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Beneath the Rug
A community doctor struggles with the tension between limited resources and unlimited needs. He has to decide who to serve, what services to offer, and who he has to turn away. How would you decide who is denied help?
An ex-offender wonders whether society has predetermined what job he should have. Have you already decided on his behalf?
A policymaker reflects that the Government must be ready to adapt, to flex, and to morph policies and processes so that they remain client-centric in order for less to fall through the cracks. How can you collaborate with them?
Beneath the Rug is a collection of stories from 30 individuals in the social impact sector. Hear from diverse voices including practitioners, changemakers, policymakers, and people with lived experiences. It is our sincere hope that as the stories in this book reveal what lies beneath the rug, it will also nudge all of us towards greater understanding, deeper reflection, and more meaningful engagement with our communities.
What would you see, if you peered under the proverbial rug of Singapore’s society?
An ex-offender wonders whether society has predetermined what job he should have. Have you already decided on his behalf?
A policymaker reflects that the Government must be ready to adapt, to flex, and to morph policies and processes so that they remain client-centric in order for less to fall through the cracks. How can you collaborate with them?
Beneath the Rug is a collection of stories from 30 individuals in the social impact sector. Hear from diverse voices including practitioners, changemakers, policymakers, and people with lived experiences. It is our sincere hope that as the stories in this book reveal what lies beneath the rug, it will also nudge all of us towards greater understanding, deeper reflection, and more meaningful engagement with our communities.
What would you see, if you peered under the proverbial rug of Singapore’s society?
- GenresNonfiction
Published January 1, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 19, 2024
Beneath the Rug features 30 short essays, vignettes really, from different stakeholders in Singapore's social impact sector - social workers and policymakers, counsellors and case workers, psychologists and child protection officers, ex-offenders and people with disabilities, NGO founders.
The writing is of uneven quality, as you would expect from a collection of stories from people who are not writers by profession. But what Beneath the Rug offers is a glimpse into the very different perspectives, lenses and considerations different stakeholders have; why might a client repeatedly fail to show up for her appointments with her social worker - doesn't she want help in getting her act together and securing a better life for herself and her child? Why drug offenders might struggle to break free from drugs, if they are "entrenched in a social and family system that reinforces and aids their drug use" and coming clean essentially means cutting themselves off from their existing communities and networks of support. Why victims of sexual abuse might find it difficult to report the abuse, and to coherently recount specific details of their experience. What the experience of a child protection officer, a special education teacher, is like and the trade-offs they have to make daily.
Some of the standout pieces for me were Leia's* (not her real name) account of the suspicions and challenges she faces as a foreigner volunteering in Singapore; Wei Xian's* account of the trade offs and tensions in scaling up the operations of their NGO providing migrant workers in Singapore with medical care (Healthserve?); Germaine*, a policymaker working on homelessness and rough sleepers, who wrote about what she learned when she started trying to build relationships with community groups that worked alongside rough sleepers; Jonathan's* account of his NGO's philosophy and approoach in working with the homeless - that it is fundamentally not about lack of resources but about a lack of supportive relationships. Helping the homeless, to Jonathan, is therefore less an issue of finding accommodations, than about befriending rough sleepers.
This glimpse that Beneath the Rug provides hopefully helps to create a bridge. A bridge between between policy intentions and ground realities. Greater empathy and appreciation for the other person (whether that person is a policymaker, a social worker or a client).
3.5 stars
The writing is of uneven quality, as you would expect from a collection of stories from people who are not writers by profession. But what Beneath the Rug offers is a glimpse into the very different perspectives, lenses and considerations different stakeholders have; why might a client repeatedly fail to show up for her appointments with her social worker - doesn't she want help in getting her act together and securing a better life for herself and her child? Why drug offenders might struggle to break free from drugs, if they are "entrenched in a social and family system that reinforces and aids their drug use" and coming clean essentially means cutting themselves off from their existing communities and networks of support. Why victims of sexual abuse might find it difficult to report the abuse, and to coherently recount specific details of their experience. What the experience of a child protection officer, a special education teacher, is like and the trade-offs they have to make daily.
