Osan City Seeks Foster Parents and Adoptive Parents for Children in Need of Protection

[Suwon Ilbo=Lee Su-won Reporter] Osan City announced on the 6th that it is continuously recruiting foster parents to safely protect children under 18 who are unable to receive parental care from their biological families for various reasons such as child abuse and abandonment, as well as adoptive foster parents who are responsible for child care prior to adoption matching.

The foster family project's core is the participation of general foster parents without any prior connection to the children who are willing to raise protected children. The city is actively promoting this project with utmost care to create a safe and high-quality childcare environment in a family-based setting similar to the original family, where the best interests of the child are prioritized.

Applicants for foster parent positions must meet the following qualifications: △have an appropriate level of income to raise a foster child △be at least 25 years old △have an age difference of less than 60 years with the foster child △have no biological children or have a maximum of 4 children including the foster child △have no history of child abuse or domestic violence. Selected candidates must complete mandatory pre-foster parent training (5 hours).

Additionally, applicants for adoptive foster parents responsible for child care prior to adoption matching must meet these qualifications: △be a foster family selected by an adoption agency △have an appropriate level of income to raise a foster child △have no children under age 6 or individuals with a history of mental illness in the foster household.

Meanwhile, the city provides monthly child care allowances to reduce the financial burden of raising children in foster families, implements economic support such as university tuition assistance and injury insurance coverage, and offers AI psychological assessments and cultural enrichment programs for children in need of protection to provide psychological support to both children and foster parents and promote healthy childcare.

Inquiries regarding foster family recruitment can be directed to the Osan City Hall Child Welfare Division, Child Protection Team (031-8036-7876) or the Gyeonggi Southern Family Foster Support Center (031-234-3980). For inquiries about adoptive foster families, applicants can contact nearby adoption agencies.