Hong Kong occupational therapists call for training, guidelines over proposed child abuse reporting system

Professionals need help to understand responsibilities under bill being scrutinised in legislature, Chloe Mo of Hong Kong Occupational Therapist Association says

Added responsibilities might compromise service quality in public sector where therapists have less time to follow up with clients than private practitioners, she warns

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The Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse Bill sets out 13 categories of professionals in contact with children which are required to report suspected cases of child abuse. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 9:30am, 2 May 2024Updated: 10:22am, 2 May 2024

Occupational therapists have urged the Hong Kong government to offer training and clear guidelines to help them prepare for coming requirements to report suspected child abuse, voicing worries over the impact on service quality.

Chloe Mo Sung-yu of the Hong Kong Occupational Therapist Association said professionals needed more help to understand their new responsibilities under a bill being scrutinised in the legislature.

“This [new requirement] would mean heftier responsibilities on our shoulders, this is certainly a bit stressful,” she said. “We think if there is more support, we can understand the intended meaning of the penalties.”

The Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse Bill set out 13 categories of professionals in contact with children who are required to report suspected cases of child abuse, with penalties of up to three months in jail and a HK$50,000 (US$6,390) fine for those who fail to comply.

Professionals covered in the proposed legislation span the social welfare, education and healthcare sectors.

But welfare authorities on Monday put forward an amendment exempting professionals who did not raise the alarm over a case if they “sincerely and reasonably believed” another had done so.