Cases of Suspected Child Abuse Reported and Escalated to Relevant Agencies

Mr Darryl David asked the Minister for Education (a) in each of the last five years, how many cases of suspected domestic child abuse have surfaced in the schools; and (b) what percentage of these cases have been escalated to other agencies, such as the Child Protective Services and the Police.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) and Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) work collaboratively to manage suspected cases of domestic child abuse and to support the affected children. As schools are only one of the sources of reporting, cases surfaced by the schools could also be reported to MSF by community partners or members of the public.

Between 2019 and 2023, the number of suspected domestic child abuse cases reported by schools to either the National Anti-Violence and Sexual Harassment Helpline (NAVH) or MSF’s Child Protective Service (CPS) remained consistent, averaging about 600 cases annually.

About 30% of these cases were taken up by CPS for investigation. Less serious cases were referred by NAVH or CPS to community agencies, such as the Child Protection Specialist Centres, Protection Specialist Centres or Family Service Centres for follow-up intervention.