드림스타트 사업The Ministry of Health and Welfare held the ‘2019 Dream Start Business Report Contest’ at the Hyundai Hotel in Gyeongju on the 4th.
At the conference, Go Deuk-young, Director of Population and Children Policy at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said, “The basics of children’s policy is to ensure an equal starting line so that children in difficult environments can achieve their dreams without losing hope.”
Dream Start, which provides children with a free start without discrimination, is the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s representative ‘integrated support service for children from underprivileged groups’ policy, which is now in its 12th year.
Home page of the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Dream Start website
Dream Start is a project that provides customized, integrated services to children and families from households with difficult means to prevent the transmission of poverty.
Dream Start (formerly ‘Hope Start’), which conducted a pilot project for about 4,000 people in 2007, provides services such as physical, health, emotional, and parent education to underprivileged children, benefiting about 220,000 people last year alone.
This project, which targets low-income children under the age of 12 (beneficiaries and next-income earners), their families, and pregnant women, focuses on areas with a high concentration of underprivileged children within cities, counties, and districts, and targets are selected through individual applications or requests from related organizations. do.
However, the principle is to provide priority support to families receiving national basic benefits, lower-income families, legally single-parent families (including families with grandparents), and children who are victims of abuse and sexual violence.
For children referred in this way, city, county, and district Dream Start staff (3 dedicated civil servants, 3 to 7 civilian professionals) provide counseling through home visits.
As a result, case management is implemented, including regular inspections (crisis intervention in January, intensive cases in March, general cases in June) and continuous monitoring, depending on the child’s risk level.
Here, crisis intervention refers to the existence of a crisis situation such as abuse or neglect, and intensive cases correspond to cases where the subject has complex needs or problems.
In addition, customized integrated services are provided in connection with local resources based on basic information about the target child and family and the child’s parenting environment and development information identified through home visits.
Dream Start selection and application process
The main support contents of Dream Start are various preventive customized integrated services such as health, welfare, and education.
Services are largely divided into physical/health, cognitive/language, emotional/behavioral, and parents/family, and support is provided for health checkups, vaccinations, basic academic ability tests, reading guidance, etc. by identifying areas that require support according to each item.
The content of the support is provided with the help of sponsoring organizations that have signed agreements with schools, daycare centers, public health centers, welfare centers, etc., but since it is a regional service, it varies slightly by local government.
The number of such service providers and users has increased by more than 73% over the past five years, developing into a core child welfare delivery system targeting vulnerable children, and providing help to many children.
Yang Jin-hee, who won the grand prize at last year’s Dream Start experience essay contest, said, “When I was wandering in a difficult family environment, Dream Start came as a light in my dark heart.”
In addition, Kim Young-sook (65 years old, Gyeongbok-Pohang City, 65 years old), who won the grand prize in the general category, said, “In the midst of the difficulties of raising her grandchildren on behalf of her injured son, she met Dream Start and filled the shortcomings, and her son also changed positively and found hope for her.” He said.
Dream Start Service Contents and Programs
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health and Welfare evaluated this year’s Dream Start at the ‘2019 Dream Start Business Report Contest’ held on the 4th and selected Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do and Goheung-gun, Jeollanam-do as the presidential commendation organizations.
Suwon City received high praise for its efforts to provide an even service without blind spots by establishing branch offices and increasing the number of professional cases, and for operating a family happiness healing program through agreements with Samsung Electronics and Kyonggi University.
In addition, Goheung-gun, South Jeolla Province, strengthened basic learning and psychological testing for about 300 children from multicultural families and grandparents, and conducted play experience activities for younger children who lack experience opportunities.
In addition, Wanju-gun, Jeollabuk-do and Yeongam-gun, Jeollanam-do received a commendation from the Prime Minister, and 60 case managers and civil servants received a commendation from the Minister of Health and Welfare.
In addition, Megabox Gimpo Branch, Iksan Traffic Information Sharing Group, Gyeongbuk Nutrition Teachers’ Association ‘Talk Talk Nutrition Club’, and KSD Sharing Foundation are credited with supporting movie admission fees and on-site financial education for children eligible for Dream Start. Received a plaque of appreciation from the Minister of Health and Welfare.
Go Deuk-young, Director of Population and Children Policy at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said, “We will continue to actively promote the Dream Start project so that children in need of social and economic help can grow up healthy and happy as members of society.”
☞ Ministry of Health and Welfare Dream Start https://www.dreamstart.go.kr
In accordance with the policy briefing post operating principles, the following posts may be deleted or the account may be blocked.