At the Ministry of Social and Family Development’s (MSF) Social Service Partners Conference themed “Supporting Families Together” in May 2015, Minister for Social and Family Development Tan Chuan-Jin said, “Families form the foundation of a strong nation. Having a better understanding of emerging trends affecting families, such as changing family structures, greater family pressures and a growing number of families facing unique and complex issues, will help us as a Government and community to better support families. Ultimately, these efforts would not be impactful without each of us putting in the effort to make conscious choices to do better for our families. As parents, we cannot under-estimate the importance of being good role models and imparting sound values to our children. It is heartening that family ties and values remain strong in Singapore. I am thus confident that with a better understanding of emerging trends, we can work together to tackle the challenges ahead at the individual, family, community and policy levels.” – Adapted from MSF Press Releases at http://msf.gov.sg. There has been much discussion in the media with regard to the emerging family trends and support to strengthen families in Singapore. Many issues in relation to this topic have been debated in the discussions. The two articles provided reflect some of the discussions regarding this topic in Singapore. In about 750 words, write a synthesis essay on emerging family trends and support to strengthen families in Singapore. You will need to narrow this broad topic. You must formulate a thesis about this issue and provide evidence that will support your thesis. You are not required to make a stand in this essay. Relevant information for you to gather would be: • Issues (economic, social, educational and etc.) surrounding the emerging family trends and support to strengthen families in Singapore • Evidence for the emerging family trends and support to strengthen families in Singapore • Evidence against the emerging family trends and support to strengthen families in Singapore • Improvements to existing recommendations/proposals/suggestions