Single-Parent Family Support Budget 495.9 Billion Won... 18% Increase from Last Year

Announcement of the First Year Policy Plan for the Establishment of the Basic Plan for Single-Parent Family Policy
Expansion of Child Support Recipients...Expansion of Child Support Enforcement Counseling Services

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] This year, a budget of 495.9 billion KRW has been allocated for single-parent family support, expanding the scope of child-rearing cost assistance and strengthening counseling services for child support enforcement.

On the 5th, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family announced a policy plan aimed at stabilizing the lives of single-parent families and strengthening the child-rearing responsibilities of non-custodial parents, marking the first year of establishing the 1st Basic Plan for Single-Parent Family Policy (2023?2027).

First, starting this month, the income criteria for child-rearing cost payments for single-parent families will be relaxed from 58% or less of the median income to 60% or less. For a two-person household, monthly income must be 2.07 million KRW or less, and for a three-person household, 2.66 million KRW or less to qualify for support. Accordingly, the number of recipients of child-rearing cost payments for single-parent families in 2023 is expected to increase from the existing 203,000 to 230,000. The support amount, which was previously differentiated by income bracket at 100,000 KRW or 200,000 KRW, will be unified to 200,000 KRW.

The role of family centers in providing guidance and counseling for child support enforcement will also be expanded. Until now, face-to-face counseling provided by the Child Support Enforcement Agency was difficult to access in provincial areas.

Going forward, child support-related counseling will be offered at 244 family centers nationwide to improve accessibility. Support for visitation services between non-custodial parents and minor children will also be expanded to family centers across the country.

Additionally, the number of counseling and therapy sessions for residents of single-parent family welfare facilities will be increased from four to five times per year, and when using facility childcare services, the self-pay amount will be improved to require only a 10% deposit with subsequent reimbursement. Currently, the full 100% self-pay amount must be deposited before reimbursement.

To stabilize housing for single-parent families, the enforcement rules of the Single-Parent Family Support Act will be revised to extend the residency period in single-parent family welfare facilities. The number of purchased rental housing units will also be increased.

The procedure for child-rearing cost support for children of unmarried fathers before birth registration, who were previously in a blind spot for support, will be simplified. Previously, to receive child-rearing cost support, unmarried fathers had to submit a confirmation application for birth registration and genetic test results to the family court. However, the complex procedures required for unmarried fathers to complete genetic testing made it difficult to receive child-rearing cost payments. Starting this year, child-rearing costs will be paid even if genetic testing is not completed, and test results can be supplemented afterward.

The procedure for learning support for adolescent single parents will also be simplified. To receive support for the qualification exam, adolescent single parents had to disclose their status to the academy, but now they can receive academy fee support without exposing family relationship information. Local government officials will directly communicate with the academy by phone to inform them that the individual is eligible for government support without revealing that they are an adolescent single parent.

Furthermore, customized case management for the self-reliance of single parents will be strengthened. To improve convenience for single parents who need case management for child-rearing, education, and employment support, the customized case management project, previously conducted at some family centers, will be expanded to all family centers nationwide, enabling access to services anywhere in the country.

Kim Hyun-sook, Minister of Gender Equality and Family, said, "We deeply empathize with the difficulties single-parent families face in balancing child-rearing and economic activities," adding, "We will continue to expand support to reduce the burden of child-rearing for single-parent families."

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