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The Social Welfare Department has been urged to conduct an internal review and strengthen staff training and cross-sector collaboration following the starvation and abuse death of a five-year-old boy.
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Lawmaker Peter Douglas Koon Ho-ming, who is also chairman of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service, made the call after a 37-year-old woman was sentenced to 22 years in prison for manslaughter and child cruelty over the death of her son four years ago.
Court findings showed that a Social Welfare Department social worker conducted only three home visits before the boy’s death.
The judge criticized the social worker for failing to recognize the child’s emaciated condition and accepting the parents’ explanation that his frequent school absences were intended to protect him from Covid-19 infection. The judge described the assessment as “puzzling” and “ignorant.”
Speaking on a television program on Thursday, Koon said some social workers might lack sufficient frontline experience and should receive enhanced training.
He said children with developmental delays might have difficulty expressing that they were being abused, adding that social workers should not rely too heavily on accounts given by parents with a history of substance abuse.
Koon also pointed to systemic gaps during the pandemic, when schools were often more willing to accept parents’ explanations for keeping their children at home.
He said prolonged school absence should be treated as a major warning sign that a child might be deliberately kept out of sight, and called for stronger communication among schools, social workers, medical professionals and other relevant parties.
Commenting on the sentence, Koon said the 30-year starting point adopted for the manslaughter offense was reasonable and could serve as an effective deterrent.
