Taipei: The Ministry of Labor (MOL) on Thursday announced the opening of a new round of applications for public welfare organizations to join the pilot program designed to train and dispatch part-time migrant caregivers. This initiative aims to expand the service to all 22 cities and counties across Taiwan.
According to Focus Taiwan, the ministry will accept applications for the program's third phase until September 24, following numerous requests from individuals residing in areas where the service is not yet accessible. The "Diversified Companion Care Service Pilot Program," more commonly referred to as the "hourly migrant worker" program, offers an alternative to employing live-in foreign caregivers. It allows people with temporary or short-term caregiving needs to hire migrant caregivers through nonprofit organizations on a self-pay basis.
Launched on April 27 last year, the program addresses the increasing demand for caregivers. Currently, it authorizes 13 public welfare organizations to recruit, train, and dispatch non-live-in migrant caregivers to multiple households within a single day. The service is already available in 16 cities and counties, covering over 70 percent of Taiwan's local jurisdictions.
The ministry's goal is to have more organizations join the program, thereby expanding services to all 22 cities and counties across Taiwan. New providers are expected to start operations as early as the beginning of next year, stated Hu Hsin-yeh, deputy head of the Workforce Development Agency's Cross-Border Workforce Management Division.
Under the program, eligible applicants can hire migrant caregivers for self-funded care ranging from four to 24 hours per assignment. Workers are required to take a mandatory 10-hour rest break between shifts. The program caters to people with disabilities, major illnesses or injuries, those recently hospitalized or who have undergone surgery, individuals qualified to hire live-in foreign caregivers, and those assessed as requiring Level 2 to Level 8 long-term care.
Services provided include assistance with daily living activities, accompaniment on outings or medical visits, and supervision to ensure the care recipient's safety. MOL statistics show that by the end of July, the program had delivered over 100,000 hours of care to more than 10,000 people.
The ministry noted that one-time use and appointments made once every one to two weeks constituted the largest share of service requests, indicating the program's effectiveness in addressing gaps in Taiwan's long-term care system.