Taiwan's New Childcare Act Prevents Abuse, Nanny Violation Point System Can Lead to License Suspension

The Legislative Yuan passed the Child Care Services Act today, April 14, 2026, to prevent child abuse incidents like the 'Kai-Kai case'. The act strengthens the handling mechanism for improper care cases, legalizes local government operations, and establishes investigation and review mechanisms. Childcare institutions are required to install surveillance cameras, store footage for at least 30 days, and upload images to cloud for backup. Penalties for violators and childcare institutions are increased, and a point system for home-based childcare providers has been added. Deputy Director-General Chang Mei-mei of the Ministry of Health and Welfare's Social and Family Affairs Administration explained that the point system will be similar to traffic violations, with different points for different types of infractions. For example, if a home-based childcare provider is absent without cause during an inspection, it will be recorded as a violation, and repeated uncorrected issues could lead to license revocation. The effective date of the act will be set by the Executive Yuan, with approximately 20 authorized regulations to be completed within one year. The legislation also clarifies the nature of home-based childcare service centers as administrative委托, ensuring qualification checks and mandatory pre-service training. Additionally, public childcare homes are formally recognized, and new types of childcare institutions like community-based, tribal-based, and workplace-based mutual aid are added, along with strengthened regulations for fixed-point temporary childcare services, offering diverse options for parents. Deputy Minister Lu Chien-te of the Ministry of Health and Welfare stated that this lays a crucial legal foundation for the care system of children under two, aiming to enhance service quality, protect children's best interests, expand public childcare resources, encourage community and workplace participation, and strengthen supervision and evaluation to ensure consistent service quality.