Community-based service delivery model under the context of social service contracting out: Community service for the elderly in Guangzhou

The 1990’s application of welfare socialization ideology by Chinese local governments to provide care services to elderly urban residents has resulted in varied service quality and inadequate service evaluation and quality control mechanisms. Consequently, a new model of care for the elderly has emerged which involves the government purchasing community services from professional social work agencies. This paper documents this new development and considers the challenges of community-based service provision for the elderly. In particular, it analyzes the mechanism of contracting out community-based service and discusses the impact of contracting out community-based service for the elderly. Using the recent developments of community service contracting out in Guangzhou City as a case example this study deploys community observation and stakeholders’ interview in 14 low income urban neighborhoods to explore the evolving roles of the government and social service organizations in providing community service for the elderly. It then evaluates the impact of these evolving roles on the relationship between the state and the social service organizations as well as elderly social welfare provision. The implications of the research are finally considered.