Mandated home visits for registered private nannies to increase: Ministry

Taipei, April 25 (CNA) The Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) said Thursday that it intends to amend the guidelines governing mandated home visits for registered private nannies, increasing the frequency in high risk cases from four to six times a year or more in certain cases.

Situations in which more visits will be required include infants aged 3 years old and younger in all-day care (16 hours and over per day), children in temporary foster care waiting to be adopted, developmentally delayed children, and children placed in long-term out-of-home care, where their parents are deemed unable to look after them, said Chang Mei-mei (張美美), deputy head of the MOHW's Social and Family Affairs Administration.

Moreover, nannies evaluated as having a high caregiver burden because they look after multiple children or do not take sufficient breaks, as well as cases when children are hurt while being cared for in the initial three month period, but there is no indication of related laws being broken, will receive at least six visits a year, Chang told the press in a phone interview.

Visits will also be unannounced and take place at different times of the day. If insufficient attention is paid to a child leading to injury, the next visit will take place as soon as possible. At the same time, the child's parents or social welfare staff will be notified of the situation.

The guidelines adhere to similar principles before and after the amendments, but also introduce enhanced identification of mistreatment risks and a clearer index to assess care quality. Training for visiting counselors will also be improved, Chang said.

Under the current regulations, newly registered nannies who take on childcare cases are visited at least four times in the first year, with the first visit conducted within one month of the nanny taking on a first child. Visits are conducted once a year thereafter. Nannies who provide all day care and overnight care have to be visited four times a year even after the first year.

Experts, local governments and civil groups discussed the proposed amendments Wednesday and reached a consensus. They are currently under administrative review and are expected to be announced officially by the end of April, with implementation to start in May at the earliest, Chang added.

The proposed amendment stems from a child abuse case that came to light in early March, in which a 1-year-old boy placed in foster care was allegedly abused for over three months and died in December last year.

Although the foster carer, who was a licensed nanny, and her sister were indicted in April, the government's policies and safety net to prevent child abuse have also come under increased scrutiny.

The planned amendments were announced ahead of a protest against child abuse organized by child rights groups scheduled for Saturday on Taipei's Ketagalan Boulevard.