Hong Kong kindergarten pupils absent more than seven days must be reported, officials say
Effective from March 15, Education Bureau initiative meant to spur vigilance against suspected child abuse in aftermath of tragic death of girl, 5
In their drive to foster vigilance against child abuse, Hong Kong officials will require all kindergartens to report pupils who have missed class for seven days – a tougher line than the 30-day reporting threshold now in place.
The new mechanism, effective from March 15, will apply to the city’s 1,014 kindergartens, the Education Bureau said on Friday.
The initiative is meant to spur schools to stay watchful of child abuse and promptly identify pupils who need help in suspected cases so that “intervention and appropriate support and services can be provided in a timely manner”.
The authority stressed that if wounds or any signs of child abuse were noticed, kindergarten personnel should immediately notify the bureau and refer the pupil to the Social Welfare Department. This instruction would apply even when the absence was fewer than seven school days or the children were attending class as usual.
A key to early intervention is “enhancing the awareness of school personnel” in identifying child abuse, and boosting their ability to assess crises and collaborate, the spokesman added.