Debated in Parliament on 2 Oct 2017.
Ms Sun Xueling asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) whether the online child protection training module to train preschool teachers in handling child abuse cases can be made mandatory; (b) whether such a module can be made available earlier than late 2018; and (c) whether this training can be provided as part of the NITEC training course for preschool teachers.
Preschool teachers are equipped with basic skills and knowledge to understand and detect child abuse and neglect during their pre-employment training at the polytechnics, the Institute of Technical Education or the various private training agencies accredited by the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA). In-service preschool teachers can also take up Continuing Professional Development courses related to the prevention and early intervention of child abuse.
In addition to this, the Child Protective Service (CPS) of the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) has developed a Sector-Specific Screening Guide and a Child Abuse Reporting Guide to support professionals who work with children to recognise signs and symptoms of abuse and determine the appropriate course of action. ECDA conducts training sessions for principals and educators in the early childhood sector to use these guides effectively.
To make such training resources even more accessible to professionals in the education, health and social service sectors, MSF CPS is working with the Social Service Institute to develop online training modules on child protection. The online child protection training modules are currently in their early stages of development. Further testing and enhancements are required before rollout, expected in late-2018. My Ministry will study whether the development of the training modules can be brought forward. We will also look at whether these modules can be incorporated as part of the compulsory training components for early childhood qualifications, over and above the existing training that is already being provided, to help trainee preschool educators understand and detect child abuse and neglect.
PAPERCUTS