SINGAPORE — Another infant care training course for foreign domestic helpers has concluded its first run, with 13 participants from Indonesia, Myanmar and the Philippines now better equipped to care for toddlers up to 18 months old.

Developed jointly by the NTUC’s Seed Institute and the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH), the course covers diapering, bathing and dressing toddlers, food preparation as well as ways to engage them at different stages of their growth.

Lessons include demonstrations, hands-on sessions, role play and an assessment during the last session. Helpers are also taught to identify possible symptoms of physical and verbal abuse of the children.

The S$310 course, conducted over four consecutive Sundays from 9am to 5pm, also includes a half-day “partnership with family” component, whereby employers are encouraged to attend to gain a better understanding of the skills that were taught.

Trainers take this opportunity to correct inappropriate care practices, so that both the employers and their helpers have a common understanding of how to care for the infant.

This course is distinct from other infant care courses in that it focuses on developing “soft skills” like communicating and playing with the baby, said Seed Institute head of business and parenting Jenny Wong.

“We want to emphasise the importance of partnership between employers and employees to prevent inappropriate behaviour. That’s also why we included this component for (the latter) to see their helpers in action,” said Ms Wong, whose helper also took the course.

Employers receive tips on building a healthy relationship with their helper, such as by setting clear expectations, communicating priorities and a preferred routine for their children as well as maintaining an open, two-way communication.

Civil servant Gayle Goh said the course has equipped her helper Johnabee Lopez with better ways of interacting with her five-and-a-half-month-old daughter. “She talks more and smiles a lot more, which helps engage the baby better,” said Ms Goh, 29.

“As employers, we hope this course also helps her in terms of professional development ... In a way, it has made us stay home and have family time with the baby on Sundays when she’s in class.”

Ms Lopez, who is 33 and has two sons, found the course helpful for introducing practices here that may differ from her hometown in the Philippines, such as techniques for swaddling the baby as well as the types of food to prepare.

The Seed Institute and KKH hope to train 100 domestic helpers in a five-run trial, including the one that ended on Sunday (April 23). There are also plans to train other carers, such as grandparents.

Similar courses to train foreign domestic helpers in maternal and infant care were launched in December by the Foreign Domestic Worker Association for Social Support and Training (Fast).

Conducted by Aria Training and Consultancy, the basic version of the course, which runs over three full days, has trained 151 domestic helpers. The advanced 80-hour course runs for 10 months and has seen 19 students since its launch.

The basic course costs S$90 for Fast members and S$180 for non-members, while the advanced version costs S$180 for Fast members and S$480 for non-members.

Noting recent high-profile court cases involving foreign domestic helpers’ inappropriate treatment of infants, Fast executive director William Chew said: “Though the overall number (of such cases) may not be significant, every case is one case too many.

“So what we really want is to make sure caregivers are trained and qualified .... Sometimes, it’s also about helping them to unlearn what they’re used to back in their countries, which may not be what is culturally accepted here.”