Gwangju Seogu District to Identify and Provide Tailored Support for Hidden Young Family Caregivers

Comprehensive Survey of 4,257 Households to Be Conducted Until June 30

Gwangju Seogu District is launching an initiative to identify and support hidden young family caregivers.

Until June 30, Seogu will conduct a comprehensive survey on the actual conditions of young family caregivers targeting a total of 4,257 households. The survey will cover welfare recipients and households at potential risk, which include youth and adolescents aged 9 to 39 residing in the district.

The term “young family caregiver” refers to a young person who is responsible for both supporting the household financially and caring for a family member with a disability, illness, or mental health issue. When caregiving responsibilities become prolonged, it can result in academic dropout, giving up on employment, social isolation, and depression. Consequently, this group is increasingly recognized as a new blind spot in the welfare system.

Gwangju Seo-gu Office Building Exterior

This survey is being conducted with a primary focus on closing welfare gaps and promptly identifying hidden young family caregivers.

Seogu is utilizing data analysis based on the Social Welfare Integrated Work System (Haengbok-eum), and community-based task forces composed of public officials from the administrative welfare centers in all 18 neighborhoods and local welfare representatives will visit households in person or conduct surveys over the phone.

In addition, the scope of the survey will be expanded through active operation of public-private cooperation networks, including schools, family centers, youth centers, and welfare centers. The district also plans to thoroughly examine not only households with people with disabilities or those requiring integrated care, but also potential risk households such as children from multicultural families who take on administrative tasks and accompany parents with language barriers to medical institutions, acting on behalf of their parents.

Lee Hyunsoon, head of the Welfare Policy Division, said, "Because many young people do not seek help due to the sense of responsibility they feel for caring for their families, attention from neighbors and early identification are more important than anything else."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.