1 in 3 pre-school educators in S’pore has no formal training to handle child abuse cases: Survey

SINGAPORE – About one-third of pre-school educators surveyed in Singapore said they had not received any formal training in child protection.

Respondents also reported having low confidence and mixed knowledge in managing suspected abuse cases, according to the results of a new survey released by the Singapore Children’s Society on Nov 26.

But almost all of the pre-school educators surveyed (97.8 per cent) knew that they have to bring up their concerns about a suspected abuse case to their supervisor even if it is not a confirmed abuse case.

Recommendations to improve Singapore’s child protection system were issued in October by a review panel appointed by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) looking into the death by abuse of

four-year-old Megan Khung

.

One of the recommendations was to review the Early Childhood Development Agency’s role in reporting suspected or actual child abuse, including incidents that happen outside pre-schools.

The Children’s Society surveyed more than 350 pre-school educators between December 2024 and June 2025. It found that 34.7 per cent of them said they had not received formal training in child protection.

The rest said the topic was covered during training before they joined the sector, or during continuing professional development courses, which are for educators to upskill and refresh their knowledge.

With Singapore’s high pre-school enrolment rate, such educators are at a vantage point from which they can identify signs of abuse and neglect in young children and report such incidents, the society said in a statement on Nov 26.

In 2025, the pre-school enrolment rate of children aged five to six was 93 per cent, and 90 per cent for those aged three to four.

It is critical that pre-school educators are supported in building their competence and confidence to take on the first-responder role, the society added.

The society had previously conducted a similar survey in 2017 with 336 respondents.

The proportion of educators who said they had undergone child protection-related training as part of their pre-service training dropped from 63.4 per cent in 2017 to 52.9 per cent in 2025.

In the 2025 survey, respondents generally reported low confidence in managing all types of abuse.

On a scale of zero (indicating “no confidence at all”) to five (“very confident”), the mean scores ranged from 2.9 to 3.29.

Though confidence is low, there is a slight increase from 2017’s findings, which had mean scores ranging from 2.73 to 3.17.

In both the earlier and current surveys, the confidence level in managing a case was highest for physical abuse, neglect and emotional abuse, followed by sexual abuse.

In the 2025 survey, pre-school educators also demonstrated mixed knowledge in managing suspected abuse cases.

While 97.8 per cent of respondents said they know they have to bring up their concerns about a suspected abuse case to their supervisor, less than half (47.9 per cent) knew they should not inform the child’s parents about a suspected case of sexual abuse before reporting the case to the Child Protective Service.

The remainder of 52.1 per cent answered the question wrongly and said they would inform the parents before reporting.

MSF’s guideline is to hold off prematurely informing a child’s parents in suspected sexual abuse cases. This is because sexual abuse is a taboo topic, and there is a risk that parents might pressure their children to change their account of what had happened.

The survey found that though there has been an increase in awareness of the Sector-Specific Screening Guide since 2017, the awareness rate remains low. Fewer than four in 10 respondents said they know about the guide, which helps those working with children to decide whether a child protection concern needs to be reported.

Awareness of the presence of centre-specific standard operating procedures (SOPs) for handling suspected abuse cases increased from 68 per cent in 2017 to 88 per cent in 2025.

But close to 19.3 per cent of educators said they were aware of but not familiar with their centre’s SOPs.

Barriers for educators, and what can be done

Many educators said in the 2025 survey that they lacked child protection knowledge and training in the areas of identifying abuse, reporting guidelines, engaging the family and follow-ups after reporting. One infant educator said: “The biggest barrier that pre-school educators face when handling suspected cases of child abuse and neglect is the lack of professional training and structural support, leading to unclear judgments, worry about consequences and feeling of helplessness.”

Educators were also not certain if their assessments would be correct. They were worried that they would misjudge the situation and wrongfully accuse and offend the parents, the survey found.

“Sometimes, we suspect there may be abuse, but we don’t know for sure, and it can be hard to ascertain facts, especially for young children. We don’t want to accuse anyone wrongly as that can also break trust if it’s not handled well,” said another pre-school educator in the survey.

Although most educators know they have to flag suspected cases before confirmation, some of them said they were preoccupied with the need to confirm the abuse before reporting. They felt the need to “find out more information” and obtain “concrete evidence” to “justify the case”.

According to reporting guidelines, educators are not required to confirm abuse before reporting a suspected case. Their role is to detect signs and symptoms of child abuse and neglect, and flag concerns for follow-up action by the relevant agencies.

Asked what they thought would increase their confidence in handling child protection issues, respondents suggested incorporating child protection content as part of their onboarding training.

They also said educators should receive refresher training in child protection every few years.

In response to the survey findings, the ECDA said there are courses to strengthen competencies and it is reviewing the current training provisions for further enhancements. The agency said it agrees that it is important for pre-school staff to have the requisite knowledge to identify signs of abuse, and advises all operators to send staff for relevant courses.

From early 2026, all suspected child abuse detected in pre-schools can be reported by any staff to the National Anti-Violence and Sexual Harassment Helpline confidentially.

Having a supportive supervisor and a centre culture that prioritises child safety also helps, the educators surveyed added.

Pre-schools should be safe spaces with clear procedures, and should nurture a supportive environment not just for the children, but also for the teachers – to flag dilemmas or issues they are facing, they said.

One early childhood educator surveyed said: “When the leadership in a centre takes child protection seriously, it creates a safe and trusting environment where educators feel confident to report their concerns without fear of being judged or blamed. A supportive supervisor can guide staff through difficult situations, provide clarity on reporting procedures and offer emotional support.”

All educators should be equipped to detect signs and symptoms of child abuse and neglect and know whom to report their concerns to, the Children’s Society said in a statement accompanying the survey findings.

It added that mandatory training is needed to plug the child protection knowledge gap among pre-school educators.

Senior staff members should be trained to provide guidance to front-line educators and know how to report suspected cases of abuse to the authorities, it said.

The society also advocated for a child-safe culture across all pre-schools, and proposed that pre-schools train and appoint child safety officers who can champion the building of such a culture.

“These officers would serve as supportive figures for fellow educators to assess concerns, and act as crucial nodes for accessing child protection case management agencies,” it said, adding that educators would thereby benefit from “the expertise of social service practitioners experienced in handling child protection concerns”.