The health and labor ministry plans to allow foreign caregivers working in Japan under bilateral economic partnership agreements to provide home care services after they become certified care workers, officials have said.
The ministry presented the plan at a meeting of experts on Friday and broadly won approval from participants, according to the officials.
Since high communication skills are necessary for in-home services, such as meal and toileting assistance, Japan currently allows foreign caregivers to work only at day care centers and facilities that accept overnight stays.
But the ministry now believes that Japan should not limit job opportunities because of nationality, as certified foreign caregivers are considered to have professional knowledge and skills equivalent to those of Japanese caregivers, the officials said.
The ministry aims to lift a ban on foreign caregivers’ engagement in home care services as soon as a system is established to deal with troubles between foreign caregivers and elderly people.
Source: Jiji Press Image: YouTube (chriscentia)
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