Ministry of Health and Welfare Supports Customized Therapeutic Rehabilitation Services for Children in Welfare Facilities

Ministry of Health and Welfare CI (Photo by Ministry of Health and Welfare)

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] A welfare project for treatment and rehabilitation of children experiencing cognitive, emotional, and behavioral difficulties due to child abuse, COVID-19, and other reasons is being promoted.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on the 28th that it will implement customized treatment and rehabilitation services for children in child welfare residential facilities such as child care institutions, group homes, and child protection treatment facilities who are experiencing problem behaviors for these reasons. This project will be carried out using lottery funds for 1,400 children.

The customized treatment and rehabilitation service project has provided services to about 8,000 children since 2012. This year's fund operation plan increased by 19% compared to last year, and the project target was expanded by 200 children.

The project is being promoted through the Child Rights Protection Agency. All children who apply for the service are selected through preliminary psychological tests using questionnaires such as K-CBCL. Selected children undergo additional comprehensive psychological tests including intelligence tests, personality tests, interest tests, and Rorschach tests, based on which they receive customized treatment and rehabilitation services.

In addition, since the parenting attitude of parents or primary caregivers is a major factor in children's emotional development, support for family therapy programs aimed at improving positive relationships between children and their original families, as well as education for primary caregivers within the facilities, will be provided alongside treatment and rehabilitation.

Especially from this year, the project executing agency has been transferred from the Korea Child Welfare Association to the Child Rights Protection Agency to strengthen public responsibility for child welfare services.

Song Yang-su, Director of the Child Rights Division at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said, "We will strengthen the support system so that the treatment and rehabilitation project can be properly operated as a service supporting the healthy growth of children," and added, "We will continue to expand customized treatment and rehabilitation services to ensure that children's psychological safety and happiness are prioritized."

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