Hangzhou, January 12 (Zhang Yuhuan) -- It was learned on the 12th that 17 departments, including the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Civil Affairs, recently issued the "Several Measures on Strengthening the Welfare and Protection of Children in Difficult Circumstances" (hereinafter referred to as the "Several Measures"), which covers the rights and interests of children in difficult circumstances, including survival, development, and safety. The measures will take effect on February 10, 2026. Among other things, the measures explicitly strengthen the construction of a care system for children with autism, systematically improve the level of early screening and diagnosis, early rehabilitation, inclusive care, and inclusive education for children with autism, and explore and promote an integrated "medical-rehabilitation-education" comprehensive rehabilitation model for children with autism.
The photo shows "Hangxiaoyu," an intelligent infant and toddler care service in Hangzhou, which can provide early warnings of developmental risks such as autism. (Photo by Xiao Jian)Regarding strengthening basic living security, the "Several Measures" clearly state that eligible children in difficult circumstances who are still studying in full-time colleges and universities after reaching the age of 18 will continue to enjoy basic living security, up to the master's degree level, and will receive a one-time basic living allowance of 6 months after graduation; those who retake the college entrance examination will enjoy basic living allowance in the first year, and will continue to enjoy basic living security after being admitted to a full-time college.
In addition, the "Several Measures" will include children with serious illnesses, severe disabilities, or level three or four mental and intellectual disabilities from families on the verge of poverty into the scope of poverty alleviation assistance, treating them as single-person households. At the same time, the restrictions on application based on place of household registration and place of residence will be lifted, and temporary assistance will be provided to eligible children in distress in the place where the emergency occurs. In urgent cases, the application process can be simplified and "preliminary assistance" can be implemented.
To expand the scope of support for children in difficult circumstances from material assistance to emotional care and protection of their legal rights, Zhejiang Province has proposed providing services such as meal assistance, after-school care, and psychological counseling, tailored to local conditions. Zhejiang will provide public rental housing or rental subsidies to eligible migrant families with children; for orphans cared for by child welfare institutions who have reached adulthood and are capable of independent living, their basic housing needs will be guaranteed, with public rental housing provided on an application-based basis and priority given to in-kind allocation.
In terms of medical security, Zhejiang will implement the policy that migrant children can participate in medical insurance in their place of residence with a residence permit, strengthen the management and service of direct settlement of medical treatment in other places, implement insurance subsidies according to categories, and provide insurance subsidies to children in distress such as orphans, children included in special hardship support, de facto unattended children, children from low-income families, and children from low-income families on the verge of poverty, in accordance with regulations.
The province will also appropriately favor children in difficult circumstances in terms of annual medical assistance limits and assistance ratios. For compliant medical expenses within the policy scope, orphans and children included in special hardship support will receive full assistance; children from low-income families and de facto orphans will receive assistance at no less than 80%; and children from families on the verge of low-income status will receive assistance at no less than 70%. Zhejiang will also improve the rehabilitation service system for disabled children, deepen the agreement management of designated rehabilitation institutions for disabled children, strengthen performance evaluation, and promote the improvement of the quality and efficiency of rehabilitation assistance.
In addition, Zhejiang Province encourages children's welfare institutions to diversify their operations and provide care, rehabilitation, and special education services to children in need, exploring inclusive fee-based service mechanisms; it also enhances the functions of grassroots facilities such as juvenile protection workstations and comprehensive public service centers to promote a balanced and rational distribution of resources and advance sustainable development. (End)
