"Youth Suicide and Self-Harm Prevention as Top Priority"…Government to Implement 'High-Risk Youth Support Enhancement Plan'

Minister Kim Hyun-sook of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family reports at the Ministerial Meeting on National Issues... Strengthening mental health screenings for early detection
Expanding 24-hour professional counseling staff at 'Youth Counseling 1388'
Operating specialized 'High-Risk Intensive Psychological Clinics' for suicide and self-harm at youth counseling welfare centers nationwide

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The government is preparing and implementing a 'High-Risk Youth Support Enhancement Plan' that prioritizes the prevention of youth suicide and self-harm. While strengthening emotional and behavioral characteristic surveys and mental health examinations, a suicide and self-harm specialized 'High-Risk Intensive Psychological Clinic' will be operated at youth counseling and welfare centers nationwide. Additionally, special support for crisis youth will be expanded to prevent reclusive youth and socially and economically vulnerable youth from being driven to extreme situations.

On the 24th, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family reported this plan, jointly with related ministries, at the National Affairs Ministers' Meeting chaired by the Prime Minister. This measure focuses on early identification of high-risk youth with concerns of suicide and self-harm, providing customized support considering youth characteristics, preventing vulnerable youth from entering high-risk situations, and strengthening cooperation at central and regional levels.

Minister Kim Hyun-sook stated, "In recent years, youth suicide and self-harm have increased, and with the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, psychological and emotional crises among youth have risen. The government has prepared this plan to carefully care for youth mental health and prevent extreme choices by youth."

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, suicide is the leading cause of death among youth (ages 9?24). Over the past four years (2017?2020), the youth suicide rate (deaths per 100,000 population) increased by 44%, and suicide and self-harm attempts among teenagers surged by 69%. Especially with the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, psychological and emotional crises among children and youth have increased, raising concerns about suicide and self-harm, making support and response tailored to youth characteristics urgent.

Inter-agency linkage for early identification of high-risk youth... Strengthening customized support

First, the government will strengthen crisis diagnosis, online and offline outreach counseling, and inter-agency linkage to early identify high-risk youth in blind spots. Emotional and behavioral characteristic surveys will be conducted for youth using youth shelters and youth counseling and welfare centers, and crisis diagnosis for youth using child and family facilities will be expanded along with mental health examinations for students (grades 1 and 4 in elementary school, grade 1 in middle school, grade 1 in high school, and new university students). Linkage and support to related institutions such as youth counseling and welfare centers will be strengthened.

Additionally, outreach counseling services both online and offline, such as cyber outreach and street counseling, will be expanded to strengthen early identification of crisis youth. When high-risk youth in welfare blind spots are discovered, linkage to the youth safety net will be further strengthened. An information linkage system will be established among related agencies such as the Ministry of Health and Welfare (crisis children), Ministry of Education (school dropouts), and National Police Agency (program completers) to expand early identification and support for high-risk youth.

To strengthen customized support for high-risk youth, psychological and emotional support, non-face-to-face counseling, and home visit support will be expanded. A high-risk youth intensive psychological clinic specialized in suicide and self-harm will be operated at youth counseling and welfare centers nationwide. Furthermore, to enhance expertise and responsiveness in supporting high-risk youth, clinical psychologists will be newly assigned to city and provincial youth counseling and welfare centers, and a professional advisory group consisting of psychiatrists and academic experts will be operated.

The integration of the 1388 non-face-to-face counseling channel system will be promoted to expand counseling functions such as case management for high-risk youth, and a text counseling service for high-risk students and youth will be operated to strengthen crisis response. Youth companions who directly visit high-risk youth to provide counseling, customized case management, and linkage to local resources will be expanded.

In addition, youth treatment and rehabilitation centers for healing emotional and behavioral problem youth will be expanded, and cooperation with education offices will be strengthened to activate the use of these centers by high-risk youth and enhance post-treatment management for students returning to school.

Strengthening support for vulnerable youth... Establishing a high-risk youth support system at central and regional levels

The government will also strengthen family conflict resolution and economic and independence support to prevent socially and economically vulnerable youth from entering high-risk situations. The special support selection criteria for youth facing economic difficulties or lacking proper guardian protection will be relaxed from 72% of median income to 100% of median income to expand the target group, and reclusive youth at high risk of entering crisis will be included in the special support target for crisis youth.

The crisis youth family counseling functions of youth counseling and welfare centers (240 locations) and family centers (244 locations) will be strengthened, and parent education for suicide and self-harm high-risk youth will be expanded in cooperation with education offices. To strengthen independence and social reintegration support for youth outside the home, expansion of independence support allowances will be pursued, and independence support officers for post-shelter independence support will be expanded nationwide to cities and provinces.

Regular experiential activity programs will be conducted for high-risk youth, and suicide prevention education and suicide and self-harm related broadcast and communication monitoring for youth will be strengthened. Peer counseling projects will be expanded from mainly in-school students to out-of-school youth to strengthen youth-led prevention of high-risk issues.

Furthermore, to establish an organic cooperative support system among ministries for responding to high-risk youth issues, a consultative body utilizing the Youth Policy Working Committee will be operated. The 'local government youth safety net teams' will be continuously expanded to build a region-centered crisis youth support system, and linkage and support between regional education offices and youth institutions will be strengthened in cases of crisis situations such as suicide and self-harm. Subsequently, specialized treatment personnel for high-risk youth will be assigned to youth treatment and rehabilitation centers to perform diagnosis, treatment, and post-management roles, expanding support functions for suicide and self-harm prevention.

Minister Kim Hyun-sook said, "We will do our best to quickly identify high-risk youth in blind spots and improve the support system so that youth can easily contact us online and offline during difficult moments and receive timely customized support to protect the precious lives of youth."

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