Tai Po Special School Hong Chi Pine Hill No. 2 School suspected that some students had been treated inappropriately. The Director of Education, Ms. Cai Ruo Lin, said that she had instructed the school sponsor to submit a report.
Hong Chi Association issued a statement last night denying the allegations, saying that the practice of tying hands was obtained with the consent of parents and doctors.
Lai Peiwei, chairman of the Severely Mentally Handicapped Parents Association, said on the RTHK program this morning (4th) that children with severe intellectual disabilities are more prone to behavioral and emotional problems, and sometimes they need to use methods such as tying their hands, but they cannot be used for a long time due to safety issues. Restraint clothing, considering whether the child will harm themselves and others, the severity of the behavior and whether the measures are proportionate, etc.
Lai: Restraint should not be used for a long time, measures should be proportionate
Li Peiwei pointed out that she was very distressed and worried after seeing the relevant news, because these children are the most vulnerable in the society, and they do not know how to resist and ask for help when they are treated inappropriately.
She mentioned that due to mental health, behavioral and emotional problems, people with severe intellectual disabilities may restrict their movements in a restraining manner, but several factors should be considered: 1. Whether the person is at risk of harming others or themselves; 2. When using Whether it is in proportion; 3. Whether the time is too long to be used for a long time purely because of safety.
She pointed out that the Education Bureau issued a guideline in 2018 that for students with special educational needs and serious emotional and behavioral problems, they would first seek parental consent when they need to use restraint methods such as binding. The principle is that the constraint time is as short as possible, which is generally discouraged.
Lai Peiwei pointed out that the restraint and isolation method can undoubtedly achieve immediate results. Sometimes there is a real need, but it may not really solve the problem, because people with intellectual disabilities may not know how to express their ideas. You may not know how to express it, you need to really understand the reason behind it.
Lai Peiwei also pointed out that boarding schools for the mentally handicapped were in a "semi-closed state" during the epidemic, and the school did not encourage students to go home or visit their parents, making it difficult for parents to detect the problems their children encountered at school.
"Many students haven't returned to housing for two years."
Liang Meifen urges employees to regularly transfer to the audience: It is necessary to build mutual trust with children for a long time
Leung Mei-fun, chairman of the Legislative Council Education Panel, said on the same program that she was saddened and shocked by the case, pointing out that Hong Kong currently lacks the "Child Protection Crime" and that the authorities have insufficient supervision.
She urged the authorities to legislate as soon as possible to establish the crime of unreporting child abuse cases, and to review the manpower problem in the industry.
In addition, Leung Meifen pointed out that caring for severely mentally handicapped children does have a certain disgust, and employees must be particularly caring and professional. Although insufficient manpower in the industry is not an excuse for child abuse incidents, in reality, problems must be faced. It is recommended to increase protection for practitioners, Improve treatment and career ladders, and even allow employees to be transferred to other departments that are less stressful every time they work for a period of time, such as 5 years.
The audience, Ms. Chen, called the program later, pointing out that she had worked as a volunteer in the past and had personal contact with children with intellectual disabilities. She believed that the method of regular transfer of employees may not be feasible in reality, especially for children with intellectual disabilities, it took a long time to build mutual trust with them: "It takes a lot of time to build relationships. Taipa Dianqu and Tongqu will make a first-served plan.”
Tai Po Hong Chi Songling No. 2 School Suspected Child Abuse Cai Ruo Lin pointed out that 8 complaints were temporarily received and 2 cases involved child abuse at Tai Po Hong Chi Songling No. 2 School. The education bureau of the second school suspected of child abuse
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