아동보호시설의 효율적 운영을 위한 법적 검토

The primary goal of child welfare is to protect children to ensure their successful physical, social and psychological development to promote their wellbeing. That is comprehensive of policies, laws and services that are respectively formulated, enacted and provided by the government, social groups or individuals in various fields of society, economic, education and health. The protection of children at home is basically required to promote child welfare. In modern society, however, there is a great increase in the number of children who aren't protected by their parents or guardians at home due to divorce, increasing single mothers, child abuse or neglect. Child welfare facilities are the institutions that are run by the national government, local governments or private organizations to provide social welfare services to improve their quality of life, guarantee their welfare and let them grow up in a safe and happy way. So far, child welfare facilities have just focused on simple rearing and protection to accommodate children in need of protection. But the number of children who are in need of institutional care due to various complicated family reasons is on the rise, and the reason they need institutional care should closely be analyzed to provided them with a welfare center and programs tailored to their needs so that they could live a successful social life. Accordingly, child welfare centers should try to strengthen their professionalism to offer more specialized counseling and therapeutic services. As one of the parents of 90 percent or more of children in child welfare facilities is alive at least, all-out efforts should be made to help them to return to their families of origin. In addition, no support is provided for them to become socially and financially self-reliant after leaving child welfare facilities. So follow-up services should be offered in collaboration with local organizations. Children are one of important members of society who will be the mainstay of the future. Conventional large families have gradually been replaced with individual-centered nuclear families, and there is a big change in the way of looking at children. Specifically, children's environments are increasingly getting worse in modern society, and all the government, society and families should make concerted efforts to address their diverse needs and tackle their problems. How to ensure the welfare of children in need of care on a selective basis to let them grow up in better environments should carefully be considered.