Work-life balance for parents
Republic of Korea
Best Practice - Social inclusion
Nowon-gu has opened a nurturing service hub to provide customized care services for children of working parents, including nutritious meals for those in danger of malnourishment. The city also runs hospital accompaniment and bedside care services for children with illness on behalf of their working parents who have difficulty caring for the children.
Seongbuk-gu has the "Safe Village Hugs" care service for children who are not reached by other public after-school care services. This community-based care system offers homework support, book reading, and other play and educational activities using community resources in the neighborhoods. The city also runs "the Whole Family Happiness Support Center" for working mothers and fathers, effective coaching for dads, and counseling for parenting difficulties.
Similarly, Gangdong-gu boasts "12 Dream and Smile Centers" which provide open spaces for children and youth with books, board games, cultural programs, and outdoor sports activities. The centers, located in heavily populated urban communities, contributed to increasing working parents' accessibility to care services for their children who were not covered by other public services due to limited resources.
