Reducing Blind Spots in Identifying and Supporting At-Risk Youth... Establishing an Integrated Support Information System

Establishing a 3-Year Integrated System to Ensure No Youth Are Overlooked Due to Separate Ministry Support
Activating Cyber 'Visiting Counseling Service' and Establishing 1388 Integrated Call Center
Expanding Youth Allowances for Shelter Graduates and Increasing Meal Support for Shelter Youth

Jeong Young-ae, Minister of Gender Equality and Family, is announcing the 'Measures to Strengthen the Support System for Youth in Crisis' at the Government Seoul Office Building on the afternoon of the 8th.

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (MOGEF) is establishing an 'Integrated Support Information System for At-Risk Youth' to detect and protect at-risk youth early by sharing information among institutions.

On the 8th, MOGEF announced the 'Measures to Strengthen the Support System for At-Risk Youth,' jointly prepared by nine related ministries including MOGEF, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Health and Welfare, at the 16th Social Relations Ministers' Meeting held at the Government Seoul Office.

Recently, the number of youths complaining of psychological and emotional problems or committing suicide has increased due to COVID-19. The number of suicides among those in their teens and twenties reached 1,772 last year, a 10.3 percentage point increase compared to the previous year. Although the youth population is declining, the number of out-of-home youth remains around 20,000 annually. The school dropout rate increased from 50,000 in 2018 to 52,261 last year.

Accordingly, the government will create the 'Integrated Support Information System for At-Risk Youth' to identify at-risk youth early and connect them to relevant services. This system will integrate previously independently operated systems by each ministry to ensure no youth in need is overlooked. MOGEF will invest 16.1 billion KRW over three years to build the system.

Online and offline outreach counseling services will also be activated. Cyber outreach refers to counselors visiting online spaces such as internet cafes or blogs to support youth in crisis. Until now, these services have been provided through Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, but the outreach activities will expand to other platforms like TikTok and YouTube. Simultaneously, an integrated homepage for at-risk youth will be established, and a 'Integrated Call Center' will be launched to consolidate 1388 counseling services via phone and mobile.

Minister Jeong Young-ae of MOGEF stated, "Since last year, we have increased cyber counseling personnel to provide counseling not only to those who seek it but also by proactively reaching out during nighttime hours through comments or messengers, linking with related agencies when necessary. Previously, these roles were filled through short-term jobs, but we will increase personnel and hire long-term staff to effectively carry out the project."

Support for economic independence, housing, education, and employment for out-of-home youth will be strengthened. The age range for special support projects for at-risk youth will be expanded from 9-18 years to 9-24 years starting the 24th of this month. The number of recipients for independence allowance supporting youth leaving shelters will increase to 140 from next year.

Procedures will be established to allow youth leaving shelters to have priority admission to youth construction rental housing. Meal support for youth in shelters will increase from the current 2,644 KRW per meal to 3,500 KRW, and facility environment improvements will be supported. Additionally, youth entering or leaving shelters will be included as priority recipients for national scholarships (Type II) and happiness dormitory admissions, as well as targets for youth challenge support projects and special hiring by social enterprises to aid employment.

Existing youth suicide prevention policies will also be supplemented. Approximately 800 professionals will be trained annually for youth suicide prevention, and youth counseling and welfare centers will expand intensive psychological clinics to enhance their capacity as specialized institutions for suicide and self-harm prevention. Youth treatment and rehabilitation centers that comprehensively heal youth with emotional and behavioral problems will be expanded regionally.

To support youth recovery and prevent recidivism, the operation of youth recovery support facilities will be improved. The functions of youth recovery support facilities, which provide counseling, housing, education, and independence support to youth subject to juvenile law dispositions (custody under guardian supervision), will be clarified to ensure uninterrupted service provision.

The system will be improved to automatically link information on school dropouts to out-of-school youth support centers, reducing blind spots in compulsory education. Previously, prior consent was required to connect to support centers, but related laws have been amended to allow post-consent as well. The amendment to the Out-of-School Youth Support Act will take effect on the 24th. Furthermore, universities supporting the use of 'Youth Life Records' as admission materials for out-of-school youth applying through comprehensive student records will be gradually expanded.

Non-face-to-face family education and counseling content to prevent family conflicts will be developed and distributed, and family counseling services linked with Government24 will be provided. The discovery of at-risk families will be strengthened through cooperative bodies involving local governments, schools, and domestic violence counseling centers.

MOGEF has allocated a youth policy budget of 247.5 billion KRW for next year, a 5.9% increase from last year. The ministry will invest 58.5 billion KRW in infrastructure and programs for at-risk youth such as youth counseling welfare centers and youth shelters; 25.1 billion KRW for operating out-of-school youth support centers, creating dedicated spaces, developing online content, and running career experience programs; and 33.4 billion KRW for constructing national youth training facilities and hosting the World Scout Jamboree.

Starting next year, the age range for menstrual product support for female youth will be expanded from 11-18 years to 9-18 years. The related budget has also increased by 900 million KRW to 8.1 billion KRW. Additionally, the youth harmful media monitoring team project will be included in the regular budget, and 7.8 billion KRW will be invested to improve harmful environments for youth by expanding the Youth Labor Protection Center.

Minister Jeong Young-ae said, "We will further strengthen the step-by-step support system for discovering and supporting at-risk youth in cooperation with government ministries and local governments. We will expand the youth policy budget next year to solidify the social safety net for youth and the foundation for youth activities and protection."

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