Taipei: Taiwan’s top government watchdog on Thursday ordered corrective measures be taken by the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) and the Taipei and New Taipei city governments following systemic failures that led to the death of a one-year-old boy who was abused to death while in foster care.

According to Focus Taiwan, the directive was issued following a May 13 ruling by the Taipei District Court that sentenced two sisters to life imprisonment and 18 years for torturing the child in their care to death. In response, three Control Yuan members held a news conference to address the systemic failures that led to the tragedy involving the boy, nicknamed Kai Kai.

Oversight failures by MOHW were highlighted by Yeh Ta-hua, one of the three members, who pointed out that MOHW is the government agency responsible for approving and supervising organizations that provide adoption placement services. In Kai Kai’s case, the Child Welfare League Foundation (CWLF) matched the sisters to care for him prior to adoption. Despite the requirement for annual inspections, it was only after the child’s death that an investigation uncovered major flaws in CWLF’s services, including issues with caregiver management and social worker training.

Yeh criticized the failure of a CWLF social worker, Chen, who visited Kai Kai three times but failed to question concerning injuries due to an existing partnership, thereby missing signs of abuse. This lack of professional sensitivity was also echoed by Control Yuan member Wang Yu-ling, who questioned the absence of suspicions over the injuries.

Further, Yeh noted that the MOHW’s failure to properly supervise organizations contributed to the breakdown of the child welfare system and to Kai Kai’s tragic death. The New Taipei City Government also failed to act on warning signs after the child was referred to CWLF for care and adoption placement. Despite being designated as a “vulnerable household,” the city government did not conduct follow-up visits or initiate inter-agency communication to verify Kai Kai’s well-being.

Yeh pointed out delays in reviewing case records for Kai Kai’s biological family, which were not reviewed until months after his death. The city government failed to properly assess the case records, indicating a lack of diligence in its supervisory system.

Taipei’s lapses in case monitoring were evidenced by the discovery that the childcare location differed from the one registered. The environment where Kai Kai was cared for violated regulations, and photos taken showed injuries that were not recorded by the responsible childcare service center.

In response to the Control Yuan’s order, Chou Tao-chun, acting head of the MOHW’s Social and Family Affairs Administration, stated that the ministry has made administrative adjustments, requiring more frequent visits to caregivers. Taipei’s Department of Social Welfare confirmed an initial visit was conducted and no irregularities were observed, while New Taipei City Government plans to review the service process once the official notice is received.