‘Vet all those working at childcare centres’

PETALING JAYA: Any worker who has contact with children at a childcare centre must be vetted to reduce the chances of abuse.

Criminologist Datuk Dr P. Sundramoorthy said it didn’t matter whether the contact was minimal like a cook or cleaner; as long as the possibility of contact exists, he or she must undergo a vetting process that included a background check by the authorities.

“Of course a fee should be charged to the employer but the police must help facilitate this.

“And the potential employee must sign a consent form to give permission for such checks and if they refuse to sign the document, they must never be considered for the position,” he said, while also stressing that CCTV cameras must be installed at care centres.

Every parent or legal guardian must also know who directly handles their children when they need to be cleaned.

“When they go to the toilet, or when they shower, especially for those very young ones. You want to know about these matters because that’s where the touching processes take place and even be misconstrued. This is nothing to be embarrassed about,” he said.

A minimal amount of training must be made mandatory to ensure a baseline skillset, he added.

“There must be some basics of childcare taught to workers.”