Educational Groups Express Concerns Over Draft Child and Youth Welfare Act
The Ministry of Health and Welfare proposed a major revision to the Child and Youth Welfare Act. Educational groups expressed concerns about undefined social worker duties and negative impacts on teachers' working conditions.
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- 📰 Published: April 22, 2026 at 14:12
- 🔍 Collected: April 22, 2026 at 14:31 (19 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 22, 2026 at 22:03 (7h 31m after Collected)
Central News Agency
(CNA Reporter Chen Chih-chung, Taipei, 22nd) Following public attention on the 'Kai Kai' case, the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MHW) announced a draft amendment to the 'Protection of Children and Youths Welfare and Rights Act' on the 21st. Educational groups pointed out deficiencies such as the lack of explicit social worker duties and the impact on teachers' working conditions, hoping the government will respond to public opinion and make improvements.
The act has not seen a major overhaul in 15 years. The MHW's draft amendment on the 21st reflects social issues of recent years, significantly increasing the number of articles to 165. It also introduces the 'Child and Youth Work Permit' system for the first time, requiring anyone working with minors under 18 to apply.
However, educational groups still believe the draft has many shortcomings. Wang Han-yang, chairman of the National Action Alliance for Basic Education, stated that the draft fails to stipulate the standard of care for social workers. While it clarifies types of abusive behavior, it does not address when frontline social workers must heighten vigilance, report, or initiate supervisory reviews. This means the law details risk types but blurs the boundaries of professional responsibility.
Wang noted that while the draft is progress, it misses the core issues. Omissions include the lack of legal mechanisms for escalating high-risk cases, insufficient legal basis for cross-agency information sharing, unformalized review mechanisms for severe child abuse and death incidents, unclear chains of responsibility in outsourced systems, and a blank professional review mechanism prior to prosecution.
The National Federation of Teachers Unions (NFTU) also issued a press release today, pointing out that Article 72 of the draft explicitly includes 'physical violence, mental violence, and inappropriate treatment' in the prohibition clause. Article 146 significantly relaxes penalties, imposing fines of NT$6,000 to NT$60,000 even if the 'circumstances are not severe.'
NFTU worries that campuses are already plagued by a chilling effect of frivolous lawsuits and exaggerated minor incidents. The draft act might 'add fuel to the fire,' further suppressing teachers' working conditions and teaching autonomy under the guise of protecting child rights.
NFTU calls for cross-ministerial negotiations that include the opinions of teachers' organizations to balance children's rights with teachers' professional autonomy and working conditions. (Editor: Chang Ming-kun) 1150422
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(CNA Reporter Chen Chih-chung, Taipei, 22nd) Following public attention on the 'Kai Kai' case, the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MHW) announced a draft amendment to the 'Protection of Children and Youths Welfare and Rights Act' on the 21st. Educational groups pointed out deficiencies such as the lack of explicit social worker duties and the impact on teachers' working conditions, hoping the government will respond to public opinion and make improvements.
The act has not seen a major overhaul in 15 years. The MHW's draft amendment on the 21st reflects social issues of recent years, significantly increasing the number of articles to 165. It also introduces the 'Child and Youth Work Permit' system for the first time, requiring anyone working with minors under 18 to apply.
However, educational groups still believe the draft has many shortcomings. Wang Han-yang, chairman of the National Action Alliance for Basic Education, stated that the draft fails to stipulate the standard of care for social workers. While it clarifies types of abusive behavior, it does not address when frontline social workers must heighten vigilance, report, or initiate supervisory reviews. This means the law details risk types but blurs the boundaries of professional responsibility.
Wang noted that while the draft is progress, it misses the core issues. Omissions include the lack of legal mechanisms for escalating high-risk cases, insufficient legal basis for cross-agency information sharing, unformalized review mechanisms for severe child abuse and death incidents, unclear chains of responsibility in outsourced systems, and a blank professional review mechanism prior to prosecution.
The National Federation of Teachers Unions (NFTU) also issued a press release today, pointing out that Article 72 of the draft explicitly includes 'physical violence, mental violence, and inappropriate treatment' in the prohibition clause. Article 146 significantly relaxes penalties, imposing fines of NT$6,000 to NT$60,000 even if the 'circumstances are not severe.'
NFTU worries that campuses are already plagued by a chilling effect of frivolous lawsuits and exaggerated minor incidents. The draft act might 'add fuel to the fire,' further suppressing teachers' working conditions and teaching autonomy under the guise of protecting child rights.
NFTU calls for cross-ministerial negotiations that include the opinions of teachers' organizations to balance children's rights with teachers' professional autonomy and working conditions. (Editor: Chang Ming-kun) 1150422
Stand with the facts; every sponsorship you make is a force to protect press freedom.
Download the CNA 'First Hand News' APP for immediate updates.
The text, images, and audio/video on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and utilized without authorization.