Gyeonggi-do Provides Psychological Counseling and Support to Probationers' Families

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province will launch a psychological counseling and treatment support project from March to help probationers and their families achieve stable social settlement. To this end, the province will publicly recruit subcontractors to carry out the related projects by the 3rd of next month.

This project is based on the "Gyeonggi Province Ordinance on Social Settlement Support for Probationers, etc." enacted in May last year.

The ordinance mandates operating family counseling programs including individual counseling through preliminary and psychological tests for 50 at-risk families including probationers, couples counseling to improve marital relationships, language counseling, art therapy, and play therapy to restore family and individual functions.

The specific support targets are probationers, community service and attendance order subjects, and rehabilitation protection subjects registered as residents in the province, as well as their family members who belong to low-income groups such as basic livelihood security recipients and near-poverty classes.

However, if the implementing agency’s own review committee deems the support urgent and appropriate, selection can be made even if the support criteria are not fully met.

The project budget is 413 million KRW.

The province plans to select subcontractors by comprehensively evaluating the feasibility of the project plan, project execution capability, and expertise to ensure the successful implementation of the project.

An official from the province stated, "Psychological support is urgently needed not only for probationers but also for children of released prisoners who may be exposed to family relationship breakdowns and secondary crimes due to social prejudice," adding, "We will strive to develop various policies to help probationers and others settle smoothly in the local community, as well as provide psychological counseling support."