Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han revealed on Tuesday that the government has collaborated with professionals over the past year to develop an electronic version of the "Guidelines for Mandatory Reporters."
At a cross-professional seminar preparing for the upcoming "Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse Ordinance," set to take effect on January 20 next year, Sun said that the government has established a professional advisory group with representatives from the social welfare, education and healthcare sectors.
They collected feedback from over 500 frontline professionals to develop the guidelines.
Sun said the guidelines outline decision-making processes, requiring users to answer multiple-choice questions to determine whether a situation necessitates a mandatory report.
He emphasized that the guidelines will be continuously updated to incorporate practical experience, aiming to set a global benchmark in execution.
During the seminar, professionals raised concerns about the legal risks for people who follow the guidelines but do not report suspected child abuse, potentially facing prosecution later.
In response, Under Secretary for Labour and Welfare Ho Kai-ming clarified that the guidelines are merely a reference, stressing that each case has its own complexities and the law provides clear definitions.
He explained with the example of parents taking their children to chase storms, stating that if no injury occurs, it would not require mandatory reporting.
However, Ho cautioned that even if a report isn’t required, teachers and social workers should still engage with the involved children to assess the situation.
Lawmaker Peter Douglas Koon Ho-ming noted that parents bringing their children to storm chasing may indicate changing social behaviors and stressed the need for more research into child protection issues.
