Child Protection Service Cases Where Family of Origin Is Deemed Unfit for Child to Return to

41 Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) for each year in the past five years, what is the number of Child Protection Service (CPS) cases where the family of origin has been deemed unfit for the child to return to; and (b) what are the top three reasons why the family of origin has been deemed unfit for the child to return to.

Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: Each year, about 2% of cases investigated by the Child Protective Service (CPS) resulted in the child being unable to return home as their families of origin were assessed to be unfit to safely care for their children.

The reasons include parents’ chronic incarceration, serious mental health conditions of the parents, or their unwillingness to provide a safe environment for their child, even when professionals offer intervention and support.