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Childcare committee calls for improved measures at residential homes for children
The Committee on Review of Residential Child Care and Related Services announced the completion of the first version of the review report, raising 30 suggestions to improve the service quality in children’s residential homes.
The suggestions include adding a crew of people who worked in health care and law enforcement authorities to the Child Care Centers Advisory Inspectorate of the Social Welfare Department and updating the venues which need to be inspected by the Inspectorate frequently.
Under the review report suggestions, the Inspectorate should randomly monitor video surveillance in childcare centers and pay more attention to children’s health conditions during the raid.
“The Inspectorate will review carefully the records and reviews for children of their injuries and illnesses at the center, as well as the management of their illnesses, to identify abnormal conditions in time for follow-up,” said the Committee.
In addition, it is proposed to increase the staffing ratio from the current ratio of childcare workers to children under their care from 1 to 6.2 to 1 to 4.5 and to create new positions of childcare assistants to share the workload with childcare workers.
Besides, the number of social workers, nurses, clinical psychologists, etc., should be increased. It is also proposed to introduce a registration system for home managers to ensure early detection of suspected child abuse or neglect and to supervise the staff appropriately.
In addition, the Committee also suggested more brain gain in the children’s center, ranging from increasing the ratio of staff to kids from 1 to 6.2 to 1 to 4.5, setting positions of childcare assistants to share the workload of childcare workers, and introducing social workers, nursery, clinical psychologists, etc. to children’s centers.
The Committee also emphasized that the superintendents of children’s centers should identify the child being abused or neglected and supervise the staff on time.
A member of the Committee, lawmaker Bill Tang Ka-piu called on the authorities to provide subsidies to organizations focusing on childcare.
“It is difficult to recruit child care workers for residential child care centers compared to other child care services,” he said, “I hope the salary standard of them could be raised, which could benefit better services for children.”
Under the review report suggestions, the Inspectorate should randomly monitor video surveillance in childcare centers and pay more attention to children’s health conditions during the raid.
“The Inspectorate will review carefully the records and reviews for children of their injuries and illnesses at the center, as well as the management of their illnesses, to identify abnormal conditions in time for follow-up,” said the Committee.
In addition, it is proposed to increase the staffing ratio from the current ratio of childcare workers to children under their care from 1 to 6.2 to 1 to 4.5 and to create new positions of childcare assistants to share the workload with childcare workers.
Besides, the number of social workers, nurses, clinical psychologists, etc., should be increased. It is also proposed to introduce a registration system for home managers to ensure early detection of suspected child abuse or neglect and to supervise the staff appropriately.
In addition, the Committee also suggested more brain gain in the children’s center, ranging from increasing the ratio of staff to kids from 1 to 6.2 to 1 to 4.5, setting positions of childcare assistants to share the workload of childcare workers, and introducing social workers, nursery, clinical psychologists, etc. to children’s centers.
The Committee also emphasized that the superintendents of children’s centers should identify the child being abused or neglected and supervise the staff on time.
A member of the Committee, lawmaker Bill Tang Ka-piu called on the authorities to provide subsidies to organizations focusing on childcare.
“It is difficult to recruit child care workers for residential child care centers compared to other child care services,” he said, “I hope the salary standard of them could be raised, which could benefit better services for children.”
