8 January 2018 

Question

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang
MP for Holland - Bukit Timah GRC

To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) in each of the past three years, how many juveniles have been referred by the Ministry or ordered by the courts to be admitted into places of safety as defined in the Children and Young Persons Act respectively; and (b) how many of such juveniles admitted into these places of safety have at least one parent who is incarcerated or has been incarcerated before.

Answer

1     Children and young persons (CYPs) who are in need of care and protection, such as those who have been abused or neglected, may be referred by MSF or ordered by the Youth Court to reside in a place of safety, such as a licensed CYP Home. 

2     The number of such CYPs admitted to all licensed CYP Homes in the past three years is in Table 1.

Table 1: CYPs admitted to licensed CYP Homes through MSF referrals and Youth Court orders for care and protection

3     About one-quarter of CYPs known to MSF due to child abuse and neglect have a caregiver who had previously been arrested or incarcerated.​