SINGAPORE: The social service agency involved in four-year-old Megan Khung’s care did not fully describe the severity of her injuries in its report, which resulted in "inadequate interventions" before her death, the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) said on Tuesday (Apr 8). 

Megan died in February 2020. She was abused by her mother Foo Li Ping, 29, with her then-boyfriend Wong Shi Xiang, 38, for months before the latter inflicted a fatal punch on the girl.

Foo was sentenced to 19 years’ jail, while Wong got 30 years’ jail and 17 strokes of the cane. 

It was revealed earlier this year that Megan had been withdrawn from a preschool about five months before her death. During her time in preschool, a staff member had noticed bruises on parts of her body.

It was also revealed on Tuesday that Megan's grandmother had made a police report the month before her death. But her death did not come to light until five months later, when her father made a police report.

Questions have been raised about Megan's care before and after the withdrawal.

WHAT HAPPENED

Megan was enrolled in Healthy Start Child Development Centre, a preschool run by Beyond Social Services (BSS), in 2017. The school reported that she was generally obedient, according to court documents.

Foo and Wong started a romantic relationship in 2018 and moved in together the year later, with Megan staying with them occasionally.

Between late February and early March in 2019, while Megan was staying in the flat, the couple caned her when she urinated on the bed and sofa. This resulted in bruises over various parts of her body.

The girl stopped attending preschool in early February 2019, but returned on Mar 19 that year.

When Foo took her daughter to the preschool, a staff member noticed bruises on the girl’s face, arms and feet and asked the mother about it. She lied that some of the injuries were because Megan fell off a bicycle, even though they were caused by Wong.

She admitted that she inflicted other injuries found on Megan, but claimed these arose as part of her disciplining the girl. The staff member told the mother that this manner of discipline was excessive for a child of Megan’s age.

Three days later, another staff member reiterated to the couple that there should not be any form of physical punishment on the girl, and warned that any breach would result in a referral to MSF.

On Sep 17, 2019, Foo withdrew Megan from the preschool, claiming it had not taught Megan the Chinese language.

Megan moved in full-time with Foo and Wong, and the abuse escalated. She died in February 2020, with the couple burning her body in May that year. Her death was not discovered until July 2020.

THE REPORT

In response to CNA's queries, MSF detailed the actions taken by authorities after the injuries were discovered in March 2019, and before Megan's death.

After the preschool had spotted the injuries, it submitted an incident report – prepared by a BSS community worker – to the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) in early April 2019.

"The report concluded that Megan appeared happy, had no further injuries, and had been attending preschool daily since Mar 19, 2019," said MSF.

BSS said that up to this point, Foo had been "consistently cooperative and actively involved" in Megan's development. This included taking part in school activities and parenting programmes.

The case worker assessed the incident as a case of "excessive discipline", rather than "sustained abuse".

The report highlighted that BSS had established a temporary care plan for Megan, and Foo had consented to have the girl move in with Megan's grandmother.

BSS told CNA that this care plan was implemented after the social service agency assessed her grandmother to be a trusted and stabilising caregiver.

"Under this plan, it was agreed that Megan would remain in her grandmother’s care, with regular check-ins and support for the family, including guidance on appropriate approaches to child discipline," BSS said.

"Our intent was to ensure Megan’s immediate safety while working with her family toward a longer-term, more protective caregiving arrangement."

When ECDA followed up with the preschool a few days after receiving the report, the preschool said that Megan was well and still attending the preschool daily.

"Based on the information presented by (the preschool), there was no reason for ECDA to suspect child abuse," said the MSF.

BSS said that while the temporary care plan was in effect from March to September 2019, Megan showed no further signs of injury, and the family remained in active contact with staff.

The girl had also continued attending preschool regularly under the care of her grandmother.

After Megan was withdrawn from the preschool, BSS said it made "multiple attempts" to contact Foo, including through calls and messages, to confirm Megan's safety.

When contact could not be established, it escalated its concerns.

The BSS community worker consulted a Child Protection Specialist Centre (CPSC) and the centre advised the community worker to continue working with Megan's grandmother to make in-person contact with the girl to check on her well-being.

"At the time, Megan’s grandmother, who had been a trusted caregiver under the temporary care plan, was hesitant to file a police report, fearing it would irreparably damage her relationship with her daughter and cut off her only means of staying in touch with her granddaughter," said BSS.

The following month, the community worker also wrote to ECDA about Megan's withdrawal from preschool. They also mentioned that they had reached out to the CPSC on the case.

The community worker asked ECDA if the girl was registered in any other preschool, but ECDA was unable to find records of her enrolment. 

The agency advised the community worker that a police report should be made if there were concerns about Megan's whereabouts.

