A Research on Care Services and Welfare Manpower Strategies. -on the problem of registered helpers-

随着社会的老龄化，照顾老人的问题变得越来越严重。这项研究计划应能厘清与家居照顾有关的福利服务所引致的一些问题，包括与建立教育和培训制度有关的问题，以培养能够为长者和其他使用者提供高质素照顾的专家。一个关键的问题是，由于福利服务提供者（包括商业机构和合作社等非牟利机构）的多样性，家庭佣工的就业模式也多种多样。该项目将重点关注越来越多的注册佣工，他们的工作很稳定，在福利照顾系统中没有专家地位，以澄清工作的问题和条件，特别是就业的保障。我们已经对这些问题进行了两次调查。“注册佣工雇佣条件调查”（1998年）及“注册佣工培训制度访谈调查”（1999年）。前一项调查共有865人参与，调查结果显示，注册家政服务人员都是积极主动、希望获得长期就业培训机会的员工。然而，广告价格低，就业不稳定，工作不受社会重视，用户缺乏理解。此外，由于许多注册的帮佣都是一个系统的一部分，他们从自己的家到用户的家通勤，没有一个特定的工作场所，他们往往遭受孤立和工作相关的焦虑。后一项调查为改进目前的教育和培训制度提出了各种建议。从2000年4月开始实行照顾保险制度后，家庭佣工的劳动条件和工作环境发生了巨大变化。建议的研究将研究新制度下注册佣工的情况。

*ith the greying of society, the problem of care for the elderly is becoming increasing serious. This research project should clarify some of the problems incurred by the welfare services involved care at home, including those related to the establishment of an education and traing system for specialists who can offer high quality care for the elderly and other users.A critical issue is the variety of employment patterns of home helpers, resueting from the diversity, welfare services providers (which include commercial organisations, and non-profit organizations such as co-operatives). The project will focus on the increasing numbers of registered helpers, whose job is in secure and has no specialist status in the welfare care system, to clarify the problems and conditions of work, in particular security of employment. We have earried out two surveys examining these problems."Survey of the Employment Conditions of Registered Helpers" (1998) and "Intervieur Survey of the Training System for Registered Helpers" (1999).The former survey, which received responses from 865 people, shoud that registered helpers are highly motivated workers who wish for long-term employment * training opportunities. However, the pag is low, employment is unstable, the work is not valued by society and there is a lack of understanding from the users. Moreover, because many registered helpers are part of a system where they commute from their own home to the user's home and do not have a specific work place, they tend to suffer from isolation and work related anxiety. The latter survey offered various suggestions for improving the current education and training-system.The labor conditions and environment for home helpers changed drastically with the introduction of the Care Insurance System in April 2000. The proposed research will look at the situation of registered helpers within the new system.