Incheon Welfare Foundation to Expand and Reorganize as Incheon Social Service Agency Next Month

Welfare Policy Think Tank... Conducting Incheon-Style Care Research
Entrusted to Operate 20 Public Facilities by 2024

Incheon City Hall

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] The Incheon Welfare Foundation, an institution funded by Incheon City, will be expanded and reorganized into the Incheon Social Service Institute on the 8th of next month.

The Social Service Institute, a project promoted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, is being established in 16 metropolitan cities and provinces nationwide to strengthen the public nature of social services, improve the treatment of social welfare workers, and enhance professionalism and service quality. Incheon will be the ninth to be established.

Social services refer collectively to social welfare and health medical services that are essential to improving quality of life.

Incheon is preparing a differentiated Social Service Institute by strengthening research functions compared to other cities and provinces. To this end, during the reorganization process of the Social Service Institute, researchers will be added and research and policy development functions will be enhanced to serve as a welfare policy think tank.

Currently, the Incheon Social Service Institute has five researchers, and next year it plans to focus on Incheon city administration research as well as Incheon-type care research. The Welfare Foundation conducted 18 research projects this year, including four Incheon city policy studies, five COVID-19 related studies, and nine other regional issue studies.

The Incheon Social Service Institute will also manage national and public facilities. It will operate facilities newly built or requested for consignment by city, county, and district governments, as well as facilities facing operational difficulties. Based on this, research will be conducted on community-integrated care, facility operation actualization, and improvement of worker treatment.

Community-integrated care is a care system that allows people in need of care to live together in their own communities where they have lived.

By the end of this year, two comprehensive home care centers will open in Bupyeong and Ganghwa, and early next year, the institute will take over and operate the residential facility for severely disabled persons 'Michuhol Purune' and one daycare center. Facility managers and workers will be directly hired by the Incheon Social Service Institute.

Next year, in addition to daycare centers, the institute plans to take charge of the Substitute Workforce Support Center and the Aging Response Center, managing a total of 20 facilities by 2024.

Furthermore, the Incheon Social Service Institute plans to continue communication with citizens by operating various citizen participation activities and private facility support programs.

Yoo Haesook, the first director of the Incheon Social Service Institute and CEO of the Incheon Welfare Foundation, stated, "We will faithfully fulfill the role of a hub connecting Incheon's welfare resources and people."