Jeff Tan - The Majurity Trust

Take it easy, one step at a time and pace accordingly.

PEOPLE THRIVING

Jeff Tan

THK FSC senior social worker,NCSS 40 Under 40

Jeff is a social worker in a FSC setting and he works with clients from all sorts and walks of life, and their respective issues. The issues can be from infant care matters all the way to loss and bereavement and clients can be involuntary. Furthermore, he also provides supervision to younger colleagues in the field and works closely with the stakeholders to provide a safety net for their clients.

1) THK charities have so many branches, why in particular did you choose to work at Family Service Centre?

There are many opportunities and rotation possibilities within THK. However, my interest has always been the work in the Family Service Centres (FSC) because of the opportunities to work with all sorts of issues and the room to go the extra mile for clients.

2) You are a senior social worker with THK, so you must have been there a really long time. Have there been occasions in which you felt like quitting? What made you stay on?

There are ups and downs, sometimes you do get puzzled why certain things cannot be done and how to cut across multiple agencies. Ultimately, the clients and colleagues are the reasons why I stayed grounded.

3) What was your proudest moment as a senior social worker?

The opportunity to work with our clients, facilitate changes, gain insights and new perspectives. When all else fails, the most important thing is that our clients come back to see us, whether we have provided and established a safe place for them to return. There is this case where I have been working on and off for a decade with a client with substance addiction.

Part of the recovery is relapse and it is expected. When it happens, my client would be uncontactable. Nonetheless, it has happened many times and my client had always returned in the past, one way or another to seek help. Though I did not provide monetary or practical assistance, but I believed that my client kept returning because I had established that I cared and was genuinely concerned for that client.

4) What was the most instrumental element in your journey as a social worker that helped shape who you are today?

The people, all sorts of characters and experiences. The exposure definitely shaped me into what I am today.

5) If you could share a bit of wisdom with your younger self who was just starting out this journey what would it be and why?

My line of work is working with our clients on their journeys. It is not our journey but we are simply a part of it. It is easy to be tempted and want to take control or impose our own expectations. If I could, I would remind my younger self to take it easy, one step at a time and pace accordingly.

Q6) If you could do/change anything about Singapore or in your life, what would you do?

Legacy work to share more about social work so as to shine more light on the thankless work that we do on an everyday basis.

Q7) What does thriving mean to you?

Successfully doing our best in a supportive environment.