Send caretakers for proper training, special needs childcare centre operators told

KUCHING (Nov 19): Federal Minister of Women, Family and Community Development Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri is calling upon operators of childcare centres for children with special needs to have their caretakers undergo proper basic training.

She says this is crucial to ensure that the caretakers at these centres have the necessary skills to handle children with special needs beyond the standard criteria.

“We want to prevent any oversight because when we look at cases of abuse or neglect, it’s often after the fact that we realise some of the caregivers lack proper training.

“We aim to prevent such cases by ensuring these operators register with our ministry,” she said in a press conference held after officiating at the National Special Education Seminar in Santubong here yesterday.

The Santubong MP also appealed for local communities’ cooperation in informing about the opening of new childcare centres in their respective areas.

“We need the community’s assistance so that it can facilitate us to conduct inspections on these centres, whether they are registered with us or not,” she said.

By taking these measures, she said the safety of these children would be better assured, aligning with her ministry’s priority.

On the seminar, she said it would be expanded nationwide to ensure that all caretakers handling individuals with special needs would have the necessary skills.

Citing Ministry of Education statistics, she said the number of children with special needs had risen to 107,020 as at January this year, compared to 93,951 recorded in 2020.

“However, only 7,582 are registered with the Department of Welfare,” she added.

Also present at the event were president of the National Association of Early Childhood Care and Education Malaysia (NAECCEM) Shamsinah Che Shariff, and Sarawak Department of Welfare director Adana Jed.