What Are the Different Types of Child Benefits?

Child welfare is broad and narrow. In the broad sense, child welfare refers to all measures and services that are aimed at all children and promote the optimal development of children's physical, psychological and social potential. It emphasizes social equity and is universal. Narrow child welfare refers to services for specific children and families, especially children who fail to meet their needs in the family or other social institutions, such as orphans, disabled children, homeless children, abandoned children, abused or neglected Children, children with broken families, children with behavioral deviations or emotional distress, etc. Children in these special difficult environments often need special assistance, protection and correction. Therefore, the narrow sense of child welfare also emphasizes social equity, but focuses on the care of vulnerable children. In the narrow sense, child benefits generally include in-kind assistance and cash benefits, such as the implementation of various forms of child benefits, one-time benefits for women who give birth, and various treatments for single parents. [1]

Child welfare

(1) Contents of child welfare ^[1]

In the western developed countries, child welfare is an important part of social welfare, and generally includes two aspects: one is cash payment; the other is in-kind payment and support services. ^[1]

(1) Cash payment

In terms of child protection, cash payments are a common form. Not only are they diverse and of high standard, but each country has its own emphasis, and the benefits are different. However, the "Child Allowance" is available in most countries. It is not only the most common child welfare measure in the world today, but its level also reflects the state of child welfare in various countries.

In this regard, such as the "single parent benefit" in the United Kingdom, it is targeted at single parents who have raised children separately due to divorce or permanent separation. Sweden's "Child Support Allowance" is for infants and young children. The allowance is equivalent to about half of the standard living expenses of ordinary children. The "Housing Allowance" is mainly based on the number of children, income levels and market prices in the region. Japan's "Child Rearing Allowance" is payable to infants and young children who do not have a father due to divorce or other reasons; "Child Rearing Allowance" means that parents can receive a monthly allowance of 2,000 yen within one year after the child is born. The types of cash payments in France include: "parenting allowance", "infant and child allowance", "children's allowance", "single parent allowance", "special education allowance" (only for disabled children under 20), "special support Allowance "," New School Year Allowance "(all children aged 6-16) and" Home-based Child Care Allowance ". Cash payments in the United States include: "Family Assistance for Raising Children" (for children under 16 years of age who are in poverty due to inadequate parental income, death, or unknown whereabouts); "Household Allowance" (for For all families raising children under 16 years of age, the federal and local governments jointly provide appropriate subsidies, that is, rent reductions for public residential residents and subsidies for private residential residents based on a certain rent basis). In Canada, if the parents of the child are working and cannot pay the full day care fee, they can apply for a day care allowance.

(2) In-kind payment and support services

It is also common to provide in-kind payment and support services in developed western countries. For example, the United States implements child care services and provides special care for foster children to join a nursery. Kindergartens are also set up for children from poor families to enable them to learn some knowledge and skills. France has established a kindergarten system, which provides high-level funding for infant daycare centers, and provides free services for child facilities such as child protection centers, child consultation centers, infant homes, collective and family nurseries. Public kindergartens in France are open to children aged 3 and a half to 6 years. Parents can receive education and care as long as they register the child without paying a fee. In Germany, we provide training guidance for infants and school-age children in addition to school education, and set up child welfare facilities such as nurseries and kindergartens. Japan provides health consultations, free lunches, and child welfare facilities for children. Sweden offers free child check-ups, education, and specialized apartments for families with multiple children. Danish law requires local governments to set up a youth club to provide a place for young people to entertain and interact with each other. Its purpose is not to take care of children, but to create a social opportunity for them and encourage them to build good relationships.

In addition, child welfare in developing countries has also grown significantly. For example, Pakistan has developed a more comprehensive welfare plan for orphans, street children, and abandoned children. It has established a National Child Welfare Fund to support the living and education of poor children. The government has also made full use of the assistance of international organizations to continuously improve the country's child welfare system. . The Mongolian government makes full use of all social forces to provide assistance to street children and orphans and disabled children. The government's welfare programs mainly include child identification centers, child protection centers and shelters for street children. The Vietnamese government has established two government functional departments, namely the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Family Population Committee, which are jointly responsible for child welfare, and has established a service center specializing in psychological counseling for families with impoverished children. Through service hotlines, experts are organized to provide free assistance for impoverished families Guidance on psychological issues; at the same time, systematic and standardized vocational skills training is also carried out in the community to improve the survivability and social adaptability of street children to promote their employment in adulthood.