Namyangju City Council Welfare and Environment Committee Discusses Measures to Improve Care Services

Meeting Held with Namyangju Regional Children's Center Council

The Welfare and Environment Committee of Namyangju City Council (Chairperson Lee Kyungsook) held a meeting with the Namyangju Regional Children's Center Council in the City Council's small conference room on January 6.

The Welfare and Environment Committee of Namyangju City Council (Chairperson Lee Kyungsook) held a meeting with the Namyangju Regional Children's Center Council in the City Council's small conference room on the 6th and is taking a commemorative photo. Provided by Namyangju City Council

The meeting was organized to discuss the need for an ordinance regarding the retirement age regulations for welfare workers and facility managers at regional children's centers in Namyangju. It was attended by Lee Kyungsook, Chairperson of the Welfare and Environment Committee; Park Yunok, Vice Chairperson; Assemblywoman Jeon Hyeyeon; Ma Jaegwon, President of the Namyangju Regional Children's Center Council, as well as its executive members; and officials from the Women and Children Division.

Committee members received a report from President Ma Jaegwon on the current operational status of the Namyangju Regional Children's Centers, the issues with existing regulations, and the potential effects of enacting related ordinances. They then shared a range of opinions on preventing care gaps and the future direction of facility operations.

The executive members of the Namyangju Regional Children's Center Council stated, "As discussions on extending the retirement age are actively taking place due to the aging society, there is a need to establish institutional measures such as enacting ordinances on extending the retirement age and improving the treatment of care workers to prevent the outflow of experienced personnel from local children's centers and to ensure stable care services."

In response, the committee members explained, "Enacting an ordinance on retirement age extension would require amendments to higher-level laws first. There is a gap between current realities and the legal system, and both our committee and the executive branch are giving this issue considerable thought."

They added, "We will continue to work with the Namyangju Regional Children's Center Council to discuss various alternatives, such as reemployment in the care sector as a substitute for retirement age extension and separating care-related ordinances, and strive to find practical solutions and provide support."

Chairperson Lee Kyungsook remarked, "Regional children's centers have truly served as a core infrastructure for child care in the local community, playing a very important role. Despite insufficient institutional support in the past, the dedication and efforts of facility managers and welfare workers have enabled the current care system to be established stably. Moving forward, we will continue to listen to and communicate with those on the front lines of care, working together step by step to resolve the emerging issues."