1. Every case of abuse is one case too many. The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) is deeply saddened by cases where children suffered abuse at the hands of trusted ones who should have kept them safe. This includes the tragic death of Megan Khung. The senseless harm caused to these children is nothing short of a tragedy. No child should ever endure harm at the hands of those who are supposed to love them the most.
2. Because the community of professionals in this field should not and have not forgotten them, we strive every day to make sure Singapore is safer, and to save our children from harm. Each death reminds us we still have some way to go, in our protection systems, and as a society. With each case, we learn what was missed, and strengthen our systems, processes, practices, and policies so that we can prevent more deaths. Our continual review over the years is not just in reaction to tragic incidents, but part of a constant push towards better detection of harm to children and timely intervention by well-trained professionals to prevent further harm. It has also spurred other system-wide enhancements. We believe these efforts have saved other lives. But we have also lost others, and these should starkly remind all of us in the field that there is more work to be done.
Lessons Learnt from Past Child Death Cases
3. The recent cases before the Courts were deaths that occurred in different years and do not represent a spike in cases. Nevertheless, when each case is discovered, we review the circumstances carefully, identify critical lessons, and enhance operating protocols. MSF has previously shared how areas were improved arising from specific cases. Collectively, the changes have systematically strengthened the child protection ecosystem.
4. There are a few key lessons drawn from past cases over the last 10 years:
a. First, the issue of children not being known to social services makes it challenging to identify suspected child abuse.
b. Second, the inability to sight children poses barriers to intervention, often due to parents denying access to their children or providing false information about the child’s whereabouts.
c. Third, practice-related issues, such as inadequate interventions by social service professionals (e.g. lack of adequate follow up after a child has been reunited with his/her family after being in out-of-home care), or inaccurate assessments (e.g. misjudgement of the severity of the case).
5. In Megan’s case, the preschool had observed visible injuries and submitted to the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) an incident report prepared by the community worker from its affiliated social service agency (SSA)1. However, the report did not fully describe the severity of the injuries. This resulted in inadequate interventions by the relevant agencies.
Increased Public Awareness and Enhanced Protocols to Strengthen the Child Protection Ecosystem
6. To improve early detection and reporting of abuse, MSF has invested in public education and increased the channels to make it easier to report abuse. Over the past eight years, we have also systematically strengthened the management of child abuse cases by learning from child death cases that involved social services. These include:
a. Increased public awareness and channels to report abuse
Over the last 10 years, there were at least eight cases that were not known to social services when the child was killed. This is why public education and awareness are important. The ‘Break the Silence’ campaign, launched in 2016, was refreshed in June 2024. It highlighted that domestic violence is not a private matter and encourages victim-survivors and the community to play their part to help detect domestic violence.
The Domestic Violence Awareness Training was formalised in 2021 to provide a basic understanding of the different types and forms of abuse and neglect. As of July 2024, more than 9,300 people in the people, public and private sectors had undergone the Domestic Violence Awareness Training to learn how to spot and report signs of domestic violence. Professionals from childcare centres, schools and educational institutions also participated in these training sessions.
To make it easier to report abuse, the National Anti-Violence and Sexual Harassment Helpline (NAVH) was enhanced in 2022 with an online reporting form. In June 2024, a module on reporting suspected child abuse cases was included in the LifeSG app.
b. Clear requirements for SSAs to physically sight the child and introduction of a framework to guide SSAs facing challenges in doing so
Under the framework introduced in 2020, SSAs follow specific procedures when they encounter difficulties sighting or locating the whereabouts of a child. For example, if a child cannot be sighted and there are concerns on the child’s safety, the SSA must report it to the Police immediately. MSF supports SSAs by engaging relevant Government agencies, including the Police and the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority, to trace the whereabouts of such children.
In addition, MSF may invoke powers under the Children and Young Persons Act (CYPA) to compel parents to grant the social worker access to the child. This framework has since been enhanced in 2024 to provide Family Service Centres (FSCs) with powers under the CYPA to enforce these measures more effectively.
c. Tightened protocols for assessing children both in person and through video calls when there are concerns about abuse
Since 2020, existing guidelines have been enhanced to provide clearer guidance to case officers in MSF and SSAs on the situations that warrant in-person visits or assessments. When case officers receive an inquiry, they gather information from the child, family, and other relevant persons to determine whether immediate intervention is required. The initial contact may be conducted via phone or video calls, but any indication of possible abuse will trigger further in-person assessments.
