Intern_User Discovery Research on transacting with LPAs, FLG/IGS

Ministry Of Social And Family Development; Singapore; On-site; SGD 18,000 - 30,000; Part time

Job summary

Ministry Of Social And Family Development in Singapore offers an internship focused on user research for policy review related to LPAs and the Mental Capacity Act. You will conduct qualitative interviews with Donees, TPAs, and Certificate Issuers to surface needs, pain points, and risks, then synthesize findings into actionable recommendations.

The role supports policy review and service design, contributing to future policy and digital product requirements.

Qualifications

• Background in research, UX design, social science, public policy, or related field.
• Comfortable conducting qualitative interviews with institutional stakeholders and members of the public.
• Ability to synthesise research into clear, actionable findings.

Responsibilities

• Interview TPAs (banks/healthcare institutions) to understand workflows and safeguards.
• Interview Donees to understand experiences and challenges when transacting with TPAs.
• Engage Certificate Issuers to assess feasibility of enhancements to the LPA transacting process.
• Analyse and synthesise findings into a report highlighting needs, risks, opportunities, and recommendations.

Skills

Qualitative interviewing

Research methods

Policy analysis

Clear communication

Public engagement

Job description

What the role is:

A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is a legal document that allows a person (the \"Donor\") to appoint someone they trust (the \"Donee\") to make decisions on their behalf should they lose mental capacity. If the Donor loses mental capacity, the Donee can transact using the LPA to act on their behalf — for example, managing the Donor's bank accounts or paying for their care.The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) is reviewing how Donees transact on behalf of Donors, the interactions between Donees and third-party agencies (TPAs) such as banks and healthcare institutions, and potential safeguards that can strengthen trust and protection for vulnerable persons whilst enabling legitimate transactions.This user discovery project will inform OPG's policy review of the Mental Capacity Act. The intern will support the conduct of user research with Donees, TPAs, and Certificate Issuers (CIs) — including doctors, lawyers, and psychiatrists who certify LPAs — to surface user needs, pain points, risks, and operational considerations that will shape future policy, service, and digital product requirements.

What you will be working on:

• Interview TPAs (e.g., banks and healthcare institutions) to understand their current workflows, verification requirements, operational challenges, and safeguards when dealing with transacting Donees.
• Interview Donees to understand their experiences, needs, and challenges when transacting with TPAs.
• Engage Certificate Issuers (CIs) to understand operational considerations and assess the feasibility of potential enhancements to the LPA transacting process.
• Analyse and synthesise research findings into a report highlighting key user needs, pain points, risks, opportunities, and recommendations to support OPG's policy review and future service design.

What we are looking for:

• Background in research, UX design, social science, public policy, or related field
• Comfortable conducting qualitative interviews with both institutional stakeholders and members of the public
• Interest in user research, policy work, or service design; able to synthesise research into clear, actionable findings
• Strong communication skills, able to engage confidently and sensitively across different audiences

About Ministry Of Social And Family Development

Join Us at MSF for a Meaningful, People-Centric Career!At MSF, our mission is to nurture and build resilient individuals, strong families, and a caring society. We offer meaningful and impactful people-centric careers in the design and delivery of policies, services and programmes. We are an all-inclusive and family friendly workplace where career growth is prioritised through a comprehensive suite of development opportunities to help our officers succeed today as well as be future-ready. We do this through various formal and informal learning and development programmes for officers to build different competencies and gain diverse work experiences within MSF, the Public as well as the Social Service Sectors.