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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 Ministry revises guidelines for childcare visits
People walk past the Ministry of Health and Welfare in Taipei in an undated photograph. Photo: Lin Hui-chin, Taipei Times
LOOK FOR THE SIGNS: The guidelines include checklists for inspectors to look for indicators of abuse or if a child might be at risk in a caregiver’s home
By Lee I-chia / Staff reporter
The Ministry of Health and Welfare has rolled out revised guidelines for inspecting in-home childcare providers, including general principles, the frequency of home visits and key points for social workers to look for.
The guidelines, which took effect immediately, were issued to local governments on Tuesday.
Social and Family Affairs Administration Director Chien Hui-chuan （簡慧娟） yesterday said the revised guidelines set different visit frequencies based on a child’s condition and set standards for inspections.
The revised guidelines came after a one-year-old boy nicknamed Kai-kai （剴剴）, who was temporarily placed under the full-time care of a licensed at-home childcare provider by the Child Welfare League Foundation while waiting to be adopted, was allegedly abused to death by a caregiver in December last year.
The caregiver was arrested and detained in January, but questions were raised about why a social worker did not report signs of abuse after home visits.
Under the revised guidelines, home visits should be unannounced and occur at different times of the day, during which the inspectors should see the child and interact with them to ascertain their situation.
The guidelines also require inspectors to contact the parents if a child is not present and the caregiver is unable to explain why. They must then plan another visit, to be conducted at a different hour, or report to local authorities that the child is missing.
Article 18 of the Registration and Management Regulations for Family Childcare Services Agencies （居家式托育服務提供者登記及管理辦法） states that inspectors are required to perform four home visits a year, with the first visit occurring within 30 days from when a child is entrusted to a caregiver.
The revised guidelines increase the frequencies of home visits to at least six times per year for children aged three or younger, along with children who have certain conditions such as receiving full-time or nighttime care, or those with special needs, who are waiting for adoption or who are under out-of-home placement.
Inspectors can also increase home visits if a caregiver is overseeing three or more children and seems overburdened, or if inspectors suspect that a child is at risk or has been consistently injured within three months, or if the local childcare center says it is necessary.
The guidelines include a 40-item environmental safety checklist and a 35-item care quality indicators checklist.
Other risk factors include looking for signs of mistreatment, such as physical appearance, injuries or scars, the facial and emotional expressions of a child, as well as indications of anxiety or stress.
Inspectors are required to complete professional training, with the revised guidelines serving as a basic standard for what they should be looking for during in-home visits, Chien said.
The department is designing new training courses based on the guidelines, and workshops might open as early as the end of the month, she added.
Additional reporting by CNA
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
