Abstract
Study on the Support for the Empowerment of Single-father households
Young-Ran Kim
Jung-Im Hwang
Jin-Hee Choi
Eun-Kyung Kim
This study seeks to identify the welfare demands of single-father households, and to suggest several measures to expand services and programs for them, particularly, by focusing on the Healthy Family Support Center’s family services and the Program for Vulnerable and Critical Families.
In order to grasp the present condition and welfare demands of single-father households, this study analyzed secondary data including the National Surveys on Korean Families and Single-Parent Households in 2015, and interviewed some single-fathers and social workers involved.
According to the results, the financial situation of single-father households turned out to be better than that of single-mother households but worse than that of dual-parent households. In terms of rearing children, single-fathers had issues with their performance in housework but also the relationship with their children. They also showed a low level of awareness about the governmental support programs. In particular, they rarely attended self-help gatherings provided by the Support Center.
Based on the above results, this study proposes measures for supporting single-father households at the level of service and program, on the on hand, and at the level of implementation body, on the other. In terms of services and programs, five measures are suggested as follows. Firstly, the counselling service aimed at single-father households needs to be introduced as one of counselling services of the Healthy Family Support Center to improve the relationship between single-fathers and their children. Secondly, the linking service between the school-age children of single-father households and learning mentors needs to be introduced to provide the differentiated supports tailored to their individual learning capacities. Thirdly, the training for single-fathers on housework and parenting skills needs to be provided to equip themselves as qualified rearers. In addition, the childcare service taken single-fathers’ own specific situations into account and a daily-based rearing support system, for instance, by hotline or by online, need to be provided. Fourthly, human resources such as dedicated social workers and leading single-father members and the physical space for continuous gatherings need to be secured to facilitate self-help gatherings among single-father households. Fifthly, the accessibility to relevant information needs to be expanded both online and offline to raise awareness about the governmental support programs.
In terms of implementation body, the Healthy Family Support Center needs to include single-father households as one of target groups of its family services. It also needs to strengthen its case management service for low-income single-parent households by expanding the Program for Vulnerable and Critical Families nationwide.
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