Existing guidelines are now also clearer on what MSF’s Child Protection Officers should look out for during assessments. This includes making observations of the living environment and conducting visual scans of the child’s observable body parts for any signs of injury (e.g. asking the child to roll up his/her sleeves). Additionally, officers now conduct individual interviews with children, parents, and safe adults separately to ensure a more thorough assessment.
d. Enhanced post-reunification processes
Since 2018, MSF has established post-reunification and tracking protocols with community partners. These ensure regular safety checks and monitoring of children who have been placed in out-of-home care, but are subsequently reunited with their families. Case officers now work alongside community partners to conduct safety checks at least once a month for a year or more after reunification, ensuring the child’s overall well-being. The exact frequency and form of checks, and duration of support are determined based on the family’s case circumstances and specific needs. For cases that have been transferred to SSAs for continued intervention, SSAs are required to consult MSF’s Child Protective Service (CPS) immediately if any safety concerns arise, or if parents refuse to engage and work with the agencies.
e. Strengthened FSCs’ protocols, supervision structures and case management practices
In addition to the framework to ensure that children are physically sighted, MSF had in 2022 updated FSCs’ protocols on managing uncontactable and unresponsive clients with a clearer checklist, such as when to reach out through home visits and when to escalate to authorities.
MSF is also reviewing and intends to strengthen the FSC Code of Social Work Practice to enhance professional standards in areas such as ensuring competencies to assess risks and formulate case plans, and doing case reviews to monitor intervention outcomes.
f. Improved protocols in preschools
i. Reporting and Assessment: The Early Childhood Development Centres (ECDC) Regulations impose a duty on all educators and preschool staff to report suspected child abuse to ECDA. Signs of child abuse or neglect and the legal obligation to report to ECDA are covered in the training curriculum for all educators.
In 2021, the ECDC Code of Practice was updated to include additional operational guidelines and workflows to guide preschools on actions to take if a child is suspected to be abused. When preschools notice signs of abuse or neglect, they are required to use the Sector-Specific Screening Guide (SSSG), a standardised assessment tool, to assess the situation and report any child abuse concerns to ECDA within 24 hours. If there are concerns about sexual abuse, noticeable injuries, or signs of immediate threat to the child’s safety, preschools are required to consult the NAVH within 2 hours.
To ensure more accurate assessments, preschools are now required to use a diagram to document visible injuries on the child, rather than relying solely on written descriptions. For cases reported to ECDA by preschools, ECDA officers will assess the case and advise preschools on the appropriate follow-up steps.
ii. Attendance issues: If a child with child abuse concerns has been regularly absent or is withdrawn from preschool without valid reasons, preschools are required to inform the social worker or MSF’s Child Protection Officer working with the child. If the child is not known to any SSA or CPS, preschools must report the matter to ECDA, which will then assess whether a report to CPS is necessary.
iii. Tightened operating processes: MSF has reviewed and tightened the operating processes between ECDA and CPS to ensure a more effective and coordinated response. For example, when an informant claims that a case has already been raised to CPS or a Child Protection Specialist Centre (CPSC), ECDA will verify the information with CPS to ensure that the case receives appropriate follow-up by the relevant agencies.
7. Apart from FSCs and preschools, other groups such as educators, counsellors and other professionals in schools and hospitals are also trained in the use of assessment tools to pick up safety concerns involving children and to intervene based on established protocols. For example, school leaders work closely with the school counsellors and student welfare officers to report suspected cases of abuse to CPS, and continue to monitor and support these students.
A Whole-of-Society Effort is Needed to Keep Children Safe
8. The Government remains committed to continually review our laws, protocols, training, and social service support to ensure they remain relevant and effective.
9. We deeply appreciate the dedication of social service professionals who work tirelessly to protect children from abuse and save lives. Frontline professionals in preschools, schools, healthcare institutions and SSAs are trained to identify and report signs of abuse.
10. While it may not be possible to detect and stop every case, especially when cases are not known to social services and perpetrators deliberately conceal the harm they inflict on their children, our commitment to protect our children must remain unwavering. We can never afford to stop trying our best, for the sake of our most vulnerable and innocent in society.
11. We encourage parents who are struggling with parenting or managing their child’s behaviour to seek help early. Doing so helps foster stronger parent-child relationships and improves overall family well-being.
12. We need the community and SSAs to work closely with the authorities to detect cases early to safeguard vulnerable children. Any member of public, including whistleblowers, should call the 24-hour NAVH, make an online report via the MSF website or LifeSG app to report suspected child abuse, or call the Police if there is imminent danger to a child. Cases with child abuse and neglect concerns will be referred for support or intervention by relevant agencies, such as FSCs, CPSCs or CPS, based on the assessed risk and severity. Everyone, including neighbours, family, friends, and members of the public has a part to play in detecting and reporting suspected child abuse. Those who see potential signs of child abuse or neglect are encouraged to report their concerns to the NAVH at 1800-777-0000, or call the Police if there is imminent danger. Reporting abuse does not break up families – it saves lives.
1 The affiliated SSA is not part of the national network of Family Service Centres which are funded by MSF.