Over the past 3 years, 504 children reported for abuse, under facility care, or case management have been actively protected... Any child reported even once, regardless of frequency, is subject to inspection... Dedicated public officers increased from 1 to 2, with 2 additional child protection specialists selected for case management
Through practical meetings with the persons in charge, opinions are being shared regarding suspected cases of child abuse.
[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jeong Won-oh) will conduct a full survey of a total of 504 children, including children at risk of child abuse in the area who have been reported for child abuse in the past three years, from this month through March.
As child abuse cases have been continuously reported through the media recently, Seongdong-gu has initiated the full survey as a proactive measure to prevent child abuse and protect children at risk.
The survey targets children reported for abuse within the last three years, with no limit on the number of times; any household reported even once for child abuse is included.
Additionally, the survey includes high-risk children for abuse who are long-term absentees or have missed health checkups, along with children from local child welfare facilities, foster care, Dream Start, and integrated case management for at-risk families, ensuring no gaps in selecting subjects.
The district assigned one dedicated child abuse officer last year according to the personnel standards set by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, but from January this year, it has independently increased the staff to two.
Furthermore, in October last year, two new child protection officers were hired to manage local child care facilities and foster care more meticulously.
Not only the dedicated officers but also the departments will be able to respond jointly. All social welfare officers in the relevant departments have completed the mandatory training required for child abuse officers, establishing a thorough system where all personnel can respond in case of child abuse risk.
This full survey will be conducted primarily through home visits, with child protection officers, Dream Start case managers, integrated case managers, and welfare officers from the local community centers confirming the safety of children and jointly promoting child abuse prevention.
The survey will verify child and family environments through interviews and observations to identify abuse situations. For children suspected of abuse or whose whereabouts are unknown, an in-depth re-investigation will be conducted jointly with the police to proactively prevent child abuse.
In addition, quarterly regular checks will be conducted on high-risk children, safety monitoring systems will be strengthened in connection with daycare centers and schools, and abuse checks will be mandatory for case-managed children, aiming to detect and prevent child abuse cases more thoroughly.
Jeong Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, stated, “Through this full survey, we will thoroughly review whether there have been any shortcomings,” and added, “We will continue to devise various measures to prevent child abuse and actively respond to reported cases in cooperation with related organizations.”
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