BEIJING, March 6 -- China needs to establish a long-term mechanism to bolster volunteer work amid efforts to improve social governance, a senior official said on Thursday.

The lack of policy guidance of volunteering has resulted in irregularities and a relatively low standard of volunteer services, although the number and enthusiasm of volunteers keeps growing, said the official in charge of the Communist Party of China Central Civilization Office.

The key solution is to provide legal and policy support to institutionalize the work, he said, referring to a document issued in late February by the authorities to promote volunteer work.

The document urged establishing a nationwide registration system on volunteers, providing skill training to the volunteers, keeping a standard record system on the service, introducing an incentive mechanism.

It also called on accelerating national legislation so that the requirement of volunteer services can be fulfilled in economic and social policies as well as school education.

The volunteer work should focus on elderly citizens who live apart from their offspring, left-behind children who remain in rural homes while their parents go to work in cities as well as the disabled people, the offcial said.

He encourages government organs, enterprises, schools and hospitals to set up volunteer teams to provide professional community services.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called for "concrete actions" by the country's volunteers to lend a helping hand and do their part for the needy, saying it would help to "make society better."