Ministry of Health and Welfare's 'Care Allowance System' Policy Forum Highlights Best Practices
Up to 300,000 KRW Provided to Grandparents Caring for Preschool Children
Gwangju City announced the achievements of its excellent case project at the policy discussion on the "Grandchild Care Allowance Support System" hosted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, held on the 22nd at the Royal Hotel in Seoul. Photo by Gwangju City
Gwangju City's ‘Grandchild Caregiver Support Project’ is emerging as a model case and gaining nationwide attention.
On the 22nd, Gwangju City presented the achievements of its excellent project implementation at the policy forum on the ‘Grandchild Care Allowance Support System’ hosted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, held at the Royal Hotel in Seoul.
Launched in 2011 as the first of its kind nationwide, the ‘Grandchild Caregiver Support Project’ is Gwangju’s representative niche care program supporting family care for dual-income and multi-child families. It provides a care allowance (200,000 to 300,000 KRW) to (maternal or paternal) grandparents who care for preschool children under the age of six in middle-income households, with about 200 households receiving support monthly on average.
This policy reflects the demand of parents who prefer home care over facilities such as daycare centers, especially for younger children. Recently, benchmarking cases of the grandchild care support project have increased mainly in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, and regions such as Gyeongnam and Busan are also considering adoption, leading to nationwide expansion.
In particular, grandparental support for grandchild care contributes to promoting children's emotional stability, overcoming the limitations of facility care, reducing parents' childcare burdens, and balancing work and family life, thereby improving the quality of life for family members.
Starting next year, the city is negotiating with the Ministry of Health and Welfare to change social security systems to expand the ‘Grandchild Caregiver Support Project’ to fill the childcare gaps in dual-income families.
Lee Young-dong, Director of the Women and Family Bureau, stated, “The Grandchild Caregiver Support Project has established itself as a nationwide exemplary case and plays a significant role in reducing childcare burdens for dual-income and multi-child families. Gwangju City will strive to create a ‘family care’ environment that provides stability and intimacy from the perspective of parents raising children.”
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