The Executive Yuan today approved a draft bill titled “child care services act” to independently regulate a range of childcare services for children aged up to two years old.
Under the act, in severe instances of physical, psychological or sexual abuse of children aged two and under, including improper discipline, bullying and harassment, the name of the caregiver and childcare institutions would be publicized and the maximum fine set at NT$600,000.
In less severe instances of misconduct, fines would range from NT$6,000 to NT$60,000 and if the head of the institution reports the incident before authorities are informed, the institution’s name would not be disclosed.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
Institutions must also retain video surveillance footage in internet-based cloud storage with off-site backup for 30 days and obtain approval from the relevant municipality or county-level authority before hiring staff.
Failure to comply with the above two regulations would result in fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 and a deadline for corrective action, failing which multiple fines may be issued, enrollment suspended for six months or operations ceased for one to three years.
In severe violations, institutions may have their operating license revoked.
Institutions must further disclose personnel qualifications, the number of children enrolled and details about fees and refunds while maintaining accounting records.
The act also covered diversified childcare methods, adjusting the necessary qualifications for in-home caregivers by removing the previous allowance for entry based solely on training.
The new act follows the 2023 death of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), after allegedly being beaten to death by his caregivers, prompting reform in the related legislation.
The act contains six chapters and 78 articles and would be sent to the Legislative Yuan for review.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) would respond to public demand and begin drafting the act’s many supporting regulations before the bill has passed the third reading at the Legislative Yuan, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Chou Jih-haw (周志浩) said today at a news conference held after a cabinet meeting.
The MOHW aims to complete all supporting measures within six months of the bill’s passage, he added.
According to the MOHW, from 2018 until March of this year, the number of public childcare institutions in Taiwan has risen from 98 to 502, private daycare centers offering public services rose from 662 to 1,130 and in-home caregivers increased from 17,700 to 23,100.
The percentage of children placed in care outside the home also jumped from 9.43 percent to 26.95 percent during this period, reflecting an increased demand for childcare services.
Additional reporting by CNA
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
The first bluefin tuna of the season, brought to shore in Pingtung County and weighing 190kg, was yesterday auctioned for NT$10,600 (US$333.5) per kilogram, setting a record high for the local market. The auction was held at the fish market in Donggang Fishing Harbor, where the Siaoliouciou Island-registered fishing vessel Fu Yu Ching No. 2 delivered the “Pingtung First Tuna” it had caught for bidding. Bidding was intense, and the tuna was ultimately jointly purchased by a local restaurant and a local company for NT$10,600 per kilogram — NT$300 ,more than last year — for a total of NT$2.014 million. The 67-year-old skipper
BREACH OF CONTRACT: The bus operators would seek compensation and have demanded that the manufacturer replace the chips with ones that meet regulations Two bus operators found to be using buses with China-made chips are to demand that the original manufacturers replace the systems and provide compensation for breach of contract, the Veterans Affairs Council said yesterday. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) yesterday said that Da Nan Bus Co and Shin-Shin Bus Co Ltd have fielded a total of 82 buses that are using Chinese chips. The bus models were made by Tron-E, while the systems provider was CYE Electronics, Lin said. Lin alleged that the buses were using chips manufactured by Huawei subsidiary HiSilicon Co, which presents a national security risk if the
RSS