MCYS SPEECH NO: 15/2009

DATE OF ISSUE: 11/02/2009

Speech by Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon, Minister-of-State, Ministry

of Community Development, Youth and Sports at the FY
2009 Committee for Supply Debate, 11 February 2009

Child Protection

1. I thank Ms Indranee Rajah and Ms Ellen Lee for their

queries. As my Minister has stressed, we pay a lot of attention to
our children. Every single child deserves the right to fulfil his or
her potential.

2. Child abuse is totally unacceptable. I would like to assure

Members that MCYS pays close attention to the safety of our
children, and works with multiple agencies to tackle the problem,
including the Police, hospitals, schools, social service agencies
and the Courts.

3. MCYS’ key strategies are:

first) prevention;
second) early intervention; and
third) effective treatment of children who have been abused.

4. We have two key thrusts in prevention. First, we conduct

public education on child abuse issues. Second, we promote
training for social workers, healthcare professionals, police
officers, educators and others who have regular contact with

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children. This is to enable them to detect signs of abuse early and
refer these cases for investigation.

5. When abuse does occur, we have a framework to manage

each case effectively. When a case is referred to MCYS, first, we
assess if the child’s safety is at risk, and if the alleged perpetrator
is a family member.

6. Our first priority is the well-being of the child, and to send the
child to the hospital if required. The Police and MCYS would next
investigate if there is evidence of abuse within the family. If not,
the case is closed, but we may refer the family to a Family Service
Centre to sort out any remaining difficulties.

7. If there is evidence of abuse within the family, a specialised

plan for the child is worked out by a multi-disciplinary Child Abuse
Protection Team, comprising child protection officers,
paediatricians, psychologists and educators. They would work out
the most appropriate care arrangement for the child, through
conducting home visits, interviews with family members and
psychiatric assessments.

8. Children who need protection but do not have a conducive

home environment will be placed with their relatives as far as
possible. If not, they can be placed in foster care or in a
Children’s Home. A Care and Protection Order is also usually
issued by the Court to ensure that family members receive help.

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9. Depending on the outcome of the investigation, the case
may be brought to Court. The law takes a tough stance against
perpetrators of child abuse. Under the Children and Young
Persons Act, any parent or guardian convicted of the ill-treatment
of a child or young person may be fined up to $4,000 and jailed for
up to 4 years. Where death of the child or young person is
caused, the parent or guardian may be fined up to $20,000 and
jailed for up to 7 years. In an extreme case where it becomes a
case of murder, such a person could be sentenced to death under
the Penal Code.

10. The Court may also order the perpetrators to undergo

mandatory counselling, psychotherapy and other rehabilitation
programmes.

11. While MCYS takes child abuse very seriously and has put in
place a robust framework to tackle the issue, child abuse can only
be stopped by an effort from the whole community. We all have a
role to play in protecting the most vulnerable within our midst. If
members of the public suspect a case of child abuse, they should
call the Child Protection Hotline or ComCare Call.

12. During these difficult times, more than ever, I would like to
urge families who need help managing their lives or their problems
to seek help early. Do not let the situation get out of control and
end up hurting your children. Families can seek help from Family
Service Centres located near their homes.

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13. I would also like to call on the community and grassroot
leaders to pay greater attention to these families. My Ministry will
also do more for these families as part of our efforts to help
dysfunctional families.

*****

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