In support of the Year of Celebrating SG Families (YCF), and in partnership with MSF and FFL, McDonald’s is promoting greater awareness amongst parents on supporting their children’s mental wellness.
In the Singapore Youth Epidemiology and Resilience Study by National University of Singapore (NUS), in collaboration with the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), involving 3,336 young people aged 11 to 18 in Singapore, one in three youth in Singapore was found to have internalised mental health symptoms including sadness, anxiety and loneliness.
McDonald’s inaugurated its Family Mental Wellness campaign with the unveiling of “Always Being There”, an animated film that aims to create greater awareness on the crucial role parents play as an ‘anchor’ in their children’s lives – while taking a preventive approach – especially in the early years where they may begin to encounter stressors in school or home or in an unfamiliar environment.
Take for example, “Always Being There” – A Family Mental Wellness film, which highlights how a young child may feel emotionally anguished by pressures in school or unfamiliar environments, and face challenges in managing them. By being emotionally present, loving and supportive, his parents encourage him to open up.
Held at McDonald’s Northshore Plaza restaurant and in partnership with MSF and Families for Life (FFL), guest of honour, Ms Sun Xueling, Minister of State for Social and Family Development, and Home Affairs, together with subject matter experts Mr Brian Poh Shi Qian, Senior Clinical Psychologist at IMH and Ms Poh Ee-Lyn, Senior Social Worker and Head of Families for Life @ Communities Department, at Fei Yue Community Services, as well as McDonald’s Singapore Managing Director, Mr Benjamin Boh and FFL Council member, Mr Kelvin Ang, discussed how parents play a proactive role in nurturing mental wellness in young children. They discussed topics such as identifying early signs of mental stress, creating a conducive environment at home, and parent-child communication tips.
As part of the campaign, McDonald’s will host a series of Positive Parenting Programme (Triple P) seminars at selected McDonald’s restaurants across Singapore, starting at 2 restaurant locations (schedule below) with plans for additional locations in Oct and Nov.
| McDonald’s Locations | Date of ‘Triple P’ Seminars |
| McDonald’s Lot One Shoppers’ Mall(Address: 21 Choa Chu Kang Avenue 4 #01-20 Lot One Shoppers’ Mall S689812) (Trainer: Fei Yue Community Services) | 20, 27 Jul and 10 Aug (Wed) Time: 9.30-11.30am NB: Each Triple P seminar comprises 3 sessions. Parents are required to attend all 3 sessions. |
| McDonald’s SAFRA Yishun(Address: 60 Yishun Avenue 4 #01-11 S769027) (Trainer: AMKFSC Community Services) | 20, 27 Sep and 4 Oct (Tue)Time: 10:00am-11:30am NB: Each Triple P seminar comprises 3 sessions. Parents are required to attend all 3 sessions. |
“The FFL Movement rallies like-minded individuals, families and organisations to strengthen families. We are happy to partner a long-standing family brand like McDonald’s to make programs and resources more accessible in the community, so that parents are better supported in their parenting journey.” said Kelvin Ang, Council Member, Families for Life.
“Raising happy and resilient children starts at home. Children need a safe, secure and nurturing environment for their growth and development. Family has always been and will remain the anchor in their lives. Loving and supportive family relationships directly and positively contributes to children’s mental well-being,” said Mr Brian Poh Zhi Qian, Senior Clinical Psychologist at IMH.
Triple P is an evidence-based programme that aims to equip parents with the knowledge and techniques to promote their children’s (aged up to 16 years old) psychological, social and emotional competence. MSF’s evaluation studies found that the evidence-based Triple P has positive effects on parenting and child outcomes in Singapore. About 85% of parents endorsed the programme as being relevant to their parenting needs. Parents also reported a sustained reduction in both their children’s problematic behaviour scores and parenting stress scores three months after completing the programme. To date, Triple P has been attended by over 58,000 parents.
Parents can register their interest for the three-session workshop here: go.gov.sg/FFL-MCD-FamilyMentalWellness
“As a family restaurant, we want to bring a heartfelt message to parents during the Year of Celebrating SG Families that we are here to support them. Parents always want the best for their children, and may not be consciously aware that mental well-being ought to be of great importance. We hope the parenting program at our restaurants conducted by FFL will provide some accessibilty and support, and we are most grateful to FFL and MSF for their partnership,” said Mr Benjamin Boh, Managing Director, McDonald’s Singapore.
Whats The Plan 