BSS said its caseworkers maintained regular engagement with the grandmother over the next several months, encouraging her to try reaching Foo and to update BSS.

In January 2020, the grandmother acknowledged she had lost all contact with Foo, and consented to filing a police report. She was accompanied by a BSS case worker to file the report.

CNA has contacted the police to ask what actions were taken after this police report.

MSF said in its statement that the initial report prepared by the BSS community worker "did not fully describe the severity of the injuries".

"This resulted in inadequate interventions by the relevant agencies," the ministry added.

It said that BSS is not part of the national network of Family Service Centres that are funded by MSF.

BSS told CNA that its staff member had endeavoured to safeguard Megan's well-being by adhering to its standard operating procedures at the time.

"While these protocols had effectively supported many low-income families, Megan’s case prompted a deep organisational reflection on how our safeguarding practices could be further strengthened," said the social service agency.

LESSONS FROM MEGAN'S CASE

MSF said it has reviewed and tightened the operating processes between ECDA and Child Protective Services (CPS) to ensure “a more effective and coordinated response”. 

For example, when an informant claims that a case has already been raised to CPS or a CPSC, ECDA will verify the information with CPS to ensure that the case receives the appropriate follow-up by the relevant agencies. 

If a child with abuse concerns has been regularly absent or is withdrawn from preschool without valid reasons, preschools are required to inform the social worker or MSF’s Child Protection Officer working with the child. 

Preschools must report the matter to ECDA if the child is not known to any social service agencies or CPS, and ECDA will assess whether a report to CPS is necessary. 

Under ECDA regulations, all educators and preschool staff have to report suspected child abuse to the agency.

“Signs of child abuse or neglect and the legal obligation to report to ECDA are covered in the training curriculum for all educators,” MSF said. 

In 2021, the code of practice was updated to include operational guidelines and workflows to guide preschools on actions if a child is suspected to be abused.

When preschools notice signs of abuse or neglect, they have to use a standardised assessment tool - the Sector-Specific Screening Guide - to assess the situation and report any concerns to ECDA within 24 hours.

“If there are concerns about sexual abuse, noticeable injuries, or signs of immediate threat to the child’s safety, preschools are required to consult the NAVH (National Anti-Violence and Sexual Harassment Helpline) within two hours,” said MSF.

Preschools are now required to use a diagram to document visible injuries on a child, rather than just written descriptions. 

For cases reported to ECDA, the agency’s officers will assess the case and advise the preschools on follow-up steps.

BSS said Megan's death "continues to weigh heavily on our organisation", adding that it has reviewed and restructured internal policies.

This includes aligning the preschool's safeguarding standard operating procedures with ECDA's regarding child absences and abuse cases, as well as mandatory training for all preschool teachers in the Sector-Specific Screening Guide and Child Abuse Reporting Guide.

There is now a two-day absentee rule, requiring "verified sighting of a child", followed by immediate escalation if concerns persist.

The social service agency has also strengthened protocols after a child is withdrawn, as well as providing real-time alerts to CPS when contact is lost.

It has also formalised incident documentation procedures, including indications on body diagrams on the severity of injuries.

NO SPIKE IN CASES: MSF

Over the last two years, there have been a number of high-profile fatal child abuse cases that have been heard in court.

MSF said the recent cases before the courts do not represent a spike in the number of cases, as they occurred in different years.

“The senseless harm caused to these children is nothing short of a tragedy. No child should ever endure harm at the hands of those who are supposed to love them the most,” said MSF.

“With each case, we learn what was missed, and strengthen our systems, processes, practices, and policies so that we can prevent more deaths,” it added.

It said the “continual review over the years” is not only in reaction to tragic incidents, but a push towards better detection of harm. 

The ministry said these efforts have saved other lives, but the child deaths are a stark reminder that “there is more work to be done”.

Drawing lessons from child abuse cases over the last decade, the ministry said that it is difficult to identify suspected child abuse when children are not known to social services. 

Over the last 10 years, there were at least eight cases that were not known to social services when the child was killed.

Another issue is when social workers are unable to see the children, often due to parents denying access to the children or providing false information.

However, there were also “practice-related issues”, such as inadequate interventions or inaccurate assessments by social service professionals. 

MSF also urged parents who are struggling with parenting or managing their child’s behaviour to seek help early. 

It asked members of the public to call the NAVH or make an online report in cases of suspected child abuse. If there is imminent danger to a child, they should call the police.

“While it may not be possible to detect and stop every case, especially when cases are not known to social services and perpetrators deliberately conceal the harm they inflict on their children, our commitment to protect our children must remain unwavering,” said the ministry.

BSS said the staff member involved in Megan's care has "carried the emotional weight of this tragedy for the past five years", and requested for privacy.