Can your helper care for your child or parent at a relative’s home?

By APEX Maids Agency Pte. Ltd. · MOM EA Licence 25C3180 · UEN 202547196H. Based in Jurong West and serving households across Singapore. Our website is apexmaids.sg and our phone is 8405 6661.

The conditions to check together

MOM's relative-home care FAQ and employment rules explain the arrangement. Check every condition rather than treating them as alternatives:

1. Written agreement first. Obtain the helper’s agreement in writing to care for your child or parent at the relative’s home.
2. Notification before proceeding. Use the official MOM work-arrangement notification before starting, after fulfilling its stated conditions.
3. No full housework load in both households. Do not turn care at another address into two complete household jobs.
4. Suitable accommodation if staying overnight. Check MOM's accommodation requirements where an overnight stay is needed.

You remain responsible for upkeep and maintenance, including food, accommodation and medical treatment. Do not assume responsibility transfers to the relative.

Distinguish three different situations

• Care for your child or parent. This is the limited arrangement discussed here, subject to all the official conditions.
• A relative needing their own household helper. MOM's separate employer FAQ says the relative must be the official employer. Do not treat a care notification as permission to hire nominally for another household.
• Temporary accommodation during your overseas trip. That is a separate arrangement. Use the employer-travel guide; its rules are not interchangeable with ongoing care at another home.

Prepare the practical brief

Before comparing candidates, write down the general arrangement and the points your family must settle:

• Care recipient and duties. Is this care for your child or parent? Separate care tasks from other household work.
• A workable day. Put travel, meals, school or appointment times and tasks at each location into one routine.
• Handover and instructions. Decide which family member gives instructions and who is present when care is handed over.
• Rest and backup. Agree how family members cover breaks, rest days and unexpected changes. See the rest-day rules.
• Sleeping arrangements. If overnight care is proposed, check the space and privacy requirements before making plans.
• Formal steps. Confirm who completes notification and where the written agreement is kept. Actual addresses and supporting details belong in the appropriate private process, not the initial website enquiry.

A planning example is a child spending part of the day at a grandparent’s home while the employer is at work. Another is a parent receiving care at a sibling’s home. These examples are not Apex placement records or approvals; check the actual employer, care recipient, workload and official conditions for your situation.

Use the arrangement when comparing helper experience

Discuss communication, daily duties, travel and family backup in the candidate interview. Describe the combined role rather than assessing work at each home as though a different person will do it. A promising interview does not complete the employment conditions.

For matching, read Apex's child-care or elderly-care service owner and ask what its proposed placement scope covers. If the employer question comes first, see hiring for a retired parent. Check unclear arrangements with MOM before proceeding. Sources checked 17 October 2026.