SINGAPORE: The government has apologised to Beyond Social Services and other agencies for the misunderstanding over "finger-pointing" when the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) made its initial statement on Megan Khung's case in April, Minister-in-Charge of Social Services Integration Desmond Lee said on Wednesday (Nov 5).

Mr Lee, who is also Education Minister, said this in parliament while responding to questions on the fatal child abuse case.

Four-year-old Megan died in 2020 after being abused by her mother and her mother's boyfriend for several months. The couple was sentenced in April.

In April, MSF said that social service agency Beyond Social Services, which operated the preschool where Megan was enrolled, did not fully describe the severity of her injuries in its report to the Early Childhood Development Agency. MSF said this resulted in "inadequate interventions".

A subsequent report by a review panel, published in October, found lapses by multiple stakeholders, including MSF's Child Protective Service and the police, as well as social workers.

On Wednesday, Member of Parliament Cai Yinzhou (PAP-Bishan-Toa Payoh) asked Mr Lee about initial media reporting on the case that he said "pinned the blame" on the social service agency involved. 

Mr Cai said this had prompted social workers to speak out about the "optics".

"How can we better report or (communicate) when such tragedies happen, in light of also encouraging collective ownership and culture?" asked the MP.

Mr Lee said there was a balance to be struck between setting out the facts of what happened and keeping the social service sector cohesive.

"The aim is to reflect on what happened and see how those gaps should be closed. And so there was not and should not be an intention to point fingers," said the minister.

"At the same time, the public expect some accountability and laying out of the facts. That is what happened with the report of the independent panel, and we've read the report ...