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Source:
www.mcys.gov.sg |
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CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS ACT TO BE AMENDED TO
PROVIDE FOR HIGHER STANDARD OF CARE, PROTECTION AND REHABILITATION |
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CHILDREN & YOUNG PERSONS HOMES TO BE LICENSED |
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The Ministry of Community Development, Youth
and Sports is currently reviewing the Children and Young Persons Act (CYPA).
Some of the proposed amendments to the Act will provide for the
following to be carried out in order to raise the standard of care,
protection and rehabilitation of children and young persons: |
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A To require all non-gazetted Homes for
children and young persons operated by Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWOs)
to be licensed. |
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There are currently 24 Homes run by VWOs for
children and young persons. Eleven of these Homes hold gazette status,
which requires them to admit cases ordered by the Juvenile Court (please
refer to Annex A). The new licensing requirement will apply to the
remaining 13 Homes which do not hold any gazette status. |
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B To require all Homes, both gazetted and
licensed, to conduct regular review of the progress of all children and
young persons under their care. |
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This will be an enhancement to the present
regulations under the Act which require only certain case types to be
reviewed. The review of all cases in the Homes will enable closer
tracking of progress, and better assistance and support for these
children and young persons. |
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C To require all Homes, both
gazetted and licensed, to be subject to mandatory inspections by
MCYS. |
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These inspections will ensure that the
specified standards are observed. They will be in addition to the
inspections conducted at least once in two months by an independent
Board of Visitors appointed by the Minister. |
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D To give the Director of Social Welfare
and the Protector, appointed under the CYPA, the authority to stop the
VWOs from operating the Homes by revoking or suspending the license in
instances of mismanagement of the Homes or the residents. |
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Under such circumstances, the Director of
Social Welfare will also have the authority to transfer the residents to
other Homes and/or to appoint a suitable body to take over the
management the Homes. |
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The review of the CYPA is currently
on-going. Besides the proposed amendments described above, other changes
to the Act are also being looked into to enhance the care, protection
and rehabilitation of children and young persons. All proposed
amendments to the CYPA will be put up for public consultation in
mid-2008. |
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First enacted in 1949, the CYPA is the main
legislation in Singapore that provides for the care, protection and
rehabilitation of children and young persons. Please refer to Annex B
for details on the CYPA. |
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The Act was last amended in 2001 to
widen the scope of child protection and include more options in
the rehabilitation process. The 2001 amendments also placed
greater emphasis on parental involvement in the rehabilitation of
youth offenders and the care and protection of children and young
persons. Please refer to Annex C for the main amendments to the
CYPA in 2001. |
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More..... |
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ISSUED BY
MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT,
YOUTH AND SPORTS |
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Source:
www.mcys.gov.sg Media Release
5 Mar 2008 |
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FrontPage Edition: Wed 5 March 2008
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