아동생활시설의 아동안전보호정책 실천 경험에 관한 연구

Abstract

The study aimed to understand the experience of child safeguarding policy practice in children's residential care engaged in “Creating Safe Institutions for Children” project and to determine the impact of the project as perceived by participants.
 For the purpose of the study, 6 child safety protection officers and 10 children in 4th grade and above from children’s residential centers and group homes in B area that carried out the project in 2022 were selected as research participants. Qualitative content analysis procedures were used to analyze the data.
 The analysis results were categorized into 11 themes in 4 areas. First, ‘Safe Home’ was the goal of this project and was a living space that provided emotional stability and protection to children. Second, the physical environment of the facility, the characteristics of children in care, the environment outside the facility and online have also become ‘child safety risk factors’ that affect the implementation of child safeguarding policy. Third, in the area of 'experience in child safeguarding policy practice', categories such as 'safety protection monitoring together', 'activities centered on child participation', 'project support that promotes practice', and 'implementation obstacles and limitations' were revealed. Fourth, as ‘changes resulting from the implementation of child safeguarding policies,’ participants reported ‘promotion of institutional safety culture,’ ‘strengthening safeguarding competency of workers,’ and ‘promotion of children’s safety rights.’ Based on the research results, practical suggestions and tasks for further research were presented for the application and spread of child safeguarding policy in residential centers and group homes for children.