The Barcelona City Council has approved a regulation for the Home Help Service (SAD) that defines the rights and duties of users and entities, and incorporates a gender perspective.
The Barcelona City Council has greenlit a regulation that organizes the Home Help Service (SAD), an instrument aimed at providing legal security to both users and the professionals and entities that provide the service. The regulation, approved this Tuesday, responds to a historical demand from entities, municipal groups, the Ombudsman of Barcelona, and the users themselves.
The text defines the rights and duties of users and their care environment, as well as the obligations of the City Council and the service-providing entities. It also incorporates a gender perspective to acknowledge the feminization of the care workforce and emphasizes the responsibility of administrations in the democratization of these jobs.
The Councillor for Health, People with Disabilities, and Strategy against Loneliness, Marta Villanueva, highlighted that with this regulation, Barcelona "takes a step forward to place care at the centre of collective well-being." She defended the need to transition "from a model based on private responsibility and sustained by women" to one of collective co-responsibility.
The regulation has undergone a participatory process on the platform decidim.barcelona, which has generated 297 contributions and comments across both physical and digital spaces. Participation has helped to jointly define the principles, objectives, benefits, access criteria, and other aspects of the service.
The regulation includes the creation of the SAD Participation Council, a body that will give a voice to all stakeholders involved in the service. Additionally, it includes a sanctioning regime with minor, serious, and very serious infractions that can lead to the suspension or termination of the service.
The SAD serves individuals in social risk situations, according to the criteria of municipal basic social services, and individuals with dependency recognized by the Generalitat. With this regulation, Barcelona aims to strengthen the quality and efficiency of an essential service for many residents of the city.
The regulation will come into effect once published in the Official Bulletin of the Province of Barcelona, and the City Council plans to launch the Participation Council in the coming months.
You may also like
