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Train, protect maids who care for special needs group

I refer to the report “21 months’ probation for schizophrenic retiree who abused maid” (Feb 11).

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Liew Kai Khiun

I refer to the report “21 months’ probation for schizophrenic retiree who abused maid” (Feb 11).

This case reflects how vulnerable foreign domestic workers are in households with members who have an assortment of special needs.

Unlike healthcare workers and nurses in hospitals with professional and institutional support, foreign domestic workers are generally ill-equipped and ill-prepared to take care of people with more severe mental illness.

In this respect, it may be timely for households seeking to employ foreign domestic workers to make a declaration to the Ministry of Manpower if the work involves caring for a family member with special needs. Perhaps the employment process should also be reviewed for employers who have a history — legal or medical — of violent behaviour.

Like any employee, foreign domestic workers must be given the right to make informed choices from the start regarding the kinds of households they will be working in.

There should be a mandate for employment agencies and employers to send foreign domestic workers for relevant professional courses if the work involves caring for those with special needs. Or it can be mandated that these helpers be sent to support groups run by the Agency for Integrated Care or by relevant voluntary welfare organisations, such as the Singapore Association for Mental Health and the Alzheimer’s Disease Association.

Caregiving should no longer be regarded as a low-skilled job to be conveniently passed to foreign domestic workers to manage on their own. Foreign domestic workers should be regarded as part of the wider integrated-care network comprising public institutions, voluntary welfare organisations, employers, employment agencies and migrant workers groups.

Only then can we provide a safer and dignified environment for everyone at home.

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