Seoul's Seocho-gu, led by District Mayor Jeon Seong-su, has published the nation's first "Family-Centered Early Intervention Standard Practice Manual" to standardize operational guidelines for family-centered early intervention services supporting infants and toddlers with disabilities or at risk of developmental delays.
The manual systematizes the on-the-ground experience and practical expertise accumulated through the Seocho Child Development Center, a specialized family-centered early intervention institution, and was designed for use by both field professionals providing early intervention services and families raising young children.
It establishes practical standards that field professionals can reference throughout the entire service process and includes guidance for caregiving families on supporting infant and toddler development in everyday settings. The manual is expected to improve the consistency and professionalism of early intervention service delivery and serve as a standard reference for practitioners in the field.
The 320-page manual covers the full scope of practice, including the concept and legal basis of early intervention, the composition of an early intervention specialist team, the implementation process, individualized family service plans (IFSP) and case studies. It gives particular attention to the philosophy and components of the IFSP, sample documentation, coaching-based intervention and daily routine-based implementation strategies. Six detailed case studies — covering conditions such as language delay and motor delay — are also included to help field practitioners reference and apply the material.
The district plans to produce 300 printed copies and an e-book edition of the manual, distributing them to local governments nationwide, the 17 regional support centers for children with disabilities, relevant professionals and caregiving families. The e-book will also be made freely available for viewing and download on the Seocho-gu district office website and the Seocho Child Development Center website.
The Seocho Child Development Center, established in 2021 as the first of its kind in the country, has moved beyond the conventional model of children visiting a center for treatment. It operates a "family-centered early intervention" model in which specialists visit homes directly and work alongside caregivers to support development in everyday settings. The approach has drawn a positive response by building a support framework that sets and pursues developmental goals for children based on their actual home environment.
Last year, the center conducted 2,764 sessions of "outreach developmental coaching," in which specialists visited homes to provide caregiver coaching and guidance on supporting development in daily routines, and carried out 1,137 cases of "premature infant tailored monitoring" in partnership with public health centers. It also ran customized family support programs and childcare teacher coaching in parallel, strengthening the community's caregiving capacity. These systems and outcomes have become a benchmarking model, serving as a reference for the establishment of 17 regional support centers for children with disabilities nationwide.
"I hope this manual helps ease the practical burden on field workers running early intervention services across the country and contributes to building a more stable support framework," District Mayor Jeon said. "We will continue to do our best as a leading district in regional support for children with disabilities, so that family-centered early intervention can spread throughout the nation."
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