Protecting our children through better background checks

I raised a question in Parliament regarding the proposal to establish a centralised national screening agency. My focus was on whether we should mandate background checks for every person seeking employment or volunteer roles that involve direct contact with minors. Currently there is no requirement for employers in unregulated sectors to verify criminal records which leaves a potential gap in our safety net for children in various private settings.

The Minister explained that public agencies already screen individuals in preschools and schools while sports coaches must declare records to Sport Singapore. He noted that the Government is currently considering further measures to strengthen the screening framework for all jobs involving contact with children.

It is vital that we close existing loopholes to ensure no child is at risk. I believe a centralised system would provide a more robust and consistent safeguard for our community.

What other safety measures should we prioritise for our youth?

This is the full question and answer from 6 May 2024:

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs (a) whether the Ministry will consider establishing a centralised national screening agency to conduct mandatory background checks for all persons seeking employment or volunteer roles involving direct contact with minors; and (b) what current requirements exist for private organisations and sports clubs to verify the criminal records of staff working with children.

Mr K Shanmugam: For jobs under the purview of public agencies that involve contact with children and young persons, there are already measures in place to screen for past offences. For example, pre-employment background checks are conducted for individuals deployed to preschools licensed under the Early Childhood Development Centres Act, personnel in Student Care Centres registered as Student Care Fee Assistance Administrators who have prolonged contact with students, and individuals working in the Ministry of Education (MOE) schools.

In the sport sector, applicants to the National Registry of Coaches are required to declare disciplinary and criminal records to Sport Singapore. Applicants who have been convicted of offences such as sexual crimes will not be admitted to the registry.

There is currently no requirement for employers in unregulated sectors to verify the criminal records of employees. However, they may still request that prospective employees declare any past offences, and take this into consideration in their hiring decision.

The Government has been considering further measures on how to strengthen the screening framework for jobs involving contact with children and young persons. The framework will have to be set up in a way which is possible to implement.

Source: Singapore Parliament Reports (Hansard)