Tasks of Delivery System Reform of Community-based Social Welfare Service

As discussed above, the policy makers are busy finding out proper reforms to enhance the social service delivery system. The pending and continuous challenges are how to improve the conveniences and tangible effectiveness on the side of recipients in the process of service and upgrade the delivery system to allow the people in need use

Requirements

User-centered

•Easy access to the wanted information and satisfying explanation

•Proper support to satisfy the welfare desires (allowances·services)

•Expedited support when needed

•Contact with the official in charge without traveling a long distance (no need to make several contacts)

•Treated in a kind, respectable and reliable way

Working Environments

•Work assignment based on the professionalism for each

•Optimal amount of workload and clearly assigned work

•Useful support through the information and computerization system

•Working communication among the assigned officials and divisions

Policy·Resource Management

•Efficient execution structure: minimization of overlapping and leaking

•A structure allowing a fair implementation across the board

•Different welfare projects according to the characteristics of the local communities and their demand

•Resource management which recruits local resources and the engagement of the private sector for a better result

⇩ ⇩ ⇩

Improvement Directions

•Building the community-based systematic social service foundation

- Providing an integrated service system addressing welfare, health care, employment and education - Foundation for the public-private coordination

•Efficient management system for distribution of cash allowances

•Strengthened the public responsibility for the management of welfare demand and resources

Tasks

Management of

Cash Allowances Support of Welfare service Management of Welfare Demand and Resources

•Securing the initial gateway in the local welfare system

- Providing explanation for the available services and the right of choice

•Establishing the assessment system for

the publicly supported through the ample amount of consultation

•Providing the individual service planning and the tailored service

•Emergency support in times of crisis based on the system

•An integrated and connected service: income -employment-health care- education

•Projects planning and finance management by community

•Development and management of resources - Detection and excavation of

welfare resources

•Monitoring and evaluation of the projects - Management of illegal receipt - Monitoring of user service - Inspection of welfare facilities

•Support for networking among the local related agencies

- Installation of referral system to the private sector

- Monitoring of user service - Inspection of welfare facilities

•Support for networking among the llocal related agencies

- Installation of referral system to the private sector

the various welfare services and allowances in a timely manner and to mange the recipients in a responsible and efficient way.

A social service delivery reform is possible only when the central and local governments and the public and private institutions organically work together under the consideration of the relations among them. The city·county·borough communities are the basic unit when it comes to the budget planning and spending of the welfare projects, the planning of local social welfare projects, the management of Community Association of Social Welfare, and the implementation of various systems and projects. Thus, the alignment of the public sector and local administration delivery system is a high priority. In this part, top priorities will be suggested based on the functions, roles and implementation system of the local welfare administration department, which holds a central junction in the public welfare service delivery system.

1) The welfare administration is moving from the concentration of detecting and survey for the cash allowance recipients to the strengthening of service connection and case management given the various demand

The human resources and work assignments that are intensely concentrated on a limited scope of work have to be reorganized in order to evenly strengthen the various administration duties at the local governments. Also required are the areas of responsibility and role at each stage. It will cause a series of chain reaction: from enhanced accessibility and knowledge power of recipients to reality check with no omission through aggressive consultations at earlier stages, to structured response system including service connection and support (clear division of work and coordination among the town·township·precinct government, service connection teams, the related agencies), to excavation and management of resources, to continuous management addressing the changes of applicants

In particular, the working environment has to allow a new understanding of the target of the public welfare administration, detection of different demands and problems on the recipients’ side and performance setting on the individual achievement based on the detected demands and problems. The welfare administration has set its target on the accurate distribution of the decided allowances and management of changes until far. It is time to prioritize support for self-support and graduating from poverty, care and service connection to enhance the quality of life.

To achieve this, there are works that have to strengthen; Visiting Consultation, Visiting Service, connection between resources and services, excavation and management of local resources and support for self-reliance. According to the fact-finding research announced in 2011 by Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, these duties conducted at the town·township·precinct level account for only 22 % for the entire scope of work (See Table 3).

<Table 3> Implementation by the town·township·precinct governments

Source: A survey in January 2011 by Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs received 530 respondents in 169 precincts and 306 in 89 town and township; Hyekyu Kang et al. (2011)

Duty

2) Strengthening the welfare administration front line as an initial gate way for local demand

There is a growing need for the functional expansion of the front line windows currently conducted by the residents’ center at the town·township·precinct levels. The devoted consultation for the welfare demand at this junction is meaningful since it is the initial gateway for the public response.

As the recipients experience various welfare institutions and receive more related information, their awareness of rights enhances and a more sensitive and responsible public response is required. It means the initial consultations and reception is getting difficult.

The fact that an average of 1.5 social welfare professionals are deployed at each residents’ center at the town·township·precinct levels. The general officials assigned to the welfare duties are unable to conduct consultation, which is another negative factor.

