CHILD PROTECTION ORDER

CHILD PROTECTION ORDER

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(Assessments): **

6.

Ms Sylvia Lim asked the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports (a) how does the Ministry assess if a parent or guardian is unable or unfit to exercise supervision over a child so as to warrant the Ministry applying for a child protection order under the Children and Young Persons Act; and (b) whether and how the Ministry will alter its practices in handling such cases to ensure due process and fairness.

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: The Children and Young Persons Act (CYPA) provides the legal framework for the protection of a child or young person up to the age of 16 years. An application can be made to the Juvenile Court for a Care and Protection Order when there are serious concerns over the safety and welfare of the child and the family is unable to safeguard the child's interest.

When a case of alleged child abuse or neglect is reported, the Child Protection Service (CPS) will conduct an enquiry into the allegations of abuse and ascertain if the child is in imminent danger. Information on the risk factors impacting the child, the child's developmental needs and the parents' ability to meet the child's needs will be obtained.

Child abuse is a complex phenomenon and includes physical abuse, psychological abuse, sexual abuse and neglect. The risk of harm to the child is evident if parents have inflicted serious injuries on the child, sexually abused the child or physically and psychologically neglected the child. The risk of harm to the child is assessed to be high if despite intervention, parents continue to have unrealistic expectations, lack insight into the

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child's needs and are not willing to take steps to enhance the child's well-being. In some situations, parents could be suffering from psychopathological problems that render them unable to fulfil their parental roles. In such cases, immediate action will be taken to protect the child's safety.

A multi-disciplinary approach is taken in assessing and making decisions on child abuse cases. The findings of each case are deliberated by the Child Abuse Protection Team which comprises senior child protection officers, social workers, police officers, pediatricians, school counsellors, psychologists and other professionals with knowledge of the case. The findings and recommendations of the team will be presented to the Juvenile Court. The Court will make the final decision and judgment on the case.

The CPS adopts a partnership approach in working with parents to protect the child’s safety and well-being. Before applying for a Child and Protection Order, CPS will discuss and work with parents to address the concerns and provide them the necessary support and assistance. The involvement of parents is critical as they are the main care provider for the child. However, in situations where parents are unwilling to discuss the concerns and persistently deny the risk of harm to the child, CPS will then proceed to apply for a Care and Protection Order and seek the Court's direction on the case plan.

In making an application for a Care and Protection Order, CPS will prepare a case summary to the Court which includes information on the background of the case, an assessment of the risks to the child and recommendations on appropriate care arrangements. The Court will inform the parents of the concerns raised in the case summary. The parents (and any relevant parties) will then have an opportunity to respond to the specific issues raised.

MCYS takes child abuse very seriously and every effort would be made to involve parents in making decisions on the children's care. However, the best interest of the child is still paramount in MCYS' work in child protection. There will be occasions where a child may request not to share certain information with their parents.

In the light of the recommendation by Justice V K Rajah, CPS will henceforth provide the case summary to the parents prior to the hearing unless the child specifically request not to share certain information with their parents, in which case we will let the Court decide what information is to be shared with the parents.

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