Review of Staff Qualifications, Vetting Requirements and Preventive Measures Following Child Abuse Case Involving Unqualified Staff
Ministry of Social and Family DevelopmentSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns an inquiry by Mr Ng Shi Xuan regarding a child abuse case involving an unqualified staff member, asking if the case was reviewed, what lessons were learnt, and what preventive measures will be introduced. Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli B M M clarified that the facility was a private accommodation provider engaged by parents rather than an educational institution. He stated that parents must exercise due diligence when engaging services, as creating a regulatory regime for every setting involving children is impractical. The Minister highlighted that the Children and Young Persons Act makes it an offence for anyone with custody, charge, or care of a child to ill-treat them. Together with the Penal Code, these laws serve as the overarching framework to deter child mistreatment and punish offenders.
Transcript
35 Mr Ng Shi Xuan asked the Minister for Social and Family Development in respect of a recent child abuse case involving a manager who was hired by an educational facility despite not having any childcare or teaching qualifications (a) whether the Ministry has reviewed the case; (b) what are the relevant lessons learnt; and (c) what measures, if any, will be introduced to prevent recurrence.
Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: The Member is referring to a recent news article which reported that a man hired by an “educational facility” providing accommodation to foreign students and workers, had allegedly abused victims who resided there.
The actual facts of the case are that the children's parents engaged a private accommodation facility for their children while they were studying in Singapore. This facility is therefore not an educational institution.
Parents who contract for services for their children should exercise due diligence by making reasonable checks on the provider's background, experience and suitability. Parents should also monitor the care of their child under the provider.
It is not practical to create a regulatory regime for every setting or activity where children are involved. The Children and Young Persons Act provides a broad safeguard by making it an offence for a person who has custody, charge or care of a child to ill-treat the child. This, together with other offences in the Penal Code, provide the overall framework to deter mistreatment of children, and punish those who flout the law.