“Proof of family existence and documentation is a barrier”… Pointing out the blind spots of children in family care

It has been pointed out that the current family care support system for children and youth (young carers) does not sufficiently reflect reality, creating blind spots.

According to Green Umbrella on the 6th, at the '1st Korea Young Carer Week' commemoration event held at Yonsei University on the 29th of last month, Kim Ji-sun, associate research fellow at the Korea Social Security Information Service, Lee Hae-nim, Dongguk University Associate Professor, and Joo Young-seon, Associate Professor at Myongji University, pointed out the limitations of the current system through a joint presentation.

The current standards for support for children and youth receiving family care are based on the principle that there must be no adult family members over the age of 35 at home and that the address must match that of the family receiving care.

In response to this, the researchers pointed out that even if there are other adult family members, there is a limit to children and youth taking full responsibility for care if they are unable to play a role due to livelihood activities, relationship breakdown, or refusal to care.

Non-resident youth who take care of their families of origin even after marriage or who live separately and take care of sick family members are also in the blind spot of being excluded from support.

Documentation requirements proving the need for care were also pointed out as a problem.

Current standards require submission of supporting materials such as a medical certificate or certificate of disability. For this reason, it is difficult to receive support if you are not diagnosed due to your family's refusal to receive treatment or lack of access to medical care.

The difficulty of proving through documentation the need for long-term treatment and care for family members suffering from mental illness was also cited as a blind spot.

The problem of 'invisible care' burdens such as emotional support and daily management being overlooked due to maintaining studies or employment was also pointed out. Currently, in order to receive support, you must prove that you are experiencing 'substantial difficulties' in studying or getting a job due to caring for your family.

The burden of care for children under the age of 13, who help their families with their meals, medications, and daily living, but do not reach the age for support for self-care expenses (13 to 34 years old), was also presented as an issue for improvement.

The researchers said, “It is difficult to determine the actual burden of care based solely on formal evidence and the presence of family members,” and added, “A specific direction design is needed so that support can reach real people’s lives.”

He then called for the establishment of a discovery system centered on daily life, a differentiated approach that takes into account the developmental stage of children and youth, and integrated support that takes the entire family into consideration.