The actual situation after leaving the orphanage and becoming independent To the first survey Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare September 27, 5:02
It has been pointed out that there are many cases in which children who live away from their parents due to abuse or the like become isolated after leaving orphanages and becoming independent.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare will conduct its first fact-finding survey next month to consider what kind of support is needed.
According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the number of children who left their parents due to abuse or illness of their parents and lived in orphanages or foster homes reached more than 44,000 in FY2018.
Under the Child Welfare Act, in principle, independence is required at the age of 18, but after leaving a facility for going on to school or getting a job, human relationships do not go well, work cannot be continued or no one can rely on it. It has been pointed out that there are not a few cases of doing so.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare will conduct its first fact-finding survey next month to consider what kind of support is needed.
The survey is estimated to reach approximately 30,000 people over the age of 15 who have left orphanages or foster homes over the past five years.
We will conduct a questionnaire about what kind of support you received before and after independence, what you are having trouble with in your current life, and what kind of support you think is necessary.
In addition, we will conduct a questionnaire to more than 1,200 foster homes such as orphanages and family homes nationwide to find out what kind of efforts are being made toward the independence of children.
Three years ago, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare established a system to continue living in facilities until the age of 22 and to support rent and living expenses even if the person becomes independent at the age of 18.
I would like to know the usage status of this system in this fact-finding survey.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare says, "I would like to analyze what kind of support needs there are and use them to enhance the system."
Orphanage in Tokyo "Need support until life is stable"
At the orphanage "Children's House" in Kiyose City, Tokyo, we will be able to live in the facility until the age of 22 according to the wishes of the child so that children will not give up going on to school or repeatedly change jobs and have difficulty in living. ..
Currently, 11 people continue to live in the facility even after graduating from high school.
Depending on the facility, the child guidance center will approve the "extension of measures" to continue living in the facility even after the age of 18.
However, it is said that there were cases where children who graduated from high school were not allowed to "extend measures", so it was necessary to secure a new living space at the expense of the facility.
At this orphanage, the child guidance center did not approve the "extension of measures" even though both the facility and the person thought it necessary to continue living in the facility, due to the increase in child abuse. , I say that the background is that there is no end to the number of newly admitted children.
Also, even if I want to continue support even after I leave the facility at the age of 22, I feel that there is a problem that I cannot provide sufficient support due to lack of manpower.
Mr. Satoshi Hayakawa, the director of the facility, said, "The current situation is that the child guidance center and facilities are full due to the response of children newly protected by abuse, and it is difficult to provide support for a long time. It is very important to continue to support, and if possible, we need to continue to support until our lives are stable. "
Men who live in the facility even after graduating from high school
This 20-year-old man spent his childhood at the "Children's House" in Kiyose, Tokyo, and graduated from high school last year, but he still lives in the facility.
When I graduated from high school at the age of 18, I couldn't imagine my future and was worried about leaving the facility.
First of all, I went to a language school to acquire the skills necessary for employment, but I couldn't get used to the class and stopped in March.
Since April, I have been introduced to the facility and have been working as a part-time employee at a nearby special nursing home for the elderly.
I could set new goals such as becoming a regular employee and getting a driver's license, and I was aiming to save money little by little and become independent. "I was able to find my next place by supporting employment. I was very grateful for that. Without it, I don't know what would have happened after that. If I lived in the facility, I could save money, so my anxiety gradually disappeared, and I imagined after I left the facility. Now I can do it. "