Child protection agencies should handle all child abuse cases, get adequate resources: Panel

Agencies handling child protection should manage all cases of child abuse and be given adequate resourcing, said a panel reviewing the case of four-year-old Megan Khung, who was abused to death.

- Syarafana Shafeeq

Such agencies refer to the Ministry of Social and Family Development’s (MSF) Child Protective Service, child protection specialist centres, protection specialist centres and family service centres.

This means that all other parties, like social service agencies, should focus on detecting and reporting possible child abuse in a timely manner, the panel said in its report released on Oct 23.

Noting that this change may lead to an increase in the number of cases surfaced to child protection case management agencies, the panel recommended that MSF ensures the agencies are adequately resourced to carry out their roles.

The recommendation was one of seven that the panel made to improve Singapore’s child protection system, after its review of how agencies had handled Megan’s case. The young girl was physically and emotionally abused for more than a year by her mother and the mother’s boyfriend before she died in 2020.

In a statement on Oct 23, MSF said it accepts the recommendations and will study how to implement them, after consultation with parties in the sector. Further details will be given later, it added.

The panel also proposed setting up an appeals mechanism to address differing views on risk levels and how to manage cases.

While it would be impossible to eradicate variations in assessment due to human judgment, the panel said the consistency of triaging cases can be improved. Triaging in this context refers to the process of assessing inquiries to determine the urgency and appropriate response to protect a child.

The triaging agency must assess information “with a critical eye”, applying professional judgment to be alert to the possibility that the way facts are presented may affect how a case is assessed, said the panel.