A reform is required to create a reliable and secured consultation setting where the visitors have their own privacy for a workable counseling. The deployment of at least 2-3 social welfare professionals at the front line can conduct a visiting consultation with a proper back-up system.

3) Strengthening the service support and responsibility control for welfare demands

Previously suggested Visiting Service, Visiting Consultation, Change Control by the integrated survey management team at the city·county·borough levels, case management by the service connection teams are required to be defined, share the duties and build a cooperation system.

This will be a chance to establish a responsible management system for the welfare demand in a broader sense in the current process reformed mainly about the Basic Livelihood Security duties and distribution of the cash allowances. The response system divides the recipients of the Basic Livelihood Security service and the near-poor group, who are difficult to receive support, and is evolving into a system where various demands (livelihood support, support for employment and self-reliance, care support, emotional and mental support etc.) are considered and needed resources are mobilized for support.

In a short term, the tentatively named Support Group for Shared Hope announced by the government can secure a foundation for the case management on the focused service targets. However, it might divide the support system between the town·township·precinct governments and the city·county·borough governments.

In a long term, a measure to expand the scope and volume of management recipients has to be sought after in order to provide a consistent, professional and complete support. Strongly recommended are a substantial expansion of social welfare positions at the front line windows and a creation of professional support system, for instance, Welfare Center by Community in between the town·township·precinct governments and the city·county·borough governments can utilize the human resources in a more efficient manner.

Case management assigned to the city·county·borough governments urgently needs to buttress the coordination of local services and supervise the integrated service professional personnel. Thus, a large corps of social welfare offices is required to be deployed. The service connection and integrated case management has to strengthen so that an optimal deployment of personnel is required given the caseload of the dedicated social welfare officials.

The level of the private resources in the local community and the model of the public-private coordination will have a substantial effect.

4) Strengthened Control for the Support Targets and Clarification of responsibility (Based on the Basic Security Recipients)

The selection of the Basic Security recipients and follow-up management is required to strengthen in order to manage the policy in an efficient and transparent manner and provide the complete service to the people in dire need. In particular, the previously incomplete follow-up management demands a new definition for its scope of service. Also, the clarification of who is accountable is a top priority since it became blurred with the operation of Social Welfare Information Management System

In the management process, the separation of activators to survey any changes in income and asset and manage the follow-up care to detect the way of living is worth consideration. It is suggested that the former falls in the hands of the integrated survey team at the city·county·borough levels and the latter into that of the welfare professionals at the town·township·precinct levels.

In particular, the integrated survey can attract the general officials in consideration of a scenario where the survey work finally settles as a system-based one, which confirms and reflect the connected official records. However, in the case of the National Basic Livelihood Security system, the integrated survey on welfare recipients is doing well to understand the desires of the recipients. For the new research for the NBLS, the social welfare service officials have to play a certain role.

5) Strengthening of Local Governments’ Support for Self-reliance

Support for Self-reliance of the recipients, which has been regarded as part of the Basic Security service needs to be substantially strengthened as a role of the city·county·borough governments. The local autonomy communities can build a community-based support system for Self-reliance and create a cooperation structure between the public and private sectors and the welfare and employment. In this context, the number of working recipients on the conditional receipt is required to be expanded and an optimal size of personnel should be deployed in order to support and manage the service in a responsible manner. The administration support for self-reliance should be carried out systematically. Inside the local governments, a division in charge needs to be established to lead the overall connected support for self-reliance 7) .

Regarding this, it is required to review on how to build a closely interrelated implementation system between the Job Center, a special administration agency under the Ministry of Employment and Labor, and the welfare service delivery system.

6) New Awareness on Community-based Welfare Service Implementation and Voluntary Introduction of Institutional Mechanism

The prerequisites to strengthen the welfare service to the recipients are to find out the needed resources and the kind of service in order to connect the most optimal resource to the people in need in a timely manner. Thus, most important is the foundation of cooperation among the public and private welfare agencies.

7) As of May 2010, the Self-reliance Employment Team is installed in 70 city·county·borough governments, 30% of the entire local governments, deploying a total number of 378 officials, an average 5.4 people per team.

Through the reviews on the cases of Community Association of Social Welfare, Seoul Gumulmang Welfare Center and Infinite Care Center, the success of the projects depends on whether they build a working relationship and share the education opportunities between the private and the public sectors. In the process of the public-private coordination, the recipe of the success consists of two stages: the public sector voluntarily suggests various contacts to the private sector in the form of meetings, projects and budget assistances; and then, the public sector transfers its authority to the private sector for their activated engagement and provides a continuous support. Currently,

a service connection team at the local governments deploys 3 to 4 officials and is in charge of various services including the emergency support and charity for needy neighbors. It seems that it will provably include more responsibilities, for instance, resource management, service coordination, case management supervision, and activating Community Association of Social Welfare.

