Increasing After-School Activities and 24-Hour Emergency Care... Changes in Developmental Disability Services Next Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] Starting next year, the after-school activity service hours for adolescents with developmental disabilities will increase to 66 hours per month, and an emergency care pilot project providing temporary 24-hour care in urgent situations will be implemented.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on the 28th the changes in support services for people with developmental disabilities for the coming year.

First, the after-school activity service hours for adolescents aged 6 to 17 with developmental disabilities, allowing them to participate in various group programs such as hobbies and leisure activities after school, will increase from the current 44 hours per month to 66 hours.

Additionally, for adults aged 18 to 64 with developmental disabilities, weekly activity services will be provided to enable participation in various community activities by connecting users with local partner organizations. These services will be offered for 132 hours per month (basic type) and 176 hours per month (expanded type).

To reduce the caregiving burden on parents of people with developmental disabilities and strengthen parenting capabilities, the target recipients for parent education, counseling, and family rest support will also be expanded. Specifically, enhanced parenting skills training will be conducted according to the life cycle of people with developmental disabilities (infancy, transition to adulthood, adulthood), and the number of parents and guardians receiving psychological and emotional counseling services, as well as families receiving leisure support services such as camp programs and self-guided travel, will be increased.

Furthermore, starting from April next year, an emergency care pilot project will be launched to provide 24-hour care for one week in urgent situations such as hospitalization or family events of caregivers of people with developmental disabilities.

Yeom Min-seop, Director of the Disability Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said, "Through robust support for people with developmental disabilities, we hope to realize their desire to participate in the community and simultaneously reduce the caregiving burden on primary caregivers. We will strengthen cooperation with central and regional developmental disability support centers to assist users and further solidify the care system for people with developmental disabilities by reinforcing the lifelong care enhancement measures announced last month."

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