COMPLAINTS AGAINST CHILDCARE CENTRES

COMPLAINTS AGAINST CHILDCARE CENTRES

21.

Dr Lily Neo asked the Minister for Community Development and Sports as there are about 138 complaints against childcare centres last year, the number of which is more than double that of 2002, what actions have been taken by his Ministry to curb the trend.

Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: As at 1st June 2004 , more than 40,000 children are enrolled in 667 childcare centres in Singapore which provides more than 55,000 places. I would like to assure Members that as the licensing authority for childcare centres, my Ministry gives our highest priority to the safety and best interest of children. MCDS would take action against any child care centre that is found to be negligent or carrying out inappropriate practices. Such action can range from the issue of written warnings to termination of the childcare centre licence.

The majority of the 138 complaints received in 2003 concerned administrative issues arising from centre closure due to SARS. Many of the complaints relate to centres not refunding deposit and fees even though they were temporarily shut during the SARS period. Although parents' unhappiness was understandable, the complaints had no direct bearing on the centres' ability to provide good childcare services.

Out of the 138 complaints in 2003, only 13 related to inappropriate child management or discipline. This is consistent with the number of such complaints in previous years. For the first half of 2004, 75 complaints have been received*. Of these, 13 are feedback on inappropriate management of children. This increase could be attributed to increased public awareness due to the recent reports on the subject in the media. This is not necessarily a negative trend as the public and parents play an equally, if not more important role in helping to ensure the quality of care in our childcare centres.

All licensed childcare centres are required to meet the minimum standards stipulated by MCDS with respect to their operations, environment, safety and hygiene procedures, staffing and programme. All centres are aware of these standards. To check for compliance, MCDS officers conduct unannounced visits to all centres to ensure that these quality standards are met. We have also provided all centres with a copy of the 'Good Practices Handbook', to guide the centres along.

Both the child's family and the childcare centre play important roles in a child's development. MCDS has therefore been actively encouraging childcare centres to continually develop strategies to involve families and work closely with them. Parents too, should recognise that they can make valuable contributions, through monitoring their children's development and progress in the centres. Caring for children is ultimately a partnership involving parents, childcare centres and MCDS.

• The number of complaints has increased tremendously after the TNP report (for the months of May and June 2004, we received 46 complaints).

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