Seoul City Youth Parent Family Support Ordinance Enforced... Full Support for Overlooked 'Youth Parents'

Survey on Adolescent Parents Conducted, Comprehensive Support Basic Plan Established for Systematic Assistance
This Year, Learning and Emotional Support Provided at Family Centers in 10 Autonomous Districts

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Seoul City announced on the 28th that it will conduct a survey and establish a basic plan to systematically support "youth parents," who have been in a policy blind spot until now.

Seoul City plans to enact and promulgate an ordinance to support youth parent families and prepare a comprehensive basic plan to support youth parents through this year's survey. The ordinance includes provisions for defining youth parents, conducting surveys, establishing basic plans, and operating a Youth Parent Family Support Committee to ensure the stability of life and welfare improvement for youth parent families.

Youth parents will be provided with an environment where they can pursue their studies as well as maintain a stable livelihood and raise their children. According to a survey by the Korea Unwed Mothers Support Network, 61% of youth parents are not engaged in academic or occupational activities, and 53% of households have a monthly average income of less than 1 million won, indicating a very economically vulnerable situation. Until now, unlike youth single parents, youth parents did not have separate legal grounds, so support for childbirth, childcare, education, and housing for them was minimal.

However, last year, legal grounds for supporting youth parents were established through the revision of the Youth Welfare Support Act. The city plans to provide more detailed support through the ordinance.

Meanwhile, before establishing the basic plan, Seoul City is providing learning and emotional support, daily life assistance, psychological counseling and linkage to specialized counseling institutions, and legal support to youth parents raising children with household incomes below 100% of the median income at family centers in 10 autonomous districts including Jongno and Dongdaemun.

Kim Seon-soon, Director of the Seoul City Women and Family Policy Office, said, “With the enactment of this ordinance, a basis has been established to systematically and continuously support youth parents who have been in a policy blind spot.” She added, “Seoul City will do its best to support youth parents who become parents at a young age and juggle childcare, studies, and employment so that they can raise their children stably and become socially and economically independent.”

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