'Jo Eun-hee's Signature Mom Administration' Applauded for Supporting Youth Aging Out of Care to Achieve Independence

Seoripul Didimdol Self-Reliance Support Group Begins Emotional Support Activities Through Home Visits as Mentors... Providing Professional Consulting Services on Simple Life Tips, Various Economic Issues, and Psychological Problems

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] “It feels so bleak and frightening when I think there is no one.”

Children who have aged out of care at 18, with no parents or guardians acting as parents, say this. Children aging out of care, who wish they had even a family they disliked, have never felt free from loneliness and find the times they must be alone truly painful. At eighteen, still immature to be fully independent, these children find living alone lonely and overwhelming.

Seocho-gu (Mayor Eunhee Cho · photo) has started mentoring activities in earnest by forming the ‘Seoripul Didimdol Independence Support Group (headed by Yonggu Lee, former president of Chung-Ang University),’ composed of independence experts and mentors who are experts and seniors in independence, providing professional consulting for children aging out of care who may feel even lonelier during Family Month in May.

They focused on the fact that for children to practically become independent, economic support is important, but 1:1 counseling with experts who carefully check individual career plans and provide related information is essential.

The mentor group visits the homes of children aging out of care individually to check if there are any concerns about job preparation, social life, etc., and provides counseling on various economic and psychological issues, from small daily life tips such as ?specific plans for using support funds ?certifications needed for desired jobs ?how to manage assets independently ?precautions when signing a lease.

Furthermore, professional consulting with independence experts will be conducted quarterly to closely monitor so that children can set their own independence plans and actively carry them out.

Especially, to mark Family Month this May, they plan to deliver daily necessities essential to the real lives of children aging out of care, along with postcards containing messages of encouragement.

Park OO (pseudonym, 20), a child aging out of care currently participating in the mentoring program, said, “I never thought such a program existed. I am receiving independence support funds from Seocho-gu, and it was good to meet a mentor and share my worries. They gave me a lot of good advice, so I feel like I now have a reliable person I can lean on.”

The district started the ‘Seocho-type Independence Support Project’ in December 2020 to ensure stable and successful independence for children who reach 18 and whose care in child-rearing facilities or foster families ends.

In addition to government support funds received after aging out of care, economic support includes additional independence support funds up to 55 million KRW over five years. This year, the ordinance supporting independence for protected children was revised to expand the age of children eligible for protection from under 18 to up to 24 years old, establishing a legal basis to provide stable support until children can fully become independent.

Seocho-gu Mayor Eunhee Cho said, “We will provide generous economic support for children’s independence and combine psychological support and professional counseling so that children, who might easily feel alienated, can feel the warmth of a family. We will take full responsibility until children achieve their dreams and establish themselves stably in society.”

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