S'GOR TO INTRODUCE GUIDELINES TO STREAMLINE CHILDCARE CENTRE REGISTRATION IN JULY

SHAH ALAM, Feb 25 (Bernama) -- Guidelines to standardise and simplify the registration process for childcare centres (taska) in Selangor will be introduced in July, said State Women Development and Social Welfare Committee chairman Anfaal Saari.

She said the guidelines, which also seek to increase the number of registered childcare centres in the state, were developed in collaboration with the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH).

Anfaal said that as of January of this year, 959 centres were registered with the Social Welfare Department (JKM), while another 164 were unregistered. 

She said the state government is also providing a grant of up to RM5,000 for care centre operators to help them cover registration costs, particularly in complying with technical agency requirements.

“In addition, one-stop centres at the state and district levels have been activated to facilitate the registration process until operators meet the requirements set by the technical agency. A total of 201 childcare centres have been assisted and successfully registered as of December 2024,” she said at the Selangor State Legislative Assembly sitting today.

She was responding to a question from Pang Sock Tao (PH-Kuala Kubu Bharu) regarding the latest status of registered and unregistered childcare centres in Selangor.

Anfaal said other efforts to ensure all childcare centres are properly registered include issuing reminder notices and taking enforcement actions against non-compliant operators under the Child Care Centre Act 1984.

Additionally, she said the state government also established a Special Committee for Improvement of Care Services comprising representatives from local authorities, JKM, PlanMalaysia Selangor, the Selangor Health Department, the Fire and Rescue Department, and the Selangor Economic Planning Unit.

She said the committee’s role is to evaluate and improve existing regulations and standards while developing standardised guidelines for childcare services.

On a separate matter, Anfaal revealed that according to the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), 1,300 domestic violence cases were recorded in Selangor last year, involving 871 cases against women, 286 against men, and 143 against children.

To curb domestic violence, she said the state government will continue to expand awareness programmes such as a campaign against gender-based violence, set to commence in April.

“The campaign will be conducted as a state-wide roadshow in collaboration with key stakeholders, including local authorities, district and land offices, PDRM, the Ministry of Health, the Selangor Islamic Religious Department, and community leaders,” she added.

Anfaal was responding to a question from Mariam Abdul Rashid (PH-Meru) regarding the number of domestic violence cases involving women and children by districts in Selangor.

-- BERNAMA