KUALA LUMPUR: The Social Welfare Department conducts background checks on all government childcare centre workers to ensure they do not have any criminal history, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.
Women, Family, and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said the department, together with the police, conducts screenings on all employees to ensure the safety of the children in government childcare centres.
"We have also implemented several standard operating procedures (SOP) at childcare centres in government buildings, including issuing a reminder if a child does not arrive within 30 minutes, for example."
She was responding to a supplementary question from Fong Kui Lun (Pakatan Harapan-DAP) in Parliament today.
Fong had asked the minister to state the government's steps to curb child abuse cases from recurring.
To this, Nancy said it was important for parents to ensure that childcare centres are registered under the Social Welfare Department.
"Because there has been an increase in child abuse cases, we have added more SOPs. These SOPs are not to make things difficult, but to help the childcare centres.
"For example, all childcare centres must install closed circuit television cameras to monitor what happens in the premises.
"Operators must also ensure that their employees are qualified to become childcare workers," she added.
Meanwhile, in a reply to the New Straits Times, the ministry said all government childcare centre workers must undergo psychometric tests, and must also be screened in the Child Sex Offenders Registry (eDKK).
"The childcare worker must also undergo Kursus Asuhan Permata within a year of working," the ministry added.