Information for Parents about Preschools' Safety Violations and Enforcement Action Records

10 Mr Abdul Muhaimin Abdul Malik asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) whether ECDA will introduce policy measures to increase transparency about preschools with safety violations and enforcement actions taken; (b) whether parents can access information about preschools' safety records and ECDA's regulatory actions; and (c) what safeguards exist to ensure parents are informed when serious safety violations occur at their children's preschools.

The Minister of State for Social and Family Development (Mr Goh Pei Ming) (for the Minister for Social and Family Development): Mr Speaker, the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) takes a serious view towards child safety issues. In cases of a regulatory breaches, ECDA will not hesitate to take firm action against errant operators. This may include revoking the preschool's licence where breaches are severe and systemic, or when the preschool can no longer provide services in a manner that is safe for children.

Under the Early Childhood Development Centres Act and Regulations, preschools are also required to notify parents immediately when there is a serious incident or illness that affects their child, and to also report such incidents to ECDA. ECDA has released statements regarding incidents of serious safety violations in preschools and the corresponding enforcement actions taken. However, ECDA does not generally name the preschools, to ensure that the identities of children involved are protected, especially in cases where gag orders are imposed in court proceedings.

We recognise that parents are concerned about their children's well-being and safety in preschools. Parents can make informed decisions about preschools by considering the centre's licence tenure, which all preschools are required to display at a prominent location that is accessible to the public and which is also available on LifeSG platforms. The licence tenure serves as an indication of a centre's quality and performance. For example, a 24-month licence indicates that a centre has met all key licensing requirements, while a six-month licence indicates that the centre has several areas for improvement.

Mr Speaker: Mr Muhaimin Abdul Malik.

Mr Abdul Muhaimin Abdul Malik (Sengkang): Thank you, Mr Speaker. With reference to the 2023 molestation case involving the three victims, ages one to two years old, that are under a gag order imposed by the Courts, I have two supplementary questions. The first question: were the parents of the other unaffected children informed of the safety violations? Question two: while ECDA and the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) have restricted new enrolment into the preschool, were parents of these new children informed of the recent safety violations?

Mr Goh Pei Ming: Mr Speaker, I thank the Member for the question. I think the question that the Member has raised is specific to the 2023 incident. I do not have the details of the incident and cannot respond to this case.

I think how ECDA responds to every incident will depend on the context, and what the Court rules and decides on. If it is in the interest of all parents and the public to know about the incident, and the Court has not imposed a gag order, we will make a deliberate decision whether or not to release such information. But in this case, like what the Member has mentioned, there was a gag order and therefore, in such cases, we will typically not share information.

I want to reiterate the fact that, especially for parents who are concerned about safety, we do note the importance, and that all parents want a safe, nurturing and conducive environment for all our children to grow up in. ECDA's mission is exactly that. We regulate the sector through the Early Childhood Development Centres Act. We have a Code of Practice, which is regularly updated and stipulates the minimum licensing requirements, regulatory requirements to ensure safety and well-being of our children. We cover aspects from safety to health, to nutrition, hygiene, curriculum, incident management, staff deployment, even administrative processes. A most recent addition was the requirement for closed-circuit television to be installed in the centres.

I think these are done in consultation with the industry, as well as taking into consideration international best practices. These are what we do to ensure that we have a tight regime and control, to ensure safety in all our preschools. We also come together regularly as a sector to share best practices and also take feedback from all our operators.