Aufschwung mit Hindernissen – professionelle Sorgearbeit in Deutschland

Recent years have witnessed an increase in professional care work in the fields of child care and care of the elderly. Care work has shifted from households to other sectors of welfare production and is now provided by employees of public, profit or non-profit organisations. This article analyses the two policy areas. The author pays special attention to the fact that developments in both fields are heavily influenced by public intervention and that different rationales for shifting care work from households to professional providers exist. While the development in child care services follows a social investment approach, care of the elderly policies follow a more traditional approach to social policy; in the latter area domestic care plays an important role while the further development of professional care work is not the explicit intention of political actors. Referring to these conditions, the article identifies challenges for the future development of social services.