Incheon to Establish First Care Workers' Treatment Improvement Plan

Incheon Social Service Institute is preparing a basic plan to improve the treatment of care workers.

On the 1st, Incheon Social Service Institute announced that it has started a "Study on Establishing a Basic Plan for Guaranteeing the Rights and Improving the Working Environment of Care Workers" in collaboration with the Incheon Women and Family Foundation. This is the first initiative this year following the enactment of the "Ordinance on Guaranteeing the Rights and Improving the Treatment of Care Workers in Incheon" established in 2022.

The basic plan is formulated every three years, and this study will be reflected in policies from 2025 to 2027. The target groups specified in the ordinance include care helpers, elderly care service workers (workers providing customized elderly care services), disability activity support personnel, and child caregivers.

The study focuses on identifying the actual working conditions of care workers and their support needs for improving treatment. It will then set the direction of the basic plan reflecting regional and sector-specific characteristics and discover mid- to long-term policy tasks.

In particular, the study will utilize the results of the care worker status surveys conducted by Incheon Social Service Institute over three years from 2021 to 2023 as foundational data. In 2021, the survey targeted home-based long-term care workers and disability activity supporters; in 2022, child caregivers; and in 2023, workers providing customized elderly care services were studied for treatment improvement.

Kwon Hye-young, Associate Research Fellow at the Policy Research Office of Incheon Saseowon, is giving a presentation at the kickoff briefing for the "Study on Establishing a Basic Plan for Guaranteeing the Rights and Improving the Working Environment of Care Workers in Incheon."
[Photo by Incheon Saseowon]

Regarding this study, Incheon Social Service Institute plans to form an advisory committee to propose the direction of the basic plan and policy priorities, considering policy feasibility, the realities of care workers, characteristics by sector and job, and common issues. The advisory committee will consist of 10 to 15 members, including officials responsible for elderly, disabled, and child sectors, social welfare field practitioners, and academic researchers.

Kwon Hye-young, a deputy research fellow at Incheon Social Service Institute in charge of the study, said, "This study is significant as the final outcome of the research on improving the treatment of care workers conducted by Incheon Social Service Institute." She added, "We expect this to be an opportunity for Incheon City, social welfare practitioners, and academic experts to lay the foundation for improving the treatment of care workers in Incheon."