Teachers should be given more training to identify serious child abuse cases, Hong Kong lawmakers and a school representative have urged, after education authorities updated guidelines that mandate reporting of suspected incidents from next year.

According to an Education Bureau circular issued on Wednesday, educators, social workers, therapists and psychologists working in Hong Kong schools must make a report if they suspect that a child is suffering serious harm. The policy will come into effect in January next year.

The circular maps out procedures to handle suspected cases of child abuse, including incidents of domestic violence, as failure to make a report would constitute a criminal offence under a new law passed by the Legislative Council last year.

Choi Lai-fong, vice-chairwoman of the Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers and a private kindergarten principal, said that it was not easy for school staff to assess the severity of abuse cases, as they were not medical professionals.

“For example, mental health issues might not be easily detected, but the child might already be in a serious situation of abuse,” she said on a radio programme on Friday.

“We must be careful within the industry. In this case, it’s hard to say realistically how we will operate. It’s important to provide training for our staff.”