Sudha Nair toyed with the idea of opting for English Literature when she came from Penang in 1983 to study at the National University of Singapore (NUS). But she decided instead on Social Work. This set her on a path that would see her starting Singapore’s first family violence specialist centre and becoming the first social worker appointed to the Council of Presidential Advisers, which advises the President of Singapore on the use of her discretionary and custodial powers.

Growing up in Malaysia in a family of activists, Sudha was exposed from an early age to issues of social justice. After her A levels, instead of going to university, she joined the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) as an education officer. The job took her into the villages where she saw the impact of industrialisation on farmers and fishermen and their environment. It was her introduction to social inequality and social injustice.

Sudha so enjoyed her work at CAP she would have happily stayed on there. But her sister Asha, a journalist, felt Sudha should get a university education. She completed Sudha’s application forms for NUS and submitted them. As Sudha once said: “If not for her, I would not be where I am today. I’d probably still be in CAP or in a prison somewhere because I was fighting for this cause or that!”

In 1987, a year or so after getting her social work degree, Sudha found a job at the Ang Mo Kio Family Service Centre. She was the centre’s sole social worker, with a small office next to the garbage chute. When she left the family service centre (FSC) 17 years later to get her doctorate, it was one of the leading social service agencies in Singapore and a model for other FSCs.

Sudha brought to her job at the centre the social conscience that had been stirred by her work at CAP as well as the resilience, creativity, and kindness she had imbibed from her parents. “They had a huge influence on my life. I learnt resilience from them. To them, nothing was impossible; if one way did not work, you just tried different ways and you would get there.”

Meanwhile, what she gained from her work at the Ang Mo Kio FSC was a deep respect for the people she and other social workers try to help. “I started my career working with people with multiple problems and am still doing it. To this day it amazes me, their resilience – despite going through the most horrific of situations, with help they can rise above it.”

Social work, Sudha emphasises, is not about giving handouts to people. “You don t need a degree in social work to do this. What social workers need to do is to look at the issues that may be impeding the ability of the vulnerable to get access to resources,” she said.

“We need to recognize that people have resilience and agency, and their voices need to be heard. In situations where the vulnerable are unable to get these resources, we need to be their voices and press for change in a responsible and respectful manner.”

She got the idea for a one-stop centre to assist victim-survivors of family violence when, in 1999, she responded to a call from a child about his mother being beaten up by her husband. She accompanied the woman to hospital, but there the woman was told she would have to pay for treatment and that she should make a police report.

“It set me thinking: When a victim is going through such a traumatic experience, should she be running around seeking so many types of services? I came back to the office and talked to my colleagues about starting a one-stop or first stop service for family violence.”

Sudha started the Centre for Promoting Alternatives to Violence (PAVE) as a pilot project at the Ang Mo Kio FSC. In 2002 it was registered as an independent agency. Today PAVE’s services include counselling and group work, assistance in applying for Personal Protection Orders, public education, and research and advocacy.

In 2003 Sudha left the FSC and PAVE to work towards her doctorate. She returned to PAVE in 2012 and has been its executive director since then. PAVE now handles 2,000 cases of family violence a year.

Sudha’s contributions to social work in Singapore saw her receiving, in 1998, the inaugural Outstanding Social Worker award. In 2015, she became the first social worker to be appointed a member of the Public Service Commission. The following year, she was named Her World Woman Of The Year 2016, and in 2017, she was conferred the Public Service Medal (PBM).

In 2021, Sudha chalked up another first when she was appointed to the Council of Presidential Advisers. She also serves on various other boards, including the Housing and Development Board, the Singapore Indian Development Association (Sinda), and the National University of Singapore.

Sudha Nair toyed with the idea of opting for English Literature when she came from Penang in 1983 to study at the National University of Singapore (NUS). But she decided instead on Social Work. This set her on a path that would see her starting Singapore’s first family violence specialist centre and becoming the first social worker appointed to the Council of Presidential Advisers, which advises the President of Singapore on the use of her discretionary and custodial powers.

Growing up in Malaysia in a family of activists, Sudha was exposed from an early age to issues of social justice. After her A levels, instead of going to university, she joined the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) as an education officer. The job took her into the villages where she saw the impact of industrialisation on farmers and fishermen and their environment. It was her introduction to social inequality and social injustice.

Sudha so enjoyed her work at CAP she would have happily stayed on there. But her sister Asha, a journalist, felt Sudha should get a university education. She completed Sudha’s application forms for NUS and submitted them. As Sudha once said: “If not for her, I would not be where I am today. I’d probably still be in CAP or in a prison somewhere because I was fighting for this cause or that!”

In 1987, a year or so after getting her social work degree, Sudha found a job at the Ang Mo Kio Family Service Centre. She was the centre’s sole social worker, with a small office next to the garbage chute. When she left the family service centre (FSC) 17 years later to get her doctorate, it was one of the leading social service agencies in Singapore and a model for other FSCs.

Sudha brought to her job at the centre the social conscience that had been stirred by her work at CAP as well as the resilience, creativity, and kindness she had imbibed from her parents. “They had a huge influence on my life. I learnt resilience from them. To them, nothing was impossible; if one way did not work, you just tried different ways and you would get there.”

Meanwhile, what she gained from her work at the Ang Mo Kio FSC was a deep respect for the people she and other social workers try to help. “I started my career working with people with multiple problems and am still doing it. To this day it amazes me, their resilience – despite going through the most horrific of situations, with help they can rise above it.”

Social work, Sudha emphasises, is not about giving handouts to people. “You don t need a degree in social work to do this. What social workers need to do is to look at the issues that may be impeding the ability of the vulnerable to get access to resources,” she said.

“We need to recognize that people have resilience and agency, and their voices need to be heard. In situations where the vulnerable are unable to get these resources, we need to be their voices and press for change in a responsible and respectful manner.”

She got the idea for a one-stop centre to assist victim-survivors of family violence when, in 1999, she responded to a call from a child about his mother being beaten up by her husband. She accompanied the woman to hospital, but there the woman was told she would have to pay for treatment and that she should make a police report.

“It set me thinking: When a victim is going through such a traumatic experience, should she be running around seeking so many types of services? I came back to the office and talked to my colleagues about starting a one-stop or first stop service for family violence.”

Sudha started the Centre for Promoting Alternatives to Violence (PAVE) as a pilot project at the Ang Mo Kio FSC. In 2002 it was registered as an independent agency. Today PAVE’s services include counselling and group work, assistance in applying for Personal Protection Orders, public education, and research and advocacy.

In 2003 Sudha left the FSC and PAVE to work towards her doctorate. She returned to PAVE in 2012 and has been its executive director since then. PAVE now handles 2,000 cases of family violence a year.

Sudha’s contributions to social work in Singapore saw her receiving, in 1998, the inaugural Outstanding Social Worker award. In 2015, she became the first social worker to be appointed a member of the Public Service Commission. The following year, she was named Her World Woman Of The Year 2016, and in 2017, she was conferred the Public Service Medal (PBM).

In 2021, Sudha chalked up another first when she was appointed to the Council of Presidential Advisers. She also serves on various other boards, including the Housing and Development Board, the Singapore Indian Development Association (Sinda), and the National University of Singapore.