China aims to promote the training of professional social workers to assist grassroots-level governance, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

Last month, a record 829,000 applicants sat for an annual national examination for social worker's certification, a year-on-year increase of 36 percent, Chen Jun, deputy director of the charity promotion and social work department of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, told a news conference on Nov 5.

More than 660,000 people in China hold social worker certificates. The country has more than 13,000 organizations offering social services.

Social workers have worked in many areas, including social welfare, charity, community service, health departments and drug control centers. They use professional knowledge to help individuals, families, organizations and communities in need to prevent and solve social problems. They have become a professional team to serve people, strengthen governance at the grassroots level and boost the harmony of society, he said.

"Social workers have contributed to the battle against poverty alleviation, rural vitalization and the fight against COVID-19," he said, adding that more than 200,000 social workers provided service during the pandemic, offering more than 10 million services in a variety of areas. Among them, more than 2 million mental health services were offered via telephone.

According to Chen, the ministry will formulate policies to train social workers in a scientific and standard way. It will promote legislation in social work to clarify the responsibilities and rights of social workers. Regulations will also be established and form a mature system in social work development.

It will also boost nurturing young talent, including offering more degree programs in social work, and encouraging university graduates in such programs to work at the grassroots level. Professional training is provided to current social workers in rural and urban communities, as well as relevant organizations.

It has also encouraged expanding the areas of service in social work.

Since last year, the ministry has strengthened the team of social workers at grassroots levels. China has established more than 12,000 social worker centers at the level of county, township and community and more than 30,000 social workers offer services in those centers.

The ministry aims to set up one social worker center at each county, township and community by the end of 2025.

The centers will effectively implement policies and offer professional and detailed services, Chen said.

For example, more than 210 towns, counties and communities in Hubei province have established more than 100 social organizations with more than 7,000 community volunteers to offer assistance in post-pandemic work, benefiting 1.57 million residents.