In-home support services appear as an essential response to major societal challenges such as the aging population, women's employment, work-life balance, and support to birth rates. Personal carer, childcare provider, childminder, family assistant: today, these human-centered professions are occupied by 1.2 million employees supporting 3.3 million individual employers at home. For 30 years, we have been observing these professions' evolution. From the supposedly innate to the professionally acquired, let us retrace their history.
In 1994, few people expected the sector of individual employers and domestic work to be successful in structuring social rights and the full recognition of its key professions: childcare provider, childminder, personal carer, and family assistant. At the time, it was commonly believed that domestic work didn't require any professional skills and was essentially done by women, who supposedly had an innate gift for watching children, cleaning the house, and supporting the elderly. Many thought that loving children was enough to be a good "nanny", being able to clean a house was enough to be a professional housekeeper, or having an elderly parent was enough to care for elderly people. A simplistic and limited vision of these professions which didn't match reality.
Fortunately, both times and mindsets change, but not only. It required a strong commitment, the establishment of a comprehensive conventional framework, and the implementation of innovative mechanisms, including an unprecedented structuring of the right to professionalization (a more appropriate term than 'training' to describe what now represents a complete support service for current and future employees).
To support it in its commitment, the sector called upon IPERIA, a rather unique player in the field. The national platform for the professionalization of domestic work was born. Combining socially oriented political vision with operational commitment, the sector was able to establish from the beginning a solid ambition centered around the triad of profession, skills, and certification. Training then became an essential tool for a skills development plan designed and adapted on a national scale.
Promoting these little-known professions, revealing and recognizing skills, and providing the employees with a professional identity.
Invisible aspects gradually became visible. Employees felt acknowledged for the social value of their roles. Employment and training professionals have adopted a new perspective on human-centered jobs, occupied by 1.2 million employees working for 3.3 million in-home individual employers.
Development, language, and motor skills: for a child, everything is decided before 6 years old. These first years are key for psychomotor development and fulfillment. They must be full of vigilance and benevolence. Customized and attentive care provided by a childcare provider or childminder is therefore valuable.
On top of having an educational mission and providing care to children, early childhood professionals need to be able to manage logistic needs and ensure safety and comfort. Practicing these professions is not just 'babysitting'. Real support for parents, these trustworthy professionals implement a myriad of skills daily :
Also, the domestic work model between individuals requires to be able to work independently and organize one’s work (for one or several individual employers), adopt a professional attitude by setting boundaries with private life, and establish a relationship based on trust.
These professions are essential to society's stability and create immeasurable value: it’s an investment in our future generations!
The workplace :
Childcare providers take care of children in their own homes or in shared childminding facilities (MAM).
Labor Law :
It is governed by the French Social Security Code
Regulations :
They must obtain an accreditation from the Department Council (Mother and Child protective services- PMI) determining their childcare capacity
Relationship with the child and their family :
Watched by a third-party caregiver, the child is outside of their familiar setting
The workplace :
They work at the individual employers' home.
Labor Law :
It falls under the Labor Code
Regulations :
They don't need accreditation or a limit regarding childcare capacity
Relationship with the child and their family :
They must adapt to the individual employer's environment
The family employee occupies an essential place in the household. Their mission consists of offering personalized services that help families with their daily activities. To carry these duties out, the family employee must have a good sense of observation and imagination, adopt a facilitating approach with their individual employers, and establish a trust-based environment.
Practicing the profession of family assistant requires a strong skillset, covering a broader spectrum than just housekeeping tasks. It requires an acute sense of human relationships and responsibilities, being able to take initiatives while complying with instructions, and ensuring safety and everyone's comfort.
This professional operates alone or in the presence of household members, whose nature may vary depending on the employer: households with or without children, seniors, isolated adults, etc. Versatile, they may have to:
Although this profession is little known, it represents a great professional and human wealth: the family assistant helps individual employers, especially women, find a better work-life balance.
By delegating everyday tasks to professionals in the field, families improve the quality of the time spent together. They can also help them enjoy their retirement more, or continue living at home in older age. This support is very valuable.
Social connections, well-being, friendliness: being a personal carer means actively caring for people who are losing autonomy or with disabilities. Practicing this profession means being able to:
These attentive and skillful professionals play a key role in the risk prevention and safety of the most fragile individuals. They can alert the families or medical staff regarding the care recipient's condition. Creating a reassuring and secure living environment: that's the meaning of their mission!
Being a personal carer also means interacting and sharing, and having rich human connections, which are key to a better quality of life. This profession built on human connection is essential to health and social cohesion: it enables individual employers with temporary or permanent disabilities to maintain their independence, while it contributes to helping French people continue living in their homes for as long as possible.
Development, language, and motor skills: for a child, everything is decided before 6 years old. These first years are key for psychomotor development and fulfillment. They must be full of vigilance and benevolence. Customized and attentive care provided by a childcare provider or childminder is therefore valuable.
On top of having an educational mission and providing care to children, early childhood professionals need to be able to manage logistic needs and ensure safety and comfort. Practicing these professions is not just 'babysitting'. Real support for parents, these trustworthy professionals implement a myriad of skills daily :
Also, the domestic work model between individuals requires to be able to work independently and organize one’s work (for one or several individual employers), adopt a professional attitude by setting boundaries with private life, and establish a relationship based on trust.
These professions are essential to society's stability and create immeasurable value: it’s an investment in our future generations!
The workplace :
Childcare providers take care of children in their own homes or in shared childminding facilities (MAM).
Labor Law :
It is governed by the French Social Security Code
Regulations :
They must obtain an accreditation from the Department Council (Mother and Child protective services- PMI) determining their childcare capacity
Relationship with the child and their family :
Watched by a third-party caregiver, the child is outside of their familiar setting
The workplace :
They work at the individual employers' home.
Labor Law :
It falls under the Labor Code
Regulations :
They don't need accreditation or a limit regarding childcare capacity
Relationship with the child and their family :
They must adapt to the individual employer's environment
The family employee occupies an essential place in the household. Their mission consists of offering personalized services that help families with their daily activities. To carry these duties out, the family employee must have a good sense of observation and imagination, adopt a facilitating approach with their individual employers, and establish a trust-based environment.
Practicing the profession of family assistant requires a strong skillset, covering a broader spectrum than just housekeeping tasks. It requires an acute sense of human relationships and responsibilities, being able to take initiatives while complying with instructions, and ensuring safety and everyone's comfort.
This professional operates alone or in the presence of household members, whose nature may vary depending on the employer: households with or without children, seniors, isolated adults, etc. Versatile, they may have to:
Although this profession is little known, it represents a great professional and human wealth: the family assistant helps individual employers, especially women, find a better work-life balance.
By delegating everyday tasks to professionals in the field, families improve the quality of the time spent together. They can also help them enjoy their retirement more, or continue living at home in older age. This support is very valuable.
Social connections, well-being, friendliness: being a personal carer means actively caring for people who are losing autonomy or with disabilities. Practicing this profession means being able to:
These attentive and skillful professionals play a key role in the risk prevention and safety of the most fragile individuals. They can alert the families or medical staff regarding the care recipient's condition. Creating a reassuring and secure living environment: that's the meaning of their mission!
Being a personal carer also means interacting and sharing, and having rich human connections, which are key to a better quality of life. This profession built on human connection is essential to health and social cohesion: it enables individual employers with temporary or permanent disabilities to maintain their independence, while it contributes to helping French people continue living in their homes for as long as possible.