• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.185-204
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• 2005

In a period of rapid change, transition and re-definition of care concept, this study reviewed social policies on care providers in the UK. In the face of care crisis, the British government has made a radical reform of the care system and enacted new legislations. In the UK social policy, care providers are classified into carers and care workers. Carers mean informal caregivers and care workers are those who are paid for providing care as part of a contract of employment. Recently, the United Kingdom has given carers recognition and reward. To enhance the status and right of carers, the Carers (Recognition and Services) Act 1995, the strategy document Caring about Carers 1999, Carers and Disabled Children Act 2000, and Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act 2004 have been enacted. At the heart of the policy for carers is the idea of active citizenship, carers-friendly employment and work-life balance etc. In case of paid care worker, government's focus seems to be on quality of employment. The government has established a new national infrastructure for quality. The five national bodies founded on Care Standards Act 2000 has been established. The UK government has realized care work would play an important part in job creation strategy. In this article, we have presented several criticisms and issues of current care policy in UK.