KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 7 – A total of 884 JKM (Department of Social Welfare) officers consisting of child protection officers, authorised officers (Pegawai Diberi Kuasa, PDBK) and psychological officers are involved in the rehabilitation of children rescued from welfare homes associated with controversial conglomerate Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings (GISBH) Sdn Bhd, according to a written parliamentary reply by Minister of Women, Family and Community Development Nancy Shukri.
As of October 14, 2024, a total of 560 children comprising 277 girls and 283 boys and were placed in safe locations after JKM got a temporary custody order for them by the court under Section 25(2)(a) of the Children’s Act 2001 [Act 611].
“A social and psychological rehabilitation process managed by the child protection officers and psychological officers has been implemented and is ongoing to ensure that the children receive the appropriate intervention,” Nancy said.
The minister was responding to Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii, who wanted to know the number of child protection officers assigned to work with the children rescued from GISBH-linked welfare homes.
Dr Yii also asked what long-term trauma counselling is available for the children and what steps have been taken to ensure that existing cases are well managed by protection officers.
According to Nancy, among the basic psychological assistance rendered is Psychological First Aid (PFA), which is an initial and practical psychosocial support system provided in crisis situations.
“PFA is not a counselling session or a psychiatric intervention but it is a psychological approach based on building positive expectations and giving space for children to feel understood and heard,” she explained.
“This basic assistance is implemented to minimise psychosocial impact including the physical, social, and emotional effects on the individual before counselling is given. It focuses on five elements which are safety, calming, self-efficacy, connectedness, and hope.”
In addition to PFA, psychometric screening was also conducted on rescued children in order to identify the most appropriate form of intervention, she said.
Among the psychometric tests conducted include the Ryff Psychological Well-Being assessment, the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) to identify level of cognitive impairment, the 3M Screening Test to assess reading, writing and counting skills, and tests to identify symptoms of trauma.
The psychological officers will continue to assist in the emotional and psychological recovery process by providing psychoeducation services to the rescued children as needed, the minister said.
Malaysia Gazette reported last month that Nancy informed the Dewan Rakyat that early childhood cognitive assessments conducted on 385 children aged seven and above rescued from GISBH associated welfare homes revealed that 71.95 per cent (277 children) of them did not show cognitive impairment, 20.26 per cent (78 children) demonstrated moderate cognitive impairment, while another 7.79 percent (30 children) displayed severe cognitive impairment.
Meanwhile, the New Straits Times reported three days ago that a preliminary report on the periodic assessment of children rescued from welfare homes linked to GISBH is slated to be completed by the middle of this month. The assessment was headed by a task force from the Selangor state government.
According to Selangor Islamic Affairs and Cultural Innovation committee chairman Mohammad Fahmi Ngah, the report will guide the task force in adapting the syllabus used in their rehabilitation programmes to suit the varying recovery needs of the children according to their age.
The Selangor state government will also work with the Penang state government, as well as the Penang Islamic Religious Council (MAINPP), to collaborate on the management of GISBH children from Selangor who are housed in shelters in Penang.
