Awareness on Spotting Signs of Abuse in Schools

Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim asked the Minister for Education what are the steps that teachers and school counsellors can take to educate students on (i) identifying signs and symptoms of abuse among their classmates and (ii) reporting such suspected abuse cases to the school or authorities such as the Police or Child Protective Service.

The Minister of State for Education (Ms Gan Siow Huang) (for the Minister for Education): Mr Speaker, the safety of our students is of utmost importance to us in our schools. Our students learn about personal safety and how they can protect themselves against abuse through Character and Citizenship Education lessons. Students are provided with resources and community helplines and are reminded to seek help from trusted adults when their personal safety is compromised. Schools have also instituted peer support structures where students are taught to look out for one another and to inform trusted adults when they observe that their peers are under distress.

The Ministry for Social and Family Development (MSF) has introduced the Sector-Specific Screening Guide (SSSG) and the Child Abuse Reporting Guide (CARG) in 2015 to help schools manage abuse-related issues. School leaders work closely with the school counsellors and student welfare officers to report suspected cases of abuse to the Child Protective Service (CPS) in MSF and continue to monitor and support their students.