The COVID-19 pandemic revealed the importance of care workers in society and the precariousness of their work, as they have no formal, social, or monetary recognition. For centuries, it has been understood that caregiving is a task inherent to the feminine, so the burden of this work has fallen mostly on women, who have put aside their lives without any kind of compensation.

In this critical context, unions, workers, NGOs, organizations of care workers and those who require care, academics, among others, in Chile intensified their work to influence the creation, development, and implementation of a System of Support and Care. Thus was born "Chile Cuida".

"Chile Cuida": the answer to a social need

According to current population data, the Chilean national context shows an accelerated aging process, a tendency toward a low birth rate, and an overload on care workers. Faced with this, it became urgent to create a network that has care at the center, with a human rights approach and that responds to the requirements of the population.

Chile Cuida is the National System of Support and Care, which aims to connect institutions, programs, and services that support those who need assistance and care workers in a comprehensive manner, working together with civil society, community organizations, and institutions, both public and private.

The last year has seen great progress in its implementation, such as the installation of the Red Cuidar in seven regions, the deployment of the territorial implementation of Chile Cuida in 151 municipalities in the country, and the beginning of a participatory process with multiple stakeholders.

First National "Chile Cuida" Meeting

On November 19 and 20, the first day of the National Meeting "Chile Cuida" was held at the Beauchef Campus of the University of Chile. During both days, participants addressed and problematized different topics on the implementation of this network through thematic panels: "Advances of Chile Cuida at the local level," "Building intersectoriality of care," "Proposals from the academy for a local and community view of care," and "The role of social organizations in the development of local care systems."

This last panel was attended by the Subregional Secretary for the Southern Cone of Public Services International (PSI), Nayareth Quevedo; together with the Vice President of Women and Gender Equality of the CUT, Karen Palma; the National President of the Community Association "Yo Cuido," María Eugenia Ahumada; and the Technical Director of the New Faces Foundation of Hogar de Cristo, María Isabel Robles. The panelists discussed the role of social organizations, strategies to promote their participation in local care systems, and the challenges and lessons learned in this process of creation and implementation of "Chile Cuida."

Regarding the role of the organizations, Robles emphasized the relevance of having a leading role, both for those who provide care and those who receive it, as this is the only way to ensure that the needs are really met. She also mentioned the studies "From Words to Law" that Hogar de Cristo has carried out, in order to exemplify the importance of the opinion of care workers. "Mutual collaboration is key," she concluded.

Along the same lines, Quevedo pointed out that "social and trade union organizations are the bridge that connects the needs of communities with public policies. Therefore, we must ensure that they play a leading role, not only as beneficiaries but also as designers and executors of these systems." She also assured that their role is crucial to ensure that "local care systems respond to the real needs of communities, breaking with the inertia of historical inequalities and building effective co-responsibility between the State, communities, and households."

In terms of promoting participation, Palma highlighted the need to facilitate language so that all people can understand what is being said, and thus achieve greater transversality. The Subregional Secretary, among other things, mentioned the need to implement citizen monitoring, a motion with which all the panelists agreed because one of the greatest threats to the care system is profit: "The danger of the care system is profit. Who is going to supervise that there is no profit? There are multinationals that are becoming millionaires at the expense of rationalized and migrant labor and terrible working conditions of those who are providing this care."

Finally, in relation to the challenges, the representative of "Yo Cuido" pointed out that, despite care workers being happy with the credentials and the recognition of social rights, it is necessary to advance in unification so that the system works and that there is greater political will in these matters. "More information is lacking; there are people who are care workers who don't know they are or have no idea about the credentials. We have 150,000 registered, but there are 30 million people with disabilities," he said.

Quevedo also highlighted challenges related to persistent territorial inequalities and inequities in access to care services; the limited participation of social and trade union organizations and their effective impact on decision-making; the gaps in the valuation of care work, both paid and unpaid; and the commoditization of care services. The global problem of the privatization of care services, which Chile could imitate if it is not regulated through the project that creates the system of support and care.

To close the National Meeting of "Chile Cuida," the Undersecretary of Regional and Administrative Development of Regional and Local Governments, Francisca Perales, indicated that "in a scenario where there is significant distrust on the part of citizens towards state policies and the State as a whole, it is important to strengthen the coordination mechanisms so that this relationship is different and bidirectional. The regional governments have worked along these lines." In addition, she assured that "the care system is the fourth pillar of social protection, that is why we are going to continue deepening this articulated work with other ministries, the private sector and the community."

"With Chile Cuida comes the installation of a systemic and coverage perspective, and not only separate programs. Also the construction of payrolls and technical guidelines. Chile Cuida is a network of institutions that seeks to guarantee the rights of people who require care and who provide care; and this has three conditions: the perspective of rights, the consideration of people who care and who require care, which is progressive and at the municipal level. That is why it is important that we continue moving forward, achieving the budget increase from 94 to 135 million and thinking about what families need," concluded the Undersecretary of Social Services, Francisca Gallegos.

PSI's work on care issues

Public Services International (PSI) has played a strategic role in advancing care policies at the global level, with three main lines of action: Global and local advocacy through normative frameworks that place care at the center of public policies, such as the 5Rs of the ILO and PSI, seeking to address the crises, transform gender relations and the economic model that sustains it; Strengthening of territorial alliances and capacities by accompanying local governments and community organizations in the design and implementation of care policies; and Articulation with key social actors such as feminist movements, trade unions and civil society networks to consolidate care as a public good, distancing it from the market logic that has historically made it precarious and feminized.