An average of 539 child neglect cases a year in Singapore required authorities to step in

SINGAPORE - An average of 539 cases of children neglected by their parents or caregivers each year between 2022 and 2024 were serious enough to require the Protective Service (PSV) to step in to safeguard the child’s safety and well-being.

Such cases included babies or toddlers being left home alone, or parents not following the child’s medical treatment plans, adversely affecting the child’s health.

In other cases, the child became ill, developed sores or rashes because their homes were unsafe and unhygienic to live in, due to severe hoarding, excessive garbage or rodent infestation.

The parents’ neglectful ways persisted, despite efforts by community agencies to intervene, the MSF spokesperson told The Straits Times. The PSV is the MSF department that manages high-risk abuse cases.

A parent or caregiver may be deemed to have neglected their child if he or she wilfully or unreasonably fails to, or is unable to, provide the child with the necessities of life, such as sufficient food, shelter and care, said the spokesperson. 

One such case the MSF was alerted to involved a 15-year-old girl who lived at her father’s wet market stall for 11 months and relieved herself in pails, instead of going to the toilet.

In 2024, the National Environment Agency conducted routine checks at the Circuit Road Market and Food Centre and found the girl and the father living at the small market stall. 

The NEA alerted the MSF, who at that time placed the girl under the care of foster parents.

In 2025, the 63-year-old father was given a 24-month conditional warning, which means that he can be prosecuted for the original crime if he commits another offence during this period.

Under the Children and Young Persons Act, a person who ill-treats a child under their care by committing an act that endangers the safety of the child can be jailed for up to eight years, fined up to $8,000, or both.

The issue of neglect came up in a parliamentary question on Sept 10 by Sengkang GRC MP Abdul Muhaimin Abdul Malik, who asked how many young children were found unsupervised in public places in the past three years and were assessed to need care and protection.

He also asked what actions could be taken against parents or caregivers whose neglectful actions put the child in danger.

In a written reply, Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli said the MSF does not track the number of young children found in public places and deemed to be in need of care and protection.

However when the Police suspects such cases may involve neglect, they would refer them to the MSF for investigation.

In response to queries from ST, MSF said the majority of child neglect reports come through the National Anti-Violence and Sexual Harassment Helpline (NAVH), with the police, schools, healthcare professionals, social service agencies, family members and members of the public calling the helpline.

In such cases, ensuring the child’s safety is the MSF’s immediate priority.

The ministry works with the families and community partners to address concerns and help the child remain safe at home with the appropriate support and intervention.

Removing the child from his or her home is used only as a last resort. It is considered only when there are serious safety concerns that cannot be adequately managed despite intervention and safety planning, the MSF spokesperson said. 

In such situations, the child may be placed in alternative care, such as with foster parents, while the MSF works with the family to address the underlying issues until it is deemed safe for the child to return home.

In the parliamentary reply, Masagos said: “Where there is sufficient evidence that a parent or caregiver may have committed an offence, the case may be referred to the Police and prosecution may be considered.”

The MSF spokesperson said it does not have consolidated data on the number of cases where parents or caregivers are charged or prosecuted for neglect. 

Singapore Children’s Society senior director Gracia Goh said many of the parents the social service agency works with struggle with various problems, and this may limit their capacity to provide sufficient care for their children. 

For example, they suffer from mental health conditions, may be taking drugs or have little or no family support. Some have also experienced abuse and neglect by their own parents when they were children.

Goh has seen toddlers who were left unsupervised and ended up being seriously injured, or came close to being severely injured.

She said: “When a child’s basic needs are neglected to the extent that the child is harmed or at risk of being harmed, it becomes a child protection concern.”