Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, May 9, Recently, the General Office of the State Council issued the "Opinions on Further Strengthening the Welfare Guarantee of Children in Difficult" (hereinafter referred to as the "Opinions"). The "Opinions" adhere to the principle of giving priority to children's development and being most beneficial to children. In accordance with the working ideas of protecting basics, optimizing services, safeguarding rights and interests, and promoting development, we will strengthen scientific classification, strengthen accurate identification, and effectively improve the level of welfare protection for children in difficult situations.

The "Opinions" proposes that we must continuously improve the construction of six major systems for children’s welfare protection in difficult situations. First, we must consolidate the basic living security system, increase the intensity of basic living security, optimize the basic living security methods, enrich the basic living security content, and build a "material + service" multi-guarantee pattern. Second, we must optimize the medical rehabilitation service system, strengthen medical insurance for children in difficult situations, refine medical assistance measures, and improve the level of rehabilitation services. Third, we must improve the basic public education service system, ensure that children in need have equal access to education services, strengthen special education services, and improve educational assistance measures. Fourth, we must build a mental health care service system, strengthen mental health education and publicity, carry out mental health monitoring and evaluation, detect psychological behavior abnormalities in children in difficult situations as early as possible, and promptly and efficiently referrals and assistance. Fifth, we must build a solid personal safety protection system, prevent and crack down on behaviors that infringe on the legitimate rights and interests of children in difficult situations, strengthen assistance and protection measures for children in difficult situations that have been infringed, and at the same time, actively prevent bad behaviors of children in difficult situations. Sixth, we must improve the legal guardianship responsibility system, strengthen family guardianship responsibilities, improve the national guardianship system, and give full play to the role of guardianship and support of child welfare institutions.

The "Opinions" clearly state that it is necessary to improve basic service capabilities at the grassroots level, improve incentive and guarantee measures for grassroots child workers such as child directors, reasonably arrange funds for the welfare of children in difficult situations, and effectively promote the tilt of resources such as human, financial and material resources to the grassroots level. It is necessary to strengthen the construction of laws and regulations and information systems, promote the pilot work of caring for children in difficult situations, improve the precise monitoring and investigation mechanism for children in difficult situations, strengthen data and information sharing among departments, and achieve precise service management. We must promote the participation of social forces, promote the effective connection between the needs of children in need and the services of charitable organizations, and encourage the public to care for children in need through charitable assistance and volunteer services.

The "Opinions" emphasize that all localities should strengthen organizational leadership, take the protection of children's welfare in difficult situations as an important people's livelihood project, include it in the economic and social development plan and important agenda, insist on the "top leader" to take charge of it personally and take overall responsibility, increase investment, and coordinate the relevant work.