Taipei, April 8 (CNA) A trial migrant caregiver flexible program was launched Monday, allowing families in Taiwan with urgent or short-term needs to hire migrant caregivers as dispatched workers through six NGOs across Taiwan.
The program, called the Multi-Companion Service, allows eligible families to hire migrant caregivers for a minimum of four hours and up to 24 hours (which must include 10 hours of rest) at a time.
According to Su Yu-kuo (蘇裕國), division chief at the Workforce Development Agency overseeing the recruitment of migrant workers, caregivers hired under the pilot program are covered by the Labor Standards Act and paid by the month, meaning their monthly salary must be a minimum of NT$28,590 (US$865.58).
The NGOs approved by the Ministry of Labor (MOL) to undertake the pilot program include Red Heart Association, which provides services in Taipei and New Taipei; Yunghsin Social Welfare Foundation, Tung Ting Charity, and “Nantou Xin Xi Fu Care Association,” (南投縣新媳婦關懷協會), which operate in central Taiwan; he Association of Taiwan People Social Welfare, which serves the south of the country; and the Hualien Association of Family Caregivers, which works in eastern Taiwan.
The cost for families requiring care over four-hour periods ranges from NT$1,000 to NT$1,250, while the cost of 24-hour periods ranges from NT$3,000 to NT$3,500. A travel fee is charged separately, and certain types of care recipients defined by the service providers on the program’s website (https://mcs.wda.gov.tw/service-now) are also subject to additional fees.
Currently, the pilot program is not available on the offshore islands of Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu, which will be included if the program is expanded at a future date, according to the website.
Under the program, families are eligible if they have a family member who has a physical or mental disability, severe illness or injury certificate.
It also includes households where a family member has been assessed as needing long-term care at levels 2 to 8, or has undergone surgery within the three-months preceding an application.
Under current rules, foreign care workers are generally employed on a live-in basis, residing with families who hire them to provide full-time care to someone in that household.
The pilot program, overseen by the MOL, was originally scheduled to begin in late March but was postponed after it came under criticism for its perceived high fees.
