 2009 as a Project Manager under the Community Development Department. He currently oversees and coordinates the Wrap-Around-Care-Concept among the five Community Development Council districts. He also looks into identifying gaps that affect the Malay/ Muslim community, overseeing the information and referral of clients by MENDAKI and is also the secretariat to the Family Development Network’s Community of Practice of Muslim Social Workers.

Through the South East Community Development Council (CDC), Mr Stanley Fong, General Manager of South East CDC, helps to conceptualise and implement initiatives and programmes to build a cohesive, compassionate and self-reliant community within the South East District. He is supported by a team of Social Assistance and Career Consultants to provide social and employment assistance to needy residents, through the national ComCare Schemes and WDA jobs and training services. One of South East CDC’s guiding philosophies is to help needy families to build resilience and achieve long term self-reliance through developmental and preventive programmes such as MoneyWise Programme and Learning Family Programme. The CDC also adopts the “many helping hands” approach, working closely with ComCare Local Network (CLN) and other community partners to assist needy residents.

Mr Abdul Halim Aliman has been involved in voluntary and community work since his university days in the late 1970s, having served in MUIS, Darul Ihsan Muslim Orphanage, Prophet Muhammad’s Scholarship Fund Board, grassroots organisations etc. Since joining Yayasan Mendaki as Director, Social and Cultural Affairs in 1993, he has held various portfolios including Director, Research and Policy(from 1 Sept 2005 to 31 Aug 2008), Director, Special Duties(from 1 Sept 2008 to 31 Mar 2009) before assuming his current position as Director, Community Development in April 2009, a post which he held from June 2002 to 31 Aug 2005.

Besides overseeing the development and implementation of programmes that target families especially those with school-going children, he also sits on various national boards and committees looking into the different aspects of the development and well-being of families, youth and children. These include committees such as the Fathers Action Network, Dads for Life MCYS, Committee on Community Health (HPB), and the Social Work Accreditation Board (MCYS).

Over the years, he has been invited to participate and present papers on matters related to drug abuse, community development, volunteerism, and family and youth development both locally and overseas.