In order for the public and private sectors to activate their role in providing the welfare service and to create a new relationship between them, it is required to review and improve institutional elements: inspection of budget support and evaluation, the engagement and empowerment of the users and the recipients.

7) Strengthened Role of Upper Level Local Government for Planning and Coordinating Welfare Policy

With regard to the social welfare undertakings, the strengthened role of the upper level local governments is integral part in cooperating with and supporting the lower level local governments to resolve the imbalances of welfare services and resources among the city·county·borough governments under the current local government structure.

According to the regional characteristics, the upper level local governments should establish the policy directions and adapt the welfare planning to them. The upper level local governments should also play a stronger role in inspecting and feeding back the implementation of the welfare projects at the city·county·borough governments.

On the side of institutional mechanism, the performance-based evaluation and the connection with the financial institution should be reviewed.

5. Conclusion

In order to improve the social service delivery, the restructuring of organization, the coordination of human resources, the change of implementation and the improvement of support system should be carried out side by side. First, the restructuring of organization is relevant to the redesigning of the division of work or the creation of a new organization and the integration of organizations. Second, the coordination of human resources includes the redeployment of the division and organization, the dispatch and switch of personnel, and the personnel reinforcement. Third, the change of implementation covers the management of connecting programs, the establishment of cooperating foundation for relative agencies and the installation of foundation for case management, for instance, a case management institution and assignment to the private collaborators. Fourth, the improvement of support system values the maturing of the information system and the advancement of the training structure.

It is a critical time for Korea to seek for a new social service delivery complying with the expansion of the welfare institution. The delivery system reform has been carried out mainly about the welfare administration division at the local governments until far. The reform has tried to redeploy the human resources and scope of work and reorganize the department. The recent installation of Social Welfare Information Management System laid a support basis to change the way the service is carried out. The decision of personnel reinforcement should have a positive effect on the reform.

Most urgent are “the installation of the uniformed and systematic service basis for the major welfare issues” and

“the establishment of the organic and official coordination structure among the welfare-related administration institutions and the private service institutions.” It will lead the public sector to be more responsible for the management of the welfare recipients and to secure a solid connection with the private service institutions. In this regard, the installation of case management foundation” is high priority. In particular, Infinite Care Center, which

the government of Gyeonggi-do Province tries to carry out in its entire lower level local governments, is expected as a very meaningful measure.

It is believed that a broader change should be reviewed and prepared for. “The social welfare (duties)” is expanding to apply to the overall living of the public and include very wide and various areas. Part of these areas demands a sensitive interaction closely connected to the users, which are mainly the welfare services. On the other hand, there are other areas that demand a fair and consistent standard to carry out its work duties, for instance, the distribution of cash allowances.

Under the previous welfare frame where the Basic Security Recipients are the major users of most welfare services, it is natural that the environment around the delivery system provides both allowances and service. However, if and when the expansion of the service targets (for instance, under the Basic Old-age Pension and the child care aid) leads to the increase of service for most of the public, there might be a growing demand to separate the distribution of cash allowance from the welfare administration structure. Thus, the installation of an organization devoted to manage the distribution of cash allowances should be reviewed for the nationally fair and uniformed implementation of the service. If over 10 welfare-related branches of the government utilize Social Welfare Information Management System for the selection of the recipients and the distribution of welfare allowances, an efficient organization structure has to be reviewed. In this regard, the two major welfare service institutions should also come under the review process for their structural and functional reorganization: National Health Insurance Corporation running National Health Insurance and Long-term Care Insurance, National Pension Service running National Pension, Personal Assistance Service for the Physically Challenged and Evaluation of Working Ability.

The service implementation institutions in each community should examine the followings: how to drive the less privileged in the job market and the working poor actively engage in the labor market, why the public support for self-reliance and the aggressive labor market policy have to be strongly connected, how to integrate the public administration institutions (social service delivery) according to the global trend.

That is to say, what should be prepared is an in-depth and detailed alternative for an integrated management system for cash allowance, a foundation of full-scale welfare service, and a policy implementation system empowered by the combination of employment and welfare support.

References

Hyekyu Kang·Hae-yuk Park·Eun-jung Kim·Kyeong-hee Par· Hyunsu Choi·Bong-gi Cheon·Eun-jin Jang, Research on the Reality and the Reinforcement of Welfare Service Personnel at the Local Government, Ministry of Health, Welfare and Family Affaires·KIHASA, 2011.

Hyekyu Kang, Establishment of Welfare Service User Foundation to Enhance Social Welfare Delivery Efficiency, Sourcebook of the Open Forum for a Better Welfare Service, Co-sponsored by KDI·KIHASA·Korea Labor Institute,

Hyekyu Kang, Establishment of Welfare Service User Foundation to Enhance Social Welfare Delivery Efficiency, Sourcebook of the Open Forum for a Better Welfare Service, Co-sponsored by KDI·KIHASA·Korea Labor Institute,