With the completion of social security system consultations, Gyeonggi Province's Family Care Allowance program, which provides care allowances to those who look after children, will be implemented as an official program rather than a pilot project starting in the second half of this year.
Accordingly, Gyeonggi Province will begin accepting applications for the "Gyeonggi-Type Family Care Allowance" through Gyeonggi Minwon 24 (gg24.gg.go.kr) starting June 2.
The Gyeonggi-Type Family Care Allowance is a program that provides financial support to families with children aged 24 to 36 months and a median income at or below 150% of the national average, in cases where a caregiving gap arises. If relatives within the fourth degree of kinship, including grandparents, or neighbors provide care, the allowance is paid to reduce the burden of childrearing and to recognize the value of caregiving.
Gyeonggi Province has been running the Family Care Allowance as a pilot project since the second half of last year. After completing consultations with the Ministry of Health and Welfare regarding the establishment of a new social security system last month, the province decided to implement the program as an official initiative starting in the second half of this year.
Eligible applicants are caregivers (father or mother) in families experiencing a caregiving gap and meeting the income and age criteria. The child and caregiver must reside together in a participating city or county, and applications can be submitted on Gyeonggi Minwon 24 (gg24.gg.go.kr) with authorization from the caregiving assistant (relative or neighbor).
However, in accordance with the conditions set during the social security system consultations, the eligibility criteria have changed from the pilot project (which allowed children aged 24 to 48 months and had no income restrictions) to children aged 24 to 36 months and a household income at or below 150% of the median. These eligibility criteria apply nationwide, and applicants must confirm their eligibility before applying for the Family Care Allowance.
The inclusion of "neighbors" as caregiving assistants?an initiative first introduced nationwide by Gyeonggi Province?as well as requirements such as providing at least 40 hours of care per month, an allowance of 300,000 won per month for one child, 450,000 won for two children, and 600,000 won for three children, remain unchanged from the pilot project in terms of care hours and support amounts.
For more detailed information on the changes, please refer to Gyeonggi Minwon 24 (gg24.gg.go.kr) or contact the Gyeonggi Call Center at 120 (031-120). In the second half of the year, the program will be available in 14 cities and counties: Seongnam, Paju, Gwangju, Hanam, Gunpo, Osan, Yangju, Anseong, Uiwang, Pocheon, Yangpyeong, Yeoju, Dongducheon, and Gapyeong.
Yoon Youngmi, Director of the Gyeonggi Province Department of Women and Family, stated, "With the completion of consultations for the establishment of a new social security system, the Gyeonggi-Type Family Care Allowance program can continue to be implemented in the future," adding, "We plan to develop and promote a variety of care support policies in line with the policy objective of recognizing the social value of child care."
Meanwhile, through the pilot project for the Gyeonggi-Type Family Care Allowance, Gyeonggi Province provided benefits to 4,298 families with young children last year and to 5,577 families in the first half of this year.
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