Government Outsourcing
In the community where Wang works, there is a volunteer organization run by about 100 residents who deliver meals to elderly residents living alone. Wang has applied for financial support to encourage the organization to continue to serve those “empty nest” seniors. If all goes well, the organization will get an annual subsidy of RMB 100,000 from the government.
Professional social work agencies have more experience than service stations when it comes to using such government funds. The Yue Qun Social Work Agency established in Xicheng District is one of such professional agencies. The Yue Qun was the first nonprofit NGO agency in Xicheng District approved by the civil affairs department. It was founded in July 2009 by Guo Hao and two other young women, all graduates of the Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture’s social work course. The agency provides professional services to communities, schools and hospitals in Yuetan Subdistrict.
Yue Qun currently has eight staff, all of them social work majors with knowledge of community-based social work, social administration and psychology. It also has about 60 student interns who volunteer their time. They offer services such as counseling for adolescents, helping with poverty-stricken individuals and families, and training other social workers. All of their projects are funded by the Xicheng District government. They also receive RMB 150,000 a year from the Beijing Social Work Committee to cover the salaries of five of their employees. This outsourcing model is more common in governments in southern China, such as Guangzhou and Shenzhen. In 2010, the Beijing municipal government funded 200 posts at social work agencies.
Currently there are nearly 20 social work agencies in Beijing, and, in contrast with those at Yue Qun, less than 10,000 of Beijing’s roughly 300,000 social workers have passed the national qualification for social workers and social work assistants. This gives Yue Qun an edge. “We are more professional because our staff members have been trained at college,” says Guo Hao. “We know how to deal with different situations using professional methods. We know how to effectively use and combine our resources.”
Improving Public Recognition
Over the last few years, the national recruitment exam for social workers has attracted many college graduates. In 2009, the government planned to employ 2,000 social workers, but over 16,000 graduates took the exam. The following year, 17,000 graduates competed for 3,000 positions. The exam has also attracted people working inside the field, and every year over 10,000 of them take the exam.
However, low wages and insufficient social recognition force social workers to quit their jobs. Professor Li Zhiying at the School of History of Beijing Normal University conducted a survey among 70 or more college graduate social workers, of which only 4.9 percent stayed in social work after one year. A larger study by Lu Junxi of the Fengtai District Social Work Committee showed similar findings. Over the past three years, of the 581 social workers employed in Fengtai, 226 of them, or 38.9 percent, have left to pursue other careers.
Wang Qi’s salary started at just RMB 1,200 per month, and later increased to RMB 1,600. At first, Wang’s parents had to pay her rent, as her income barely covered her living expenses. Although director of the service station, her salary is still a mere RMB 2,400. The government has raised the salaries for social workers, but they still earn less than many other professions. The situation at the Yue Qun agency, where the take-home pay of a social worker ranges from RMB 1,800 to 2,200, is slightly better, but this is still far below Beijing’s average wage of RMB 4,201 per month in 2010. It is hence difficult for service centers and agencies to attract and retain staff.
Guo Hao hopes to enhance the social recognition of social workers, and is keen to improve the professionalism of the field. “In the West, social service is a well established profession. The theory is comprehensive, and precise ethics and working methods have been developed,” says Guo. “But in China it is a young profession, so procedures in the field need improving.” She recommends that the government introduce more motivational policies, train more qualified social workers and establish a mechanism for social workers’ evaluation and promotion. Wang Qi, on the other hand, believes that personal advancement is key, saying, “What is more important is that we should let social workers see that they can make progress in their careers.” The government is already making great efforts to advance the field. According to Lu Junxi, the government of Fengtai District is putting the case to higher authorities to raise social workers’ salary to the same level of the staff at government-affiliated institutions. China’s Medium- to-Long-Term Talent Development Plan (2010-2020), issued in July of 2010, included plans to employ two million qualified social workers by the end of 2015, and three million by 2020. The plan also listed social workers as one of the six major professions that the government will foster. In the next decade Wang Qi and other college graduate social workers should expect to see much improvement in their chosen career. |