Preschool Siblings Without Birth Registration Come Into the World

Seodaemun-gu Supports from Birth Registration to Health Management and Moving through Integrated Case Management

Integrated Case Management Meeting in Seodaemun-gu, November Last Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] A single-parent family in Seodaemun-gu with preschool-aged siblings has found hope through integrated case management by the district office over the past year, warming the hearts of those around them amid a desperate situation.

Last September, a man visited the Seodaemun-gu Office to apply for emergency support. He lamented that despite his dire financial situation, he could not register the births of his siblings at home, preventing them from attending daycare and making it impossible for him to work.

Concerned about the children’s health and educational neglect, the district conducted an emergency visit, confirming the siblings’ smaller stature compared to peers and their poor living conditions, and immediately designated the family as an integrated case management household for intervention.

Subsequently, the district identified needs in areas such as the children’s safety, education, daily life, health, economy, legal matters, living environment, and employment, promoting connections to public and private resources with the goal of registering the births and improving the family’s quality of life.

The district formed a public-private-police cooperation system centered on the Hope Welfare Support Group (Welfare Policy Division, Welfare Resources Team), including ▲Crisis Family Integrated Support Center ▲Community Service Centers ▲Seodaemun-gu Public Health Center ▲Child Protection Agency ▲Legal Home Doctor ▲Dream Start Team ▲Housing Welfare Center ▲Mental Health Welfare Center.

For reference, the ‘Crisis Family Integrated Support Center’ is a cooperative support organization between Seodaemun-gu and the Seodaemun Police Station for integrated support of families experiencing domestic violence, with an Abuse Prevention Officer (APO) stationed at the district office. The ‘Legal Home Doctor’ is a lawyer from the Ministry of Justice’s Human Rights Protection Division, also working at the district office.

From last September to April this year, the district held five integrated case meetings involving public, private, and police sectors to establish service provision plans and discuss specific support measures.

First, the district requested genetic testing and appealed to the court for the urgency of birth registration, enabling the siblings’ birth registration to be completed in December last year, just three months later. A police investigation was also conducted to strengthen the responsibility of the father who had not registered the births.

Additionally, various tailored integrated services were provided, including health checkups and vaccinations, psychological therapy, learning program support, daycare linkage, emergency living expenses and private sponsorship connections, alcohol problem counseling, debt repayment plan support, designation as a single-parent and basic livelihood security household, linkage to self-sufficiency participation, and support for LH Jeonse rental housing.

A district official stated, “Since moving to a comfortable living environment and attending daycare in June this year, the siblings have become much brighter, and the father is finding more ease and stability in life through participation in self-sufficiency projects and public benefit support.”

Integrated case management is a project that systematically links and provides necessary services such as welfare, health, employment, housing, education, credit, and legal support to residents with complex and diverse needs, based on a structured system, and continuously monitors their progress.

Seodaemun-gu Mayor Seokjin Moon said, “We will further activate the integrated case management project that listens carefully to the hopes of neighbors in crisis and supports them with customized welfare services, as in the case of these siblings.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.