Social Workers and Nursing Assistants Can Also Provide 'Idolbom' Care... Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Revises Enforcement Rules

Expansion to Care Professionals Including Social Workers
Activity Allowed After Completing 40-Hour Shortened Training
'Private Care Qualification Grant' Bill Remains Rejected

From now on, care professionals such as social workers, nursing assistants, and caregivers will be able to work as child caregivers by completing only the mandatory training.

On the 30th, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family announced that it has revised the "Enforcement Rules of the Childcare Support Act" and the "Notice on Childcare Worker Training and Refresher Courses" to shorten the training courses for holders of qualifications similar to child caregivers, and that these revisions will take effect from the 1st of next month.

Under the current rules, to work as a child caregiver, one must complete more than 80 hours of theoretical education and more than 10 hours of practical training annually. However, only teachers, childcare teachers, and nurses have been able to obtain child caregiver qualifications through shortened training of more than 16 hours.

With this revision of the enforcement rules, “persons recognized by the Minister of Gender Equality and Family, such as social workers, nursing assistants, caregivers, youth counselors, and youth instructors” are also eligible for shortened training. They can work as child caregivers by completing a total of 40 hours (34 hours of coursework and 6 hours of practical training) of shortened training.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

As the scope of professional qualifications eligible to work as child caregivers expands, it is expected that the number of care workers with expertise will increase.

Hwang Yoon-jung, Director of the Youth and Family Policy Office at the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, said, "By establishing a shortened training course, we will promote the influx of individuals with similar care-related expertise, such as social workers and nursing assistants, and expand the number of child caregivers."

Last February, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family prepared the "Childcare Service Advancement Plan" and has been promoting the restructuring of the child caregiver training system. However, legislative efforts have been halted after the "Childcare Support Act Amendment Bill," which included the introduction of national qualifications for private care services, was discarded in the 20th National Assembly.