ZeShan Foundation to use Operation Santa Claus to boost social work

A local charitable foundation has its eyes fixed on a vast social project on the mainland - training enough social workers to deal with the effects of massive urbanisation and other trends.

Roy Chen Yang-chung, director of the ZeShan Foundation, said: "There is a lack of proper accreditation for social workers on the mainland. Now the government says it's important and is allocating more resources to it. But many people are rushing in, and the quality varies."

Since 2008, the foundation has been funding a programme at Polytechnic University that provides training to senior administrators and trainers of social workers on the mainland.

"There are many places on the mainland where people still don't know what it is when you talk about social work," he said.

At the same time, demand for social workers has increased with urbanisation, a rise in the number of migrant workers and more focus on mental health issues, far outstripping the supply of well-qualified workers, he said.

The foundation co-ordinates its efforts with those of mainland universities, said Chen. "We make use of our network to leverage co-operation with others."