[밀실] 2021 The birth of a new family
The period of self-reliance of’children who end of protection’
Shinseon, who was a child who had been terminated by protection, as a child. Having a birthday party in the nursery. Self-provided
“There is a character from a nursery school in the drama 〈Penthouse〉, but he falls into a crime and eventually dies. It was uncomfortable to develop a story like’If you are an orphan, you will have to be unhappy even if you try to live.’ When an orphan appears in the drama, we say this to each other. ‘Another go-a?’”
This is the story of Shinseon (28), who was a’child who has terminated protection’. Children who have been given the care of a nursing facility or foster family prescribed by the Child Welfare Act must leave the shelter when they reach the age of 18.
After the period of protection, those who need to become independent regardless of their will are the children who have terminated protection. Like Shin, some even leave the childcare center after graduating from university through the extended protection system.
The cause of the occurrence of children subject to protection. Sieun Lee Intern
Shin was raised by her grandmother’s hands after her parents divorced. After my grandmother passed away, I was entrusted to a nursery the year I turned 9. Kim Joseph (24), whom the closed room team met, also left the arms of his mother, who had schizophrenia, and lived in a nursing facility. He is also an end-of-care child.
All of them said, “I waited for the day to leave the nursery school where everything was shared, but I was afraid to go to society alone.” How do those who start living alone without a family and children who have ended their care live?
#Meet detailed stories and videos about’children who end of protection’
“Because I don’t have an adult to ask for advice…”
A picture taken by Joseph Kim with his friends in the nursery school. Self-provided
“I went to the emergency room, and in order to be hospitalized, I must have a guardian’s signature. It’s so painful, but in the midst of this, it was very difficult to think about who to call.”
In the third year of independence, when I asked Joseph about’the most difficult time after independence’, he answered: At the time, he told the hospital, “I am an adult, so I asked if I could sign the consent myself.” Joseph said, “I came to society as an adult, but I didn’t know how to do anything, so I had a sad heart.”
Even for Shin, it was difficult to work alone without a family fence. He said he was disappointed that “I didn’t have an adult to ask for advice.” “When I first got a house, I didn’t even know what the bill was. When I signed a contract, I suddenly got a call asking me to pay the maintenance fee, but I was embarrassed to ask who what to ask.” It means that we need someone to share tips and know-how for self-reliance that neither schools nor parenting shelters tell us.
Joseph Kim is interviewing the closed room team. Jinyoung Lee Intern
According to the Children’s Rights Guarantee Agency, the number of children who terminated protection reached 2587 in 2019 alone. Every year, more than 2,500 ’18 adults’ appear in society.
Of course, it is not easy to stand alone. At the end of protection, they are provided with a self-reliance settlement fee of 5 million won and an independence allowance of 300,000 won per month for three years. Although the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) partially supports housing rental, etc., only 33.4% of children who have completed protection as of 2018 received government support related to housing.
Therefore, there are not a few people who stay in unstable conditions. According to data from the Korea Social Security Information Service (2019), 1 out of 4 people discharged from the facility was identified as the recipient of basic living and the second class.
Helping each other alone through online communities
Shin, a former child of end of care, visits nursery schools and gives lectures to provide information necessary for self-reliance. Self-provided
Shin came out worse than that. I created an information sharing community in the hope that I would not repeat the trial and error that I experienced in the early days of self-reliance. Through the blog, we shared the necessary information and consulted on concerns for children who have ended their protection. We have collected information on various scholarship programs and LH housing benefits for children who have completed their care entering college.
The information provided by Mr. Shin, who claims to be a’self-reliance support activist’, is actually helpful to children who have been terminated. Shin’s blog keeps posting thankful comments that he received scholarship support thanks to the information he posted. Shin said, “I feel the most rewarding when a friend who advises me on filling out the scholarship foundation application tells me that I have passed.”
Shinseon is interviewing the closed room team. Jinyoung Lee Intern
These days, Shin is also producing podcasts and YouTube content with a beautiful foundation. It contains tips and encouragement for self-reliance of children who have terminated protection, such as’Why should I apply for LH youth private rental housing 3 months before the planned moving date?’ and’Beginning an unfamiliar nursery school life’.
Joseph, introduced earlier, is also one of those who received Shin’s help. He is also giving information and advice to those who commented on Shin’s blog asking for help. Mr. Joseph said, “I can’t do better than my brother, but I have been helped by my brother, so I’m looking for a way to help my friends.”
“A’middle ground’ must be prepared for self-reliance.”
Sinseon and Joseph Kim are interviewing with the closed room team. Jinyoung Lee Intern
Our society needs to improve the awareness of and support for those who have ended their protection. Professor Park Myung-sook of Sangji University’s Department of Child Welfare suggested that “the majority of cases suffer from difficulties in a state of lack of self-reliance experience.”
In fact, in Raum, an independent infrastructure in Gangwon-do, children who have completed protection stay free of charge for about two years with a social worker. Professor Park explained, “It will be very helpful to live with someone who can teach you information about independence by providing a living space like Raum.”
Mr. Shinseon and Joseph, whom the backroom team met, were helping each other’s holiness through a new fence to replace the family. When I asked the last question, “What is your family?”
“Isn’t the family mentally supportive and supportive when someone is in trouble? So I think my family is my friends and social worker teachers. There are so many families around me.” (Joseph Kim)
Reporters Choi Yeon-su, Park Gun, and Yoon Sang-eon [email protected]
Video = Intern with Sieun Lee, Jinyoung Lee, Yejin Cho, Kyungmin Baek