Promoting Various Policies for Welfare Without Blind Spots
[Boseong=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Park Cheon-seok] Boseong-gun, Jeollanam-do announced that it will implement various policies in 2023 to create a dense and reliable ‘Welfare 365’.
Last year, Boseong-gun was honored as an excellent institution in six categories in the health and welfare sector, including the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s regional welfare evaluation, social security benefit post-management, and basic pension projects, gaining recognition for its welfare administration capabilities both domestically and internationally.
This year, under the slogan of “Boseong 365 Running Again,” it will promote five core goals focused on dense and reliable welfare policies tailored to each life cycle.
▲ New and Improved! Intensive Investment in Infancy
To compensate for income loss due to childbirth and childcare and to provide robust care support during infancy, the existing infant allowance (300,000 KRW per month) for children aged 0 to 1 will be replaced with an expanded parental allowance (350,000 to 700,000 KRW per month).
The annual childcare service usage hours for dual-income families with children under 12 will be increased from 840 hours to 960 hours.
Efforts will also be actively made to improve the environment of daycare centers to secure public childcare. The construction of the National and Public Chodongchingu Daycare Center (selected through Hana Financial Group’s public contest), which has been underway since 2021, began this month and is scheduled for completion in December.
It is expected that the establishment of high-quality urban-style daycare centers in rural fishing and farming areas will improve the childcare environment.
▲ Wise Childcare System
The childcare system will also change. The Dream Start project for vulnerable children under 12 will resume various face-to-face programs as the COVID-19 situation eases.
Programs such as gardening classes, delicious cooking classes, family healing camps, career experience outings to find one’s dream, and happy cultural outings are planned.
The ‘Didim Seed Bank’ program, which supports initial social advancement costs for low-income children, provides a government matching support of up to 100,000 KRW per month at a 1:2 ratio within a child’s savings limit of 50,000 KRW.
The target group includes children under 18 in child welfare facilities, foster care children, children in facilities for the disabled, and households receiving benefits (living, medical aid) with middle income below 40% for children aged 12 to under 18 (born 2006?2011).
The independence allowance for young adults preparing for self-reliance (former wards) has been increased from 350,000 KRW to 400,000 KRW per month, and the child meal support unit price has been raised from 7,000 KRW to 8,000 KRW.
▲ Bringing Vibrant Daily Life to Women and Youth
Career-interrupted women will receive a ‘Career Connection Voucher’ worth 500,000 KRW.
Through entrepreneurship and job training and counseling to nurture local talent, 80 people will be provided with new jobs annually.
For female youth, 80.8 million KRW will be invested annually in the female sanitary product support project, providing vouchers and gift certificates.
▲ Elderly Welfare Treated Like Our Own Parents
As the number of elderly living alone with mobility difficulties increases, free meal services at visiting senior centers and the “Love Meal Truck” will operate from March to December in 92 villages to provide nutritious meals to the elderly.
For elderly people suffering emotional loneliness due to COVID-19, the ‘My Neighborhood Laughter Doctor Visits’ project, launched in 2022, will operate with more diverse programs in 2023.
Customized programs at day care centers, including rehabilitation and physical activities, will be strengthened (supporting 5 to 10 million KRW per center).
To increase opportunities for elderly social participation and income, the senior job and social activity support project has expanded from 2,305 to 2,473 jobs, an increase of 168 jobs.
In particular, Boseong-gun is promoting the Boseong-type senior job project by investing 350 million KRW of county funds to secure an additional 100 jobs.
Four job-performing organizations have formed 47 project teams, linking the ‘Our Neighborhood We Cultivate Boseong 600 Project’ with senior job projects to promote distinctive and differentiated resident-participatory village cultivation.
The ‘We Care for Our Elderly Living Alone in Our Neighborhood’ project is also underway.
About 450 elderly living alone are connected with volunteers to strengthen social care services and improve awareness of caregiving.
To support healthy senior life, small-scale repairs of aging senior centers, distribution of exercise equipment, repair and replacement of massage chairs, and repair and replacement of air conditioners will be provided as leisure facilities.
The AI care robot project, launched in 2021, will add 20 more units to minimize care gaps for elderly people who have difficulty with face-to-face contact, providing psychological stability, preventing depression and suicide among elderly with dementia and depressive symptoms.
▲ Reliable Customized Welfare for People with Disabilities Minimizing Inconvenience
This year, 141 people with disabilities will receive income activities and social adaptation training through job projects, and disability pensions have increased by 5% (from 258,540 KRW to 323,180 KRW), and disability allowances have increased by 20,000 KRW (from 40,000 KRW to 60,000 KRW) compared to last year.
Home-based care services for people with disabilities include activity support services (under 65 years old), day activity services for people with developmental disabilities (18 to under 65 years old), and after-school activity services for people with developmental disabilities (under 18 years old).
▲ Inheriting Veterans’ Culture, Practicing Patriotism, Strengthening Honor for National Veterans
Following the increase in veteran honor allowances and patriotic honor allowances in 2022, this year the war-deceased and fallen soldier family veteran honor allowance will be increased to 360,000 KRW annually, and a new veteran honor allowance of 360,000 KRW annually will be established for families of independence patriots to boost morale.
▲ Responding to Crisis Situations Such as Livelihood Difficulties through “Emergency Welfare”
Emergency welfare support is provided to households with income recognized below 75% of the median income who face unexpected crisis situations such as death, unemployment, or illness.
Support includes living expenses, medical care, housing, welfare facility use, education, fuel costs, childbirth, funeral, and electricity bills.
Additionally, nine types of support are available through connections with private organizations such as the Community Chest of Korea.
A Boseong-gun official said, “In 2023, we will discover and promote various welfare policies that approach faster and closer to create a welfare Boseong without blind spots.”
As the first year of the 5th mid- to long-term community welfare plan (2023?2026), the county plans to establish a customized welfare service system that meets diverse welfare needs and social changes of residents.
Boseong=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Park Cheon-seok hss79@asiae.co.kr
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