Local authorities have ordered strengthened efforts to take care of and protect children, especially those in difficulties and those left behind in rural areas, ahead of today’s Children’s Day, the city’s civil affairs bureau announced yesterday.

A notice released by the bureau and 13 government authorities such as the Shanghai Education Commission, the Shanghai Development and Reform Commission and the Shanghai Public Security Bureau ordered strengthened protection and guarantees for children in plight in terms of living subsidies, medical treatment and education.

The safeguard scheme in the city targets children in difficulty, including those whose parents are dead, have serious disabilities and sickness, are serving jail terms, under drug rehabilitation, missing, or those who are abandoned or maltreated by their guardians.

Children in plight due to absent or improper guardianship are included in the city’s living subsidy scheme. The standard is 1,900 yuan (US$266) per child monthly.

The medical treatment subsidy standard for such children will be the same as the city’s subsistence allowances standard for members of households instead of referring to the financial situation of their guardian families.

Education support for these children will be based on the orphan standard with tuition and other fees exempted for them until high school.

Family education for children in plight will be stepped up and visits, temporary rescue and legal assistance for them will be enhanced with the intervention of the city’s youth league and women’s federation.

Civil affairs authorities will set up rescue and protection agencies for juveniles to provide help for homeless children or those with temporary absent guardianship and in children’s welfare agencies between 2021 and 2025.

In addition, all sub-districts and towns in the city are ordered to designate at least one children counselor responsible for the care and protection of children in difficulty and left-behind children.

Every neighborhood committee should have a children director for the same work.

The city has had 267 children counselors and 6,271 children directors so far.