Some of the standout pieces for me were Leia's* (not her real name) account of the suspicions and challenges she faces as a foreigner volunteering in Singapore; Wei Xian's* account of the trade offs and tensions in scaling up the operations of their NGO providing migrant workers in Singapore with medical care (Healthserve?); Germaine*, a policymaker working on homelessness and rough sleepers, who wrote about what she learned when she started trying to build relationships with community groups that worked alongside rough sleepers; Jonathan's* account of his NGO's philosophy and approoach in working with the homeless - that it is fundamentally not about lack of resources but about a lack of supportive relationships. Helping the homeless, to Jonathan, is therefore less an issue of finding accommodations, than about befriending rough sleepers.
This glimpse that Beneath the Rug provides hopefully helps to create a bridge. A bridge between between policy intentions and ground realities. Greater empathy and appreciation for the other person (whether that person is a policymaker, a social worker or a client).
3.5 stars
May 12, 2022
this is a collection of 30 anecdotes about issues that are often swept under the rug and pushed out of the public consciousness. the contributors come from a wide range of backgrounds — social workers, psychologists, policymakers, NGOs, NPOs, as well as people to whom this matters the most, the beneficiaries.
i liked that they tried to be very comprehensive in the coverage so you don’t hear from just one tiny portion of the social impact sector. in my own line of work i was aware of many of these issues, and i knew that one could major in Social Work in university, but i didn’t even realise there was so much being done on the ground every single day.
what struck me most was the undercurrent of exhaustion. we bandy the word “emotional labour” around a lot, sometimes jokingly, but for the workers in this extremely necessary sector, it IS work and labour. they aren’t just professional workers but professional givers, and it clearly takes a toll that goes ignored.
although it is clear they tried to focus on the stories of their clients, a quick read between the lines reveals how they are constantly bogged down by bureaucratic processes, under-compensation, and unquantifiable KPIs. maybe it is just me and my pessimism, but i don’t find these stories heartwarming, even the ones where people succeed against the odds. i wonder why the odds are there in the first place, and how long we can keep up the unsustainable practice of using up human fuel to plug a systemic gap.
if we want to say that social work is a noble and crucial practice, then it should be materially treated as such. put your money where your mouth is, yknow? saying it is a calling does not change the fact that it is a job where you will 吃苦 (suffer hardship) and not be paid well enough. is it then any wonder that no one wants to do the “essential” jobs when they grow up?
i liked that they tried to be very comprehensive in the coverage so you don’t hear from just one tiny portion of the social impact sector. in my own line of work i was aware of many of these issues, and i knew that one could major in Social Work in university, but i didn’t even realise there was so much being done on the ground every single day.
what struck me most was the undercurrent of exhaustion. we bandy the word “emotional labour” around a lot, sometimes jokingly, but for the workers in this extremely necessary sector, it IS work and labour. they aren’t just professional workers but professional givers, and it clearly takes a toll that goes ignored.
although it is clear they tried to focus on the stories of their clients, a quick read between the lines reveals how they are constantly bogged down by bureaucratic processes, under-compensation, and unquantifiable KPIs. maybe it is just me and my pessimism, but i don’t find these stories heartwarming, even the ones where people succeed against the odds. i wonder why the odds are there in the first place, and how long we can keep up the unsustainable practice of using up human fuel to plug a systemic gap.
if we want to say that social work is a noble and crucial practice, then it should be materially treated as such. put your money where your mouth is, yknow? saying it is a calling does not change the fact that it is a job where you will 吃苦 (suffer hardship) and not be paid well enough. is it then any wonder that no one wants to do the “essential” jobs when they grow up?
July 23, 2024
As commented, some stories read better than others, but overall in combination it’s a really good book to those interested in social work (be it practice or policy) and what goes on behind the scenes. It opened my eyes to the difficulties in trying to do good, and though one might blame bureaucracy, in many cases it’s simply a case of limited resources with what’s practically unlimited needs.
Having perspectives from a large myriad of people also opens one’s eyes to the complexities of social work, where money doesn’t always solve the problem, and the most obvious fixes tend to address symptoms and not causes.
Having perspectives from a large myriad of people also opens one’s eyes to the complexities of social work, where money doesn’t always solve the problem, and the most obvious fixes tend to address symptoms and not causes.
February 9, 2023
The only regret I've ever had in my life is that I never managed to send my psychiatrist a thank you note and this book made that even sadder.
March 23, 2025
Collection of 30 short stories that provide an insight and a window into the lives of people involved in the social sector. Structure can be messy at times.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews