Uiwang City to Provide Family Care Allowance for Relatives and Neighbors Caring for Children

[Suwon Ilbo=Park Chan-hyuk] Uiwang City announced on June 2 that it will begin providing "family care allowance" starting from July to support childcare in households experiencing childcare gaps due to dual-income employment.

The "family care allowance," promoted with support from Gyeonggi Province, is a program that provides monthly stipends of 300,000 to 600,000 won to relatives within the fourth degree of kinship or neighboring residents caring for children aged 24 to 36 months or younger.

The city had secured budget for the family care allowance, but implementation was delayed due to Gyeonggi Province's changes to the project plan and delays in Ministry of Health and Welfare social security system approval consultations. With Gyeonggi Province receiving approval from the Ministry of Health and Welfare in April for implementing the social security system, the city is now able to provide stable support for the family care allowance.

Beneficiaries of this project must have the applicant (father or mother) and the child (aged 24 to 36 months) registered as residents of Uiwang City, and must be from households with childcare gaps due to dual-income employment. Income standards apply to households at 150% or below the median income, and caregivers must provide at least 40 hours of care per month.

Childcare helpers receiving the allowance may be relatives within the fourth degree of kinship of the child being cared for, or residents of the same eup, myeon, or dong as the child for one year or more. Only one person per household may be designated as a childcare helper.

Applications for the family care allowance are accepted until the budget is exhausted. In June, the first month of applications, applications begin on June 2, and from July onward, applications can be made starting on the first day of each month through Gyeonggi Civil Affairs 24 (gg24.gg.go.kr). For more detailed information, inquiries can be made to the Uiwang City Family and Children Division (031-345-2764) or local community centers in each dong.

Mayor Kim Sung-je stated, "Through this project, we are now able to provide substantial support for childcare helpers to households experiencing childcare gaps," and added, "Going forward, we will do our utmost in promoting efficient childcare policies to reduce parental childcare burdens and narrow childcare blind spots."