Osan-si Receives 'A Grade' in Social Welfare Workers' Treatment Improvement Evaluation

Lee Kwon-jae Emphasizes
"Quality of Life and Welfare Improvement
Depend on Social Welfare Workers on the Front Lines"

Osan City in Gyeonggi Province announced on the 27th that it received an A grade in the "Policy Evaluation for Improvement of Social Welfare Workers' Treatment" organized by the Gyeonggi Province Social Workers Association Treatment Improvement Committee.

Lee Gwon-jae (center), Mayor of Osan City, is receiving the 'A Grade Certification Plaque for Policy Evaluation on Improvement of Social Welfare Workers' Treatment' at the regular general meeting of the Osan City Social Workers Association. Photo by Osan City

The Treatment Improvement Committee evaluates 31 cities and counties in the province on the policy achievements of improving the treatment of social welfare facility workers in three areas and 17 items: ▲ ordinance composition ▲ budget allocation for treatment improvement ▲ operation status of the treatment improvement committee, assigning five grades from A to E. The A grade was awarded to the top six cities, counties, and districts.

Osan City was the first nationwide to enact the "Ordinance on the Treatment and Status Improvement of Social Workers in Osan City" in 2012, and in 2020, through ordinance revision, established the "Osan City Social Workers Treatment Improvement Committee" and laid the foundation for human rights protection.

Since 2014, the city has provided additional treatment improvement funds to social workers at social welfare facilities and subsequently expanded the recipients sequentially to workers at child, disabled, and mental illness social welfare facilities. In 2023, to guarantee the health rights of social welfare facility workers, the city also supports health checkup expenses biennially. In July of the same year, the city enacted the "Ordinance on the Improvement and Support of Care Workers' Treatment," expanding the support targets to care workers such as caregivers starting this year.

Lee Kwon-jae, mayor of Osan City, said, "Improving citizens' quality of life and welfare depends on the roles of social workers and workers who dedicate themselves on the front lines," adding, "I hope this evaluation serves as an opportunity for local governments in the province to share policies for improving the treatment of social welfare workers and expand them nationwide."